How to Use The Mirror Effect

• One week until The Mirror Effect launches. 

• My ask: don't just read it; use it. This book was designed as a tool for transformation, not just inspiration. There's a difference, and it matters.

• When you use this book in community, the effect compounds. You practice what you're learning in real time—reflecting strength, challenging narratives, celebrating breakthroughs.

Mirror Mantra

Take a second to think about your bookshelves. Be honest: how many leadership books are sitting there, just collecting dust? You read them, nodded along, maybe highlighted a few passages, and then... nothing changed. I’ve got plenty of them. And I didn't want to write that kind of book.

As Mary Morrissey said, "inspiration without action is just entertainment." It’s one thing to be inspired (inspiration in and of itself is valuable, of course!), but I want you to finish this book and understand how to change your life. 

That’s why the first part is about holding up your own mirror: understanding who you are in full—the past experiences that have shaped you, the ways you may be holding yourself back, and the incredible potential that’s already within you. Self-knowledge is the first step in transforming your future. The next step is to understand the world around you. And the final one is to put everything you’ve learned into action—all the insight you’ve gained and the relationships you’ve made. 

To help drive all of that home, I’ve developed a corresponding workbook, complete with 90 prompts that align with each chapter in the book. You can work through one prompt a day, or use them as you need them—each one corresponds to a section of the book and pushes you to actually implement what you're learning.

But here's what I really want you to consider: don't do this alone.

When you work through this material in community, something shifts. You're not just reading about being a mirror for yourself and others; you're actively practicing it. Someone shares how they're dealing with imposter syndrome, and suddenly you're reflecting their strength back to them. They challenge one of your limiting beliefs, and you see a blind spot you couldn't see on your own.

This is how the Biotech CEO Sisterhood works. We show up for each other, hold up mirrors, call out the BS narratives we tell ourselves, and celebrate the breakthroughs. You can create that same dynamic with this book and the right people around you.

This book will teach you to recognize your limiting thoughts, claim your authentic voice, and ultimately become your own best advocate. But only if you do the work. Doing it in community can help.

If you want to embark on this journey alone, commit to yourself the way you would a friend or loved one. You deserve your full attention. And I promise, it will pay dividends.

Pre-order The Mirror Effect and make one commitment before it arrives: Invite at least one other person on this journey with you. Start a book club with colleagues who are also working on becoming better leaders. Bring it to your ERG or affinity group. Find one accountability partner and commit to checking in weekly about what you're discovering.

Text that person this week and set up your first conversation about how you'll use the book together.

If you're going solo, lean hard into the workbook. Write messy. Be honest. Come back to what you wrote a month later and see how you've evolved. The practice of self-reflection—really looking at your fears, your patterns, your power—that's where the transformation happens.

The skills you'll build aren't theoretical. They're the practical tools that change how you show up when you're underestimated, how you navigate being "the only one," how you lead without apologizing for who you are. That’s where the metamorphosis begins.

Keep shining, 

Sheila

What’s next?

Launch week is coming. I hope you're ready to do more than read. I hope you're ready to transform.

Have you seen my TEDx talk "Focus on the Mirror, Not the Glass Ceiling"? In it, I explore how finding the right mirrors—people who reflect our potential and validate our experiences—can transform our leadership journey. I'd be honored if you'd watch and share it with others who might benefit from this message.