We are very pleased to be giving away three copies of Frances Manwaring’s book ‘Never Succumb to Beige’, to our GrownUps members.
All you need to do to enter the draw is be a GrownUps member, make sure you’re signed up to our newsletter and fill in your details near the bottom of the page!
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About Never Succumb to Beige
Part memoir, part essays, part self-help book, Never Succumb to Beige is an invitation to hop on the train of many colours that takes you through a varied landscape of opinion, advice, and reflection, inspired by the author’s colourful life.
The idea of not succumbing to beige is all about being true to who you are and what you bring to the world—wearing your metaphorical high viz vest with flair and panache. This book explores some grounds rules, and tactics to avoid the beige rabbit hole in a series of extended essays taken from the author’s blog and other writing, and her own colourful life.
When you commit to the non-beige approach to life, you will always walk the road less travelled, leading to unknown and exotic destinations, even if they’re only in your mind. It’s challenging at times but never dull. You’ll become an adventurer seeking experiences who blazes a colourful trail through life, not someone who is drowning in a sea of sameness. Why? Life’s too short to worry about what ‘they’ think and say.
Author Note
‘I chose never to succumb to beige as my way of navigating life’s challenges. It’s a statement of my commitment to staying visible and an invitation to others to hop on the train of many colours. While this theme is not the exclusive focus of my writing, it underpins a lot of it. It’s become something of a crusade. I believe we need to stand and deliver on our potential and not let life, our doubts and fears or society’s bias remove our agency as dynamic contributors to the overall richness and joy of the human experience.
I am saddened by how many people I’ve encountered who feel invisible or useless as they age. They tell me it’s inevitable. “It is what it is,” they say, using that much over-used cliché of our times. I fundamentally don’t believe that it has to be. Perhaps that’s easy for me to say. I was born with a sunny, outgoing nature and insane corkscrew hair—I’ve had a love/hate relationship with the latter throughout my life. Still, it has the merit of giving me a head start in the non-invisibility games. Likely, it also played a part in developing a deep-rooted commitment to my individuality as I grew up, something I’ve never lost. I don’t believe we should allow society’s judgement to push us into the railway siding of invisibility. If we don’t give ourselves licence to stay on the main line, no one else will. So I say, “Never succumb to beige”.’
About the Author
Becoming co-owner and managing director of creative agency Moxie in 2010 was a natural extension of a career focused on helping great ideas reach the world. Previously, Frances co-founded several businesses, including a pioneering technology start-up and held senior management and governance roles in four countries across several sectors.
Frances has written magazine articles, a column on business networking, Sects & the City for In-Business Wellington, a novelette about the final days of Anne Boleyn (an honours degree in Medieval History explains this interest) and an exhibition and a short book Food Futures: The Face of Tomorrow.
A few years ago, she ghost-wrote an autobiography for a top sales professional. Most recently, she has launched a book drawn from her professional practice Brands with Moxie: Eight Steps to a Winning Brand.
Originally from the Scottish Highlands, Frances was London-based for 14 years before moving to New Zealand’s Hawke’s Bay in the mid-nineties, and she now lives in its wild and windy capital, Wellington.
‘I believe you can’t let life happen to you — if your ship doesn’t come in, you need to swim out to it. I also believe, like Sophia Loren, mistakes are one of the dues one pays for a full life. Diamonds are, after all, only coals that stuck to the job!’
Click here to see an extract from Never Succumb to Beige
Terms and conditions
- You must be a GrownUps member and receive our newsletter to be eligible to win.
- Competition closes on the 28th April 2024, winners will be notified via email by 29th April 2024.
- It is your responsibility to ensure you correctly enter a New Zealand postal address where the prize can be sent. GrownUps will not take responsibility for prizes sent to incorrect addresses.
- Winners are drawn at random by the GrownUps administration team.
- GrownUps employees and family are not eligible to enter.
- By entering the giveaway, you approve for GrownUps to use your name on social media as winner of the competition.
- One entry per household.
- Prize in non transferrable.
- You must reside in New Zealand – the prize can only be redeemed within New Zealand.
- You must be over 50 years of age to enter, please check your details are correct in your membership dashboard.
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