Chris Kennedy's Phenomenal Women: book review

Chris Kennedy's book Phenomenal Women is set to change your life. Only if you want to be phenomenal, that is. And who doesn't?

While the bookshelves are jam-packed with self help books, not many are written by a woman who has dragged herself up by the bootstraps.

Chris now has a thriving private practice where she provides coaching in life, business and personal strategy, but life wasn't always easy for this phenomenal woman.

She was raised in a dysfunctional family and was the victim of sexual abuse when just a child. She's been married and divorced four times and one of her husbands was murdered. She's started, and failed at, several business ventures. So how did she find her way to becoming a successful life coach, founder ofthe Phenomenal Women initiative and author of this book?

How to lead a Phenomenal Life

Of course, to know exactly how, you should read the book. But here's a taste.

Reader creates own personal vision

Kennedy's first chapters 'create a personal vision to which the reader can aspire', as she draws extensively on her own life experiences to illustrate how women can fulfil their ambitions despite setbacks, large or small.

Readers get to explore their own lives to uncover anything in their personal history that may be holding her back or preventing you from moving forward.

True life stories and case studies in each chapter, paired with questions and exercises, enable the reader to make the journey towards the future she desires.

Where are you?

First, Kennedy suggests, you need to find out where you really are, and that means being completely honest with yourself.

"Only then can you start or continue your journey to being authentic, successful, confident and empowered, with a spiritual dimension that provides energy when you need it," she says.

Where do you want to be?

"The next step is to know where you want to be how you want to feel, and what life will look, sound and be like when you are living your vision," which will enable you to chart your journey and know what's in your way.

This is one of the many techniques, processes, thinking strategies and practical steps that will guide you on your journey, she explains.

She also believes that, despite all the books out there explaining the technique of 'manifestation', "few people... realise that they are already masters of manifestation; that they have created the minute detail of the world around them... that we are complaining about a world we have created ourselves...".

Building the journey to the phenomenal

Early on in the book Chris provides an exercise whereby you answer questions to establish who you want to be when you've achieved your phenomenal potential. Questions include, "What would I be doing for a living?", "Where would I live," and "How would I pay my bills?". She then asks you, through a series of descriptions, to review what sort of person you'd like to be. She suggests creating a series of collages on cardboard, or journalling as you go along. Visualisation of what and who you want to be.

It's not only hugely revealing of oneself to oneself, but turns out to be a lot of fun too. True, it may be hard to confront some of the uglier truths, but if realising your phenomenal potential is the goal, it's bound to be worth it.

Chris Kennedy is the founder of the Phenomenal Women Inititiative, the one-day life-changing experience as a method of providing women with the inner resources to face the day-to-day, moment-by-moment trials and challenges that are the constant companion of women. She's a Generative Change Consultant with many years experience creating change within organizations, groups and individuals.

To buy your copy of Chris Kennedy's Phenomenal Women, published by Oshun, click here.

Author info: Cindy Moritz

Cindy Moritz is All4Women's contributing editor based in Cape Town. She spent ten years in magazine publishing, and was editor of fashion business title Pursuit for most of that time. She went on to edit popular parenting title Cape Town's Child, drawing on her own experience as mother of two young children. Deciding to practise what she preached, after a couple of years Cindy gave up the office job to pursue that fine balance of work and life which freelancing offers, and after having features published in a number of local magazines including Elle, Longevity, Femina and Strictly Business, she discovered www.all4women.co.za and online publishing. She's never looked back.