Karen is an Author, Writer & Photographer.
Karen Walrond is the author of the bestselling books Radiant Rebellion, The Lightmaker’s Manifesto and The Beauty of Different, and a contributing author to Disquiet Time. In addition, her writings have also appeared on NPR.com, Huffington Post, Good Housekeeping and Redbook magazines. Her words help folks cultivate kind, value-focused, and self-compassionate leadership.
Her new book, In Defense of Dabbling, is available now for preorder!
In defense of dabbling
the brilliance of being a total amateur
THE NEW BOOK BY KAREN WALROND, COMING FALL 2025 —
prorder now!
From Karen Walrond, author of The Lightmaker's Manifesto and Radiant Rebellion, comes a delightful jaunt into how to be a total amateur — by doing the things you love even if you're not any good at them.
In today's grind culture, hobbies become side hustles. Work creeps into leisure time. Perfectionism reigns. We look up to experts, and we look down on amateurs. And when someone asks us what we like to do, we realize we have absolutely no idea.
But amateur just means "one who loves." So what if being a total amateur is actually a good thing? What if we've been so focused on achieving that we have forgotten how to be interesting?
In her new book, Karen Walrond strikes out to discover the things she loves that demand no excellence — just desire. As she cultivates practices and rituals, without any expectation of success or accolades, she shows us how to do the same. And she helps us learn Seven Attributes of Intentional Amateurism: curiosity, mindfulness, self-compassion, play, zone-stretching, connection, and awe.
Follow Walrond as she dabbles in throwing pottery, swimming laps, playing piano, learning to surf, and photographing the Milky Way (spoiler: it doesn't all go well). Listen in on her conversations with other amateurs — and experts too — about how intentional amateurism enhances mental and social health. And to get you started on your own intentional amateurism practice, she also serves up a list of more than two hundred ideas for things to dabble in — ways to discover your own path to being a total amateur.
Walrond reminds us that it's in the living that we create a life, so failure isn't a concern; in fact, it's kind of the point. If we get better at a hobby or a craft, that's simply a byproduct, never the goal. Transcendence awaits: What joy might we find if we simply started doing the things we love?
RADIANT REBELLION:
RECLAIM AGING, PRACTICE jOY & RAISE A LITTLE HELL
SILVER WINNER OF THE 2024 NAUTILUS BOOK AWARDS
2024 aUDIOFILE EARPHONES AWARD WINNER (AUDIOBOOK)
What if aging is something to aspire to, not dread? What if together we could forge a radiant rebellion against the idea of aging as a season of decline?
Join Karen Walrond, author of The Lightmaker's Manifesto, in this intriguing investigation into how we can reclaim aging, cultivate joy, and resist ageism.
During her own year of transition--a milestone birthday, a wedding anniversary, the emptying of the nest--Walrond, in the buoyant and luminous style her readers have come to love, does a deep dive into dimensions of getting older, including health, beauty, spirituality, connection, adventure, and meaning and purpose. Through conversations with social workers and neurologists, activists and clergy, Walrond satisfies her curiosity--and ours--about why the dominant culture treats aging as a time of dwindling capacity. She also embarks on a series of experiments that help her rebel against convention: letting her hair go naturally gray, going on a silent retreat, revamping her health practices, and plotting her next adventure.
With wisdom from luminaries who light our way, Walrond helps us radiantly rebel against the fads and assumptions that hold us back, redefine the adventure of getting older, and create a shining future of expanded potential.
We might even raise a little hell.
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the lightmaker’s manifesto:
how to work for change without losing your joy
Many of us have strong convictions. We want to advocate for causes we care about — but which ones? We want to work for change — but will the emotional toll lead to burn out?
Leadership coach, lawyer, photographer, and activist Karen Walrond knows that when you care deeply about the world, light can seem hard to find. But when your activism grows out of your joy — and vice versa — you begin to see light everywhere.
In The Lightmaker's Manifesto, Walrond helps us name the skills, values, and actions that bring us joy; identify the causes that spark our empathy and concern; and then put it all together to change the world. Creative and practical exercises, including journaling, daily intention-setting, and mindful self-compassion, are complemented by lively conversations with activists and thought leaders such as Valarie Kaur, Brené Brown, Tarana Burke, and Zuri Adele. With stories from around the world and wisdom from those leading movements for change, Walrond beckons readers toward lives of integrity, advocacy, conviction, and joy.
By unearthing our passions and gifts, we learn how to joyfully advocate for justice, peace, and liberation. We learn how to become makers of light.
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“Through her writing and photography, Karen inspires us to claim our voices and own the parts of us that make us authentic, beautiful and strong. What makes Karen’s work so compelling is that she walks the talk — she lives the principles that she shares with us.”
— Brené Brown
New York Times bestselling author of Daring Greatly, Rising Strong & Dare to Lead
the beauty of different:
observations of a confident misfit
Constantly bombarded with messages on how to think, how to feel, how to look, it can be very easy to fall into the mindset that we somehow fail as individuals, that we are not enough. But the truth is, those aspects of ourselves that make us individuals are actually the source of our own beauty, our super power.
The Beauty of Different explores beauty in nine fresh ways and challenges the reader to revel in her own uniqueness. Combining beautiful imagery, portraiture, insightful commentary, essays, and interviews, this multi-sensory exploration of what is really beautiful provokes deeper self-discovery, and encourages the reader to reframe her differences, not as shortcomings, but as characteristics of distinction—maybe even superpowers.
The Beauty of Different contains intimate portraits of men and women who have discovered what makes them beautifully different. Spend time leafing through the pages, and you'll discover a whole new way of seeing yourself.
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disquiet time:
rants and reflections on the good book by the skeptical, the faithful & a few scoundrels
Disquiet Time is an engaging and hilarious collection that encourages readers to tackle those strange, awkward, worrying, yet endlessly compelling passages of the Bible. The Bible is full of not-so-precious moments, from murder and mayhem, to sex and slavery. Now, an incredible cast of contributors tackles the parts of the Bible that most excite, frustrate, or comfort, like:
What the heck is the book of Revelation really about? (The answer will surprise you.)
How do we come to grips with the Bible's troubling (or seemingly troubling) passages about the role of women?
Why did the artist of the oldest known picture of Jesus intentionally paint him with a wonky eye--and what does it tell us about beauty?
Disquiet Time was written by and for Bible-loving Christians, agnostics, skeptics, none-of-the-aboves, and people who aren't afraid to dig deep spiritually, ask hard questions, and have some fun along the way.