Alignment - by Katie Keller Wood (Paperback)

Book Synopsis

Your work matters. You matter more.

You know you make a difference. Your talent and expertise come together in your work to make an important contribution to the world. But your dedication shouldn't mean sacrificing all the other parts of yourself. Inspired by principles from Montessori classrooms, educator and researcher Dr. Katie Keller Wood offers an alternative approach to thinking about your work and life--one that embraces you as a whole person rather than splitting you in two.

Drawing on decades of experience teaching Montessori students and adults, Keller Wood rejects the concept of work-life balance in favor of a more holistic alliance between you and your work. Your life is not a balancing act but a constantly evolving mosaic, and when the pieces are all aligned, thriving follows. There can be space enough for all the things that matter.

With real-world examples, exercises, and activities, this transformative, research-informed book will help you catch the first signs of misalignment and then show you how to move through a realignment process, so that you can find joy and value in all parts of your life, including your meaningful work. It's time to ditch the balancing act and get yourself into Alignment.

Review Quotes

"A bold new take on work-life balance." --Booklife

"Coaching people toward fulfilling, purpose-driven lives based on Montessori models, Alignment is an encouraging self-help text." --Foreword Clarion Reviews

"A warm, valuable, and empathetic guide to forging personal alignments that will rejuvenate lives." --Kirkus Reviews

"This dazzling debut offers a blueprint for an aligned life that energizes rather than depletes. It's smart, soulful, and refreshingly practical." --Ozan Varol, bestselling author of Awaken Your Genius and Think Like a Rocket Scientist

"Keller Wood brings clarity and compassion to one of the greatest challenges of modern life: how to care deeply about your work without letting it consume you." --Dorie Clark, Wall Street Journal-bestselling author of The Long Game

"If you think Montessori is just a kid thing, you're wrong. This wise book shows adults how to craft a richer life using Montessori wisdom." --Michael Bungay Stanier, bestselling author of The Coaching Habit

"Alignment is your invitation to shift from exhaustion to intention--and finally come home to yourself." --Laura Gassner Otting, Wall Street Journal-bestselling author of Wonderhell

"For those who give their all--and sometimes, more than their all--to their profession, this book offers a profoundly different perspective on 'work-life balance.'" --Daniel Willingham, PhD, author of Why Don't Students Like School?

"The idea of 'work-life balance' never really worked for me, and Katie Keller Wood gets why. This is a thoughtful, compassionate, practical book for anyone who's tired of trying to balance the unbalanceable." --Rebecca Joines Schinsky, chief of staff for Riot New Media

"Alignment is the book I wish every mission-driven professional could read before burnout ever takes hold. Katie Keller Wood offers a powerful reframe for those of us who care deeply about our work but also yearn to live with joy and wholeness." --Dr. Nicole-Noelle Evans, senior director of leadership at Embracing Equity

"Rarely does a book speak so fluently across professions: From oncology nurses to corporate leaders, the Montessori framing helps to contextualize the important role of work in our life's mosaic. The alignment of our mosaic is presented as fluid and evolving, making this a guide you'll return to repeatedly." --Ruth Riviere, senior corporate leader

"A compassionate, thoughtful guide for those of us who love our work but are done with the myth of 'balance.' If you're craving a more sustainable, meaningful way of living--a life in which all of you is allowed to show up--Alignment is the book you didn't know you needed." --Amy Port, co-founder of Heroic Public Speaking

"As a former 'Montessori kid, ' Alignment is not just a revelation; it is a homecoming. Katie Keller Wood shows us how to finally let go of the impossible task-- achieving 'work-life balance'-- and redirect our focus to our cosmic task, in a way that supports us as a whole person." --AJ Harper, author of Write a Must-Read

"This must-read book is a lifeline for mission-driven souls seeking a new way forward that honors purpose and personal well-being. Transformative, tender, and urgently needed." --Susie DeVille, , award-winning author of Buoyant

"Combining research with story, Katie Keller Wood draws us in to reevaluate how we think about work. Alignment is full of tools, prompts, and guidance for immediate implementation, bringing the reader through changes and into alignment as they move through the pages." --Elizabeth Slade, founder and executive director of Public Montessori in Action International

"If you've ever felt the pressure to compartmentalize who you are in order to succeed, Alignment offers more than just permission to bring your whole self--it offers a process. For values-driven leaders, this book is a call to realign--not just to function, but to flourish." --Tricia Montalvo Timm, award-winning author of Embrace the Power of You

"Katie Keller Wood's Alignment is a blueprint for purposeful living with respect (for self and others) at its core." --Gena Cox, PhD, author of Leading Inclusion

"This book captivated me. It's a refreshing take that invites you to reimagine your life as a mosaic, where all the pieces support each other. A must-read for anyone ready to live and work with more freedom, intention, and heart." --Linda Carey, co-founder of the Tutu Project and president of the Carey Foundation

"Katie Keller Wood reminds us that we matter in not just what we do but who we are, and that our work and our lives do not have to be in constant battle, but can be woven together in a beautiful, living mosaic." --Tatenda Blessing Muchiriri, founder and chief dreamer of Montessori on Wheels

"Drawing from Montessori's radical view that work is not the opposite of play but a pathway to self-discovery, this book offers an outstanding mosaic model that honors both your mission and your humanity. It's a guide for thriving--not just succeeding--in a life of passionate work." --Jeffrey Shaw, author of The Self-Employed Life, Lingo, and Sell to the Rich

"Alignment is an outstanding primer on how to align your whole (meaning your work and non-work) life. My advice? Get her book. Jump into the chapters. Do the exercises (yes, actually do them!). And then when you feel you are out of alignment again, repeat." --Carol Gunn, MD, occupational medicine physician, patient advocate, speaker

"If your work is purposeful and you've ever felt consumed by it, Alignment is a must-read. This book is especially powerful for those of us in healthcare and human services, where the line between mission and overextension can blur fast. It's not about balance; it's about wholeness." --Deborah Bakti, author of Now What? and host of The Relational Approach podcast

"Katie Keller Wood helps to give readers a sense that the mosaic of their alignment can be achieved when the chaos of imbalance is recognized. This is an easy-to-read, thought-provoking book that has been sculpted to celebrate and support changes in mindset." --Edy Nathan, author of It's Grief

"Through compelling stories and guided practice, Katie Keller Wood shows how Montessori principles can be used to align your personal life and career, to better meet your goals, and to meet the need for connection and work that every human shares. This book will change lives." --Trisha Thompson-Willingham, MEd, Montessori consultant, co-founder of the Virginia Montessori Association

About the Author

Dr. Katie Keller Wood grew up in the world of education, and she delights in helping people find new ways of thinking about the world. Discovering Montessori education, both as a pedagogy and a philosophy, was pivotal for her, and she is on a mission to bring a Montessori perspective of work to everyone.
Katie has had the great honor of working with hundreds of middle and high school Montessori teachers from all over the world through the training program she runs called CMStep. She is recognized as a leader in Montessori programming for adolescents and adults, and she is active in the Montessori research and teacher education communities.
Katie lives in Richmond, Virginia, and any given semester might find her teaching undergraduates at the University of Virginia (where she earned both her bachelor's and her doctorate), master's students at Xavier University, and/or doctoral students at the University of Wisconsin-River Falls. Katie is a TEDx and keynote speaker and a sought-after presenter for workshops and conferences.
Katie does her work because she believes that a more peaceful, just, equitable, and sustainable world is possible, and that it takes all of us leading our aligned lives to bring this world forward.