The 5 Keys Book

Coming May 2026

A practical playbook for ambitious women in STEM who are ready to take power, get recognised, and advance into leadership.

What readers are saying

I hear the same story over and over again – brilliant women with great credentials doing excellent work being passed over for promotions! Christina nails 'why' this happens in the workplace even today. Most importantly, she shows you what to do about it in the form of the 5 keys.

Namrata Sarmah
Founder & CEO, Women in Product UK and CPO Track

This is the book I wish I'd had earlier in my career. Christina has created something I rarely see in the workplace development space: a guide that doesn't just tell you what's wrong but shows you exactly what to do about it. It's like having a mentor in your pocket when you need one most.

Jenny Garrett OBE
Award-Winning Author, Speaker, Coach, CEO Jenny Garrett Global

I couldn't put it down! It is a wonderful story of how a graduate female engineer, Tina, came to be mentored through her career to senior management by a more experienced mentor, Aarti. The book draws me to those words of Maya Angelou that strongly resonate — 'in order to be a mentor, and an effective one, one must care!' Aarti cares about Tina and undoubtedly Christina cares about her readers. It's a winning combination that I highly recommend!

Vince Pizzoni FIChE
Professor of Chemical and Environmental Engineering, Board Advisor, Award-Winning Mentor and Male Ally

This book is for you if...

✓ You're ambitious and want to turn great work into real career progression — you see others progress faster with less effort.

✓ You've been told to "be more assertive" — and you're know that advice is useless without a playbook.

✓ You know there are unwritten rules shaping who gets ahead — and you want to learn them on your own terms.

✓ You refuse to "fake it till you make it" — because you want to advance as yourself, not as a performance.

✓ You want to understand the system — not change yourself — to make maximum impact.

Why I wrote this book

Inside the book

Told as a series of conversations between a mentor and her mentee over 15 years of walks — from graduate engineer to senior leader.

Every conversation will give you something you can use immediately.

Key #1: Confidence

Silence your inner critic, own your successes, and present your work with authority.

Key #2: Resilience

Navigate the authority gap, tackle stereotypes, and stop avoiding the conflicts that matter.

Key #3: Power

Understand how power actually works, read the dynamics in any room, and secure sponsors who open doors mentors never can.

Key #4: Authenticity

Assert yourself without aggression. Show vulnerability without weakness. Lead as yourself.

Key #5: Care

Use your power to lead inclusively, believe in others, and sponsor the women coming after you.

Praised by Leaders across STEM

As a senior leader in tech, I saw myself reflected in the pages. Christina Brugger combines research, real stories and actionable tools to help women unlock confidence, power and authenticity – without losing themselves in the process. A must-read for anyone in STEM – or anyone who's ever brought a different perspective to their workplace.

Alex Gold
Customer Success Manager at GoCardless, Investor & Advisor

Christina has done a marvellous thing in the book – capturing the keys to unlocking a woman's potential in STEM and in other industries. The coaching conversations included throughout demonstrate the power of an expert mentor in guiding people through the unwritten rules of organizational life. This book is required reading for organizations, leaders and individuals.

Andrea Dermody
Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Consultant, Programme Director at Balance for Better Business

A refreshingly unique and engaging guide for women in STEM, using the clever narrative device of yearly walks between mentor and mentee over the course of 15 years. Backed by research and packed with actionable wisdom, each chapter offers practical exercises and summary notes. Insightful, easy to read and filled with genuine warmth.

Yasmin Ali CEng
Chartered Engineer, Team Lead at RWE, Author of Power Up

Meet Christina

Christina Brugger is a Chartered Engineer and former VP Product who spent a decade as often the only woman in engineering and tech leadership rooms — from a FTSE100 manufacturing business to tech scaleups and startups.

Early in her career, a manager told her: "Your contributions are brilliant — if only we heard your voice more." That moment changed everything. Not because the feedback was fair, but because no one could tell her what to do about it.

So she figured it out. She studied power dynamics with Harvard Business School. She decoded the unwritten rules that shaped who got ahead and who got overlooked. And she built the frameworks she wished someone had given her.

Today, through her Keys to Impact Academy, Christina has helped 300+ women in STEM working at organisations like Arup, AWS, and GoCardless — take power, get recognised, and advance in their careers. Without becoming someone they're not.