Girl Code by Cara Alwill Leyba

Girl Code: Unlocking the Secrets to Success, Sanity, and Happiness for the Female Entrepreneur is well-intentioned but ultimately a fluff-piece. Leyba has a fun, engaging voice, but the majority of the book is filled with stories and interviews rather than actionable information. If you’re looking for the book version of a motivational speaker or a talk show, pick up Girl Code.Otherwise, move along. All actionable information can be found on pages 4-7, and 95-96.

Girl Code is about women supporting women and building the confidence necessary to put yourself out there as an entrepreneur. As I mentioned above, it’s packed with interviews that basically boil down to “Other women are succeeding; you can, too!” Leyba definitely means well and believes in her message. She loves that women are doing well and wants to celebrate their success. That said, a lot of her female-centric advice is applicable to all genders.

On pages 4-6, Leyba introduces the idea of a “limitless luxe.” A limitless luxe is a spectacular meditation concept where you allow yourself to imagine your ideal future without regard to shame or realism. She goes on to say that we shouldn’t feel guilty, shameful, or selfish for having desires, no matter what those desires may be. Similarly, what’s realistic to one person may not be realistic to another. All that really matters is the reality you’re working toward and your own belief that it’s achievable. 

Pages 6-7 introduce the idea that other people’s success is not your failure. This isn’t a novel concept, but it is important. It’s all too easy to look at someone successful and be jealous. To think that you’ve failed in comparison and even to believe that the sales they make equate to sales you’ve lost. Leyba  proposes that a good way to combat that feeling of negativity is to close your eyes and imagine something equally good happening to you. It’s the idea that they’ve achieved something you can’t, rather than them simply having achieved something before you, that lends the feeling of inadequacy. By believing you can achieve that same level of success, you free yourself of those negative feelings. It’s quick, it’s clean, and even crazier, it works. 

Pages 95-96 are another simple but important concept. “Be gentle with yourself.” It’s technically only two paragraphs, but they’re good paragraphs stating the importance of giving yourself a break. Life is hard. No one is perfect. It’s okay to rest. 

And now, as far as actionable information goes, you’ve read Girl Code. If you liked this and found it useful, please share it on your socials and with your friends. You can sign up for my newsletter by scrolling down. If you have any books you’d like to see on Too Busy for Books, you can contact me here. I’d love to hear your recommendations!

Thanks for reading,

–Jack