ChiefX 2025 is officially in the books.
Across the country, these summits offered members the chance to hear firsthand from visionaries who are rewriting the rules of leadership. Sitting down with Chief CEO Alison Moore, they took The Power Seat to share unfiltered wisdom they’ve drawn from their personal and professional journeys.
If you weren’t able to join us or want to dive deeper into their stories, here are seven inspiring reads from our Power Seat speakers — multihyphenate women who count “author” among their titles.
All the Cool Girls Get Fired: How to Let Go of Being Let Go and Come Back on Top by Laura Brown and Kristina O’Neill
Drawing on their own high-stakes leadership experiences — and layoffs — our ChiefX LA Power Seat speakers offer a guide to navigating this all-too-common rite of passage in today's changing job market. Combining practical advice with interviews with inspiring women who have been there before, they help readers challenge outdated definitions of success and rebuild their careers with renewed confidence.
Finding My Voice: When the Perfect Plan Crumbles, the Adventure Begins by Valerie Jarrett
In Finding My Voice, our ChiefX Chicago Power Seat speaker shares how, by embracing discomfort and letting go of expectations for a perfect life, she opened up a new path to growth as a mother, daughter, and professional. The Obama Foundation CEO offers a testament for staying open to unexpected opportunities and learning to trust, value — and listen to — your own voice.
I Hope You Fail: Ten Hater Statements Holding You Back From Getting Everything You Want by Pinky Cole
After a fire destroyed the New York City restaurant she put everything into, our ChiefX Atlanta Power Seat speaker was back to square one. In I Hope You Fail, she takes you into her journey to rebuild and ultimately create her smash hit Slutty Vegan restaurant chain. Through 10 counter-intuitive lessons, she reframes failure and setbacks as essential preparation for success, teaching you how to find fuel in your losses.
A New Model: What Confidence, Beauty, and Power Really Look Like by Ashley Graham with Rebecca Paley
In this collection of provocative illustrated essays, our ChiefX Boston Power Seat speaker offers a motivational guide for women to accept who they are, bolster their self-confidence, and become their strongest, healthiest, and most beautiful selves. The barrier-breaking supermodel and TV host recounts how she defied naysayers and rigid industry standards, embracing her body without limiting her dreams.
Path to the Stars: My Journey From Girl Scout to Rocket Scientist by Sylvia Acevedo
Struggling in the aftermath of a meningitis outbreak that forever altered her family, young Sylvia Acevedo’s life was transformed when she joined the Brownies. Unlocking newfound confidence and a love of science, she would go on to become a rocket scientist at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory and, in time, the Girl Scouts’ CEO. In this memoir for young readers, our ChiefX Miami Power Seat speaker recounts her extraordinary path.
Reset: My Fight for Inclusion and Lasting Change by Ellen Pao
Ellen Pao’s memoir recounts her groundbreaking 2015 discrimination lawsuit, which exposed Silicon Valley tech’s toxic culture and homogeneity. Despite losing the case, our ChiefX San Francisco Power Seat speaker became the “face of change” and made it a reality as the top leader at Reddit as its CEO and Project Include. In Reset, she offers a practical, inspiring roadmap for empowering others who are struggling to be heard in their own workplaces.
You've Been Chosen: Thriving Through the Unexpected by Cynt Marshall
Our ChiefX Dallas Power Seat speaker rose through the ranks at AT&T to become one of its first Black woman executives. Then, at 51, she was diagnosed with stage 3 colon cancer and everything changed. Her memoir chronicles “the good, the great, the bad, and the ugly parts” of it all. In You’ve Been Chosen, the former Dallas Mavericks CEO offers hope and guidance for reframing your perspective to navigate life’s most difficult challenges.
