A Remarkable Woman

A Remarkable Woman is the story of Victoria Stansbury's passionate love for two men. It is also a parallel narrative of her struggles to fit in and achieve greatness in an all male corporate environment.

At 25, working on her MBA from the Harvard Business School, Victoria meets Len, another MBA student. They are instantly attracted to each other, fall in love, marry and move to New York City to begin their separate careers with high ambitions and expectations. (Hers with BEST Cosmetics, a privately held small company that makes and sells inexpensive makeup. His with Longhorn Equities, a well-known financial firm with worldwide connections.)

Len is immediately welcomed, given meaningful assignments and soon becomes an integral part of the company. Victoria is not so fortunate. As soon as she begins her job, she creates a brilliant advertising plan for their newest lipstick line. Her unscrupulous boss steals her ideas and presents them as his own, for which he receives accolades from management and a huge promotion.

Victoria is stunned when she realizes what has happened and is forced to hire an attorney to prove that the concept had been hers originally and to have her name added to the patent. As a woman, she is treated with disdain by many of the men co-workers until the CEO and a few enlightened department heads take notice of her efforts and she gains a modicum of respect.

Victoria continues to work exceedingly hard, putting in 12 hour days. When she is 8 months pregnant, her husband is suddenly killed. Struggling with that terrible loss, she gives birth to a daughter who will never know her father. Juggling her grief, her demanding job and single motherhood requires all her inner strength. She survives on pure determination. Years later, she achieves her goal and becomes President and CEO of BEST, and one of the most respected women in the industry.

In the most unusual circumstance, she finds true passion and love again with Barkley Kelleher and starts a new life owning a vineyard and making Chardonnay's in Napa. Victoria's life is a testament that a successful career and motherhood can co-exist simultaneously and that with perseverance and passion, one can overcome terrible tragedies and find happiness.