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The Unapologetic Professional

For the ones who color outside the corporate lines. A sharp, honest guide to building your career without contorting yourself to fit the mold.

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You’ve done everything right and outgrown most of it. The job, the expectations, the definition of “professional.”

This is about more than just climbing the ladder. It’s about building a career that reflects your actual values, capacity, and ambition, without shrinking to fit someone else’s vision.

What Readers Are Saying

  • Brianna gives voice to every ambitious soul who’s ever felt like they didn’t belong. The Unapologetic Professional is part manifesto, part mirror — packed with honest insights, practical tools, and the kind of vulnerable storytelling that makes you feel seen. A must-read for anyone building a career on their own terms.

    - Alina Vandenberghe

    Co-Founder & Co-CEO, Chili Piper

  • Brianna has written the book I wish I'd had years ago. Her approach to redefining professionalism stopped me in my tracks, exposing how we've been conditioned to perform someone else's version of 'professional' instead of showing up authentically. This isn't surface-level career advice, Brianna forces you to examine whose rules you're following and whether you're building a career or just performing one.

    - Sophie Miller

    Founder, Pretty Little Marketer

  • Brianna is the voice I wish I had at the beginning of my career. The Unapologetic Professional is your guide to building a career rooted in intention and impact, not just inertia or social pressure. It's full of helpful frameworks and resources to find (or create) the work best suited for you, and it's written from a place of genuine experience. If you’re looking to pivot, or haven’t quite found work that feels fulfilling and true to who you are, this is a must read.

    - Colin Rocker

    Founder and Creator, @careercolin

  • The Unapologetic Professional is the playbook every modern career needs - equal parts practical strategy and emotional support. It reads like advice from your smartest, most empathetic friend, guiding you through everything from portfolio careers to the emotional roadblocks that traditional career advice misses. With pen-to-paper reflections, exercises, and tools you’ll actually use, it’s the career coach manual you can keep in your back pocket.

    - Hanna Goefft

    Founder & Creator, Hanna Gets Hired

  • The Unapologetic Professional captures exactly how I've watched Bri build her life. Nothing she talks about is generic advice. It's authentic, practical guidance for building a professional life that actually fits you - from someone who has done it firsthand. From conquering imposter syndrome to creating multiple income streams, she tackles stuff other books gloss over. Whether you're feeling stuck, burned out, or ready to stop playing by outdated career rules, this book gives you permission to create your own path.

    - Tobi Oluwole

    Founder & CEO, Magnate

  • This book is the message I wish I had 12 years ago when I started my career. Brianna Doe shows how creativity isn’t just something you experience—it’s a superpower you can leverage to build the career you desire. All it takes is redefining what success looks like for you. The Unapologetic Professional is honest, affirming, and exactly what young professionals need to hear.

    - Jayde Powell

    Social Media Strategist & Creator

  • In a time where the only constant for professionals is change, The Unapologetic Professional beautifully articulates how to embrace that change, and use it to continuously evolve into the most authentic version of yourself. Brianna writes against a truth that many professionals know - there comes a time when you can no longer contort yourself to fit into spaces that weren’t designed for you. In sharing how she successfully built a career that feels authentically her, Brianna offers a roadmap for anyone seeking a career that empowers, not diminishes, the life they want to live.

    - Carly Taylor

    Field CTO, Databricks

  • What I appreciated most about The Unapologetic Professional was the chapter on Building a Purposeful Portfolio Career. It explores real work life struggles with clarity and honesty. Brianna’s clever format includes exercises, examples, and space for reflection, making it feel more like a practical guide. It is something I return to again and again whenever I want to check in with myself and my goals.

    - Kyle Cadotte

    Emmy Award-Winning Producer

  • I’ve battled crippling self-doubt throughout my career, as a professional and a founder. The Unapologetic Professional gave me renewed confidence and the tools to make progress. Brianna shares practical frameworks and powerful exercises to reframe fear, understand your “why,” and redefine your relationship with work. Some mirrored what I’ve done with executive coaches, others were brand new and deeply impactful. Regardless of where you are in your professional life, this book will speak to you and help you evolve.

    - Sefunmi Osinaike

    Co-Founder, Co.Lab, Forbes 30 Under 30

  • To say I was touched is an understatement. So many of us have struggled with imposter syndrome, felt silenced, misunderstood, or told we don’t belong. But reading this book felt like a reminder that all our perceived weaknesses, insecurities, and failures are actually untapped strengths, quiet confidence, and successes in the making. This book made me feel heard and seen for who I truly am, not for who the world expects me to be. In a society that teaches us to shrink ourselves to fit in, Brianna invites us to be loud, to take up space, and to never apologize for it. There’s so much darkness in the world, yet this book felt like a lighthouse, guiding us back to our own light. The Unapologetic Professional is easily one of my favorite reads.

    - Linda Le

    Content Creator

  • Brianna said professionalism doesn’t require permission, and she proves it. This book is for every unconventional professional who’s done twisting themselves into corporate origami and wants more from their career. It’s not a “how to fit in” guide. It’s a “how to build your own damn table” guide. Read it if you’re ready to own your story and stop outsourcing your self-worth to LinkedIn milestones.

    - Shali Reed

    COO, The Reeder

  • Brianna doesn’t just challenge the rules of career success, she rewrites them. This book is a sharp, generous, and necessary guide for anyone who's tired of squeezing themselves into boxes they’ve outgrown. If you’ve ever felt too loud, too different, or too unconventional for traditional spaces, this is the permission slip you’ve been waiting for. Brianna’s words will push you, ground you, and remind you that your path doesn’t need to look like anyone else’s to be valid.

    - Gaurav Valani

    Founder, CareerSprout

  • The writing in this book will make you feel seen. Every chapter title draws you in, and every section asks the questions we’re all thinking. Brianna weaves together the personal and the professional in a way that’s real, relatable, and inspiring. Her stories and lessons remind us that showing up as your full self isn’t just possible—it’s eminently powerful.

    - Melissa Moody

    Co-Founder & CMO, Wednesday Women

  • The Unapologetic Professional is the career guide I wish I had years ago. Brianna goes beyond surface-level advice, offering a practical, honest roadmap for building a career that genuinely fits you. It’s a deeply validating read, especially if you’ve ever felt like you didn't belong in the room. Her concept of 'Invisible Income' is a powerful revelation, detailing the value so many of us bring but often overlook. I'll be recommending this book to everyone I coach.

    - Yuji Higashi

    Co-Founder, Better Career

  • The Unapologetic Professional is the ultimate guide to genuine career success. Brianna does a phenomenal job of acknowledging problems professionals face in the workplace, and takes it a step further by providing tangible, detailed steps to solve said issues. Everything from imposter syndrome to mentorship/sponsorship to avoiding burnout and so much more, The Unapologetic Professional should be on your reading list if you desire to show up as yourself while simultaneously succeeding in the world of modern day business. 

    - Zuri Godfrey

    Integrated Marketing Manager, Meta

  • From fighting imposter syndrome to learning to say “no” with confidence, The Unapologetic Professional covers not just how to survive, but how to thrive professionally without giving up your true self. Brianna provides real life experience and actionable advice that will help readers find success on their own terms.

    - Jon-Stephen Sansel

    Founder, Saturn 9 Media

  • As an executive career coach who’s spent years guiding women through leadership journeys, The Unapologetic Professional deeply resonated with me. Brianna captures the unspoken challenges of being 'the one, the only, and the other' in corporate spaces with conviction and courage. Brianna’s original insights on imposter syndrome offer a timely fresh perspective, one that moves beyond the usual discourse and dives deep into the undercurrents we face: those moments that make us question our identity, our worth, and our excellence. This book is vital for ANYONE building influence and authenticity and especially for those who are in environments not built with them in mind.

    - April Little

    Executive Career Coach

  • If you've ever felt like you had to shrink yourself to fit into a room or had no idea if you were worthy of being in the room, The Unapologetic Professional will blow the doors off those thoughts and hand you the blueprint to build your own damn room! Brianna is the big sister, career coach, and no-BS truth-teller we all need. She doesn’t sugarcoat the realities of navigating work as someone who’s often the “only” in the room—but she does hand you the tools to take up space, own your magic, and stop asking for permission. This book is part pep talk, part playbook, and 100% required reading.

    - Johanna Voss

    CEO & Founder, Johanna B. Voss Agency

  • The perfect antidote to today’s chaotic job market, The Unapologetic Professional is a must-read for anyone rethinking their career, whether you’re pivoting, starting fresh, or simply craving more purpose in your work. Hopeful, funny and unflinchingly honest, Doe’s writing goes beyond typical career advice, using reflection prompts and anecdotes from people on the frontlines of America’s workplaces to guide readers toward real, meaningful change in their careers.

    - Morgan Smith

    Freelance Journalist

  • This book doesn’t give you a ladder to climb. It gives you a mirror. The Unapologetic Professional is for anyone who has ever felt like they had to code switch, downplay their wins, or pick one box to build their career in. Brianna Doe flips the script on professionalism, success, and belonging. If you’re navigating the messy middle, juggling a portfolio of skills, or just done playing small, this book gives you the language and the tools to build on your terms

    - David Walsh

    CEO, Limelight

  • Without directly acknowledging it, Brianna touches on an element many first-gen and early starting professionals grapple with — Attaching identity to our work, success, and achievements because it’s the largest goal we’ve been asked with. However, the Unapologetic Professional reshapes this notion. Instead, the reader is invited to explore how their professional lives, feed the entirety of who they are, and that self actualization comes from clarity in key areas of our lives. This is a must read for anyone who wants to build their ideal life, and not just a satisfying career. 

    - Tameka Bazile

    Social Strategist & Business Influencer

  • This book is for anyone who’s ever felt off-track with how to “do” success. Brianna makes it clear that the ladder’s not the only way up. Her words are sharp, affirming, and a necessary gut check for anyone still battling imposter syndrome. Your path doesn’t have to be traditional to be right, and this book helps you believe that.

    - Christina Le

    Head of Marketing

Who This Book Is For

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Who This Book Is For *

The Unapologetic Professional is for people who:

  • Have a résumé that looks good on paper, but the work stopped making sense three job titles ago

  • Get called “intense,” “too ambitious,” or “hard to pin down” by people who prefer their brilliance bite-sized

  • Are leading teams, building businesses, or shaping brands, and still want a career that feels human

  • Split their energy across projects, clients, or roles and want a version of success that doesn’t burn you out

  • See authenticity as a way of working, not a marketing tactic

  • Want your work life to reflect your capacity, identity, and values, not just your potential

Inside the Book

This book is built for ambitious, multi-hyphenate minds. The ones asking bigger questions about how we work, why it feels off, and what comes next.

It’s broken into three parts:

  • You know that feeling when everything on paper looks right… but it still feels off? This section digs into that.

    • The impostor syndrome

    • The dissonance

    • The quiet realization that maybe you’ve outgrown what once fit

    You’ll reexamine what success actually means to you, name what you're ready to release, and start clearing space for a version of your career that matches your capacity, not just your credentials.

  • This section gives you clear language, structure(s), and strategies rooted in who you are now, not who you were when you took the job or launched your business.

    Learn how to balance multiple passions without burnout, untangle your worth to your output, and build a career that reflects your goals, direction, and capacity.

  • This section helps you protect your energy, trust your decisions, and move with conviction toward what’s next.

    You’ll learn how to set boundaries without over-explaining, lead and create from a place of clarity, and stop handing your power to people who never earned it.

 FAQs

  • It’s a career book for people who lead, build, create, manage, or mentor, and are rethinking what it means to do any of that in a way that actually fits. In the book, you’ll find strategy, reflection, stories, and actionable frameworks.

  • Nope! This is for anyone who’s leading, building, and/or pivoting. If you’re figuring it out, have outgrown your job description, or built a career that “makes sense” but still feels off, it’s for you.

  • The book centers people who’ve had to navigate professionalism through the lens of identity — especially women, Black professionals & people of color, the LGBTQIA+ community, and creatives who’ve been told to tone it down.

    But if you care about building a career with more intention, more ownership, and less performance, you’ll find real value here, no matter how you identify.

  • Great! You don’t have to hate your job to find value in this.

    This book is about making aligned career decisions with more awareness, more autonomy, and fewer assumptions. If you want to keep liking your job and career as a whole, this will help.

  • Not necessarily. You might just feel off. Out of alignment. Or you might be starting to rethink how you want to approach your career and life. Whether you’re mid-pivot, post-promotion, or quietly questioning everything between meetings, this book meets you where you are.

  • Both. You can treat it like a straight read or jump around when you need something specific. There are exercises, frameworks, and space to reflect, but no “assignments.”

  • Absolutely not. It will help you figure out what you actually want, and how to stop outsourcing that answer to someone else’s version of success.

  • You can purchase it from Amazon, Bookshop, Barnes & Noble, or order a copy from your favorite online retailer.

This book won’t tell you to burn down your entire career. But it will help you figure out what’s worth rebuilding. Together, we’ll get clear on what you want, what you're done with, and what actually makes sense for you now.

If you're navigating a career pivot, a plateau, or just a growing sense that something needs to shift, this is the book you’ll want within reach.

Pre-order The Unapologetic Professional and build a career that finally fits.

The Next Move Is Yours

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