My What If Year: A Memoir - Paperback

by Alisha Fernandez Miranda (Author)

An exuberant, hilarious memoir about a woman who pauses her successful career for a year and explores the "What If" jobs of her dreams.

On the cusp of turning forty, Alisha Fernandez Miranda has climbed to the peak of personal and professional success, but at a price; she's overworked and exhausted.

Bravely, Alisha decides to give herself a break, temporarily pausing her stressful career as the CEO of a high-powered consulting firm. With the tentative blessing of her husband and eight-year-old twins, she leaves her home in London to spend one year exploring the dream jobs of her youth, seeking answers to the question, "What If?"

What follows is a spirited and hilarious journey for Alisha - and the reader. Contending with her lack of experience (and the onset of a global pandemic), Alisha gofers for two high-profile Broadway productions (and nearly tramples Stephen Sondheim), attempts to master a fitness regimen called Voga (a cross between yoga and "voguing"), feigns confidence while handling multi-million-dollar artwork at Christie's, and literally sets her shirt on fire while serving rack of lamb in a posh hotel on Scotland's remote Isle of Skye. Her experiences are at once challenging and humbling, and push the boundaries of what Alisha thought she was physically, mentally, and emotionally capable of. Alisha's "What If" year reveals that she can achieve success on her own terms by embodying the spirit of the intern: never stop learning, be flexible, and understand that failure is a prerequisite for growth.

For anyone who's ever felt stuck in a rut, My What If Year proves that it's never too late to say yes to second chances and explore the roads untraveled throughout your life.

Author Biography

A respected authority on women's empowerment, social impact, and sustainability, Alisha Fernandez Miranda serves as Chair and former CEO of I.G. Advisors, an award-winning social impact intelligence agency that consults with the world's biggest non-profits, foundations, and corporations on their philanthropy and social initiatives. Her clients include The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, The Ford Foundation, and UN Women. At the beginning of 2020, Alisha paused her high-powered career to pursue a series of internships on Broadway, with contemporary art dealer Blain, fitness studio Retroglow, and in the kitchen of the Kinloch Lodge. Alisha is the daughter of a Cuban immigrant and hails from Miami.

She is co-author of 50 Years: Kinloch Lodge and her writing has been featured in Vogue, Business Insider, Romper, Huffington Post, among others. She's a graduate of Harvard University and the London School of Economics. She currently lives in Scotland with her husband and twins.