Bernadette Jiwa is author of new book HUNCH. In a world where the smallest insight can spark a breakthrough idea, intuition is more valuable than ever; and that’s what Bernadettes’s book is designed to bring – that magic! As a business advisor and bestselling author, we couldn’t wait to speak to Bernadette about her new book, her life and her loves.
BERNADETTE, YOU’RE THE AUTHOR OF FIVE #1 AMAZON BESTSELLERS – WHAT’S YOUR RECIPE FOR SUCCESS?
Curiosity, rituals, routines and early rising. You can get more done between 5am and 10am than you can at any other time of day. Writing and regular blogging are a very important part of my life. Readers give you a reason to write. You can’t just wait for inspiration to strike when you know people are expecting a post to land in their inbox. And noticing is a superpower.
IF YOU COULD GIVE EVERY WOMAN IN THE WORLD ONE SUPERPOWER, WHAT WOULD IT BE?
A comparison eraser. Every woman reading this knows why.
WHAT BOOKS CAN WE FIND ON YOUR BOOKSHELF?
Everything by Seth Godin and Malcolm Gladwell. A lot of books on behavioural economics titles like Nudge and Thinking Fast and Slow. Quiet, by Susan Cain, Charles Duhigg’s the Power of Habit and on and on. There are a lot of white spines on my shelves!
FICTION OR NON-FICTION?
Non-fiction, first last and always. Even as a child I loved Laura Ingalls Wilder’s autobiographical Little House stories. They somehow had more impact on me because I knew they were real.
OF THE BOOKS YOU’VE WRITTEN, WHAT MAKES ‘HUNCH’ DIFFERENT FROM THE REST?
Hunch is a book about the skills we need to nurture in ourselves to enable us to tap into our boldest and most brilliant ideas. My other books help people to understand their customers and the change they themselves are trying to create in the world—then show them how to articulate and live that.
WHAT IS YOUR FAVOURITE TAKEAWAY/QUOTE FROM ‘HUNCH’?
‘Our job isn’t to play every possible note. It’s to play one note every day that we’re proud to have played, and often to enable other people to do the same.’
WHAT 5 WORDS OF ADVICE DO YOU HAVE FOR ANY ASPIRING FEMALE AUTHOR?
You have everything you need.
YOU WERE BORN IN DUBLIN BUT NOW LIVE IN AUSTRALIA – AMAZING! WHAT DO YOU MISS MOST ABOUT HOME?
Apart from my parents, it’s hearing the Irish accent and the casual conversations people have with each other at bus stops that reveal so much about people and what makes them tick.
WHAT IS IT YOU LOVE MOST ABOUT YOUR JOB?
I get space and time to think and create. We all need more of that in our lives.
IF YOU COULD DO ANY OTHER JOB, JUST FOR THE DAY, WHAT WOULD IT BE?
I’d be a poet—I love how poetry conveys beauty and truth with the most economical language.
HUNCH: Turn Your Everyday Insights into the Next Big Thing by Bernadette Jiwa (Penguin, £9.99) is out now. Look out for our review coming soon!