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Celebrate with Me!
Your work matters. And you matter more.
Loving your work doesn’t have to mean losing yourself to it.
Are you searching for a way to thrive in both your work and your life, without having to choose one over the other?
If your purpose drives you, but sometimes leaves you
feeling stretched too thin, Alignment: A Montessori Approach
to Reimagining Work-Life Balance is for you.
Society preaches “work-life balance,” but this lie only fuels our burnout. Your life is not a balancing act but a constantly evolving mosaic, and when the pieces are all aligned, thriving follows.
This book is a practical guide for building a life you don't have to escape from.
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What people are saying
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
Katie Keller Wood’s Alignment is a blueprint for purposeful living with respect (for self and others) at its core.
Gena Cox, PhD
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
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
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
Alignment is an outstanding primer on how to align your whole (meaning your work and nonwork) 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
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
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
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
This dazzling debut offers a blueprint for an aligned life that energizes rather than depletes. It’s smart, soulful, and refreshingly practical.
Ozan Varol
Katie 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
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
Your invitation to shift from exhaustion to intention—and finally come home to yourself.
Laura Gassner Otting
USA TODAY BESTSELLER TOP 20
About the Book
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.
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About the Author
Dr. Katie Keller Wood is a TEDx and international keynote speaker, author, and university professor recognized as one of the world’s leading experts on Montessori education for adolescents and adults. She blends a deep understanding of how people learn with expertise in adult development to help professionals stay engaged in meaningful work while still living lives that feel whole.
As longtime director of CMStep, Katie has trained and mentored hundreds of middle and high school educators across the globe and is widely regarded as a pioneer in Montessori programming for both adolescents and adults. Invited to teach undergraduates at the University of Virginia—where she also earned both her bachelor’s and doctorate—her thought leadership has reached tens of thousands worldwide.
Beyond the classroom, Katie brings her insights on learning and human development to diverse audiences: from graduate students at Purdue Fort Wayne and the University of Wisconsin–River Falls, to entrepreneurs, leaders, and changemakers seeking new ways to flourish in work and life. Her upcoming book builds on this work, helping professionals discover that work and life don’t have to feel like opposing forces. Instead, alignment offers a path to meaningful work that sustains rather than depletes.
Known for making complex ideas simple and actionable, Katie weaves Montessori principles, psychology, and personal experience into practical strategies that empower individuals and organizations to create a more peaceful, just, and sustainable world—one aligned life at a time.
USA TODAY BESTSELLER TOP 20
It’s time to ALIGN with
What Matters Most.
Start the Conversation Today!
Dive deeper into Alignment with our free discussion guide and supporting resources. Whether you’re exploring on your own or with a group, these tools make it easy to learn, reflect, and engage.