Gather As You Go

by Carol Lavin Bernick

A true “life resource,” Gather As You Go – Sharing Lessons Learned Along the Way is a collection of 300+ stories with powerful lessons, key insights and helpful tips from Carol Lavin Bernick, learned through her experiences as a corporate and civic leader, working mother and philanthropist. Through her insights, thoughts, and wisdoms, she provides people of all ages practical advice to enjoy a more resilient, positive and productive life.

Rather than writing several books, Bernick chose to create one self-help book imparting easily digestible short stories of her experiences for people with crazy, busy lives. Gather As You Go is part business book - sharing stories from her thirty-seven years at the Alberto Culver Company and encompassing new product development, branding, the company’s cultural overhaul she led, and the challenges in a family-owned business.

It’s also part family focused – with advice on raising great kids as a working mom, losing loved ones - one to drugs and one to cancer, and the challenges of and solutions to helping elderly parents.

It’s also part coffee table and lifestyle book – providing tips on designing, building and decorating homes; entertaining, throwing great parties and weddings; and creating meaningful and major charitable efforts to make communities stronger through philanthropy.

Gather As You Go covers a lot of ground. Organized into 10 chapters that take the form of quick, informative and empowering life lessons and reflections, each chapter features introductory thoughts from well-respected people speaking to their own expertise.

With its beautiful photographs and artful illustrations, this substantive, 455-page book is a must-have. From Millennial to Baby Boomer, readers will find Bernick’s teachings to be authentic, sincere, and down-to-earth.

All net proceeds from the sale of Gather As You Go benefit Enchanted Backpack, a nonprofit that delivers school supply essentials, books, education resources, winter coats, art supplies, recess equipment and more to under-resourced schools in the Chicagoland area. Each year the organization will touch the hearts and minds of 20,000 students.

To learn more, please visit https://www.gatherasyougo.com/.

455 pages, Hardcover

Published June 1, 2018

About the author

Carol Lavin Bernick is former executive chairman of Alberto Culver, civic leader, working mother and philanthropist. Bernick is the author of Gather As You Go, a collection of short, digestible stories that offer powerful lessons, key insights and helpful tips based on her life experiences. Visit Bernick’s online community at www.gatherasyougo.com to read more about her wisdoms, and even offer one of your own. Net proceeds from sales of the book benefit Enchanted Backpack, a nonprofit supporting under-resourced elementary and middle schools through deliveries of a variety of school supply essentials, including books, winter coats and clothing, art supplies and recess equipment to more than 20,000 students each year.

Reviews

[Jennifer ~ TarHeelReader · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ok, friends. This book is NICE. It’s perfect for your coffee table- GORGEOUS, really, but it’s so much more.

Filled with stunning photographs and easy inspiration, I have hugged this book over and over. Paging through it is an experience in itself. It’s that warm hug we are always looking for.

There are tips on so many aspects of life and lifestyle. Its utility is endless. I’m also finding it hard to describe in a way that does it justice.

In short, it’s a treasure. It’ll be on my coffee table and a book I’ll reference time and again. Also, did you see that the proceeds go to an important charity?

I received a gifted copy. All opinions are my own.

Many of my reviews can also be found on my blog: www.jennifertarheelreader.com and instagram: www.instagram.com/tarheelreader

[Nursebookie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Receiving this book was a definite gift. I needed this in my life. I is an all in one - everything I needed and more. It is a wonderful collection of stories, life advice, inspirational life lessons and lessons learned, beautiful reflection and empowering thoughts. A life's work in one book!

The book is beautiful hard bound and have been on display in my home since the moment I received it. It is such a great conversational starter as well and have recommended this book to many of my closest friends and family members who have seen this beautiful book on display in my home - right smack center in my living room console.

This is certainly one gift that keeps on giving and a gift that I can open again and again. I love this so much for all the valuable information in it! Every home should have this book. I would like to mention that this book makes a great gift for a wedding, birthday, or just because.

I highly recommend this book!!

[Linda Zagon · Rating 4 out of 5]

Carol Lavin Bernick, Author of "Gather As You Go, Sharing Lessons Along the Way" has written an intriguing, memorable, and helpful book. The physical book is really very heavy, and is a navy blue, with gold writing and with a  blue ribbon attached to serve as your bookmark. There are gorgeous photographs and pictures, and the paper seems to be very elegant. My husband classified the book as one that should be on the coffee table, and he very rarely notices detail. It is really important to note that net proceeds from the sales of "Gather As You Go" support Enchanted Backpack, a Chicago-area nonprofit founded by the Lavin and Bernick families with the belief that all children deserve to have the tools they need to learn and excel." I have included information about the book and the author at the conclusion of my review.

Carol Lavin Bernick has drawn upon her experiences to share many ideas that she has found successful.  The author describes that there are many short stories, but I would classify them as essays, or narratives.  I found many of the ideas for entertaining, themes for parties, and gifts for certain occasions very interesting. In a section with decorating home, the author recommends a place for silk flowers, and I did go check them out. The flowers did look realistic online but seemed to cost a little more than other sites that I had checked out.

Some of her ideas of gifts for people in certain circumstances of life were, 5 weeks of a housekeeper, or cooked meals, or a jar of notes from friends with encouraging notes. Some of the ideas were wonderful and others were out of the price range for many people. Carol Lavin Bernick describes the weddings that she made for her 3 children and there were showers, before parties, rehearsal dinners, the wedding, after the wedding, etc, which again could be out of the price range of many people.

The author enjoys gifting to others. I enjoy gifting, but I don't have the means to give scholarships or other extravagant gifts for others, as much as I would want to if I could. I appreciate that the author has given to charity, in a really big way.

I am a retired teacher and not the head of a huge business empire. Many of the ideas made common sense, and I did feel confused at a few suggestions. One was that the author would check out the references from a person interviewing for the job. She would call the company after hours, and ask that they would call back if they had really good and special comments to say of the candidate. If they didn't call back the person wasn't hired. Perhaps I misunderstood that, but most businesses and doctor's offices don't return any kind of calls from us, emergency or not. Somehow, if the company didn't call back, would that mean the person really wouldn't get the job??

I spent the whole day Saturday reading the book, from before the crack of dawn, until late at night, and I found it full of many ideas. The pictures are beautiful. I would highly suggest reading and looking at this book for many of the helpful suggestions that you could use. It would make an excellent gift as well. Happy Reading!

[Bookish With Wine · Rating 5 out of 5]

Today I am on tour with Suzy Approved Book Tours and Gather As You Go:

This is one of those books I will be referencing for years to come.  The perfect coffee table addition. The photos are amazing and inspiring.  

Touching on everything from work, to the loss of a loved one, to theme parties.  There is definitely something for everyone. I want to go to her women's only Witches' Ball and the black-tie Christmas Party.

My favorite chapters were Chapter 3: A Home You Can Live In...Decorating, Rebuilding & Remodeling ~Chapter 7: Capturing Memories and Gifting and Chapter 9 ~ Above All Else....Family 

I love seeing the insides of people's houses and the way they decorate.  The photos in Chapter 3 filled that for me with all the beautiful photos of the kitchens and family rooms.  My husband and I plan on remodeling our kitchen someday, so I love seeing photos of all the possibilities. I also learned that going a few shades lighter than a dark wood floor will show less life.  That is helpful because I'm sure once the remodeling process starts, the wood floors will be destroyed and need replaced. I also love seeing the family rooms in this chapter. She also mentions using rain glass for the shower doors because it doesn't show water droplets! Yes!

Chapter 7 ~ Very Clever Gifting: "The gift is to the giver."  One of the authors favorite quotes. This whole section gives such good ideas on gifts for others.  Etch a wedding invitation or a family tree on a crystal vase or block. I would have never thought about that.  That is truly a gift that keeps on giving. There are five pages of amazing gift ideas that I would love to do! 

I could go on forever and ever about Chapter 9, but I won't.  I'll just this chapter is about kids, parents, and grandparents.  There are so many good tips and tricks in this part of the book that I know I will refer back to for years to come.

So yes, I would highly recommend this book.

Book Rating: 5/5

For the grand finale this would pair nicely with a very chilled glass of. St Supéry Sauvignon Blanc 2017.

Net proceeds from the sales of Gather As You Go support Enchanted Backpack, a Chicago-area nonprofit founded by the Lavin and Bernick families with the belief that all children deserve to have the tools they need to learn and excel.

[Pam · Rating 4 out of 5]

Gather As You Go is an encyclopedia of knowledge gathered by the author throughout her lifetime from her parents, friends, family, and professional colleagues. There is literally something for everyone and a good book to have in your library and pull out for various life experiences. She covers everything! As part of the Alberto Culver product family, she has much to share about business. As a senior and never being in the business world, I couldn't relate as much to those portions but was nevertheless drawn in by the charming decorative quotes and visually pleasant presentation. On the other hand, I spent much time in her photos and decorating tips...not all take wealth to accomplish, and you might find something of your style in hers. There is also much wisdom about family life, holidays, gift giving (with practical and creative photos on gift wrapping), parties, organizing, getting involved with grandchildren, displaying photos, and much, much more. Her section on care giving and handling the grief of her beloved partner even includes her personal blog and I think would give strength and encouragement to those going through this dark time. Her section of quotes at the end will be something I pull from often. Large book but equally usable. Thank you to Goodreads Giveaways for my copy.

[Indre · Rating 4 out of 5]

Such a beautiful book and idea behind a book - share the life lessons over the years with everyone you love. Meanwhile, sharing the proceeds with those in need.

The book is filled with stories from business to decorating, to party planning, to loosing a loved one. All different, all interesting, all touching. Not everything was relatable to me, for example I'm not building my dream home with a million dollar budget, but there were advices that even I could use at the moment, or will use in the future.

My favorite part probably was the party planning - so many great ideas for decor and theme. Even if I'll probably never have to plan a party for 100s of people on a monthly basis, I loved the simple and beautiful ideas.

The author was very personable, and shared a lot of personal stories - like loosing family and friends and how she dealt with those sorrows. She still found ways to find joy in life by giving back. I loved how giving and generous she seems, with various charities and parties she hosts over a year. Even if she had a lot of loss in her life, it seems like she has lived a happy and fulfilling life.

*Thank you to the publisher for my free copy in exchange for my review*

[Andrew Langert · Rating 5 out of 5]

Carol Lavin Bernick took nearly two years to compile important things that she has learned in her personal and business life. Carol had a long career as an executive and ultimately as Chairman of the Alberto Culver Company. The content is rich. There is something for everybody in here, told concisely and clearly, leaning heavily on real-life stories.
It is not necessarily a book that you read from cover-to-cover. You can start in the middle and go back to the beginning. You can read the sections you are most interested in.
I do encourage you to read the first few pages first, as it is there that Carol explains in her own words why she wrote this book. From there you can let the table of contents be your guide.
Aside from the valuable word content, this beautiful book is loaded with pictures and illustrations, fitting to sit on any coffee table where it invariably serves as a subject of conversation when people see it.
Proceeds from the sale of this book are being donated to Enchanted Backpack, a charity formed in 2017 by the Lavin/Bernick family to serve under-resourced elementary and middle schools and child-focused organizations in the Chicagoland area.

[Molly Jaber (Audiobooks And Sweet Tea) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Those that know me, know I don’t read many non-fiction books. However, something about this one really called to me. Whether it was the design of the cover, or the description of the content within, I don’t know, but I do know this. It’s one that won’t soon leave me!

The wisdom in this book, the way it’s written, is amazing. Filled with lots of the authors life happenings, she creates passages in the book that draw from those lessons. The pictures that are included within this book are beautiful. It’s eye catching, thought provoking and stunningly created! As someone who suffers daily from severe panic disorder and depression, these life lessons truly helped me!

If you want a book that will get the conversations flowing, turn to this memoir. You will be pleasantly surprised! This is a book that you will want to put on the coffee table and keep it there for all to see. Let your friends and family come over and hand it to them. Take it work and leave it on the break room table for all to see. Simply put: read this now, enjoy and share!

*I received a complimentary copy of this book from Publisher and was under no obligation to post a review, positive or negative.*

[Richard Dominguez · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thank you Carol Bernick for the chance to win a copy of this wonderful book.
"Gather As You Go" is a terrific "life hack" book built from Carol's personal experiences. I was surprised to see so much great tips, advice and words of wisdom on almost every aspect I could think of.
Ms Bernick is never shy of sharing much of her personal experiences and sprinkling it with a wonderful sense of humor, The Book is a large, beautifully printed volume that is also beautifully illustrated. Well written, this book is going to be a joy to read over and over (something I typically only do with the classics) and it has earned the spot on my coffee table that had till recently been reserved by another book.
"Gather As You Go" (by the way a wonderful title) is a great addition to any collectors library and more importantly a great source of inspiration, absolutely worthy of the highest recommendation.

[Angelica · Rating 4 out of 5]

Reading this book felt like reading someone’s personal blog, but printed on paper. It was a strange experience, like stepping into someone else’s life for a minute and have a conversation with them in their own living room. Very personal. A bit like all the phone calls I made to my parents in my early 20’s asking for advice on everything and anything. This book is about everything and anything. It makes it a great coffee table book because there’s something for everyone to read.

[Michelle Pulignani · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wonderful and inspiring stories

[KathyNV · Rating 4 out of 5]

An interesting book full of insight into a very rich and interesting life. Lots of tips and insight into how Carol handled the challenges in her life. Not all the topics she discusses will apply to the readers lifestyle or experiences but still an interesting read. I received this book in a Goodreads Giveaway.

[R.C. Nelsen]

It was ok. It was a little too all aver the place. I expected some of that but not all. It seemed very unfocused. However, saying that if someone wants variety, you will get it here.