Becoming Ginger Rogers: How Ballroom Dancing Made Me a Happier Woman, Better Partner, and Smarter CEO - Tapa blanda

"...an absorbing, inspirational memoir of a gutsy woman navigating through crises toward self-fulfillment." Publishers Weekly "Becoming Gingers Rogers is a timely exploration of the problems faced by high-flying modern women, as well as a persuasive manifesto for the real-world applications of ballroom-and for the sheer joy of dance." Dance Today "Tanaka's toe-tapping tale of how she awakens to the rhythms of her body and learns to dance through her mistakes at work as well as in the ballroom shines with inspiration. It may even send you off to buy a sequined dress and some Ginger Rogers shoes of your own." Alice Schroeder, best-selling author of The Snowball: Warren Buffett and the Business of Life "In her compelling Becoming Ginger Roger: How Ballroom Dancing Made Me a Happier Woman, a Better Partner and Smarter CEO, she reports how she reached stardom in her newfound hobby while morphing her into a more effective manager and boss. Once I started reading, I couldn't stop!" Harold Burson, Founder and Chairman, Burson-Marsteller "If you're a "Dancing With the Stars" fan, you'll love this book about ballroom dancing and how it transformed Patrice Tanaka's life and made her a happier woman and more successful CEO." Edyta Sliwinska, Ballroom Champion, "Dancing With the Stars" Seasons 1-10 "This is such a great analogy how performing fearlessly in the ballroom world can impact one's courage and perspective in the business world. Patrice Tanaka's inspiring memoir about the lessons she learned on the dance floor and how she applied them to her life and career is a joy to read." Nina DiSesa, Chairman and Chief Creative Officer, McCann New York "Becoming Ginger Rogers is about performing full out and fearlessly in the ballroom world and adopting that approach to great success in the business world. As her client of more than a decade, I can vouch for that being the case. Patrice has written a joyful and inspiring memoir about the lessons learned from competitive ballroom dancing that have helped her to a richly rewarding business and personal life." Carrie Schwab-Pomerantz, President, Charles Schwab Foundation "If you've ever thought about learning to ballroom dance, this inspiring book by Patrice Tanaka will convince you to run, not walk, to your nearest dance studio." John Kimmins, President, Arthur Murray Studios "Through [Tanaka's] courage and sense of purpose she makes us see what love and determination can achieve." Madeline DeVries Hooper, Founder, DeVries PR

What brings you joy? "To devote yourself to the creation and enjoyment of beauty, then, can be serious business not always necessarily a means of escaping reality, but sometimes a means of holding on to the real when everything else is flaking away." ~ Elizabeth Gilbert, Eat, Pray, Love My femininity, creativity, and optimism had been flaking away, especially since 9/11. When I was dancing, I felt real and complete again. ~ Becoming Ginger Rogers, Chapter 4, "Samba Girl" If you've spent most of your life pursuing your career, raising your family, and/or caring for loved ones who may be ill or infirmed, your own needs may have been neglected in the process. Becoming Ginger Rogers is the story of one woman's inspiring and uplifting journey to reclaim her life during the dispiriting days of New York City in the aftermath of 9/11, the unraveling of a successful business she co-founded with a dozen colleagues, and the death of her beloved husband after a long illness. Patrice Tanaka shares her very personal story of how at age 50 she started ballroom dance lessons to satisfy a lifelong dream of dancing like Ginger Rogers and, in so doing, found her way to unimaginable joy. Becoming Ginger Rogers is, in part, a memoir of a young Japanese-American girl born and raised in Hawaii who fulfilled her dream of career success in Manhattan; it's a voyeuristic glimpse into the world of competitive ballroom dancing; and it's a business book about the lessons learned from ballroom dancing that made Patrice a better partner and a smarter CEO. In this book, you will learn: How to reclaim, re-energize and re-excite yourself about your own life How to "reschedule yourself" back into your own life as the first step toward reclaiming your life How lessons learned in ballroom dance such as the importance of being fully present mind, body and spirit have applications beyond the ballroom floor in helping you achieve greater success in your personal and professional life How learning to be a good follower can be a winning strategy for business How visualizing your dreams is the way to manifest them How living every moment of your life in a way that is fulfilling in and of itself, and not dependent on some future you may not have, is the best way to live and to be prepared to die even if you have little advance warning like the nearly 3,000 people who perished on 9/11 Becoming Ginger Rogers shows us how we can revitalize ourselves even after years of woeful neglect so that our most exciting and joy-filled days are ahead of us. Plus it pulls back the curtain on ballroom dancing in a fun, educational way. Be transported to the world of Ginger Rogers and Fred Astaire. Table of Contents Chapter 1: The Whirl of Manhattan Chapter 2: The Arabian Prince Chapter 3: "What Brings You Joy?" Intermezzo: Foxtrot Chapter 4: Samba Girl Intermezzo: Samba Chapter 5: The Ballroom World and the Real World Intermezzo: Tango Chapter 6: Practice Failing in the Ballroom and in the Boardroom Intermezzo: Rumba Chapter 7: Partnering for Success with or without Chocolate Intermezzo: Mambo Chapter 8: You Must Be Present to Win: Going with the Flow and Celebrating Successes along the Way Intermezzo: Viennese Waltz Chapter 9: whatcanbe: Leading with Your Heart Coda: Cha Cha