My Life in Full: Work, Family, and Our Future

My Life in Full is a 2021 memoir by businesswoman and former PepsiCo CEO Indra Nooyi. In her book, Nooyi divulges her personal and professional journey from growing up in a Hindu Brahmin family in Chennai, India, to moving to America as a graduate student. She ultimately became the CEO of one of the world’s largest corporations, PepsiCo, and she uses her memoir to reflect on the life lessons that informed her success and continue to shape her worldview. Nooyi argues that helping workers achieve a work-life balance has tremendous benefits for individuals and society.

This study guide is based on the Kindle e-book edition of this work.

Summary

In her introduction, Nooyi explains that her memoir will record her life story, with special attention to the lessons she has learned about work-life balance and the role of women in the workforce. In Chapter 1, Nooyi reflects on her childhood in Madras, India—which was later renamed Chennai—and her close family relationships with her siblings, parents, and grandfather. She attended Catholic school and participated in debate club and Girl Scouts. She was also part of a band that performed at music festivals. In Chapter 2, she explains how she came to complete her master’s degree at the Institute of Management in Calcutta, after which she held product manager positions at the textile company Mettur Beardsell and Johnson & Johnson.