Come join us as we write a parenting book together
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Alone we can do so little; together we can do so much
Helen Keller
The heart of this book
The Community We Serve
We are writing this book for parents everywhere who are committed to being more intentional and deliberate about raising emotionally healthy, resilient and capable adults. The prescriptive solutions they’ve tried don’t work consistently for their family. They may not realize parenting is not just about guiding children; it’s about evolving ourselves, and about learning with and from our children whilst guiding them. When these parents focus on developing themselves the parenting piece happens automatically.
Our Core Message
To raise a child into an adult, we as parents must also grow and evolve. The work starts with us.
Our Promise
By the end of this book, you will experience profound shifts in mindset and heartset, uncover proven approaches to act within your sphere of control, and use those skills to expand your influence and spark the ripple effect that shapes what you care about most – raising adults who are emotionally healthy, resilient, and ready to thrive.
This isn’t a “do this, not that” manual. Instead, it will:
- Surface parenting truths across contexts
- Encourage parents to evolve as their children grow
- Offer diverse perspectives so every reader feels seen and heard
- Focus on opportunity and possibility rather than challenges
Why this book?
This is, without a doubt, a crazy wonderful way to write a book. Most books on parenting are written by experts — academics, clinicians, or researchers — who study families from the outside. Their insights can be valuable, but nothing compares to the lived experience of parents themselves.
That’s why this book is different.
Instead of one voice telling you “the right way,” we’re co-creating a book shaped by the voices of parents from around the world. Parents who are in the thick of it, learning as they go. Parents who succeed, stumble, reflect, and keep showing up. Parents who don’t claim to have all the answers but who know the value of sharing their stories, their questions, their hopes, and their hard-won wisdom.
Parenting has fascinated me since I was ten years old. I’ve run experiments in my own family, coached and supported parents and young adults, and spent 16 years reflecting on what sets families up for success.
And yet… I could never bring myself to write a book alone. Parenting is too complex, too diverse, too human for one voice to capture.
The breakthrough came when I realized I didn’t have to. I could write with parents, for parents.So on August 12, 2025, I posted a simple request for help on LinkedIn. Within 72 hours, more than 100 people said yes without hesitation. Today, over 160 collaborators have joined me. What started as a book has become something bigger — a movement.
Why you?
Every parent lives in a unique context. No two parents have the same experience — not even two parents co-parenting the same children under the same roof.
Your voice is unique and valuable, yours alone. We need your perspective and your experience to add depth and richness to what we are building together.
Imagine what it might mean for another parent, somewhere out there navigating the complex challenge of raising adults in the 21st century, to find themselves reflected in your story. To recognize their struggles or hopes in your words. To feel less alone because you were willing to share.
What if you are not a parent?
If you are in any way involved in raising adults – you have a perspective we would like to hear. You might be an educator, a mentor, a loving aunt or uncle or godparent (to name a few). You might play a role that brings you in contact with parents and gives you insights that are valuable – please share those with us.
Your wisdom and contributions help the community.
That is the power of collective wisdom. That is why you matter in this collaboration.
How you can participate
Participation is always optional. You can engage as much—or as little—as you choose, and you can opt out at any time.
01
Share your stories Because your parenting story could change someone else’s
02
Give feedback – respond to short surveys or review early drafts as a discerning reader
03
Shape the content – share your biggest parenting hopes and challenges, so the book reflects real needs
04
Spread the word and help the book reach more families or invite your friends to join the movement by sharing this webpage.
05
Be a first follower – sometimes saying “yes” is the catalytic contribution that gives a vision momentum
06
You tell us how you would like to collaborate
My commitments to you
As your collaborator, I will…
01
Respect your time → Every message will include a time estimate and summary so you can decide quickly how to engage
02
Respect your choice → You can opt in or out at any stage, with no guilt, no pressure, and only gratitude from me.
03
Respect your privacy → Nothing you share will be used publicly without your permission.
04
Respect your heart → I’ll do my best to add a little “something extra” to warm your heart or spark reflection in each interaction.
05
Be transparent → I will always share back with the community the contributions of the community. I’ll anonymize them to protect privacy, but I won’t “save the content” for a big reveal behind a price tag. I plan to share as much of the content along the way as possible — because how can I authentically write a book with others if I don’t share what I’m working on?
What we’ve done so far
In just a few weeks, this collaborative has already:
01
Grown to over 160 collaborators from around the world.
02
Started to gather dozens of heartfelt stories that bring our parenting truths to life.
Collected hopes and challenges through surveys, shaping the book’s direction.
03
Refined our core message and promise with your feedback.
04
Completed outlining the book based on the hopes and challenges of all the contributors (which gave me butterflies—it’s starting to feel real!).
05
Begun exploring ways to connect more effectively as a community (Substack, website, Facebook/LinkedIn).
This work is unfolding within the structure of the 14-week writing program I’m enrolled in, which runs until the end of November 2025. That means our initial collaboration will move quickly as we draft and shape the book together.
After November, I’d love for collaborators to stay connected as the movement evolves — but that’s entirely optional. You get to decide whether to continue or step back, with nothing but gratitude from me.
Join the movement
Maybe we’ll “just” write a book. Maybe we’ll accidentally change the world. Either way, your voice matters.
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Who is Ismet “Izzy” Mamnoon?
The most important role I play in my life is that of a parent to two wonderful young women who have challenged me to be a better person every single day! I have learned more from them and my ever suffering partner than I have ever learned from anyone else. They are the original collaborators in this project and have encouraged me and supported me every step of the way as I slowly worked up the courage to write this book.
I wear many other hats too — facilitator, coach, and lifelong learner — at the heart of it all, I help people think differently so they can do differently.
- Founder of Beyonder, bringing creativity to parents, educators, and youth
- Board Chair for a network of award-winning STEM-focused schools in Buffalo and Rochester
- International facilitator of creative problem-solving workshops across six continents
- Worked with 1000s of parents all over the world
- Featured in TIME Magazine’s Science of Creativity
Click on the image to read the article
We can do so much more together
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