Gillian Anderson - We: A Manifesto for Women Everywhere

This book owes its existence to many women. First among them is Claire Conrad, who was present at the moment the vision for WE came to us and who has midwifed it into being. Shes its invisible third author.

Grateful thanks also to Lynn Nesbit and Rebecca Folland at Janklow & Nesbit, and Caroline Wood and all at Felicity Bryan. To our publishers on both sides of the Atlantic: at HarperCollins, Kate Elton, Carolyn Thorne, Polly Osborn, Isabel Hayman-Brown, Holly Kyte, and Ellie Crisp; at Atria, Judith Curr, who believed in it before it existed, Leslie Meredith, and Jonathan Evans. And to Sandy Draper for her amazing editing of the early drafts.

Thanks also to: Mel Agace, Piper Anderson-Klotz, Helen Backhouse, Sam Bescelli, Alicja Brown, Saskia Burke, Jamie Byng, Sydney Davis, Denzyl Feigelson, Daisy Garnett, Elizabeth Gordon, Zoe Hunter Gordon, Reverend Bill Hague, Leon Hawthorne, Zara Hayes, Emma Hewitt, Jenny Howard and Gemma Knox at Sunshine, Susanna Kleeman, Dr. Genevieve von Lob, Delphi Lythgoe, Sandra MacDonald, Professor Tessa McWatt, Peter Morgan, Deborah Nadel, Alison Nagle, Northeast Harbor Library, Paul Olsewski, Ciara Parks, Ruth Reid, Andrew Ruhemann, Arlo Nadel Ruhemann, Estralita Serano, Anne Shamash, Chloe Smith, Ardu Vakil, Felix Velarde, Sara Watkins at KW Interactive, Jack Wilson, Meghan Wilson, and Theo Wilson.

And, of course, the women whove gone before us and those who will come after.

The 9 Principles are a path of love, for ourselves and for the world. You might like to take a photo or write out the following summary. Place the list somewhere prominenton your computer desktop, by your bedside table, or in your purseto remind you to allow the Principles to guide you.

Honesty is the guide that leads us home. It returns us to our true selves and enables us to live authentically, courageously, and congruently.

Action. Today I will have the courage to be me, irrespective of what others think.

Affirmation. I am true to myself.

Acceptance gives us the ability to handle whatever life throws our way. It asks that we sit with what iseven when its painful. In return, it transforms our relationship with reality and enables us to find peace.

Action. Today I will embrace life as it is and feel whatever emotions need to be felt.

Affirmation. My feelings guide me home.

Courage is the Principle that frees us from our past. It enables us to live fully in the present by shedding the stories and unresolved anger that keep us trapped. It puts us firmly on the path to wholehearted, authentic living.

Action. I will take responsibility for feeling and releasing my anger safely.

Affirmation. Today I let go of being right so that I can be happy.

Trust is our antidote to fear. It aligns us with the flow of lifea magnificent energy that guides and directs us so that we live expansive, happy, and fulfilling lives.

Action. When I feel fear, I will ask myself what I would do if I werent afraid and then do it.

Affirmation. Today I am safe, and I am happy.

Humility allows us to be one of many, to know that we are wondrous and enough just as we are. When we practice humility, we have a strong sense of our own intrinsic worth that isnt dependent on anything we do, have, or own.

Action. I treat every woman I meet as a friend.

Affirmation. My worth comes from within.

Peace resides in the stillness beneath the chatter of our thinking minds. In that state of serenity, we experience freedom from inner conflict and a sense of wholeness. We feel connected to the world in which we live, and loneliness begins to evaporate.

Action. Today, if I feel overwhelmed, I will pause and remind myself that underneath the surface, my true self resides.

Affirmation. Whatever else is happening, deep down I know I am absolutely okay.

Love knows no bounds. It wants the best for everyone and doesnt discriminate or judge. Love is our authentic nature and is always present but, like the sun, it can be obscured temporarily.

Action. Today I will meet the gaze of all those I encounter with love.

Affirmation. I am love.

Joy feels like happiness, only better. Its generated from within and doesnt depend on what we have or havent got. Its vital for our well-being and arises in the moment. Joy connects us with a sense of the divine.

Action. Today I will seek out joy and let it fill my heart.

Affirmation. I am resilient and filled with joy.

Kindness is what love looks like when we take it out into the world. It pierces our hearts as keenly as any arrow, and in doing so, it allows love to flow in and out. Through gentle, loving actions, kindness transforms us into spiritual activists.

Action. Today I will choose to act kindly.

Affirmation. When I take action, the world is a better place.

Jennifer Nadel

Jennifer Nadel trained as a barrister before becoming a writer, journalist, and campaigner. She was one of the UKs most senior female television correspondents and has broadcast for the BBC, ITV, and Channel 4 News. Her book on domestic violence was made into a BBC film and a Channel 4 documentary, and her report from Bosnia on the use of rape as a weapon of war was broadcast around the world. Her first novel, Pretty Thing , was published by Little, Brown in 2015. She is a trustee of the charity INQUEST and has a long history of activism. She stood as a candidate for the Green Party in the UK general election in 2015. A mother of three boys, she was born in Princeton, New Jersey, and is a dual US/UK national who lives in London.

Gillian Anderson

Gillian Anderson gained worldwide recognition in The X-Files, garnering awards and critical acclaim for her role as FBI Special Agent Dana Scully over the shows nine-year run. Some of her many screen credits include The House of Mirth, The Last King of Scotland, and the acclaimed BBC miniseries Bleak House and Great Expectations. She was nominated for an Olivier Award for her stage performance as Nora in A Dolls House and won the Evening Standard Theatre Award for her portrayal of Blanche DuBois in A Streetcar Named Desire. Gillian is on the BBC and Netflixs The Fall as DSI Stella Gibson, on NBCs Hannibal as Dr. Bedelia Du Maurier, and Starzs American Gods as Media. She is an activist, speaking out regularly on issues ranging from feminism to climate change and human trafficking. Born in Chicago, she lives in London with her three children.

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