TELL HER SHE CAN'T
By Kelly Lewis
Chances are
that someone, somewhere, has tried to tell you that you can’t.
Maybe you had a
dream to be an astronaut, and everyone around you poo-pooed it, saying you
didn’t have the brain for that much math and science. Maybe you wanted to run a
marathon, and your aunt told you that was a ridiculous idea for someone who
could barely walk around the block. Maybe you thought of a business idea but
your mom said it would never make any money. Whatever your ambitions or dreams,
baby, the naysayers are everywhere.
I’ve
encountered them my whole life, and I bet you have too. I’m pretty much the
poster child for “anything you can do, I can do better”—and I don’t take kindly
to being told I can’t.
Throughout my
book, I talk about these naysayers—the ones I call the blockmakers. The
people who stand in our way, get in our heads, and fill us with all kinds of
self-doubt. If left unchecked, their limiting voices can become our own. I have
made it my mission to not let this happen to others.
Society has
been telling women what they can and can’t do, who they can and can’t be, and
what they can and can’t look like, ever since Eve took a bite out of what I’m sure
was a delicious apple. With that, women have been punished for eternity for
their choices.
Can’t focus too long on your career, you’ll never have a family.
Can’t start a family, you’ll ruin your career. Can’t be too sure
of yourself or you’ll scare men away, can’t be too accomplished or
you’ll be too intimidating—can’t, can’t, can’t. Where does it end?
Trying to live
your life by someone else’s standards is a losing game, so I propose we change
the rules.
I want Tell
Her She Can’t to become the mantra for women to do exactly that
thing. I want to inspire more people to live their lives exactly the way they
want to, authentically and unapologetically.
I deeply
believe that this is possible, and that we can take all the hater-ade
around us and turn it into a propellant that pushes you toward success.
Because this
is my story, too.
I grew up in
an environment in which I felt constantly on edge, always on defense for the
next attack. I’ve been drowned, smothered, and kicked in the stomach more times
than I care to recall. I’ve experienced the effects of alcoholism, narcissism,
and corruption. I’ve been devastatingly, heartbreakingly, betrayed.
The cards felt very much stacked against me for much of the
first 17 years of my life, and no one would have judged me had I chosen to just
accept this and live a muted life, never really reaching for the potential I
knew I had within me. But I decided early on that I wasn’t going to be a victim
to my circumstances. I became determined to live a happy and successful life,
and knew that one day, I would become even more successful than the
people who had tried to tear me down.
No one else
was going to determine my future—and no one can determine yours, either.
That’s the
mission behind Tell Her She Can’t, and the why that phrase is so
important to me. I’ve heard it as an internal chant that helped me get through childhood,
into entrepreneurship, and on my solo travels around the globe. It’s the same
chant I hear when I do really scary, hard things; when I tell myself that I’m
not enough, when I doubt that I have what it takes, that I can’t.
Working on ourselves is a forever job. I hope this book, my story, and the stories of 35 incredibly strong women who have overcome adversity and proved everyone wrong, reminds readers that they too, are powerful.
Who says you can’t?
Tell Her She Can’t is the manifesto for every woman who has been told she isn’t strong enough, smart enough, or capable enough to excel-and the motivational anthem for those who have succeeded despite doubt.
Entrepreneur Kelly Lewis shares the true stories of 35 inspirational women who overcame the naysayers to achieve “impossible” dreams.
Tell Her She Can’t is packed with motivational stories of adventurers, changemakers, and prevailers who have taken on the world to become pioneers in their fields or challenged gender stereotypes to build million-dollar businesses. These inspiring women transformed adversity into a springboard for empowerment and success-and you can too.
A powerhouse guide for every modern woman and girl, Tell Her She Can’t invites you to blast past the gatekeepers of “can’t” and become unstoppable.
ORDER YOUR COPY
Amazon → https://amzn.to/3uuMdE4
Barnes & Noble → https://bit.ly/3qgWK5f
Apple Books → https://apple.co/3d4jQXg
Kelly Lewis is a women’s travel industry maven, passionate about helping women tap into their personal power through travel. She’s the founder of Go! Girl Guides, the world’s first series of travel guidebooks for women; founder of the annual Women’s Travel Fest, and creator of Damesly, a boutique women’s tour company. Born in Arizona but raised in Hawaii, she now lives in Portland, Oregon.
Kelly has been called a “dame disruptor” by Adventure.com, a “travel veteran” by Brit + Co, a “badass female founder” by Huffington Post, and “The woman making travel better – and safer – for all women” by The Muse. Lewis and her work have also been featured in the New York Times, Forbes, Shape Magazine, Elle, AFAR, Culture Trip, CNN, Travel + Leisure, and more.
WEBSITE & SOCIAL LINKS:
Website: www.tellhershecant.com
Twitter: www.twitter.com/gokellylewis & www.twitter.com/tellhershecant
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/gokellylewis & http://www.facebook.com/tellhershecant
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