Don’t Wear Shoes You Can’t Walk In: A Field Guide for Your Twenties was named a 2022 Foreword Indies Book of the Year Finalist in the Self-Help category. Winner will be announced June 15, 2023.

Michelle Douglas literally wrote the book on how to crush your 20s, and it’s called Don’t Wear Shoes You Can’t Walk In (rule #1, BTW). Each tidbit is based on the 6 journals she filled with lessons during her city girl phase, and we got the SparkNotes version. Visit the link for more.

Douglas started her own advertising career at age 21 and spent the next 10 years documenting what she learned. Thankfully, she converted her personal journal into this engaging manual that specifically targets those in their 20s with “relatable advice in the areas of work, love, practical adult life, and personal growth.” The author pays off this promise in a jaunty guide that has plenty of personality.

Featured as a June 2022 Quality Reads Book Rec, read what the Quality Edit Editor Lillie thinks about Don’t Wear Shoes You Can’t Walk In.

Nicole and Marina talk to author Michelle Douglas, author of Don’t Wear Shoes You Can’t Walk In: A Field Guide For Your Twenties, about the most important lessons she learned in her 20s, regrets and mistakes, and what she’ll miss about her 20s.

“Who said your toaster has to go in your kitchen?” Michelle Douglas joins Alana Kilmartin of Unserious Careers, creating a fabulous resource for your child as they make their way in the world. This fun conversation is a wonderfully holistic look at early adulthood, including mistakes we must make on our own and more.

“Reflecting on each day as it happens and actually learning from it changes the way you view and approach the next day and every day after that.”

“It's about being true to yourself and not denying your authentic self,” Douglas said. “I felt like that if you're wearing shoes you can't walk in, you're denying the opportunity to be who you really are and that you won't make it to where you're trying to go.”