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Karen’s Year In Books

Karen’s 2025 Year in Books

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Karen Catlin’s Followers (44)

Karen’s Bookshelves

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Karen’s Friends (12)

Penny

869 books | 47 friends

Judith Coley

414 books | 79 friends

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376 books | 577 friends

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873 books | 275 friends

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Karen Catlin

Goodreads Author

Born

The United States

Website

https://karencatlin.com/

Twitter

kecatlin

Genre

Nonfiction, Business

Member Since

March 2014

URL

https://www.goodreads.com/kecatlin

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After spending 25 years building software products and serving as a vice president of engineering at Adobe, Karen Catlin witnessed a sharp decline in the number of women working in tech. Frustrated but galvanized, she knew it was time to switch gears.

Today, Karen is an acclaimed author and speaker on inclusive workplaces. In 2014, Karen started the Twitter handle @betterallies to share simple, actionable steps that anyone could take to make their workplaces more inclusive. That Twitter handle became the inspiration for four books: Better Allies: Everyday Actions to Create Inclusive, Engaging Workplaces, Belonging in Healthcare, The Better Allies Way, and The Better Allies™ Approach to Hiring. She also emails a roundup of “5 Ally Actions” ...more

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Karen Catlin’s books

Average rating: 4.15 · 710 ratings · 92 reviews · 7 distinct works • Similar authors

	Better Allies: Everyday Actions to Create Inclusive, Engaging Workplaces by Karen Catlin (Goodreads Author), Sally McGraw (Editor) 4.14 avg rating — 559 ratings — 7 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Present! A Techie's Guide to Public Speaking by Poornima Vijayashanker (Goodreads Author), Karen Catlin (Goodreads Author) 3.98 avg rating — 80 ratings — published 2015 — 5 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	The Better Allies Approach to Hiring 4.43 avg rating — 47 ratings — 2 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Belonging in Healthcare: The Better Allies® Approach to Creating More Inclusive Workplaces 4.55 avg rating — 11 ratings — 3 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	The Better Allies® Way: A Workbook for Being More Inclusive at Work 4.36 avg rating — 11 ratings — 2 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	The Better Allies® Way: A Workbook for Being More Inclusive at Work (The Better Allies® Series) really liked it 4.00 avg rating — 2 ratings	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	We Need to Talk: A Survival Guide for Tough Conversations by Joshua Graves, Karen Catlin (Goodreads Author) (foreword) 2.50 avg rating — 2 ratings — 2 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars

More books by Karen Catlin…

362 posts
Karen Catlin's Blog

Advocate For Paid Parental Leave, and Other Actions for Allies

Better allyship starts here. Each week, Karen Catlin shares five simple actions to create a workplace where everyone can thrive. Image with the message I advocate for paid parental leave. Just 27% of employees in the U.S. have access to paid family leave, and companies that offer it are starting to cut it back. There’s an illustration of a child happily playing with a toy car. Along the bottom of the graphic is the @BetterAllies handle and credit to @ninalimpi for the illustration.

Image with the message I advocate for paid parental leave. Just 27% of employees in the U.S. have access to paid family leave, and companies that offer it are starting to cut it back. There’s an illustration of a child happily playing with a toy car. Along the bottom of the graphic is the @BetterAllies handle and credit to @ninalimpi for the illustration.

1. Advocate for paid parental leave

Paid parental leave is already too rare in the United States. And now some employers are scaling it back.

Only 27% of private-industry workers have access to paid family leave, according to the US Department of Labor.

And recently, some hi

Karen is Currently Reading

Karen Catlin is currently reading

Calling In: How to Start Making Change with Those You'd Rather Cancel

by Loretta Ross

bookshelves: currently-reading, 2026

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Mar 23, 2026 03:55PM

Karen Catlin is currently reading

A Man Called Ove

by Fredrik Backman (Goodreads Author)

bookshelves: currently-reading, 2026

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Mar 15, 2026 04:49PM

Karen Catlin is currently reading

The Girl with the Louding Voice

by Abi Daré

bookshelves: currently-reading, 2026

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Feb 28, 2026 05:07PM

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Karen’s Recent Updates

Karen Catlin wrote a new blog post Advocate For Paid Parental Leave, and Other Actions for Allies Better allyship starts here. Each week, Karen Catlin shares five simple actions to create a workplace where everyone can thrive.1. Advocate for paid p Read more of this blog post »
May 02, 2026 05:29AM · like
Karen Catlin rated a book it was amazing The Psychological Safety Playbook for Changemakers: Transform Your Workplace Culture (The Psychological Safety Playbook Series) by Karolin Helbig (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Apr 24, 2026 03:39PM · like
Karen Catlin is currently reading Calling In: How to Start Making Change with Those You'd Rather Cancel by Loretta Ross	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Mar 23, 2026 03:55PM · like · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of Calling In by Loretta Ross. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — Calling In by Loretta Ross <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Karen Catlin finished reading Do DEI Right: Cut Through the Noise and Drive Lasting Results by Michelle Bogan Feferman	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Mar 15, 2026 04:50PM · like
Karen Catlin is currently reading A Man Called Ove by Fredrik Backman (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Mar 15, 2026 04:49PM · like · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of A Man Called Ove by Fredrik Backman. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — A Man Called Ove by Fredrik Backman <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Karen Catlin is currently reading Do DEI Right: Cut Through the Noise and Drive Lasting Results by Michelle Bogan Feferman	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Feb 28, 2026 05:07PM · like
Karen Catlin is currently reading The Girl with the Louding Voice by Abi Daré	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Feb 28, 2026 05:07PM · like · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of The Girl with the Louding Voice by Abi Daré. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — The Girl with the Louding Voice by Abi Daré <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Karen Catlin finished reading The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Feb 25, 2026 08:47PM · like
Karen Catlin is currently reading The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Feb 19, 2026 08:12PM · like
Karen Catlin finished reading Careless People: A Cautionary Tale of Power, Greed, and Lost Idealism by Sarah Wynn-Williams Goodreads Choice Awards Nominee in Readers' Favorite Memoir	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Feb 19, 2026 08:11PM · like · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of Careless People by Sarah Wynn-Williams. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — Careless People by Sarah Wynn-Williams <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">

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Quotes by Karen Catlin (?)

“If you are able to disengage and not think about these issues, recognize you have privilege. If you’re able to write off these issues as ‘political’ rather than personal, recognize you have privilege. Many people who are directly or indirectly impacted do not have the option to “turn off” nor call it “too political” to be discussed or felt in the workplace.7”
― Karen Catlin, Better Allies: Everyday Actions to Create Inclusive, Engaging Workplaces

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“Public speaking is like a multivitamin for your career.”
― Karen Catlin, Present! A Techie's Guide to Public Speaking

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