Start with You: My First Leadership Journal Is Here and Pre-Orders Are Open

linnearader
2 days ago
4 min read

I have been sitting on something exciting for a while now, and I am so ready to share it with you.

My first journal is published. It is real. It is printed. And it is available for pre-order right now.

It is called Start with You: 13 Weeks to Know Yourself as a Leader, and it is the first journal in my new series, Becoming an Intentional Leader from the Inside Out.

Why I Wrote This Leadership Journal

I have spent a lot of time in rooms with leaders. New ones, seasoned ones, reluctant ones, and ambitious ones. And one thing I see over and over again is this: most leaders are so busy leading that they never stop to ask themselves the most important question of all.

Who am I as a leader right now?

Not who they want to be. Not who their organization needs them to be. Who they actually are today, with all the strengths and blind spots and unfinished edges that come with being human.

I built this journal around one core belief: what lives only in your head stays there. When you write it down, you make it real. You make it possible. You make it happen.

"What lives only in your head stays there. When you write it down, you make it real. You make it possible. You make it happen."

That is what real leadership development looks like from the inside out.

What Is Inside Start with You

Start with You is a 13-week guided journal designed for leaders at every level. It does not matter if you are brand new to leadership or have been leading for twenty years. The work of knowing yourself never stops.

Each week covers a different aspect of self awareness as a leader. Here is a look at the five sections:

Section 1: Identity and Foundation covers weeks 1 through 3 and helps you understand where you came from as a leader, what you value, and how you naturally show up.

Section 2: Strengths and Blind Spots covers weeks 4 through 6 and challenges you to look honestly at what you do well and what you cannot see about yourself.

Section 3: Mindset and Beliefs covers weeks 7 through 9 and examines the stories you tell yourself about failure, belonging, and what you are capable of.

Section 4: Patterns and Habits covers weeks 10 through 12 and looks at what you do with all of that self knowledge, because knowing is one thing and doing something with it is another.

Section 5: Reflection is week 13, your opportunity to look at the full picture of who you are and who you are becoming.

Each week includes a main prompt written to make you think, deeper questions to push you further, a full page of writing lines for your reflection, and a takeaway section where you commit to one thing you will do differently.

And here is what I want every person who picks this up to know: you get to choose. Every single day you get to choose how you act, who you are, and how you show up for the people counting on you. If you find an area where you need to grow, own it and start. If you find a strength you did not know you had, own it and be proud of it. If you find a mistake, own it and fix it.

"You get to choose. Every single day you get to choose how you act, who you are, and how you show up for the people counting on you."

This Journal Is for Every Leader

I want to be clear about something. This journal is not just for new supervisors or people with a certain title. It is for anyone who leads. A team, a family, a volunteer group, a community. Anyone who has ever stood in front of a group of people and felt the weight of being responsible for others.

Leadership is not a destination. It is a daily choice. And the leaders who grow are the ones who slow down long enough to ask the hard questions and do something honest with the answers. The work of becoming a better leader does not end here. But you are more equipped for it now than you were on page one. That is the whole point of this journal.

"The work of becoming a better leader does not end here. But you are more equipped for it now than you were on page one."

How to Get Your Copy

Pre-orders are open right now and I could not be more excited to get this into your hands.

Local pickup is $20. If you are local to me, reach out at linnea@leadwithlinnea.com and we will make it happen.

Shipping is $20 plus a small mailing cost. Just email me at linnea@leadwithlinnea.com and I will get it out to you.

You can also order directly through Lulu: Order Start with You on Lulu

Start with You is the first journal in the series. Journals 2, 3, and 4 are already in development, so when you finish this one, the next step in your journey will be waiting for you.

I hope this journal challenges you, encourages you, and gives you the space to be honest with yourself. That is all it asks. The work begins here.

As always, carry social kindness with you everywhere you go. The world needs you and your positive mindset!