Why you need to read Unexpected Women by Diana Ryall

The woman who follows the crowd will usually go no further than the crowd. The woman who walks alone is likely to find herself in places no one has ever been before. Albert Einstein

Ever dreamed of following an unconventional career path? A path where no woman has gone before? If you’ve been discouraged to follow the career path of your dreams by friends, statistics and even family then Unexpected Women by Diana Ryall AM is for you.

Much discussion happens in the media about encouraging our girls to enter male dominated industries – whether it’s introducing coding programs for girls or encouraging the ratio of women in leadership roles – Gender diversity is a topic that both companies and governments are grappling with.

Unexpected Women written by Diana Ryall (AM, Founder and Managing Director, Xplore for Success) launched on January 30 2014. The book covers the stories of women who have entered into male dominated industries, set challenging goals for themselves and achieved success in their chosen careers. You’ll read Nicole Longley’s story (a Lieutenant Colonel in the Australian Army), Yassmin Abdel Magied (Youth without borders) and Janine Shepherd (who taught herself how to fly despite a full body cast) amongst other inspirational women.My intention is that you will take courage from their stories to achieve your dreams

Diana says she was motivated to write the book because many women find themselves being the only woman in a new area today, but they must be encouraged to tread the path that will allow young women of the future to venture forth with more confidence into those areas where few women have as yet succeeded. They must be encouraged to pursue careers in areas that are still without women.

She continues, ” The women in this book have shown courage, determination and have taken the risks to achieve their dreams. They share their stories openly with you in the hope that you will gain confidence from their successes. You cannot achieve your full career potential if you don’t challenge yourself to go for it”.

Diana explains, “Australia has a proud history of educating young women and giving them the legal rights to work and be paid equally. However, so much of our female talent remains unused and under-rewarded and many women do not gain the satisfaction of using their talents and education to achieve great things. In this respect, their employers also lose out. And so does the nation”.

Unexpected Women discusses sixteen different career paths that are available to Australian women today and one of the main themes that the book talks about is how job satisfaction can only arise out of finding work you’re best suited for- with your strengths and passion. Too often women tend to stick to “safe” career paths and limit their own potential. The book profiles successful women working in diverse fields – the army, non-profit, mining, trucking amongst other traditionally male dominated industries. The women also provide valuable advice to the readers in how you can further your careers based on their own experiences.

So if you are seeking motivation to overcome the obstacles in your path to achieve your dream career then Unexpected Women will leave you energised to follow your dreams.

About the author

Diana Ryall AM is the Founder and CEO of Xplore for Success which offers services that support inspiring leadership, inclusive workplace cultures and support of women. The services include programs, seminars, presentations, coaching, diversity audits and networking events. Key areas for Xplore are talent development and gender diversity. Visit www.xplore.net.au.

Diana has recently been awarded Finalist in Mentor of The Year in the NAB Women’s Agenda Leadership Awards and will appear on the panel of our event We Need A Champion Men+Women=Gender Equality in September.

Unexpected Women can be ordered online from http://www.xplore.net.au/unexpected-women.htm