Let It Go, Stephanie Shirley
Let It Go, Stephanie Shirley
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Let It Go
My Extraordinary Story - From Refugee to Entrepreneur to Philanthropist

Author: Stephanie Shirley, Richard Askwith

Narrator: Rachel Atkins

Unabridged: 11 hr 26 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Published: 04/04/2019

Synopsis

A moving memoir from a woman who made a fortune in a man's world and then gave it all away...soon to be turned into a film

In 1962, Stephanie 'Steve' Shirley created a software company when the concept of software barely existed. Freelance Programmers employed women to work on complex projects such as Concorde's black box recorder from the comfort of their own home.

Shirley empowered a generation of women in technology, giving them unheard of freedom to choose their own hours and manage their own workloads. The business thrived and Shirley gradually transferred ownership to her staff, creating 70 millionaires in the process.

Let It Go explores Shirley's trail blazing career as an entrepreneur but it also charts her incredible personal story - her dramatic arrival in England as an unaccompanied Kindertransport refugee during World War Two and the tragic loss of her only child who suffered severely from Autism.

Today, Dame Stephanie Shirley is one of Britain's leading philanthropists, devoting most of her time, energy and wealth to charities that are close to her heart. In Let It Go, Shirley tells her inspirational story and explains why giving her wealth away - letting it go - has brought her infinitely more happiness and fulfilment than acquiring it in the first place.

Co-written with Richard Askwith, the former Executive Editor of The Independent and the award-winning author of seven books in his own name, including biographies of Emil Zátopek and Lata Brandisová.

'An extraordinary tale of creativity and resilience' - Guardian

'This engrossing story of an extraordinary life is filled with lessons in what it means to be human' - Financial Times

Reviews

Goodreads review by Nadine on November 11, 2020

Als halb-jüdisches Flüchtlingskind gelangt Stephanie Shirley vor vielen Jahren nach England. Ihre Pflegeeltern sind gut zu ihr und ihrer Schwester und ermöglichen ihr ein Leben in Sicherheit. Sie ist mathematisch begabt und arbeitet sich bis zu ihrem eigenen Unternehmen durch. Doch damit ist noch ni......more

Goodreads review by Sarah on April 20, 2019

This was an incredible book about an amazing person, who has done so much good in the world. Despite on paper her life looks like an amazing success story, (and it is) she had to fight hard every step of the way, and came close to disaster several times. She has an amazing ability to adapt, and see......more

Goodreads review by Sally on February 23, 2021

A great book by an incredibly inspiring woman. So much to take from this - her pioneering approach to organisational culture and working practices; the belief she held in the women freelancers she employed; the fierceness with which she battled for her autistic son and her philosophy about philanthr......more

Goodreads review by Val on February 14, 2019

This is an incredibly inspirational book by a very determined lady who has faced more challenges in her life than the majority of us ever will. The author arrived in England, aged 5, as a refugee from German, when her parents had the foresight and courage to send her and her nine year old sister on t......more

Goodreads review by Ellie on June 08, 2020

The author, a child Holocaust survivor evacuated to England, was determined that her life should have an impact on the world since she had come so close to losing it. Thus, she un-apologetically pushed her way through the 1960's glass ceiling of the male-dominated field of coding, and started her ow......more

Quotes

The word 'inspiring' is greatly overused, but Stephanie Shirley's story is one of those rare cases in which it truly applies. This book is an extraordinary tale of creativity and resilience, and of the power of well-targeted philanthropy to transform the world Guardian

There is an entire business course in this book: about the dangers of profitless growth, the difficulties of succession planning, and the problems of managing clever people. But more important, this engrossing story of an extraordinary life is filled with lessons in what it means to be human Financial Times

An inspiring memoir by a great entrepreneur who charted her life to do well while doing good Chair of the Global Steering Group for Impact Investment

Steve Shirley's autobiography is nothing short of inspiring. She is a role model for young women worldwide in her spirit, determinism, humour, and generosity Professor at Cambridge University

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