It’s What You Do Next: The Fall and Rise of Nashville’s First Female Mayor

At some point, all of us will be at our worst, and while some of us will be remembered for it, none of us should be defined by it.

In 2015, after a historic run-off election, Megan Barry became the first female mayor of Nashville, Tennessee. Quickly becoming one of the most popular progressive politicians in the Bible Belt, Barry was a beloved leader with a sky-high approval rating and an unshakable hope for a new, forward-thinking, modern South. For her first few years in office, she was one of the most important voices at the table.

Until she became the most notorious.

Barry loved three things the most in the world--her son, Max, her husband, Bruce, and her job as the mayor of Nashville . . . until she lost two of them. Her monumental lapse in judgment led to a painful public reckoning and the fall of her rising political career. A battle with substance-use disorder robbed her of her only child. Grief, pride, shame, longing, and resentment nearly destroyed her marriage. Barry has to start again, the right way, with humility, hope, and a wicked sense of humor.

It’s What You Do Next is a deeply honest book about womanhood at home, in politics, and in the spaces between. It’s about moving forward after we’ve fallen short, finding the grace to love, and to love oneself again. It’s about the aching world of grief and the light beyond it.

Warm, funny, and uncompromisingly honest, Barry speaks to women as their close friend, not their fearless leader, her true self, not always her best self. She gives readers permission to come as they are and leave knowing that what matters most, is what happens next.

Megan Barry is the former mayor of Nashville, TN, the first woman to be elected to the office. While she was in office, she lost her only son, Max, to a drug overdose. Since leaving her position, Barry is working to combat the shame and guilt that comes from this soul-sucking disease and to help those who struggle with substance use disorder and their loved ones by speaking up and speaking out. She has shared her story in numerous podcasts and publications including Elle magazine, TOKENS Podcast, Nashville Edit, and arcHive Nashville. Her professional experience includes working as a corporate executive, as an independent consultant focusing on business ethics and corporate responsibility, and as an adjunct professor.

She has an MBA from Vanderbilt University and currently serves on the board of H.A.R.T and the Women’s Fund for the Community Foundation. She has served on several boards including the YWCA of Middle TN and the Center for Non-Profit Management. She has been an invited speaker for numerous organizations and events including TedX Nashville, the International Women’s Forum, Georgia Pacific, National Overdose Awareness Days, and many others.