Get Your Own Coffee: Underestimated, Overlooked, and Now The Boss

5 Star Review

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Editorial Book Review:

By Owen Prescott

The initial page of Suzanne Hopgood's Get Your Own Coffee conveys a universal and personal message: the undervalued can be unstoppable. This memoir candidly explores the concept of claiming one's space in biased and assumed professional and personal settings, and it highlights Hopgood's impressive career, which spans from working in her parents' hotel to leading a publicly traded company. It is invigorating to read it, much like having a mentor share candidly their lessons and secrets. It inspires reflection, motivation, and solidarity for those who have felt overlooked or underestimated.

Hopgood delves into the concepts of strategic self-advocacy, agency, and resilience, providing insights that transcend her personal narrative. Her narrative effectively conveys the significance of trusting one's instincts, the subtle challenges that women face in leadership, and the intricacies of navigating corporate structures. These themes resonate because they are rooted in experiences that the majority of readers can identify with, despite the fact that they are in distinct contexts. This serves as a reminder that personal development often takes place in the areas where others have skepticism about us.

Her writing style is clear, engaging, and conversational, weaving personal anecdote with practical guidance in a way that feels both intimate and instructive. Hopgood's lessons are illuminated with immediacy and credibility through her use of vivid examples, such as negotiating boardroom influence or seizing overlooked opportunities. Readers who are interested in a more structured, data-driven examination of leadership may occasionally desire additional empirical context; however, the memoir's strength is in its narrative warmth and accessibility, rather than in technical analysis.

In addition to her astute observation that "Being underestimated is not a weakness—it is the space where you can quietly, strategically build your power," One of the numerous memorable moments is Hopgood's contemplation of the moment she realized her undervalued position was actually an advantage. These passages illustrate her ability to transform lived experience into universally applicable wisdom.

Get Your Own Coffee leaves a lasting impression, blending inspiration, practical insight, and authenticity. Suzanne Hopgood's memoir is a testament to self-belief and perseverance, rendering it essential reading for anyone who aspires to overcome professional obstacles, realize their full potential, and establish themselves as their own authority.

About the Author 

Suzanne Hopgood

Rising from a small-town upbringing in Littleton, New Hampshire, where she bussed tables at her parents’ hotel, Suzanne Hopgood entered the business world at a time when women were only expected to be nurses, teachers, or secretaries. Instead, she forged a path through banking and real estate, where she learned that being consistently underestimated could become her greatest strategic advantage.

Her expertise in hotel and corporate crisis management led her to found The Hopgood Group, through which she worked with major financial institutions like John Hancock and Mellon Bank. In 1998, she made headlines when institutional investors elected her as Chair and CEO of Furr’s Restaurant Group Inc.

Hopgood’s governance expertise extended to chairing multiple corporate boards and serving as Managing Director of Board Advisory Services for the National Association of Corporate Directors. Her work took her around the world, speaking on corporate governance in Moscow, Hong Kong, Beijing, and South America.

Beyond her corporate career, Hopgood served for ten years as the Governor-appointed Chair of Hartford’s Capital Region Development Authority, overseeing the development of three thousand apartments in downtown Hartford with a 92 percent occupancy rate.

Now retired, Hopgood divides her time between her hometown of Littleton, New Hampshire, Hartford, Connecticut, and Thailand, where she continues to travel extensively.