Author: Annmarie Kelly
www.victoriouswoman.com

Reviewed By: Melinda Cianos

Author Annnarie Kelly sets out to identify the triumphant woman in her book entitled, Victorious Woman! Who are those women who rise above circumstances, leap hurdles and navigate through obstacles to make the most of their lives? How do they succeed as others seem to get swallowed-up and left behind when life gets tough and troublesome? Kelly is a lifestyle coach, motivational speaker and founder of SkillBuilder Systems, a training and development firm. She writes to point out through the stories of three women, the common threads that weave through each woman\’s personal road to triumph. At the end of every story one is left with the solid impression that triumph has absolutely nothing to do with luck, and everything to do with tenacity, patience and the will to move forward and improve one\’s circumstances. Triumph is deliberate and intentional and sometimes very slow- — but always sweet.

Victory comes in many shapes and sizes, varying in color from woman to woman and situation to situation. Small adjustments that bring about positive change are victories, along with huge leaps that may change the entire framework of one\’s life, and they both deserve equal celebration.

The final chapter in Victorious Woman! rounds out the messages in previous chapters by defining, in a clear and compassionate manner, the behaviors of those women who consider themselves victims and of those who are merely “surviving.” Kelly illuminates the patterns that some women get stuck in that can keep them from moving forward, however she gently reassures that those patterns are reversible once identified. In her conclusion, she outlines the woman who is “advancing” beyond circumstances that are holding her back and what her victory looks like, leading the reader to the awareness that victory is most certainly there for the taking, and it is up to each one of us to reach out and claim it.