Chapter 1

Sam is practicing calming breathing exercises early in the morning to manage her anxiety.
She uses positive affirmations to try to cope with her worries about her job and family issues.
Sam has a strained relationship with her mother and stress from work and day-to-day interactions.
She covets the apparent ease of the lives of affluent women at the gym.
Her husband, Phil, is struggling, dealing with joblessness and depression, affecting their family dynamics.
Sam worries about job security as there are talks of redundancies at work.
Her daughter, Cat, expresses frustration over the lack of milk at home, revealing generational differences in priorities.
Sam realizes she picked up the wrong gym bag, which contains luxury items like Louboutin shoes, not her work attire.
She struggles with the impractical shoes as they do not fit her and are uncomfortable.
On the way to a crucial business meeting, there is added tension with her workmates about potential job losses.
During the meeting with a client, transport issues mean they must pitch in an inconvenient location.
Sam is visibly out of place at the meeting due to her attire but holds it together.
She trips and embarrasses herself, causing the client to question if she is drunk.
The chapter highlights Sam’s struggles with work-life balance, self-esteem, and the pressures of middle age.

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