The Lightmaker's Manifesto

“We yearn for more joy in our lives. We feel called to change the world. But we struggle because joy and activism feel so separate and, sometimes, even mutually exclusive. Karen Walrond offers us a completely different path--an integrated and intentional approach to life that ignites and fuels both our joy and our ability to make change. I can't stop thinking about joy-fueled activism and Karen's ability to shine her light so we can find our own.”

Brené Brown

“The Lightmaker's Manifesto is essential reading for all those determined to change the world without sacrificing their humanity and joy. Karen Walrond's writing shimmers with wisdom, truth, and light.”

Glennon Doyle

“Tired. Stressed. Overwhelmed. These are the words that often accompany the change-makers and justice-seekers in the world. But in The Lightmaker's Manifesto, Walrond graciously invites us to connect our work to a deeply abiding joy.”

Austin Channing Brown

“Karen Walrond's wondrous book The Lightmaker's Manifesto is an inspired guide for those who want to learn to prioritize joy. Walrond shares personal stories, profiles of lightmakers, and specific activities to help you move toward joy. We all need a copy of this book.”

Shauna M. Ahern

“The Lightmaker's Manifesto is precisely the book so many of us have been waiting for. More intimate than one-size-fits-all self-help and more expansive than a memoir, this is a practical and inspirational guide to help each of us discover how we can create more light: light by which to navigate a nervous world, illuminate next steps, and heal the world in tiny and global, personal and sweeping ways. Like the joyous, keen observer that Karen Walrond is, her book widens the aperture through which we understand the world. This book of wonderment includes stories and expertise from a wide spectrum of world-changing lightmakers, and the result is a guide to cranking up the wattage on all the light we can collectively muster so we can shine it brightly now and for generations to come.”

Cathleen Falsani

“At Amy Poehler's Smart Girls, we have a simple motto: 'Change the world by being yourself.' However, because trying to change the world, even in a small way, is tough work, and being yourself isn't always easy, we often feel disappointed and joyless. We don't experience the great joy in just being alive, or remember that joy comes in the midst of disappointment, not instead of it. Karen Walrond has grasped this deep truth, and she invites us to see what we have so often been missing. The Lightmaker's Manifesto offers all of us a way to look at a broken world, and at our incomplete selves, with a fresh and vital perspective.”

Meredith Walker

“The Lightmaker's Manifesto offers compelling stories that put life back into the right perspective. Karen Walrond shares life lessons that will compel you to go back and pick up the parts of you that were sacrificed in order to serve. Walrond gives us examples of what it looks like to be fully present to yourself in order to be fully present for others. This book reminds you that you're not alone in your experiences and you're going to be okay. The Lightmaker's Manifesto will allow you to take a deep, calming breath and offer yourself grace.”

Romal Tune