Full Circle
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4.5 • 33 Ratings
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- $9.99
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- $9.99
Publisher Description
In Full Circle, Erin Callan Montella traces her experiences as a young girl in Queens, New York to the highest-ranking woman on Wall Street during the financial crisis as chief financial officer of Lehman Brothers in 2008. Erin recounts her path of achievement starting as a promising young student and athlete and, ultimately, how she allowed her career and its demands to become the center of her life. She sacrificed all other priorities and relationships along the way, throwing work-life balance to the wind. The story reveals the subtleties of the everyday decisions that led collectively to a work-centric existence over a twenty-year career.
Set against the backdrop of the dramatic circumstances at Lehman Brothers in 2008, Erin discloses her own struggle as events spiraled out of control. Ultimately, her resignation from her executive role prior to the Lehman bankruptcy resulted in a devastating personal crisis as her career crumbled revealing no foundation beneath it. We learn of the journey back to change her life with a semblance of present day peace and happiness. Full Circle provides a unique inside and emotional perspective of the sacrifices Erin made to achieve extreme career success and the self-awareness required to return to being the fundamentally grounded person she was as a child.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Montella, who was chief financial officer of Lehman Brothers during the financial collapse of 2008, chronicles the rise and fall of her career in this compelling and thoughtful memoir. Montella (then Erin Callan) grew up in Queens, N.Y., where she excelled academically and in tennis and gymnastics. After attending Harvard she went on to NYU Law, eventually landing a job as a corporate tax lawyer. In 1995, Callan felt the need for a significant change and resigned even though she was on the path to make partner; she landed at Lehman Brothers, where she remained for the next 13 years, working relentlessly (at one point the natural gas company called to ask why she hadn't turned on her stove in 18 months). As the author traveled the world, married, divorced, and devoted herself to her career, she "leaned in" so far that she nearly lost herself. Callan is her own worst critic, in hindsight appalled by her disregard for personal relationships and self-care. When Lehman Brothers fell and her professional world collapsed along with the global market, Callan had to rebuild and refocus her life; fortunately, she had gained the wisdom necessary to welcome love and balance. The realm of high-stakes finance is authentically portrayed in this ultimately uplifting story of transformation. (BookLife)
Customer Reviews
Honest. Brutally
I liked it. I liked how she plainly lays out that the benefits and consequences of careers. So much today ignores what you sacrifice. Glad she's happy now.
Full Circle
I found Full Circle to be a compelling read from cover to cover. Erin Callan is brutally honest in self critiquing her career and life choices. I commend her for telling her story from the heart without blaming others for her rise to Wall Street stardom and subsequent fall from grace. There are tremendous lessons to be learned for young women and men alike as they chart their careers in finance. Well done!