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Photo: Book launch of Women Breaking Through Leadership, 8 March 2012, Hong Kong
Excerpt from the poem “Eve Toils in the Shadows” included in the contemporary poetry collection Coffee Stains on My Books, Stefania Lucchetti, 2024
March 8 holds special memories for me. On this day in 2012, I presented my book Women Breaking Through Leadership, an idea I conceived and co-wrote with the talented journalist Anna Bisazza.
The book explored the challenges women face in reaching high-level leadership positions, sharing the stories of incredible female leaders in Hong Kong at the time, including Anson Chan. Vision, determination, goals, and courage—these were the guiding threads of their experiences. More than a decade later, these themes remain as relevant as ever—perhaps even more so.
The book launch took place during a special evening at Metrobooks in Hong Kong Elements, bringing together the women featured in the book for a memorable event. We celebrated International Women’s Day with a powerful and inspiring discussion on leadership, equality, and the road ahead.
I still hold the memory of that day close to my heart, and today, I’d like to share with you a few archival snapshots.The book explored the challenges women face in reaching high-level leadership positions, sharing the stories of incredible female leaders in Hong Kong at the time, including Anson Chan1. Vision, determination, goals, and courage: these were the guiding threads of their experiences. More than a decade later, these themes remain as relevant as ever.
The book launch took place during a special evening at Metrobooks in Hong Kong Elements, bringing together the women featured in the book for a memorable event. We celebrated International Women’s Day with a powerful and inspiring discussion on leadership, equality, and the road ahead.
I still hold the memory of that day close to my heart, and today, I am sharing with you a few archive photos.
Work-Life Integration
Throughout both my books and my professional career, I have always sought to redefine how work and personal life can be integrated. In an interview I gave as a professional in January 2020 (just a few weeks before the outbreak of the COVID pandemic) on the 4cLegal platform (available here, in Italian), I had the pleasure of discussing the concept of sustainability in leadership. I emphasized the need to create work environments that allow professionals to thrive in the long run. I argued that true sustainability means building a context where both women and men can work with peace of mind, without having to sacrifice their well-being, personal commitments, or – most importantly – their caregiving responsibilities.
When I revisited this interview years later, I was surprised by myself—by how direct, and even a little angry, I was in addressing the issue, stating: “You cannot not take care of your children.”
And yet, my personal experience as a professional and mother of three has been anything but simple. Working in large organizations while raising small children, I faced endless challenges: maternity leaves lasting just eight weeks, work schedules, and business travel that were utterly incompatible with family life. I still recall an absurd request: I was expected to travel to another continent for two weeks to attend a conference. When I asked to join remotely, my request was denied, and I was immediately excluded from the event. This was not a matter of priorities – taking care of one’s children should not be seen as a choice to be juggled as a priority with work commitments, but as a necessity.
These experiences made me even more aware of how much work remains to be done to ensure true integration between professional and personal life – beyond mere rhetoric. The consequences of this rigidity are real: in the end, I chose to leave those structures, start my own business, and later dedicate more time to writing.
The issue became even more pressing during the COVID pandemic, a period in which managing space and time became increasingly complex. It was precisely in that context that I wrote Dinamiche Relazionali e Decisionali dei Gruppi di Lavoro Virtuali, reflecting on the urgent need to rethink how we approach work.
Eva Toils in the Shadows
My poem Eve Toils in the Shadows (included in Coffee Stains On My Books) was born from these experiences. This poem sheds light on the complex and often invisible reality of many women who struggle to balance work, family, and social expectations. Eva embodies all women who carry out their professional work in the interstitial spaces of daily life—stealing moments from the chaos of family and the incessant demands of others.
The verses reveal a little-understood truth: even when Eva manages to dedicate time to her work, she must constantly justify her presence and time, attempting to maintain an impossible balance. It’s a continuous compromise between personal aspirations and external expectations, a compromise that seems destined to never be fully understood or accepted by those around her.
In this video, I read the Italian version of the poem (Eva lavora di nascosto)
Ongoing Press Review
Some press review of articles out lately (in Italian).
Reviews
Have you already read Coffee Stains On My Books? If you did, take a few minutes to leave a review on Amazon. You can write a review even if the book was gifted to you. Reviews are important to help the book reach new readers, especially those who haven’t heard about it yet or are unsure whether to purchase it!
