The wake up
Closing the Gap Between Good Intentions and Real Change
Awards and Recognition for the wake up
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Amazon #1 New Release Workplace Culture
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National Antiracist Book Festival Selection
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Nautilus Book Award Gold Medal Winner
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Porchlight Best Book of the Year in Personal Development
Author-Led Learning Experiences
Interactive book club Series—6 Weeks
Transform good intentions into meaningful impact through a dynamic 6-week learning journey with Michelle MiJung Kim. More than a traditional book club, this is a guided exploration of "The Wake Up" where theory meets practice, and where your questions and challenges become our collective pathway to deeper understanding. Highly recommended for intact teams.
Limited to 35 Participants per Cohort
Book Talk & Signing
Experience the power of "The Wake Up" brought to life through an unforgettable event with Michelle MiJung Kim. Through masterful storytelling and honest dialogue, Michelle shares the journey behind the book while creating space for the questions that matter most to you. Optional Meet & Greet and book signing offers the rare opportunity to engage directly with the author. Leave with both a treasured book and renewed clarity about your own path forward in creating meaningful change.
A heartfelt invitation to transform together
The feelings of fear, insecurity, and exhaustion are all too common among a wide spectrum of changemakers, and they put many at a crossroads between feeling stuck and giving up, or staying grounded to keep going. Every one of us has an important role to play in shaping our society and finding our way together has never been more urgent.
The Wake Up invites readers to deep dive into the challenging and nuanced work of pursuing equity and justice, so that we can create real transformation within ourselves and the world, together.
With the perfect balance between raw personal stories and strategic insight, this book is a staple on every change agent’s desk.
The Wake Up is divided into four key parts:
Part 1. Grounding
Begin by moving beyond good intentions to interrogating our deeper “why” for committing to social justice and uncovering our "hidden stories."
Part 2. Orienting
Establish a shared understanding around our historical and current context and issues we are trying to solve, starting with dismantling white supremacy.
Part 3. Showing Up
Learn critical principles to approach any situation with clarity and build our capacity to work through complexity, nuance, conflict, and imperfections.
Part 4. Moving Together
Remember the core of this work is about human lives, and commit to prioritizing humanity, healing, and community.
"An absolute gift" — BookRiot
"Move from surface-level Diversity and Inclusion to meaningful change" — Forbes
"An absolute gift" — BookRiot "Move from surface-level Diversity and Inclusion to meaningful change" — Forbes
"The Wake Up is a powerful book that provides practical tips about showing up as our better selves in the fight for justice and equity. Kim's writing embodies years of experience in handling difficult conversations about white supremacy culture, as she exposes truths in a way that activates those with privilege and power to be a part of the solution." — Portland Book Review
"The Wake Up is a powerful book that provides practical tips about showing up as our better selves in the fight for justice and equity. Kim's writing embodies years of experience in handling difficult conversations about white supremacy culture, as she exposes truths in a way that activates those with privilege and power to be a part of the solution." — Portland Book Review
"Offers sustainable frameworks that guide how to think, approach, and be in the journey as thoughtfully and powerfully as possible" — BookPal
"Offers sustainable frameworks that guide how to think, approach, and be in the journey as thoughtfully and powerfully as possible" — BookPal
Get a Signed & Personalized Hardcover Copy from Michelle!
Book
✺ PRAISES ✺
"Michelle MiJung Kim writes with boundless courage and compassion on what it takes for us to build a better world. A world that practices intersectional liberation through intergenerational healing. Social justice advocates of all backgrounds and experiences will find wisdom, insight, and affirmation in the pages of this book. It is clear, full of care, and brimming with humanity, which is what this work is all about. A must have on any book list about changing the world. The Wake Up is the perfect book for fans of Me and White Supremacy! "
— Layla F. Saad, New York Times Bestselling Author of Me and White Supremacy
"Kim shares valuable ways to elevate our practice in the work of creating equitable, just spaces around us--at work, interpersonally, and within ourselves. In The Wake Up, she deeply and humbly reflects on her own journey and how we can break cycles that perpetuate harm and use our means to build a just, inclusive community."
— Candice M. Morgan, Equity, Diversity & Inclusion Partner, GV
"The Wake Up is a must read for every educator wondering how to lead actionable change. It transforms you as you transform your institutions."
— Dania Matos, Vice Chancellor for Equity and Inclusion at University of California, Berkeley
"A useful meditation on navigating the often-turbulent energies that flow through our moral compasses, our human hearts, our equally human organizations, and the urgent demands of social justice."
— Resmaa Menakem, author of My Grandmother's Hands
"There are two things well-intentioned people need to become the sort of thoughtful, informed advocate that others doing social movement work look forward to collaborating with. The first is experience. The second is this book. Michelle MiJung Kim's The Wake Up is an invaluable resource for anyone looking to find or reconnect with their 'why, ' center their intentions with their actions, and show up effectively to make change."
— Lily Zheng, DEI strategist and consultant, & author of DEI Deconstructed
"Our journey to creating connection and belonging has been inextricably linked to Michelle Kim's work with our teams. In The Wake Up, Michelle welcomes our imperfection and invites us on a journey to be become our better more awake selves."
— Melissa Thomas-Hunt, former Global Head of Diversity and Belonging, Airbnb; John Forbes Distinguished Professor of Business Administration, Darden School of Business, University of Virginia