When Jillian Johnson left behind her job in hotel corporate sales and was courted by a startup, she was thrilled. At 54, she had worried she may not be employable. But her wild ride in startup land was just about to begin.
PRAISE FOR EMPLOYEE 6 IS 54
“When you begin work at a tech company in your 50s, you’re certain to feel culture shock—new vocabulary, new processes, new rules. I know because I’ve done it! Employee 6 Is 54 may be fiction, but it’s an engaging and optimistic tour through the very real challenges and rewards of working at a startup when you’re the oldest employee at the table.”
Chip Conley
Author of Wisdom @ Work and founder of Modern Elder Academy
“Employee 6 Is 54 is a welcome antidote to all the buzzy-but-thin novels about the tech scene. Nancy Branka delivers a great character in Jillian Johnson, a seasoned and savvy woman over 50 who takes a chance on a startup as it takes a chance on her. Full of real-world details and smart dialogue, not to mention business dealings that might unnerve a few bros, it’s a great read for those who’ve been there and those who want to be.”
Karen Wickre
Author of Taking the Work out of Networking and former editorial director at Twitter
“Nancy Branka’s story reveals the dilemma of every older worker on how to act and behave in a youth-driven workforce. She understands the psyche and behavior of the Baby Boomer employee.”
Ron Visconte
Executive Director of Phase2Careers
“Silicon Valley startup culture is often a pressure cooker of testosterone, privilege, and age bias. The roller coaster that Jillian hops on presents a lot more than the challenge of fitting into a young culture. Her startup experience soon pivots into an edge-of-your-seat drama that unfolds when the murky financial truth is revealed and changes the course of the young company and Jillian’s next act forever.”
Jeff Tidwell
Author and founder of Next for Me
BLOG
- Comfort Reading: Soothing Books for Stressful TimesI read a lot. You probably do, too. But sometimes neither my head nor heart is in it. That’s what’s been happening this year. I can’t focus. I can’t get carried away to another world. I get restless. I pick up the book, read a page, put it down—about five times an hour. I began […]
- What I Learned About Storytelling From PixarI love a behind-the-scenes story. Especially when it’s about creativity or writing. That’s probably why the Inside Pixar documentary series on Disney+ captivated me. Pixar is a legendary storytelling machine, and I was curious about what I could learn from their magic. So I binge-watched the entire season and wasn’t disappointed. Each episode focuses on […]
- Filed Under Annoyances: My Wishlist for the Kindle AppAs a devoted reader, I’m a frequent user of the Kindle app—sometimes on my actual Kindle and more often on devices like my phone or iPad. Yet, the app annoys me. It could be so much better! Here’s my Kindle wishlist. Options to organize the library I would so love to organize or filter my […]
- Ode to the Public LibraryWhile the world mourned the pandemic shutdown of restaurants, travel, school, and parties, the hole in my heart was the public library. Oh, how I miss the quiet ritual of browsing in the stacks. My local library has now been closed to browsers for over one year. Sure, you can put books on hold and […]
- Literary Neuroscience Finds Reading Boosts EmpathyDoes reading change you? The answer is yes. More importantly, though, it changes you for the better. And now there’s science to back that up. Researchers in a new field called literary neuroscience are studying the effects of reading on the brain–and ultimately the behavior of readers. Key findings: Readers develop more empathy than nonreaders, […]
- Freeing Minds With BooksThis month I’ve had the privilege of participating in a letter exchange with several incarcerated youth about reading and writing. These youth are members of Free Minds Book Club, a nonprofit based in Washington, DC, which organizes people “on the outside” to respond to letters from inmates on “the inside.” The experience has been so […]