By Roberta Alvarado | Special to The Observer
Author Julian S. Newman assured his audience at Underground Books on July 10 that “becoming a girl dad is good for the soul.” It was, after all, his four daughters who ignited the spark that led to his first book, the five-years-in-the-making “Beautiful Together: How to Be a Good Leader and Bridge Builder.”
Raised in Sacramento and now living in Michigan, Newman sought ways to raise a healthy family and contribute to a better world by following some core principles: stepping into one’s God-given gifts, minding your health, and practicing self-preservation.
Underground Books was packed with listeners absorbing Newman’s vision of a more caring world through bridge-building leadership. He knows a little something on the topic. The author, futurist and motivational speaker was the Anthem Awards’ inaugural Diversity and Inclusion Leader of the Year awardee in 2022.
As CEO of both Futurecast and Culture Creative, he brings more than 20 years of leadership experience. He has been recognized by Forbes and NPR, and sought to help team build for Google.
Newman has brought his life and leadership knowledge to more than 100,000 people internationally with his four keys to success: leadership, bridge building, civility, and empathy.
He shared lighthearted stories that could soften even the most determined, like having his daughters, when they argued, “sing ‘I love my sister and my sister loves me’ until they went from tight-lipped to giggling.”
He said his Sacramento upbringing exposed him to multiculturalism and diversity. He did not feel the effects of racism, he said.
Raising his daughters in Michigan was another story.
He had to find ways to help his daughters navigate differences while being a good example.
Newman, who honored his parents’ guidance, told his audience “We have to be very proactive and intentional, continue to learn and invest in the next generation.”
“Beautiful Together” offers ways to navigate today’s climate, “some of the polarization and division that we are facing as a community, as a country, and as a culture,” Newman said. It offers advice for having difficult conversations with people living through a different lens.
“All of us have something, none of us have everything,” he said. “We put all of our something together, we have everything.”
Among the inspirations, Newman sprinkled some hard truths. “Beautiful Together” further expresses how bridges are powerful and how they can connect us, but they can also divide us. Ultimately the book is about restoring mental health as disconnection and polarization result in depression and isolation.
“Beautiful Together: How to Be a Good Leader and Bridge Builder,” is available at Underground Books and online at Amazon.
Price: $29.99