Cecile Richard's Story About Interviewing For Her Job At Planned Parenthood Is SO Relatable

In January when she announced her plans to step down as Planned Parenthood president after 12 years with the organization, the same question formed on everyone's lips: what will Cecile Richards do next? The legendary activist and modern feminist icon may be leaving her post at Planned Parenthood, but Richards has made it clear that she doesn't intend on slowing down anytime soon — in fact, she plans to help Democratic women run for office. Although not every potential candidate will be lucky enough to get personal guidance from the woman who has dedicated her life to activism and political organizing, anyone with headphones can listen to Richards' incredibly inspiring story with the audiobook version of her new memoir, Make Trouble: Standing Up, Speaking Out, and Finding the Courage to Lead — My Life Story.

If you've ever wondered how Cecile Richards became, well, Cecile Richards, the outgoing Planned Parenthood president is ready to tell you all about it in her honest and powerful memoir, out now. In Make Trouble, the daughter of former Texas governor Ann Richards reveals what and who inspired her life-long commitment to activism, how her upbringing with liberal parents in ultra-conservative Texas shaped her habit of making trouble, and why she has always been, and will always be, on the side of women. With humor and heart, Richards recounts her unique and happy childhood spent debating politics at the dinner table, her busy young adult years working tirelessly on behalf of labor organizers, and her long and remarkable career. Not only has Richards served as the president of Planned Parenthood for over a decade, but she also founded America Votes and the Texas Freedom Network, successfully helped campaign for democratic women candidates, worked as deputy chief of Staff to Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi, and was a featured speaker at the Women's March on Washington — all of which she happily shares with hopeful readers who want to know how to become troublemakers themselves. An accessible blend of autobiography and advocacy how-to, Make Trouble transforms one of the country's fiercest feminist icons into a relatable role model whose advice is just too good to ignore.

Make Trouble: Standing Up, Speaking Out, and Finding the Courage to Lead — My Life Story by Cecile Richards, read by the author, free with Audible trial, Amazon

Both the print and audio version Make Trouble is out now from Simon & Schuster, but Bustle is proud to have an exclusive excerpt from the audiobook, as read by the author, that you can start listening to immediately. In the clip below, Cecile Richards recounts her fateful interview with Planned Parenthood, and her decision to take the job as the organization's president. If you've ever wondered how she became the head of the largest single provider of reproductive health services in the United States, this excerpt is the behind-the-scenes look you've been waiting for.

As Richards explains over the course of the audio excerpt, accepting the position as the president of Planned Parenthood wasn't an easy decision to make. Not only was she unsure about uprooting her family for a job opportunity and guilty about leaving the nonprofit group she was running, but believe it or not, Richards doubted her ability to lead such a large and important organization. Throughout the clip, she admits to feeling nervous, anxious, and a little bit afraid to take such a huge leap, both personally and professionally. She even shares a story about calling her mom, and if she wasn't already one of your favorite feminists, that little detail just might have you convinced.

Make Trouble by Cecile Richards is available on audiobook from Simon & Schuster wherever books are sold.