Why am I passionate about this?

I think we can all agree we spend a lot of time at work. If we can help people to thrive at work, it makes such a big difference in their lives and it has such a ripple effect for the people around them. When we do well at work we do well at home. I have been working with people and organizations for over 25 years and over that time I have an instinct for the “temperature” of an organization. Work Your Magic helps you to diagnose what might be going wrong and then sets you up with a roadmap to make the changes that will make work, work again for you and your workplace.


I wrote

Work Your Magic: Create a Better Business Community That Works for Everyone

By Sharon M. Darmody,

Book cover of Work Your Magic: Create a Better Business Community That Works for Everyone

What is my book about?

The fallout from the COVID-19 pandemic has yet to be measured, but the way we work will never be the…

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The books I picked & why

Book cover of Stolen Focus: Why You Can't Pay Attention—and How to Think Deeply Again

Sharon M. Darmody Why did I love this book?

Statistics tell us that 47% of the time we are not paying attention.

One would think this is a core skill for work to work but also a core skill for life; to be present in our own lives. I call this being in the driver’s seat of our life and it is getting harder and harder to do with the “pings and the dings” we are driven by.

I think this book is compulsory reading in helping us to regain this important skill and get our lives back on track.

By Johann Hari,

Why should I read it?

7 authors picked Stolen Focus as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

THE SUNDAY TIMES AND NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER A SPECTATOR AND FINANCIAL TIMES BEST BOOK OF 2022 'If you read just one book about how the modern world is driving us crazy, read this one' TELEGRAPH 'This book is exactly what the world needs right now' OPRAH WINFREY 'A beautifully researched and argued exploration of the breakdown of humankind's ability to pay attention' STEPHEN FRY 'A really important book . . . Everyone should read it' PHILIPPA PERRY Why have we lost our ability to focus? What are the causes? And, most importantly, how do we get it back? For…


Book cover of Braving the Wilderness: The Quest for True Belonging and the Courage to Stand Alone

Sharon M. Darmody Why did I love this book?

I am a huge fan of Brené Brown, and in this book, she explores the difference between belonging and fitting in.

If workplaces are going to work again, we are going have to focus on connection. When this is real this is about true belonging and not fitting in or feeling like you need to wear some corporate mask when you walk in the door. 

This book helps us to see what true belonging is and so is absolute gold; particularly at a time when we are in the middle of a loneliness epidemic.

By Brene Brown,

Why should I read it?

3 authors picked Braving the Wilderness as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?


A timely and important new book that challenges everything we think we know about cultivating true belonging in our communities, organizations, and culture, from the #1 bestselling author of Rising Strong, Daring Greatly, and The Gifts of Imperfection.

'True belonging doesn't require us to change who we are. It requires us to be who we are.' Social scientist Brene Brown, PhD, LMSW has sparked a global conversation about the experiences that bring meaning to our lives - experiences of courage, vulnerability, love, belonging, shame and empathy. In Braving the Wilderness, Brown redefines what it means to truly belong in an…


Book cover of What Happened to You?: Conversations on Trauma, Resilience, and Healing

Sharon M. Darmody Why did I love this book?

What happened to you? The thing I most like about my work is hearing people’s stories and I think this book really shines the light on people’s stories.

It’s not what is wrong with you which is so often how this is positioned, it is what happened to you? What is the story of how you got to be where you are today, I love the way the book positions where people are at, and I think it has a very hopeful premise. 

It has never been more important to ask this question after the tough few years we have been through. 

By Bruce D. Perry, Oprah Winfrey,

Why should I read it?

6 authors picked What Happened to You? as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

#1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER

Our earliest experiences shape our lives far down the road, and What Happened to You? provides powerful scientific and emotional insights into the behavioral patterns so many of us struggle to understand.

“Through this lens we can build a renewed sense of personal self-worth and ultimately recalibrate our responses to circumstances, situations, and relationships. It is, in other words, the key to reshaping our very lives.”―Oprah Winfrey

This book is going to change the way you see your life.

Have you ever wondered "Why did I do that?" or "Why can't I just control my…


Book cover of The Sleep Revolution: Transforming Your Life, One Night at a Time

Sharon M. Darmody Why did I love this book?

If we are going to be able to work successfully at work, we need to be getting some sleep.

Every day when I talk to people I hear again and again about their difficulties sleeping. I think this book gives such practical easy-to-implement advice for helping us to sleep again. We need this platform so that we can get up in the morning and go out into the world and go to work. 

If we are interested in work, working than sleep is fundamental. I love a manual something that can tell me what I can do today or tomorrow, and this book does just that.

By Arianna Huffington,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked The Sleep Revolution as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

JP Morgan's Best Summer Read 2018

We are in the midst of a sleep deprivation crisis, and this has profound consequences - on our health, our job performance, our relationships and our happiness. In this book, Arianna Huffington boldly asserts that what is needed is nothing short of a sleep revolution. Only by renewing our relationship with sleep can we take back control of our lives.

Through a sweeping, scientifically rigorous and deeply personal exploration of sleep from all angles, Arianna delves into the new golden age of sleep science that reveals the vital role sleep plays in our every…


Book cover of Think Again: The Power of Knowing What You Don't Know

Sharon M. Darmody Why did I love this book?

If work is going to work again, we need to be curious. The world is moving fast and the issues we are facing are arguably more complex than ever before, so we must avoid at all costs the rigid my way or the highway thinking.

Sometimes it feels good when we lock a solution in quickly because we feel we have solved the problem perhaps ticked the box. I really encourage people to stay in the messy middle and to “think again” to make sure it is not the quick solution, but they stick with the problem solving so they get the best solution.

By Adam Grant,

Why should I read it?

10 authors picked Think Again as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

#1 New York Times Bestseller

"THIS. This is the right book for right now. Yes, learning requires focus. But, unlearning and relearning requires much more-it requires choosing courage over comfort. In Think Again, Adam Grant weaves together research and storytelling to help us build the intellectual and emotional muscle we need to stay curious enough about the world to actually change it. I've never felt so hopeful about what I don't know."
-Brene Brown, Ph.D., #1 New York Times bestselling author of Dare to Lead

The bestselling author of Give and Take and Originals examines the critical art of rethinking:…


Explore my book 😀

Work Your Magic: Create a Better Business Community That Works for Everyone

By Sharon M. Darmody,

Book cover of Work Your Magic: Create a Better Business Community That Works for Everyone

What is my book about?

The fallout from the COVID-19 pandemic has yet to be measured, but the way we work will never be the same again. Corporate life as we know it has been disrupted and become a tipping point for a change that’s long overdue. Work Your Magic, Sharon is an interactive, easy-to-follow guide, which will provide readers a clear pathway to diagnosing the specific issues at play in their workplace, and actionable items to make the changes they need to make work, work again.

Book cover of Stolen Focus: Why You Can't Pay Attention—and How to Think Deeply Again
Book cover of Braving the Wilderness: The Quest for True Belonging and the Courage to Stand Alone
Book cover of What Happened to You?: Conversations on Trauma, Resilience, and Healing

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At What Cost, Silence?

By Karen Lynne Klink,

Book cover of At What Cost, Silence?

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Karen Lynne Klink Author Of At What Cost, Silence?

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Why am I passionate about this?

I am a child sexual abuse survivor who struggled for years with the help of therapy to become the person I am today. My sister, my mother, and I suffered years of emotional abuse by my father. When I was a child, my best friend (who also suffered abuse by her brother) and I made up stories that helped us navigate the situations in our families. I read, hiked, backpacked, and traveled alone for years in order to take risks and develop strength before attempting to write at age sixty-one. I love books that put me solidly in time and place and deeply empathize with characters who struggle and grow to become their genuine selves.

Karen's book list on strong emotion, excellent plotting, and vivid descriptions that put me securely in time and place

What is my book about?

Secrets, misunderstandings, and a plethora of family conflicts abound in this historical novel set along the Brazos River in antebellum Washington County, East Texas.

It is a compelling story of two neighboring plantation families and a few of the enslaved people who serve them. These two plantations are a microcosm of a country on the brink of war, encompassing a variety of issues: love and friendship between men, relationships between fathers and sons, sibling rivalry, slavery, and the position of women in society.

At What Cost, Silence?

By Karen Lynne Klink,

What is this book about?

Adrien Villere suspects he is not like other boys. For years, he desperately locks away his feelings and fears-but eventually, tragedy and loss drive him to seeking solace from his mentor, a young neighbor Jacob Hart. Jacob's betrayal of Adrien's trust, however, results in secret abuse, setting off a chain of actions from which neither Adrien's wise sister, Bernadette, nor his closest friend, Isaac, can turn him.

At What Cost, Silence presents two contrasting plantation families in a society where strict rules of belief and behavior are clear, and public opinion can shape an entire life. Centerstage are the Villeres,…


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