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About this book
According to research, 60 percent of your overall career success hinges on your ability to self-advocate.
However, as a professional of color, communicating your value and contributions, stepping up for opportunities, and commanding the salary you deserve may feel like your biggest challenge, too.
Author Devika Brij is here to show you that it doesn’t have to be this way. As the CEO of Brij the Gap and consultant to multiple Fortune 50 companies, Brij’s proven tools and strategies have helped thousands of underrepresented professionals create the exact careers, salaries, and work/life balance they desire, despite the institutional and systemic barriers arrayed against them.
Thrive in Color goes beyond motivation to address the specific action steps needed to proactively design and manage your career trajectory and bridge the gap between where you are and where you want to be.
In this comprehensive playbook for professional empowerment, you’ll learn:
How to create a personal brand regardless of your current role or level of seniority
Why you need to own your narrative for career advancement (instead of letting others create it by default)
How to create a powerful elevator pitch and executive summary that will clearly convey the value you drive at work
How to strategically leverage your relationships with your managers to reach your career goals
How to identify and grow your network of mentors advocates
How to navigate unsafe spaces with managers and colleagues
The keys to mastering negotiation
How to exit gracefully when your current role or company no longer fits
In the end, our success isn’t only for us. It’s for every person who looks like us who is coming up behind us. By taking responsibility for our career trajectory, we make it easier for others to thrive as well.
About the Author
Devika Brij, CEO and Founder of Brij the Gap Consulting, is a champion and community builder for underrepresented individuals. She partners with Fortune 500 companies like Visa, Meta, Morgan Stanley, Glassdoor and more to increase retention of top talent and teach their underrepresented employees and leaders how to thrive in their careers. Devika is also the Cofounder of Zaka, a professional development platform for first- and second-generation immigrants to receive career advancement education, coaching and community.
Learn more at www.DevikaBrij.com and www.BrijTheGapConsulting.com.
Endorsements
"Thrive in Color displays the benefits of vulnerability, courage, resilience, and mentorship. Devika does a great job channeling the lived experiences of people of color for good. The reader is left with action plans to control the controllable within corporate structures. Success is repeated in the book when talented professionals leave where they are tolerated to discover places where they can be celebrated. The spirit of the written word allows us to believe the answer is within reach and the importance of continuously thriving for full representation and inclusion." - Michelle Gethers, Visa Chief Diversity Officer and Head of Corporate Responsibility
"Thrive in Color equips you with the essential resources to foster personal and professional growth, enabling a successful career evolution. Through its practical and strategic guidance, this book empowers you to unlock your full potential, shaping the fulfilling career you've always envisioned.” - Jabari Hearn, Managing Partner, AKQA Los Angeles
"Thrive in Color does something rare: it gives underrepresented professionals the inspiration and practical tools to go from feeling like passengers inside systems not designed for them to being drivers of their own career journey." - Kofi Amoo-Gottfried, Chief Marketing Officer, DoorDash
"Thrive in Color offers a vital roadmap for professionals of color navigating the complexities of today's workplace. Through powerful personal anecdotes and strategic guidance, Devika addresses the challenges of bias and unfair treatment head-on, offering invaluable insights on reclaiming control of one's career narrative. Her approach empowers individuals to assert their professionalism confidently, navigate biases, and communicate effectively, fostering resilience and self-advocacy. This book isn't just about surviving; it's a guide to thriving in environments where underrepresented professionals often feel marginalized, making it an essential read for those aiming not just for success, but for ownership and empowerment in their careers." - Diana Luu, Canada Country Manager, LinkedIn
"Thrive in Color brilliantly explores the pivotal shift from a defeated mindset to an enabled one, where people of color learn about the tangible tools necessary to take control of their careers. It is a must-read for those seeking accountability, empowerment, and agency over their careers." - Sonya Kay George, Vice President of Global Strategic Accounts, Great Place to Work
"Thrive in Color is a must-read for anyone looking to excel in their career or seeking to understand how to navigate the complexities of the modern workplace. Through a lens that uniquely understands the challenges faced by people of color in the workplace, this book offers invaluable advice to overcome bias, imposter syndrome, and systemic barriers and empowers people of color to boss up and fully own their career trajectory. In a world where diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives and commitments continue to be deprioritized, this book is timely and necessary for professionals of color to stay included and thrive!" - Shaina Poulard, Global Head of DEI, NerdWallet
"Devika Brij is a masterful teacher. I've leveraged her expertise to support underrepresented employees during my former role as Head of Diversity and Inclusion for the U.S. Banks business at Morgan Stanley and now as Head of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion at the premier digital platform for luxury fashion in North America. Our employees from diverse communities have expressed that the knowledge and tools Devika provides is some of the best they've received! Her work in mastering self-advocacy has been uplifting for the communities I lead and support in my role, and personally as a Black woman and Senior Executive in my everyday life. Thrive in Color is a brilliant, prescriptive guide to career success that will help professionals of color accelerate the hard career lessons that most only learn through years of trial and error." - Dr. Alicia Williams, VP of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, Saks
"Thrive in Color stands as an indispensable lifeline for professionals of color grappling with the intricacies of today's workplace. In the absence of sufficient resources or guidance, individuals of color are often left to confront the challenges of bias, marginalization, and isolation on their own. Devika's wisdom is a beacon in navigating the complexities of a workplace that may not always recognize the unique struggles faced by professionals of color. This book is not just a guide; it's a rallying cry for those committed to contributing to the success of people of color in the workplace." - Arvin Patel, Chief Licensing Officer, New Segments, Nokia
"Devika Brij is a powerhouse voice when it comes to self-advocacy and career progression, especially for people of color. She is both inspiring and empowering while still providing tactical, real-world advice to help underrepresented professionals thrive. In a world where climbing the corporate ladder and achieving the career you desire feels increasingly difficult, Devika provides the knowledge and tools to help you reach your goals." - Andrea Johnson, Director of Customer Success, Glassdoor
"Devika's pragmatic yet strategic approach delivers the tools you need to grow, develop and advance in your career. As a result, I was able to accomplish the challenging career pivot that I was seeking in less than a year and increase my base salary by 30 percent. This book will help you reach your full potential and create the career you always dreamed of." - Mena Mahaniah, Global Brand Marketing Director, Timberland, a VF Company