Play It Forward

Book excerpt: Play It Forward details the remarkable journey of Joan Barnes, the founder and former CEO of Gymboree, and how she learned to align her inner life with outward success. Forty years ago, Joan Barnes founded a modest play center in a church basement with $3,000. Determined to enable women to achieve both personal and entrepreneurial success, Barnes grew Gymboree into an innovative, billion-dollar brand and trailblazing leader in a new industry: activity-based early childhood development. But this dramatic entrepreneurial memoir is also a cautionary tale and redemption story. When Gymboree's IPO became a phenomenal success story, Barnes was nowhere near Wall Street. She had stepped down from the company because of an eating disorder that threatened to destroy everything she built. Barnes was able to confront this disorder, revealing a path to overcome one’s demons and achieve a sense of worth and hope. She eventually resumed her business career on healthier terms—with a successful line of yoga studios—in an inspiring example of how midcareer women can triumph through reinvention. Published to coincide with Gymboree's 40th anniversary, Play It Forward offers readers a deeply honest perspective of the challenges of building a business and seeking a work-life balance that’s in tune with personal values.