Ina Garten's memoir is not only an absolute delight — it is also a deeply insightful guide for creative entrepreneurs on the journey of inspiration, opportunity, pivots, burnout, and finding new chapters inherent to paving your own way. Also, while I often prefer a hard copy of books so I can underline and write notes in the margins, sometimes, especially when the author reads their own book, I find the audiobook version even more enjoyable. With this book, that was the case.

 

I think you will love Ina Garten's memoir Be Ready When The Luck Happens if you are an artist, a creative entrepreneur, or someone who is adventurous and and ambitious — and not just a little Type A (like me, and, so I discovered, like Ina too). Also, if you find the true stories behind great outward successes even more inspiring than the success itself — for example, if you like to listen to podcasts like NPR's How I Built This — you will love this behind the scenes story of Ina Garten and her evolution into the iconic success she has created with her life and career.

 

If you don't know Ina already, she is the legendary, no-fuss, French-inspired, former owner of The Barefoot Contessa gourmet grocery shop — a cook, cookbook empire creator (my grandmother had all of her cookbooks lined up in a row in her kitchen), and your-best-friend gourmand who made a massively successful career out of her love for good food, gatherings, and cooking.

 

Even if you don't know a thing about her yet, hearing her describe the simple beginnings, the incredible chance opportunities, her leaps of faith, her adorable love for her husband Jeffrey, her pivots and mistakes and perspective on the whole wild journey of entrepreneurship are entirely inspiring and fully endearing. If you can't tell, I adored this book, and this one in particular for its honesty about life, entrepreneurship, transformation, and finding fulfillment.

 

A few of my favorite quotes and passages from the book that were most impactful and resonant for me include:

 

• “You never know your good breaks from your bad ones.”

 

• “Type A people [...] can’t begin to think about what to do next until they stop what they’re doing. They need space and time to allow the universe to reveal what’s next.”

 

• “I actually had begun to think that my career, the one that I had loved, might be over. Maybe this is the end of the line? Maybe I’ll never find anything as exciting and engaging as Barefoot Contessa...”

 

• “I came out of that world experience learning two important lessons: Stand up for yourself, even when it’s hard, even when it means taking a risk, and, in any endeavor find just one person who really believes in you."

 

• “... it’s important to listen to advice and then decide if it’s true to who you are, and what you’re trying to accomplish.”

 

• “The people I’ve known who are successful have faced enormous challenges, but they didn’t let the challenges stop them. They figured out some way over the wall, or around the wall, or they just smashed the wall down. In fact, it was exactly those challenges that shaped their success.”

 

• “I concentrate on what’s in front of me, and work hard, because I love what I do, and I have fun doing it. And then I leave the door open so I’ll be ready when the luck happens.”

 

I hope you enjoy this read, if it calls to you. Stay tuned through joining my newsletter for new book recommendations for N&B Book Club!

 

Happy reading,

 

XX

 

 

PS: You can learn more about Nectar & Bloom Book Club and how it works here.

 

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