Alisha Fernandez Miranda at Harvard Book Store

Harvard Book Store welcomes ALISHA FERNANDEZ MIRANDA—chair and former CEO of I.G. Advisors and a Harvard University alumna—for a discussion of her new memoir My What If Year. She will be joined in conversation by SANDRA A. MILLER—author of Trove: A Woman’s Search for Truth.

A Return to In-Person Events

Harvard Book Store is excited to be back to in-person programming. To ensure the safety and comfort of everyone in attendance, the following Covid-19 safety protocols will be in place at all of our Harvard Book Store events until further notice:

• Face coverings are required of all staff and attendees when inside the store. Masks must snugly cover nose and mouth.

About My What If Year

On the cusp of turning forty, Alisha Fernandez Miranda has climbed to the peak of personal and professional success, but at a price; she’s overworked and exhausted.

Bravely, Alisha decides to give herself a break, temporarily pausing her stressful career as the CEO of high-powered consulting firm. With the tentative blessing of her husband and eight-year-old twins, she leaves her home in London to spend one year exploring the dream jobs of her youth, seeking answers to the question, “What If?”

What follows is a spirited and hilarious journey for Alisha - and the reader. Contending with her lack of experience (and the onset of a global pandemic), Alisha gofers for two high-profile Broadway productions (and nearly tramples Stephen Sondheim), attempts to master a fitness regimen called Voga (a cross between yoga and “voguing”), feigns confidence while handling multi-million-dollar artwork at Christie’s, and literally sets her shirt on fire while serving rack of lamb in a posh hotel on Scotland’s remote Isle of Skye. Her experiences are at once challenging and humbling, and push the boundaries of what Alisha thought she was physically, mentally, and emotionally capable of. Alisha’s “What If” year reveals that she can achieve success on her own terms by embodying the spirit of the intern: never stop learning, be flexible, and understand that failure is a prerequisite for growth.

For anyone who’s ever felt stuck in a rut, My What If Year proves that it’s never too late to say yes to second chances and explore the roads untraveled throughout your life.

Praise for My What If Year

"This book is like a balm for the soul of every over-achiever who has ever wondered what is on the other side of “having it all.” With irreverence, unflinching honesty and irresistible warmth, Miranda gives us permission to get curious, hold tight to the wisp of a new idea, and honor the voice that whispers, “what if there is more?" ―Alicia Menendez, host of American Voices on MSNBC and author of The Likeability Trap

“Alisha’s case of missing identity, even as a successful CEO, is an ultimate triumph story in reclaiming oneself. In this funny, heart-warming “What If” journey, Alisha teaches us that sometimes uprooting our lives backwards is what leads us and our families forward.” ―Eve Rodsky, New York Times bestselling author of Fair Play

“This is a book for every woman who imagined a different life and told herself, ‘You just can’t.’ You can, Alisha Miranda shows us, and in the process of trying on the lives in your fantasies, you just might find the one you want for real.” ―Pamela Redmond, author of Younger