AJ Eckstein spent the first four years of his career chasing a “dream job,” following the formula he’d been told would lead to success.
He’d graduated from the University of Southern California’s Marshall School of Business with a bachelor’s degree in business administration in 2020, logging internships at companies including The Walt Disney Company along the way.
In February 2021, Eckstein started a full-time job as an analyst at a large consulting firm. Within a six-month period, he was promoted from analyst to senior analyst and then management consultant — roles that came with a six-figure salary.
Despite his success, Eckstein felt underwhelmed.
“I realized I was just checking boxes and not actually living my dream life,” the 27-year-old told Business Insider. “I felt like a tiny, expendable cog in a massive machine.”
The book that changed his trajectory
Everything changed in 2024 when Eckstein picked up “Dare to Lead” by Brené Brown. What started as just another book quickly became a turning point in his career and life, he said.
“It forced me to confront uncomfortable truths: I wasn’t showing up authentically, taking risks, or living in line with my core values,” Eckstein said. “I’d been playing it safe, following a path others laid out for me instead of carving my own.”
Brown’s book transformed how he approaches his career and helped him build a life on his own terms, inspiring him to do four game-changing things.
1. He bet on himself, leaving his six-figure job to launch his own venture
The book emphasized aligning your actions with your core values, which resonated with Eckstein. For him, those values were entrepreneurship, autonomy, and ownership of his business and personal brand.
“I had a stable job, a great salary, and a clear trajectory ahead of me — but I knew I couldn’t ignore the values that were pulling at me,” Eckstein said. “I wanted to bet on myself.”
The principles of “Dare to Lead” pushed Eckstein to take what he called “the ultimate leap of faith” — leaving his consulting career to build his own company, Creator Match, a platform that matches brands with LinkedIn creators.
It was a difficult decision for Eckstein to make, who said the fear of financial uncertainty and the pressure to conform weighed heavily on him. But the book helped him realize that taking the risk to pursue his passion was the only way he could truly be authentic and prioritize his values.
“It became clear that staying in my corporate job was holding me back from the life I truly wanted,” he said. “‘Dare to Lead’ taught me that courage isn’t the absence of fear — it’s the ability to take action despite it.”
2. He chose courage over comfort and scaled his business
Once Eckstein made the leap and started building his company, the real challenge began. He needed to figure out how to turn his fledgling agency into a scalable platform.
“There were long nights, moments of doubt, and constant pivots,” he said. “I had to make decisions with little data, take risks when it felt uncomfortable, and embrace the fear of failure every day.”
The lessons he learned from “Dare to Lead” — like the importance of stepping out of your comfort zone and having the courage to confront discomfort in order to lead effectively — kept him going.
“Every step of the way, ‘Dare to Lead’ reminded me that discomfort is where the magic happens — the place where growth and opportunity lie,” Eckstein said.
3. He “lived into his values” and faced his fears
One of the book’s most transformative lessons for Eckstein is the idea of “living into your values,” which Brown defines as doing more than just giving lip service to your values, but actually practicing them.
“Brown emphasizes that when we clearly identify and commit to our core values, we can navigate uncertainty and challenge with purpose and integrity,” Eckstein explained. “One of my values is inspiring others to embrace their own authenticity and take bold steps toward their dreams, such as shooting your shot.”
In Eckstein’s case, living into his values meant saying yes when he got invited to speak at a TEDx Talk in 2024. “Stepping onto that stage was an act of courage, but it wasn’t just about me — it was about living out my values in a way that could empower others,” he said.
4. He released perfectionism and embraced vulnerability
“Dare to Lead” also taught Eckstein that leadership isn’t about perfection; it’s about “putting your values into practice, one vulnerable step at a time,” he said.
As Eckstein pondered this principle after reading the book, he realized that some of the best moments along his educational and career paths had come not from knowing it all and getting everything right, but from the times that he admitted that he needed help.
He hadn’t been the typical student who breezed through high school and landed at an elite university. Instead, he was a community college student who transferred to USC; he’d struggled, was unmotivated, and felt uncertain about his path.
“The world around me expected me to have everything figured out, but I didn’t, and that scared me,” Eckstein recalled. “I was terrified of showing vulnerability and admitting I didn’t have it all together.”
“When I embraced my lack of certainty and was open to seeking help, it started me on a path of growth,” he said. “I realized I didn’t have to have everything figured out to take action — I just needed to show up authentically and be willing to learn. And that’s how you build a life and career that’s truly your own.”
Did you read a book that changed your career trajectory or approach toward work? Contact this editor, Jane Zhang, at janezhang@businessinsider.com.
