My Broken Stiletto

By Tereill Peay

Maybe you are struggling with finding your personal style and that is impacting your self-esteem. If this is you this book will show you; How to overcome dysfunction. How to take the calculated risk that will impact your future in a good way. How to build your self-esteem and trust yourself. How to rely solely on your faith in a time of crisis. How to find your personal style & get the dream job you want and deserve, so that you can step confidently into your purpose. In My Broken Stiletto, Tereill Peay shares her personal journey of how she overcame poverty, low self-esteem, and took quantum leaps of faith. Those calculated risk landed her in running a multimillion-dollar branch at the age of nineteen. Take a front seat as she shows you how she went from tomboy to best dressed in the office all while building a successful career in the banking industry.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Tereill Peay
• Release date: Jul 15, 2019
• ISBN: 9781393028956

Book preview

MY BROKEN STILETTO

From Poverty to Prosperity. A woman’s guide to up leveling your faith, finances, and fashion. Change your wardrobe change your life!

Tereill Peay. © 2019

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced, stored, or transmitted by any means- whether auditory, graphic, mechanical, or electronic- without written permission of both publisher and author, except in the case of brief excerpts used in critical articles and certain other noncommercial uses permitted by copyright law. Unauthorized reproduction of any part of this work is illegal and is punishable by law.

ISBN: 978-0-578-47060-3

Because of the dynamic nature of the internet, any web addresses or links contained in this book may have changed since publication and may no longer be valid. The views expressed in this work are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher, and the publisher disclaims any responsibility for them.

Printed in the United States of America

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~ iii ~❖ Dedication:

This book is dedicated to anyone who has been or currently going through a struggle emotionally, financially, or physically. Healing comes after the struggle is over and when you let God guide your steps. May this book give you hope, healing, and courage to take the next quantum leap into finding joy and happiness.

With Love,

~ v ~❖ Table of contents

Dedication: .................................................................. iii

Acknowledgements .......................................................vii

Introduction ..................................................................ix

Part 1 ����������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 1

Chapter 1: The Muse ................................................................3

Chapter 2: The Rebel - learning valuable lessons.......................7

Chapter 3: Smitten by the Fashion Bug ..................................22

Chapter 4: The Stars are aligning - Preparation meets style .....29

Chapter 5: New Beginnings bring big challenges ....................41

Chapter 6: The Switch – Embracing Change ..........................51

Chapter 7: The Ultimate Sacrifice – nothing comes

without it! .............................................................65

Chapter 8: Transitioning ........................................................75

Chapter 9: Forward Movement & Major Mishaps..................87

Chapter 10: Full Circle ...........................................................92

MY BROKEN STILETTO

Part II: Boardroom Confessions (The good, the bad, and the

dress code� Finding your signature style!) ������������ 107

Chapter 11: The Interviewing Process ..................................109

Chapter 12: Staying ahead of the Game or not! ....................114

Chapter 13: Preparation meets opportunity ..........................117

Chapter 14: Don’t Break the Dress Code! .............................121

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~ vii ~❖ Acknowledgements

First and foremost, I give all praises to God! Thank you, Lord Father God, for giving me the strength and cour- age to tell my story. I would also like to acknowledge my mother for her everlasting love and support to share my journey along with hers. Special acknowledgment to my loving husband and children who inspire me every day to be braver than yester- day. Shout out to all the teachers, professors, and colleagues who mentored me and gave me the opportunity to learn and grow! I will continue to pay it forward!

~ ix ~❖ Introduction

This book takes you on the journey of an African Ameri- can girl who grew up in the early nineties in the suburbs of Orange, New Jersey named Tereill to a single moth- er who battled dysfunction, poor self-esteem issues, and pover- ty-stricken conditions to running a multi- million-dollar branch in the banking industry all by the age of nineteen. Tereill gives you her experience of finding herself through playing sports and becoming a member of a precision drill team, along with devel- oping her fashion sense. By default, Tereill was a tomboy who preferred to wear sneakers twenty-four seven until she was sucked into the workforce. The complexity of the relationship with her mother causes her to become withdrawn and rebellious with her personal style. The irony of the story is that, it is her mother’s in- fluence of fashion that helps Tereill to encounter her own fashion sense to build her career and becoming in the opinion of many of her co-workers, the most stylish person in her office. Tereill learns some valuable lessons along the way and shares her most vulnerable broken moments. It is those life changing experiences that cause her to dive deeper into her faith. It is her faith that gets her through the hard times and helps her to build her self-esteem. You will get to encounter her work journey and fashion finds along the way. It is the discovery of a rollercoaster ride of her

MY BROKEN STILETTO

work, life balance that Tereill finds herself working in an office as the only African American, and must adjust quickly. To her surprise, Tereill gets shocked with life changing news that causes her to step into a new position.

Throughout the book, Tereill has some awakening moments that cause her to connect deeply with herself for growth potential, such as overcoming sexual abuse, not getting into her first college of choice, becoming the first one in her family to graduate col- lege, and buying a home. You will get a front row seat to Tereill’s decision making skills from deciding to quit sports to entering the workforce, reprimanding her employees, her financial growth and personal development. All of this while finding the love of her life, getting married, and dealing with wardrobe malfunctions.

In the second part of the book, Tereill gives you a bird’s eye view of being in management. Tereill gives you her most burning tips for achieving your goals to landing a position, up leveling your fashion, and the closed door conversations after interview- ing candidates. You know, the conversations after someone has left and you may be wondering what the managers were talking about. Well you will get an up close and personal view. Tereill shares her shocking revelations from how not to break the dress code to getting the corner office if desired. You will walk away feeling like you have all the tools needed to take the next step into the position you want.

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Part 1

~ 1 ~

Chapter 1 ❖ The Muse

From thin matic a body, smile. distance, beautiful She you carries would skin, herself gorgeous think like she the full is lady a hair, celebrity that and she charis- is. by You her

know the type, every piece of her clothing is in the perfect place. Her stilettos are tall and she can actually walk in them. She looks expensive or at least carries herself like she is an owner of some high-end store. You probably would think that she doesn’t have any children because of her petite frame. She is stunningly beau- tiful. I was once told that she was wanted as a double in commer- cials in the late seventies. She later told me that she would have taken the job, but she was afraid that they would remove her face and use her body for a celebrity. So, it wasn’t worth the trouble to become a model. You see that was the thing back in the seventies. It was common for people that took photos or went for mod- eling jobs to get