Read it and Reap — Six wonderful reviews of the book I accidentally published this year

6 min readJun 26, 2021

The Short read:

I am celebrating this year of writing by sharing six different and wonderful reviews of the book that came together once I got into a habit of daily writing.

“Emotions create habits”
- BJ Fogg Tiny Habits

This post is part of a series listing 3 lessons learned, 6 reviews and 5 gratitudes.

The Longer Read:

Everyone has been immensely gracious. I am honoured to share six of so many wonderful reviews and messages of encouragement that I received. These were mainly from Amazon.com, Amazon.ca and Amazon.co.uk.

I also love the photos of the books in their new homes! It is gratifying to recognize the wood grain in familiar kitchen tables and the fabric of armchairs where I have enjoyed a good read myself. Just as wonderful are the reviews by individuals who learn about my book through a friend of a friend. And in the process of sharing their thoughts about the book, they enter my circle of relationships. I now have a weekly #gratitudeFriday post on LinkedIn, where I share a review or a photo that I have received of the book in its new home and with a new reader — sometimes on a Kindle.

It has been eye-opening to birth a book. And then watch it get interpreted through the lens of someone else’s experiences and perspectives. Is this how a composer feels when they hear their music performed? Or a playwright when they watch an actor breathe life into a character that has previously only lived inside their own head? Or a parent, watching their child do something unexpected?

Here are a few of the reviews:

A business lens and a big heart lend depth to parenting

Karena de Souza is a mom who is so fascinated by how raising kids actually works that she applied her considerable businesses and analytical skills and intellect to that task. She’s looked at raising kids as a business case with the fundamental question: How do we raise kids — pack them full of love and skills and empathy and tolerance — for a world that is unpredictable on a scale that is off the charts from any generation? We make CALCULATED decisions.She tells her readers how she learned to do that — and makes herself and her family and their adventure around the world the case study. Contours of Courageous Parenting is a generous work by an author with a a clear and earnest desire to be of service to others. It’s worth noting that deSouza is a much sought-after speaker on the Future of Work in the lives of young people, so clearly understands the impacts of parenting on kid’s lives. Although helpful for new parents, I think this book is particularly inspiring for mid-career parents — during those years when so few other parenting books are aimed at us.
Kathleen Martin, SeaTurtle.ca

Read it and reap.

What if traveling the world was a metaphor for making better decisions? What if getting lost and not knowing what’s around the next corner is a metaphor for growing up? What if being a good parent and raising resilient, resourceful children could be learned on a road trip? What if all the above were true? Karena de Souza’s intriguing book is armchair travel for decision-making at work and at home. Read it and reap.
Sam Horn, The Intrigue Agency

A fresh take and an interesting read!

Contours of Courageous Parenting explores the complex and often difficult path that parents navigate as they make critical decisions. It’s a really different take on the art and science of decision making — less about methodology and more about the essential skills needed to make better decisions with greater confidence and outcomes. De Souza pulls from her Fortune 500 background to highlight the 21st century skills needed, not only for parents, but for all of us. Most interesting — she uses her own amazing family “gap year” to anchor the book with real-life examples. Unveiling the big decision to travel the world with her three young children, the planning needed, and the flexing required along the way, her journey shows the many skills she emphasizes in the book.
Jacqueline Alcalde

Parent or not, tips to help live a more fulfilling life.

Karena writes from the heart, providing thoughts and actionable advice! An important read for parents, but so much more. All professionals will benefit from her work here.
“We need the ability to sift through the noise of knowledge and be able to discern the nuggets of wisdom.”
Thank you, Karena. This is a valuable read.
Bill Tomoff, #twinztalk

About parenting, but also about more than parenting

This is a book about parenting, about decision making and how to be effective at the most important task that most of us are not trained for. It takes courage to parent, something not often acknowledged, and I would have loved to have had such a book when I was deep in the rearing of small humans. But de Souza has offered a blueprint here which I think applies not only to parenting, but to the many other areas of life where we also face decisions and choices.
Margaret O’Brien, Creator of Writing Changes Lives workshop

Courageous Parenting supports the Leaders of Tomorrow

Traveling around the globe with 3 children under 8 is indeed courageous parenting. Karena de Souza takes us on her journey abroad while simultaneously teaching valuable decision making skills that can last a lifetime. You do not need to be a parent, armchair traveller or globe trotter to benefit from de Souza’s valuable decision making strategies.
Kathy Karn, kathykarn.com

Have you folded celebration into your habit creation?

Make. Take. Talk.

Remember. Emotions create habits. So what can you do to create momentum around a habit?

Make: a list of celebrations. Then see if these could help you convert a streak that you are maintaining into a habit.
Take: a minute. Could you be a part of someone else’s success as these six readers have been a part of mine? Their words gave me a boost while I wondered if what I had written really mattered to anyone. It takes a few minutes to send words of encouragement.
Talk: Don’t be shy! Talk yourself up. Celebrations release endorphins. And that is a great way to create more momentum. Ozan Varol, author of “Think Like a Rocket Scientist” says:

“I never got the concept of “shameless self-promotion.” The phrase presumes that self-promotion is normally shameful. And that if you’re promoting yourself-if you’re putting your ideas and your work into the world-you must be shameless.
Here’s the thing: If you don’t promote yourself, no one else will.”