We're Gonna Need Cake book cover by Valerie Garcia

We’re Gonna Need Cake

Celebrating Authentic Leadership in a Messy World

Valerie Garcia

Bring your humanity to work to become a better leader.

Life is messy. You know it and your employees know it. But the unspoken rules of professionalism dictate that we don’t talk about it. That when we come to work, we check our personal lives at the door. However, what if trying to keep your real, messy life compartmentalized from your work life isn’t doing you any favors? What if, instead, the opposite is true?

In We’re Gonna Need Cake, speaker and consultant Valerie Garcia draws on her research, along with lessons she’s learned over decades working in business, to demonstrate how bringing your whole self to work actually strengthens your leadership and propels your career forward. Guided by The Authenticity Map, Garcia provides you with a blueprint to navigate the messiness of life and learn how to bring real emotions into the workplace in a productive way. With exercises in each chapter to help bring the concepts into personalized focus, you will finish with a better understanding of everything from failure and fear to compassion and confidence and how it all contributes to finding joy at work.

Written with honesty and humor, We’re Gonna Need Cake is for the modern-day leader who wants the tools to not only understand but improve on their own emotional intelligence, appreciating that authentic leadership is the best way forward.

Reviews

“Our world at work needs leaders who embrace vulnerability in themselves and encourage it in others. This book is an inspiring read that will challenge you to be courageous, show up authentically, and create a space where everyone feels empowered.”

KRISTEN HADEED bestselling author, Permission to Screw Up

“We live in a world where everyone wants to show how perfect their life is… It is refreshing to read an honest, down-to-earth, and humorous look at how life and work intersect in messy ways. Being ‘messy’ is the first step in being true to yourself.”

MARGARET KELLY former CEO of RE/MAX, LLC

“This book is the perfect road map for anyone who wants to level up and change the way they lead—and change the world in the process.”

HARRIS III founder of Istoria Collective and author of The Wonder Switch

“Authentic leadership doesn’t just need to be developed and acknowledged. It needs to be celebrated. One taste of Valerie Garcia’s book and you’ll be saving room for dessert.”

RON TITE author, Everyone’s an Artist and Think. Do. Say.

“Leadership lessons we can apply to work, relationships, caregiving, parenting, coaching, entrepreneurship, and activism—all the places we show up for ourselves and others.”

ZACH SCHABOT director of industry affairs at the Zillow Group

LESS

VALERIE GARCIA is a speaker and consultant on a mission to move organizations from fear to forward. With methods that challenge the traditional, she uses her straightforward style and sense of humor to encourage her clients to lead with joy and think outside the box when it comes to connecting with their customers. In her over 20 years’ experience, she has worked with entrepreneurs and companies such as RE/MAX, Berkshire Hathaway, HubSpot, and Duke University on six continents. Garcia will help you celebrate change, take bold risks, and embrace the power of your messy authenticity. She lives in Grand Rapids, MI.

ISBN 978-1-77458-448-4
$21.95 CAD • $17.95 USD
Published August 22, 2024

5.25 × 8 • 212 Pages
paperback, ebook, audiobook