Bringing Your Boldest Self to Your Biggest Challenges

When I began to read Presence I found myself suspecting that I was going to end up hating it. It felt like one of those self-help books stuffed with testimonials to make up for the lack of content. But I'm glad I persisted, because this is a book that grows in authority as it goes on. In the end, the testimonials come to feel like foundations to prepare the reader for their encounter with the deceptively simple insights, including those on the conscious use of posture, that Amy Cuddy's research has helped to reveal. This is a powerful, well-argued and extraordinarily well-researched book and it richly deserves its success.

I rarely take the time to review products, but this one was exceptional enough that I wanted others to know how much I enjoyed it. It was great, and I've assigned this to a few folks who are new to management and need help being confident in their role.

The delivery and purchase of this item was without issue. The content of this audiobook is outstanding! This subject bears sharing with children, young adults, adults of all stages, and the elderly. These ideas should be promoted in schools, churches, organizations of all kinds, and it is not only simple and easy… It really feels wonderful.

This book is very engaging, interesting, and easy to read, and the suggestions/tips are ready to be implemented. I have gained a lot of insight from this book and look forward to more life-changing results from following the advice written here! Can also watch TED Talk by same author, Amy Cuddy to get visual idea of what she is talking about (if desired).

We are seen when we are living our best authentic self. This happens through affirmation of our story; our core values. The self-affirmation process boosts our confidence which unlock our passion and drive to shine through. With pretty tactical tips on how to affirm confidence, you can be present at all time through any challenge. Great read for everyone.

Like Steven Covey's Seven Habits of Highly Successful People or Carl Rogers' On Becoming A Person, Amy Cuddy outlines clearly the process & path of self actualization complete with body language tips. Her book confirmed many of my discoveries which will continue as long as I breathe.
It is a must read. Within a week I purchased 5 copies for friends whom I know to be present and who would appreciate Amy's St Francis prayer-influenced wisdom.

This book is a wonderful mix of quantitative research studies and anecdotal support for the assertion that our actions have more to do with leading our perspectives than we might think. It was a good read, as it gave me a lot to think about, (and isn't that what good reads do?).

Review for the store by Jerry Woolpy of Presence: bringing your boldest self to your biggest challenges by Amy Cuddy

We now know that our body postures feedback to the emotional controls in our brains to make us feel more positive or alternatively to feed our depression. Chest out, back straight, belly in, knees up, feet wider than hips, arms up give us the courage to present our best self. Win or lose, with a positive posture we maximize our capabilities. Alternatively shoulders forward, back bend forward, arms close to our bodies or crossed, hands covering part of our faces support our contracted self-image and limit our performance. When we assume bad posture it supports our sense of being an imposter—having been mistakenly promoted, or just lucky. With case histories and controlled studies this book persuades us to shine in interviews, public speaking, and in our relationships. But it cautions against being too positive when we need to meet others less aggressively. This is advice we need not follow all of the time. It is to have in our repertory when called upon.

ps on second reading:
Presence: bringing your boldest self to your biggest challenges by Amy Cuddy reviewed by Jerry Woolpy

Just as the posture of a person speaking to you effects your posture, so too your posture affects them. A person towering over you with their hands on their waste is likely to make you assume a submissive posture with elbows into your body and hands to your face or neck. The documented thesis of this book is that these body language interactions carry more meaning than what either of you say to each other. Like the chest beating of an alpha gorilla, the tail waving threat of a squirrel, or the dog on his back with his tail between his legs, this form of communication predates human evolution and is more fundamental than spoken language. For the most part we do it without thinking. But what if we consciously controverted our feelings of powerlessness with powerful body language. In other words, what if we faked power even when we were most fearful? What if we stood in the closet, feet a little more than hip width apart, hands on hips, and elbows spread wide like Wonder Woman. And we did this for two minutes before going on stage to give a speech the prospect of which frightened us. It turns out that this procedure not only improves performance, but provides enormous confidence and the likelihood of self-realization so that you can project your best self. If you do this, chances are you will feel good about it no matter how it comes out. It isn’t whether you win or lose as a consequence. It’s how you will feel about your performance after it is over. You won’t be likely to say, “Oh I wish I had…”. Moreover, if you preface important confrontations with power postures, eventually you are likely to begin to become actually excited by the prospect rather than fearful. But this is not to recommend that you ought to dominate all interactions—certainly not. Sometimes this would not be the feeling you would want to engender in your audience or partner. What you want to project is your true feelings and your best self and you want to eliminate the self-effacing literal covering of your face associated with the protection and hiding of who you really are. Amy Cuddy provides experimental evidence and personal accounts of how this works. And she adds a history and comparative behavioral analysis of the phenomenon. A TED talk summary is available online.

This is a great resource to building the inner strength that I greatly lack. Amy speaks from a passion to help others. I appreciate her honesty and insight. What she says makes sensee to me and is allowing me the freedom to embrace who I am. As I learn to be more present in life....everyone benefits

This books gives so much more than power posing confidence. Amy Cuddy's personal story along with her experience as a Harvard Business School professor is rich and interesting. Her message about the importance of leadership presence is fresh, scientifically supported, and backed by real-world examples. Recommended book!

Brilliant. an excellent read. Some segments are waaaay too long and of little value, such as about the neighborhood priest. Kudos to him but it doesn't translate into anything for the reader. Other segments are absolutely stellar.

The premise of the content would likely be old knowledge to anyone who has had basic foray into NLP, or familiar maybe, to any internet-taught, personal-improvement enthusiast. I feel the book could have been 20% shorter, though I appreciate the anecdotes and reports that illustrate the research in action, and help in explaining why the theories and recommendations are effective. The fresh insight, for me, is how this research ties into the power of “owning one’s story” and “living wholeheartedly”. I would have rated this 3.5 stars, if I could.

A great read by a very talented researcher & writer. Amy Cuddy has helped legitimize Social Psychology and clarify human interaction -- this is just the beginning of understanding Body/Mind interaction

Amy Cuddy provides great information on personal growth. The way we sit and stand in groups really does make a difference in our confidence. Her suggestions can be applied to your life and you'll get immediate results. I know I did.

Insightful, relevant for anyone who wants to improve their ability to communicate their skills to others. For me, as an artist, it was helpful to learn new approaches to improve my interactions with the many gallery situations I encounter. I came away feeling empowered.

This book is amazing and truly important as it clearly explains the great life impacts of being engaged (present) or disengaged. It helps easily understand how to adjust your approach to pull yourself out of bad habits that keep us disengaged. To say this book is inspirational is an understatement.

There are enough takeaways in this book to set you on a completely new course. I found it insightful and inspiring.Miss Cuddy's writing style is engaging and informative, you never get bored nor do you want to skip ahead.

Very inspiring book, I have really benefited from the knowledge and research done on the connection between the body and the mind. I believe it will change some aspects in my life. Definitely worth reading....

began this book just before doing an interview circuit for my new career. I was offered every job. Even while dating I use the body language tips. The reason for the less than 5-star rating is because it seemed to give too much information at times and reference other studies that I didn't really care about. Maybe it was because I read the book when I was pressed for time, studying for finals, setting up interviews, etc... I would however recommend this book to anyone who has trouble with public speaking or lacks confidence the confidence to be an active participant in social situations

Very inspiring book, I have really benefited from the knowledge and research done on the connection between the body and the mind. I believe it will change some aspects in my life. Definitely worth reading....

began this book just before doing an interview circuit for my new career. I was offered every job. Even while dating I use the body language tips. The reason for the less than 5-star rating is because it seemed to give too much information at times and reference other studies that I didn't really care about. Maybe it was because I read the book when I was pressed for time, studying for finals, setting up interviews, etc... I would however recommend this book to anyone who has trouble with public speaking or lacks confidence the confidence to be an active participant in social situations

I enjoyed her TED talked and therefore purchased her book thinking it would give me further tools to use to create a larger presence.
It's didn't
This book could have simply been an article or short white paper. It seemed like the entire book was more like a scientific research journal with repetitive study after study. It doesn't really teach you or tell you how to create a larger Presence. This book is just a manuscript of research and jargon filled data.
The end also concludes with a series of long-winded testimonials of people who watched her TED talk. Nothing is wrong with good testimonials or success stories, but dedicating a large portion of your book to be an infomercial wasn't too appealing nor helpful to me. l love hearing about success stories, but this book was very limited in teaching the dynamics to bringing your boldest self.

Absolutely love this book! Was recommended by a friend. Also got it on audible. It has been helping so much finding my presence and getting the confidence I need. I would recommend it to everyone to read!

I loved this book. It was really interesting to read about the obstacles the author overcame. She is truly an inspiration not only for what she has personally accomplished, but for the good she is doing for others thought her relentless pursuit for knowledge and psychological science exploration.

Amy Curry's thoughtful exploration of the self reveals a new dimension of the human experience and opens pathways to self-betterment and enlightenment not seen in other spiritual, psychological, or academic arenas.

Great book for anyone who ever finds himself/herself in challenging situations ... ummmm, that would be everybody! After watching Dr. Cuddy's TED talk, I couldn't wait for this book to come out and I wasn't disappointed!

The background of the author and the extensive research makes this book very compelling. The application and personal stories make it intriguing and give you the desire to try these methods in your own life with belief that will make a difference. Ready to try them myself and share them with those around me.