My Review of Rachel Hollis’ New Book – “Girl, Stop Apologizing”

[Transcribed]

Hey, hey, hey, my name is Denise Walsh and welcome back to my channel. In today’s video, I am sharing with you a review of one of the most popular books that’s not even on the market yet. Yeah, you heard me right. 

I somehow got my hands on Rachel Hollis’s new book ”Girl, Stop Apologizing.” Look, I’ll even prove it to you.

Now, I have to be honest, I had never heard of Rachel Hollis before. I did not follow her blog. I did not know who she was. I did not follow her on social media until I heard all about the ”Girl, Wash Your Face” craze.’ 

So I totally got it and I totally fell in love. “Girl, Wash Your Face” was a really, really in depth book on the lies we believe and how it clouds our vision of ourself and our world and how honestly we have to ask ourselves, is this really true and then decide our new true belief. 

And it really connected with everything that I’ve learned myself over my 20 years of working with people experience. Is that a thing? My experience working with people as a clinical psychologist and as a business coach, entrepreneur. Yeah, it was awesome.

So I was really excited that she was coming out with a part two. ”Girl, Stop Apologizing” is… Now what? 

You know, it’s I’ve gotten a dream and I’m letting go of the lies, but how do I actually execute on the dream? Now, I didn’t preorder this. I wasn’t like in a hurry to get it, but I found it at Barnes and Noble and it says “Barnes and Noble Exclusive Edition.” So I totally had to get it and I read it within a weekend. 

So let me share with you how this book is laid out. Okay.

So ”Girl, Stop Apologizing” is laid out into three different parts:

First are nine chapters of excuses to let go of. So these are like common objections. You say you wanna run a marathon, you say you want to lose 10 pounds, you say you wanna start a business, you say you wanna join a small group, but, right, that but is what she talks about in chapter…or in part one. So nine excuses.

1. Excuse one, that’s not what other women do.
2. Excuse two, I’m not a goal oriented person.
3. Excuse three, I don’t have time. I hear that one all the time.
4. Excuse four, I’m not good enough to succeed.
5. Excuse five, I can’t pursue my dreams and be an amazing wife, mom, friend. That one was the one that struck me to the core because it often seems like you have to choose and we don’t. Okay.
6. Excuse six, I’m terrified of failure.
7. Excuse seven, it’s been done before. Yeah, that’s a good one.
8. Excuse eight, what will they think?
9. Excuse nine, good girls don’t hustle.
10.  

So, in the excuse section, not only does she a label and identify some of the triggers or things that hold us back, but then she does turn it and give us a skill to combat it. So what I love about this book is that it’s not just theory, it’s not just a story, it truly is a toolbox. You know, you’re learning tools that you can then implement into your own life.

Part two, behaviors. Okay, here’s the deal, right? We know that action is king. Belief is queen, but action is king. Like you have to do something in order to get different results. 

So behaviors to adapt is a really important section because it’s a tangible skill. For example, stop asking for permission, choosing one dream and go all in.

This is a big part of my content as well because when you’ve got that laser focus, you can truly create momentum in that one area and we can’t focus on all areas at the same time. Behavior three, embrace your ambition, ask for help, build foundations for success, stop allowing them to talk you out of it, and then learning to say no. 

So again, it’s creating an atmosphere, an inner atmosphere where you have the skills to know what you want, ask for help, and set boundaries surrounding things that will distract you. I like to say I became a professional ignore-er [SP] of things that do not help me get to my goal. And I feel like that section of the book helps you learn and beef up those skills in that area.

And then part three, skills to acquire. And this is like where rubber meets the road. This is when pen gets, like, on the calendar. You know, you actually…you’re starting to take action on the dreams and hopes that are in…you know, that God has placed on your heart. 

So planning, confidence, persistence, effectiveness, positivity, leadhership [SP]. I love that. And in this section it…again, it’s skills, it’s the how to, it’s the taking the big dream and putting it on a calendar so you actually take a step in that direction.

I have a couple things earmarked and a couple of things I wanted to read to you that I really think connects. It connected with me, so I hope it connects with you too. I feel like anybody who reads Rachel Hollis or connects with her through her movie or any content that she brings out could say, “Oh, we could be friends.” I feel like that’s me. 

You know? I’m like, “Oh, hey friend. Hey Rachel.” And I feel like part of that is because she’s so truthfully honest. She knows who she is and she’s so confident in who she is that she doesn’t, like, sugarcoat it. She doesn’t, you know, tell you a half truth. 

She just is bold and she’s often thinking and saying things that I know I’m often thinking but wouldn’t feel comfortable saying, and I love that she’s giving us permission to just be who we are and freaking say it, right? So, hi friend, Rachel.

These were a few quotes I wanted to share that really resonated with me. Okay, she says…and let’s see, this is That’s Not What Other Women Do chapter. She says, ”I had been taught to play small, but I have been born with a heart that only dreamed big.” 

For me, I feel like that’s true for me too. I have these big dreams and big goals, a big heart, like, this overflowing and the world somehow started to suck that out of me and I had a choice to make. Do I allow that to happen or do I figure out a way to keep my own fire lit and to keep focused to creating and doing an impact in the way that my heart has longed for?

Have you been taught to play small? I mean I think that most of us have, that’s just kind of the world we live in because we’re put into this box and it’s up to us to break through that box to truly live who God has called us to be. And then the other part I wanted to read, I’ve got a lot more underlined, but I wanted to end with this. And this is just actually in the introduction. It says ”because the world needs your spark.” 

Ah, yeah. The world needs your spark. We all have dreams. We all have goals. We all have a vision for ourselves, our future, our families, the world that we long for. And we all have a choice to make. Do we stay in this box wishing life were different or do we pick up tools that can teach us how to break through that box and truly create our dream life?

So Rachel, you hit a home run with this one. This is not just a theory book, my friends, there’s practical application that you can implement immediately and that is what I have so, so love about it. So if you have not yet picked up ”Girl, Stop Apologizing,” you need to today and I’ll link all of the links on Amazon and things below so you can support your girl Rachel and get your own copy sent to you too. 

Thank you so much for hanging out with me. And if you want more of this type of information, goal setting, success habits, breakthroughs, then check out my podcast called Dream Cast. 

It’s on all major podcast players, as well as my free download called Dream Life Action Planner. This is when we take those big dreams and we break it down, reverse-engineer it and put something on the calendar that you know is going to take you in the direction that you desire. Thanks for hanging out and I’ll see you in the next one.