How to Work for Change without Losing Your Joy

Hey everyone!

I’m super pumped to be back and sharing another conversation with a friend and mentor. During this interview, I got to learn about joy, activism, the definition of those two things, and how they can live in harmony with each other.

I had the opportunity to speak with the amazing Karen Walrond, an author, speaker, activist, and attorney. Karen wears many hats, but we got to hone in on her as an author and discuss her new book, The Lightmaker’s Manifesto: How to Work For Change Without Losing Your Joy.

I first met Karen in 2020 through a mutual friend and joined her coaching group, The Star Collective. At the time, I was 10 years into my career and thinking about the next 10. I could rattle off the mission and vision statements of the company I worked for but realized I couldn’t rattle off my own. Karen and The Star Collective helped me unpack my personal values, mission statement, and discover what I wanted to pursue. Karen is a big reason I have this blog.

When talking with Karen about her book, I asked how she got the idea for it, and she said she didn’t, but that a publisher approached her and asked her to write about the intersection of joy and activism. What a concept, right? That joy is an integral part of activism.

The funny thing is, Karen didn’t consider herself an activist before writing this book. In fact, she faced a little bit of imposter syndrome at first, but challenged herself to say yes, write the book, and redefine what activism can mean for all of us.

For more about Karen, details on the book, and what Karen learned while writing it, watch the video below. But before you do, drop everything and click here to order Karen’s new book, The Lightmaker’s Manifesto.  My hope is that this conversation and her book challenge you to think bigger about the difference you can make in the world through your own sphere of influence.

As always, let me know what you think.