Assemble the Tribe

Hi, Book Thinkers family. I'm Kennedy Layton, and I had the awesome opportunity to read and now review Assemble the Tribe by Leah J.M. Dean. First off, I just wanna talk a little bit about Leah. She is a coach, author, and speaker who for the last 20 years has worked with leaders all over the world to develop high-performing teams and tribes. The subtitle states, believe in your value, find belonging, and be different. And this book truly teaches you to do exactly that. If you've ever wondered in your life, who am I and what do I have to offer this world? Or maybe wondered, how do I find my people, my tribe? This book is for you, especially if you are a woman. She examines such important topics about being female and the adversity that we face that are not nearly discussed enough in our society today. The book was super easy to navigate. It's separated into 4 parts, the first part being Why Tribes Matter. The second part is called Believe and Belong. Third part is be different living with your tribe, and the fourth is be different beyond your tribe. This book has totally shifted my mindset when it comes to building and navigating my relationships, and she's moved me to a place to want to find deeper connection— deeper connections in my current relationships and also in new ones. She teaches us that people can change our destiny, and we can do the same for others when we're more caring, more open. And look at things differently. She shows that the foundation of a healthy relationship truly lies in our belief about our own personal value and appreciation for our own unique gifts, talents, and strengths. The lesson about how people can change our destiny, whether I realized it then or not, was taught to me at a very young age, but it really hit me as I was reading Leah's book. just how much that meant to me and how blessed I was with an incredible tribe of women. At age 14, I lost the most important woman in my life, my mother. And times were really hard and confusing, especially being a teenager and right before entering high school. I didn't have the one person that was supposed to help me navigate all those things. And as I turned 16, the principal of my high school, she actually asked me to go to dinner with her for my birthday. And I ended up going to this dinner and she surprised me with 7 other women there and they all wrote me a letter about things that they faced in their life, their trials, their failures, and their successes. And it was absolutely incredible. And what was so beautiful about this event was that these women turned into my tribe. And it was awesome because all different ages, all different backgrounds, and everybody was so vulnerable and real about their life stories. And I believe that I have— I owe some of my greatest accomplishments to them. It was hard being a teenage girl without my mother, and I know I'm not the only person that has experienced something like this in their life, whether it's feeling alone, like you haven't found your people. If you at all relate, I just encourage you to check out this book and find your tribe. As I reflected on finding the tribe, she also pointed out some different characteristics and maybe some insecurities or personal biases some women may have. And I personally held some of those, and I now realize that those insecurities were projected into my relationships with other girls and women. And I saw now— I see now just how much it has affected those. She shows us how important it is for us as women to look at our story differently. Because we are different and we're not inferior, we're just different. Women who have a tribe of women are more successful, happier, and healthier, and, um, she shows that in her book. And I wish I would have had, had read this in high school or even before I started college. She truly teaches us how to let go of comparison, jealousy, and our insecurities and shows us to believe that we matter. Our opinions, views, strengths, weaknesses, they all deserve to be understood and appreciated. As I read Leah's story, it really reminded me a lot of some things that I went through in my life. But all of our stories are so unique that I can offer somebody something because of my story and vice versa. As women, sometimes we sell ourselves short when it comes to that. We don't need to be perfect to invest in others or to have others invest in us. That should never prevent us from reaching out, meeting a need, being there for somebody, asking for help, or just letting somebody know how grateful you were for them for their contribution in your life. You know, we're not perfect and we're not meant to be, and we're supposed to go through this life together. I can't stress enough how important it is for us to have a tribe of women To encourage, help you, and help you reach your dreams. You know, we need each other, and we should all be open to new relationships and learn to thrive in the current ones we have. Leah shows us again and again that we have the ability to change our lives and those around us. We just have to be open to shifting our mindset, adapting, and choosing to live our best lives by assembling our tribe. I absolutely loved this book and the lessons that I learned about human connection and being a woman. Um, our world needs a little relationship reset more than ever right now. So go check out Finding the Tribe and assemble your tribe today. Thank you for listening.