Kelley Earnhardt Miller’s new book, Drive, was sent to me as part of a book tour. I usually enjoy memoirs, especially of strong independent women. So even though I don’t follow NASCAR, I agreed to read and review this book because as a small business owner, I love reading about the success of other women in business.

“I think one of the most important qualities a person needs to succeed is a positive attitude and a willingness to work.” – Kelley Earhnhardt Miller, Drive

I am not a NASCAR fan nor follower of the sport. So take my review as someone simply reading from the perspective of looking for gaining business knowledge I could apply to my own work.

“Moving forward is not enough. We also have to intentionally let go of what holds us back.”

Drive Review:

Kelly Earnhardt Miller is a mother of three, a co-heir to the Earnhardt throne and works as a leader in a male dominated field. At one point, she shares the story of literally being the only woman in the room. The first half of this book is more about her family history, troubled relationship with her father and his second wife, and strong bond with her brother. If you love NASCAR, you may enjoy the peek into the inner workings of their family life.

The second half focusses on business and she provides lessons she has learned along the way. For me, I was looking forward to this part but found the ones included here to be on the lighter side, especially considering how successful she is and the size of the empire she helped to build. I enjoyed her conversational writing style and down to earth nature. But the lessons she shares are all pretty basic and overall just good life advice like “be authentic”, “manage your emotions”, and “balance work with life”.

I appreciated her take but didn’t exactly learn anything new. Thank you to TLC Book Tours for the book to read and review.

For More Info:

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Drive Summary:

In Drive, Kelley Earnhardt Miller opens up about growing up in the world of NASCAR, sharing the lessons she learned about being a successful business leader and what she discovered, often the hard way, about winning in life.

Kelley never felt she was winning at anything until she began to deal with the thoughts and feelings that were driving her decisions and taking her in the wrong direction. Her journey of transformation is what empowered her to run the family business in an entirely different way than she had previously and to lead people not only with her head but also with her heart.

Drive offers nine important lessons learned about winning in business and in life, given not as a formula for greatness but as insight from a fellow traveler on a journey that is sometimes difficult, painful, unexpected, or confusing—and sometimes exhilarating and joyful:

• Be Authentic and Approachable
• Know How to Make Decisions
• Position for Success
• Let Go to Move Forward
• Customize Your Communication
• Aim for the Win-Win
• Manage Your Emotions
• Balance Your Work With Your Life
• Lead from the Heart

Become a stronger person and a more effective leader by facing the truth about your own life in a healthy way, and then drive to the win!