Why am I passionate about this?

I’ve spent years working with women who are expected to be confident, decisive, and polished, but are rarely taught how to build those skills. Through my work in politics, public service, and coaching thousands of women, I’ve seen how small, often invisible habits can keep capable women from being fully heard or respected. What I love most is helping women with the practical, everyday moments, like how to say no without apologizing, set boundaries, and build real influence. I’m passionate about leadership because I’ve watched these shifts change careers and lives, and these books reflect the lessons I come back to again and again.


I wrote...

Duct Tape and White Lies

By Emily Lampkin ,

Book cover of Duct Tape and White Lies

What is my book about?

Duct Tape and White Lies is a practical, real-world guide for women who want to advance with clarity, confidence, and…

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The books I picked & why

Book cover of Big Magic: Creative Living Beyond Fear

Emily Lampkin Why I love this book

I love this book because it reminded me that creativity isn’t something reserved for a certain type of person, it’s something I get to claim.

This book is for all us types who don’t see ourselves as creative or working in a creative field; it simply lays out our ability to bring creativity to our work.

This book taught me how we need to take risks with our creativity, especially when deciding what we want and how to get it. I connected with its message about imagining more for your work and life.

By Elizabeth Gilbert ,

Why should I read it?

23 authors picked Big Magic as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Readers of all ages and walks of life have drawn inspiration from Elizabeth Gilbert's books for years. Now, this beloved author shares her wisdom and unique understanding of creativity, shattering the perceptions of mystery and suffering that surround the process - and showing us all just how easy it can be. By sharing stories from her own life, as well as those from her friends and the people that have inspired her, Elizabeth Gilbert challenges us to embrace our curiosity, tackle what we most love and face down what we most fear. Whether you long to write a book, create…


Book cover of Made to Stick: Why Some Ideas Survive and Others Die

Emily Lampkin Why I love this book

I love this book because it is the handbook of messaging that is purposeful.

It made me a better communicator by teaching me the importance of building a strong, consistent story about who you are and what you want.

Also, this book sharpened my own ability to create messages people remember, to be able to help others do the same. I love how clearly it lays out what makes a story unforgettable. It pushed me to be intentional about the words I choose and how I deliver them, something I use every single day in my work. 

By Chip Heath , Dan Heath ,

Why should I read it?

11 authors picked Made to Stick as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Why does fake news stick while the truth goes missing?

Why do disproved urban legends persist? How do you keep letting newspapers and clickbait sites lure you in with their headlines? And why do you remember complicated stories but not complicated facts?

Over ten years of study, Chip and Dan Heath have discovered how we latch on to information hooks. Packed full of case histories and incredible anecdotes, it shows:

- how an Australian scientist convinced the world he'd discovered the cause of stomach ulcers by drinking a glass filled with bacteria

- how a gifted sports reporter got people…


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Book cover of In This Together: Connecting with Your Community to Combat the Climate Crisis

In This Together by Marianne E. Krasny,

In This Together explores how we can harness our social networks to make a real impact fighting the climate crisis. Against notions of the lone environmental crusader, Marianne E. Krasny shows us the power of "network climate action"—the idea that our own ordinary acts can influence and inspire those close…

Book cover of Nudge: The Final Edition

Emily Lampkin Why I love this book

I love this book because it showed me how small adjustments can dramatically increase the chances that people take action.

This was crucial to my knowledge base as a leader because increasing the likelihood someone takes the action you want them to take is a keystone skill of leaders. This book really helped me increase my power as a leader by becoming a better connector.

Overall, it showed me how simple and easy to implement “nudges” can change outcomes. 

By Richard H. Thaler , Cass R. Sunstein ,

Why should I read it?

6 authors picked Nudge as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

*Once again a New York Times bestseller! First the original edition, and now the new Final Edition*

An essential new edition revised and updated from cover to cover of one of the most important books of the last two decades, by Nobel Prize winner Richard H. Thaler and Cass R. Sunstein

More than 2 million copies sold

Since the original publication of Nudge more than a decade ago, the title has entered the vocabulary of businesspeople, policy makers, engaged citizens, and consumers everywhere. The book has given rise to more than 400 "nudge units" in governments around the world and…


Book cover of The Power of Body Language

Emily Lampkin Why I love this book

I love this book because it made me rethink the signals I send before I ever speak.

This helped me with increasing my confidence by creating not only a spoken but a visual brand that reflects who I am and what I want. I found myself constantly recognizing habits I didn’t know I had. I love how practical the insights are; they made me more intentional in every type of interaction.

This book is full of body language facts I knew or kind of knew, and includes many I didn’t know about at all.  It’s written with an eye towards women and how we can increase our effectiveness based on nonverbal cues.

By Tonya Reiman ,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked The Power of Body Language as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

THE POWER OF BODY LANGUAGE is for everyone who wants to know what others are really saying and thinking - what is going on beneath the words. It's also for people who want to improve their own communication and improve how they are perceived by others in both their professional and personal lives. What makes Reiman's book on body language different from others on the market is its simplicity and practical nature. Essentially, it is a book you can use to enhance your everyday communication. After you read this book you will immediately understand what specific gestures, facial cues, body…


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Book cover of Heidi Across America: One Woman's Journey on a Bicycle Through the Heartland

Heidi Across America by Heidi Beierle,

A memoir of homecoming by bicycle and how opening our hearts to others enables us to open our hearts to ourselves.

When the 2008 recession hit, 33-year-old Heidi Beierle was single, underemployed, and looking for a way out of her darkness. She returned to school, but her gloom deepened. All…

Book cover of You Just Don't Understand: Women and Men in Conversation

Emily Lampkin Why I love this book

I love this book because it finally explained communication differences I had noticed for years.

I work with women navigating conversations with both men and women, and this book helped me understand why the same message lands differently depending on who hears it. This book includes the tools needed to adapt speech depending on your audience.

I love how clear and logical this book is: it uses research and evidence around women and men communicating differently. It gave me language for things I’d observed but couldn’t describe, and it changed the way I communicate.

By Deborah Tannen ,

Why should I read it?

4 authors picked You Just Don't Understand as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

This guide highlights problems of communication between men and women, who can interpret the same conversation completely differently, even when there is no apparent misunderstanding. It examines how the sexes can work through communication barriers and get to the heart of the matter.


Explore my book 😀

Duct Tape and White Lies

By Emily Lampkin ,

Book cover of Duct Tape and White Lies

What is my book about?

Duct Tape and White Lies is a practical, real-world guide for women who want to advance with clarity, confidence, and strategy.

Drawing from 25 years of advising women in corporate, nonprofit, and public-service leadership, the book breaks down the essential tools modern professionals need: selling your personal brand with intention, building power networks that actually open doors, navigating high-stakes conversations, setting boundaries without career repercussions, and creating momentum toward leadership roles now. Grounded in thousands of conversations with women across Fortune 500 companies, government, and education, this book reveals the subtle ways workplace cultures hold women back, and the proven, simple steps to rise above them.

Book cover of Big Magic: Creative Living Beyond Fear
Book cover of Made to Stick: Why Some Ideas Survive and Others Die
Book cover of Nudge: The Final Edition

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Tap Dancing on Everest by Mimi Zieman,

Tap Dancing on Everest, part coming-of-age memoir, part true-survival adventure story, is about a young medical student, the daughter of a Holocaust survivor raised in N.Y.C., who battles self-doubt to serve as the doctor—and only woman—on a remote Everest climb in Tibet.

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