Excerpt
Chapter 1: A Secret War
Courage doesn’t always look like someone running into danger. It can show up in quieter ways—like sitting in a room night after night, focused on work you can’t even talk about, trusting that it matters. Intelligence isn’t just about grades or IQ tests. It’s about being able to solve problems when the stakes are high. And perseverance? That’s what keeps you going when no one’s clapping for you yet, when you feel invisible but refuse to quit.
Those are exactly the qualities that carried the women codebreakers through their part of the war. And they’re still just as important today—even if your battles look different.
Think about the way they worked under pressure. Every day brought new challenges. There was no guarantee of success, no guarantee anyone would even notice what they did. Still, they showed up, learned fast, and adapted. That mindset isn’t stuck in history. It’s something you can tap into right now, in the middle of your own life.
If you’ve ever been in a situation where you felt overwhelmed, like the odds were against you, you already know how much that kind of grit matters. Maybe it’s pushing through a tough class you didn’t think you’d pass. Maybe it’s standing up for someone when everyone else stayed quiet. Or fighting through a string of bad days and choosing not to give up on yourself. Those are moments that test you—and reveal what you’re capable of.
Courage doesn’t mean you never feel scared. Those women were scared plenty of times. They worried about making mistakes, about the consequences of failure, about whether they’d live up to what was asked of them. But they didn’t let fear stop them from showing up. You can do the same. Every time you step outside your comfort zone—trying something new, speaking up, saying yes to something that feels risky—you’re building your own version of courage.
One way to connect to what they stood for is to start looking for the quiet challenges around you. Everyone notices the big, loud achievements—winning a game, getting an award, pulling off something flashy. But it’s the smaller, often invisible choices that build character. Choosing to work hard even when no one’s watching. Helping someone else without expecting credit. Taking the time to figure something out instead of giving up when it gets hard.
That’s what intelligence really is: learning how to solve problems, step by step, even when you don’t know the answer right away. The women codebreakers weren’t just magically good at cryptography when they showed up. They trained, practiced, failed, got better. That’s how mastery happens—in anything. Whatever it is you care about, you can approach it the same way. Not expecting to be perfect, but being willing to figure it out as you go.
Perseverance ties it all together. It’s what keeps you from quitting when things don’t work out right away. These women worked long hours, sometimes for weeks on end without a breakthrough. They kept going because they believed their work mattered, even when no one was patting them on the back for it. That kind of patience and determination is something you can practice, too. Even when it feels like no one notices what you’re doing yet, you’re laying the foundation for bigger things.
One way to build that perseverance in your own life is to set a goal and stick with it longer than you think you can. It doesn’t have to be huge. Maybe you want to improve at something—playing an instrument, learning a new skill, building your confidence in a certain area. The important part isn’t how fast you succeed. It’s that you keep showing up, even on the hard days.
You can also take inspiration from how the women supported each other. They weren’t alone in what they were doing. They built friendships, shared tips, and reminded each other why the work mattered. You can build your own team, too. Surround yourself with people who want you to succeed, who will remind you why you started when you feel like giving up.
And don’t underestimate the power of staying curious. Part of what made those women great at what they did was their willingness to keep learning. No one handed them a perfect rulebook for cracking codes. They experimented. They tried things. They paid attention to patterns others overlooked. You can practice that same mindset right now by being open to learning—not just from teachers or books, but from everything around you.
It’s easy to get caught up thinking that your life doesn’t compare to the lives of people in history. But the truth is, you’re already facing your own version of battles every day. And the same qualities that helped those women succeed—courage, intelligence, perseverance—are already inside you. You just have to practice them.
Courage doesn’t always look like someone running into danger. It can show up in quieter ways—like sitting in a room night after night, focused on work you can’t even talk about, trusting that it matters. Intelligence isn’t just about grades or IQ tests. It’s about being able to solve problems when the stakes are high. And perseverance? That’s what keeps you going when no one’s clapping for you yet, when you feel invisible but refuse to quit.
Those are exactly the qualities that carried the women codebreakers through their part of the war. And they’re still just as important today—even if your battles look different.
Think about the way they worked under pressure. Every day brought new challenges. There was no guarantee of success, no guarantee anyone would even notice what they did. Still, they showed up, learned fast, and adapted. That mindset isn’t stuck in history. It’s something you can tap into right now, in the middle of your own life.
If you’ve ever been in a situation where you felt overwhelmed, like the odds were against you, you already know how much that kind of grit matters. Maybe it’s pushing through a tough class you didn’t think you’d pass. Maybe it’s standing up for someone when everyone else stayed quiet. Or fighting through a string of bad days and choosing not to give up on yourself. Those are moments that test you—and reveal what you’re capable of.
Courage doesn’t mean you never feel scared. Those women were scared plenty of times. They worried about making mistakes, about the consequences of failure, about whether they’d live up to what was asked of them. But they didn’t let fear stop them from showing up. You can do the same. Every time you step outside your comfort zone—trying something new, speaking up, saying yes to something that feels risky—you’re building your own version of courage.
One way to connect to what they stood for is to start looking for the quiet challenges around you. Everyone notices the big, loud achievements—winning a game, getting an award, pulling off something flashy. But it’s the smaller, often invisible choices that build character. Choosing to work hard even when no one’s watching. Helping someone else without expecting credit. Taking the time to figure something out instead of giving up when it gets hard.
That’s what intelligence really is: learning how to solve problems, step by step, even when you don’t know the answer right away. The women codebreakers weren’t just magically good at cryptography when they showed up. They trained, practiced, failed, got better. That’s how mastery happens—in anything. Whatever it is you care about, you can approach it the same way. Not expecting to be perfect, but being willing to figure it out as you go.
Perseverance ties it all together. It’s what keeps you from quitting when things don’t work out right away. These women worked long hours, sometimes for weeks on end without a breakthrough. They kept going because they believed their work mattered, even when no one was patting them on the back for it. That kind of patience and determination is something you can practice, too. Even when it feels like no one notices what you’re doing yet, you’re laying the foundation for bigger things.
One way to build that perseverance in your own life is to set a goal and stick with it longer than you think you can. It doesn’t have to be huge. Maybe you want to improve at something—playing an instrument, learning a new skill, building your confidence in a certain area. The important part isn’t how fast you succeed. It’s that you keep showing up, even on the hard days.
You can also take inspiration from how the women supported each other. They weren’t alone in what they were doing. They built friendships, shared tips, and reminded each other why the work mattered. You can build your own team, too. Surround yourself with people who want you to succeed, who will remind you why you started when you feel like giving up.
And don’t underestimate the power of staying curious. Part of what made those women great at what they did was their willingness to keep learning. No one handed them a perfect rulebook for cracking codes. They experimented. They tried things. They paid attention to patterns others overlooked. You can practice that same mindset right now by being open to learning—not just from teachers or books, but from everything around you.
It’s easy to get caught up thinking that your life doesn’t compare to the lives of people in history. But the truth is, you’re already facing your own version of battles every day. And the same qualities that helped those women succeed—courage, intelligence, perseverance—are already inside you. You just have to practice them.