Darling, You Can't Do Both

From two of the real women behind Dove’s Campaign for Real Beauty, a creative, fresh and brutally honest guide to making it in the working world on your own terms

Janet Kestin and Nancy Vonk have built their careers on unconventional creative thinking. As ad agency leaders behind Dove’s Campaign for Real Beauty, they famously championed stripping away the photo retouching and false perfection that force women to conform to narrow beauty stereotypes and leave them feeling lacking. After years of rethinking brands, they decided to focus on rethinking the way women work—or, in many cases, the way work doesn’t work for women. They’ve tackled the problem in their hallmark style: by turning expectations upside down and shaking them. Soundly.

 Early in their career together, Nancy was pulled aside by her boss and told she should go for the top job in her ad agency’s creative department—but was strongly advised not to have kids. He told her without varnish: “Darling, you can’t do both.” She and Janet, already a mom, refused to believe that “truth” and went on to find a way to make motherhood not a roadblock in their careers, but an advantage. Now, in this smart, relatable guide Janet and Nancy argue that we as women need to start breaking the largely unspoken rules of business (some of our own making), such as Women can’t do both career and family, Networking is for men, Nice girls don’t get in your face and Asking for help is weak. It guides you through how you can really begin to change your reality—and maybe even your company—from the ground up. Whatever your industry, or level of experience.

 Filled with steps you can take and advice you can test drive, Darling, You Can’t Do Both will spark a new thread of conversation and a new wave of action for women in the workplace—one that’s realistic, positive and filled with effective strategies for every woman with career goals.