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Book review: Heels of Steel

Updated: Apr 7, 2021

Surviving and thriving in the corporate world by Vanessa Vallely


Are you a student or graduate?

Are you unsure about your career path?

Are you looking for your next career role?

Are you in the early years of your career?

Are you confused about your next steps for career progression?

Do you have years of experience under your belt working in the corporate world?

Do you want to have a successful and fulfilling career?

Are you a lover of good books?


If you answered YES to any of the questions then Vanessa Vallely's Heels of Steel is a MUST read! Vanessa shares her experience of successfully working up the corporate ladder to C-suite in the most captivating way.


In her book about thriving in the corporate world, Vanessa paints a vivid picture of what it is like to work in an industry mostly dominated by men in London financial district. She captures your emotion as you read through the pages where Vanessa and her Mum had to do everything possible so her family could stay afloat. Not forgetting her background she tells stories about her family, childhood, and tradition with plenty of humour.


Available on Amazon and Kindle. Click here


Vanessa is a great storyteller, not only does she talk about her career journey of 25 years in finance and technology. She shares her challenges, biggest learnings, and alternative course of action to frequent career mistakes. In a peculiar fashion, Vanessa calls her readers to take action by providing a relevant framework, tools, and resources for managing their career, profile, personal brand, and network.


Here are my key takeaways:


1. Have a vision of what you want for your career, don't be vague about it! Vanessa's imagination of working in one of the offices at London Financial District wearing suits - that dream was the vehicle she used to drive herself to the pinnacle of the corporate world without a degree!