Joan Friedlander

In Breakfast from Bed, Joan Friedlander offers practical advice for those entrepreneurs who have experienced a health crisis and are looking to get back to work. I particularly liked Chapter 6, in which she describes how to work with your natural energy patterns to plan your schedule. Overall, I appreciate her honest talk about chronic or major health issues on one’s work and career, which can be a scary topic in the business world. I recommend this book to entrepreneurs who must work around health issues. I am also interested in reading her book for employees.… (meer)

Joan Friedlander presents the reader with a guided tour through her world of illness and recover as it related to career paths, financial and personal success, and business. What Friedlander is doing for the reader is to take a sledgehammer to "normal" and "what you SHOULD do" and rebuild paradigms of what is good for you and what provides integrated advice for reconstructing work-life balance following debilitation. As a person who has gone through such a rebirth following injuries in Iraq Friedlander's description of the emotions, uncertainties and concerns about the ability to re-enter the workplace are same as I experienced.

For the resources section alone, this book is worth the price. Finally, with some editing I posit that Friedlander's book should target those entering the workforce. The twisted road to choosing a life's calling is indeed more than a job. Read this book and find out why and how to get it correct the first time… (meer)

Having read my fair share of self-help books that address chronic health issues, I've found that many say the same things, and offer similar advice (sleep well, exercise, eat right, reduce stress). So I was feeling a bit lethargic about reading another one when Friedlander's book arrived, but I was very surprised to find myself sitting up and underlining passages before I had even finished the prologue! Business from Bed is everything you hope for in a book of this kind: it has a well-defined purpose, it gives the usual topics a respectful nod, but finds more deeply resonant issues to discuss, it offers clear, concise advice and solutions, and it doesn't talk down to the reader (or make them feel like a patient).

The book's stated purpose is to prepare a person with chronic illness to go back to work, and is for those who feel that they are ready for this step. I am nowhere near ready, and feared that I would feel "pushed," or would be made to feel guilty for not being at that stage. But that's not the case at all. She even addresses the problem of guilt that chronic illness sufferers often feel, that sense of inadequacy, and necessity of asking others for help. She says that her "comeback" took 13 years, and promises that she "would never presume to know what your life's course should or will be." But if you are ready, her book is here to help.

Sharing the early days of her diagnosis of Crohn's Disease, which has no known cause or cure, the author writes, "I believed that my will and intention could change anything I put my mind to. I believed that my circumstances were malleable and that I was the driver in my life, no questions asked." This made me say "Yes!" out loud because, of course, I felt the same way before Fibromyalgia and CFS turned out to be my own Waterloo. But I was impressed by more than that personally affirmative moment. Throughout the book Friedlander, rather than just being a cheerleader, communicates honestly about the physical challenges of chronic illness, as well as the emotional impact and the personal and social consequences that can result. And while the book has plenty of practical wisdom and advice, reading it felt less like being told what to do by an authority figure, and more like being counseled by a trusted friend.

Even those who have experienced a health crisis and are not ready to go back to work will find plenty of useful, affirming, and honest discussion from Friedlander. Yes, she talks about stress, sleep, etc., but also things like reassessing your career goals, how to tell people about your illness and who should know, navigating the interview process, determining at which hours of the day you are at your most, and least, energetic, and a lot more.

I have but one complaint about the book, for which I took off 1/2 of a star: the unfortunate title, Business from Bed. Normally I'd say "big deal" to an odd title, but I showed the cover to several people and the typical response was: "Okaaaayy.....that could be misleading." A Forward by C.J.Hayden says that Friedlander came up with it (and Hayden approved). Editor? Publicist? Did either of you chime in? I'm just afraid that this wonderful book might miss its audience (or embarrassment over the ambiguous title might keep them from purchasing it). Does the title matter? I think so, but it is also my hope that the people who most need this book will find, and read it. Even for those not ready to get back in the workforce, this slight volume (under 200 pages) is one of the best and most insightful books for dealing with chronic illness that I have read thus far.… (meer)