The Upside of Being Down, Jen Gotch
The Upside of Being Down, Jen Gotch
11 Rating(s)
List: $18.99 | Sale: $13.29
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The Upside of Being Down
How Mental Health Struggles Led to My Greatest Successes in Work and Life

Author: Jen Gotch

Narrator: Jen Gotch

Unabridged: 5 hr 45 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Published: 03/24/2020


Synopsis

A NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER

An entertaining, humorous, and inspirational memoir by the founder and chief creative officer of the multimillion-dollar lifestyle brand ban.do, who “has become a hero among women (and likely some men too) who struggle with mental health” (Forbes).

After graduating from college, Jen Gotch was living with her parents, heartbroken and lost, when she became convinced that her skin had turned green. Hallucinating that she looked like Shrek was terrifying, but it led to her first diagnosis and the start of a journey towards self-awareness, acceptance, success, and ultimately, joy.

With humor and candor, Gotch shares the empowering story of her unlikely path to becoming the creator and CCO of a multimillion-dollar brand. From her childhood in Florida where her early struggles with bipolar disorder, generalized anxiety, and ADD were misdiagnosed, to her winding career path as a waitress, photographer, food stylist, and finally, accidental entrepreneur, she illuminates how embracing her flaws and understanding the influence of mental illness on her creativity actually led to her greatest successes in business and life.

Hilarious, hyper-relatable, and filled with fascinating insights and hard-won wisdom on everything from why it’s okay to cry at work to the myth of busyness and perfection to the emotional rating system she uses every day, Gotch’s inspirational memoir dares readers to live each day with hope, optimism, kindness, and humor.

About Jen Gotch

Jen Gotch is the founder and chief creative officer of ban.do and an advocate for mental health and emotional well-being. In 2008, she founded ban.do with a friend, and with no prior business experience, was able to work with a small group of passionate people and transform it from a small hair accessories company into a beloved lifestyle brand that’s all about encouraging joy and personal growth. She lives in Los Angeles, California.


Reviews

Goodreads review by Joana

There's definitely a trend for memoirs of people with mental health struggles, which I think is great, but I didn't get much from this book. It started out well and the best parts are the ones with Jen's parents and her growing up. But, from the moment that Jen gets a right diagnosis and does a lot......more

Goodreads review by Megan

I am the target demographic of this book: I love ban.do, I've followed Jen Gotch for many years, I'm a millennial, white-passing, female, I work in a creative field, and I've lived with mental illness my whole life. I was incredibly disappointed in this book. It wasn't uplifting or relatable- I foun......more

As a person, I don't think I have the verbiage available to explain how wonderful this book truly is. Ms. Gotch is both down to earth and funny, and reading this book was at times emotional and inspiring. She has such a way with words, she draws you in, sets you down in a comfy chair, and hands you......more

I was really disappointed by this book. I really like Jen’s company ban.do and so I thought it was going to be an inspiring story about a creative person who built a business from nothing into the thriving business it is today. But it turns out she’s been really privileged and she actually sold the......more