SACRAMENTO, CA (MPG) - Julian S. Newman, son of longtime Elk Grove residents Leon and Gloria Newman, recently celebrated the release of his new book, “Beautiful Together: How to Become a Better Leader & Bridge Builder,” with a special event at Underground Books in Oak Park.

More than 50 guests attended the June 10 event, where Newman, a Sacramento native, shared insights from the book and signed copies for attendees.

The author, futurist and leadership development expert has reached more than 100,000 people through talks delivered to organizations including Google, UN Women and Wolverine Worldwide. He is also the founder and chief executive owner of The Future Cast Foundation and Culture Creative and has been featured in Forbes magazine.

Newman’s talk addressed timely issues, such as incivility in the workplace, which he said has led to significant costs for organizations. According to the Society for Human Resource Management, “58% of U.S. workers believe our society is uncivil and collectively experience over 200 million acts of incivility daily, leading to approximately $2 billion per day in reduced productivity and absenteeism.” 

More than 50 guests attended the June 10 event, where Julian S. Newman, a Sacramento native, shared insights from the book and signed copies for attendees at Underground Books in Oak Park. Courtesy photo

Newman’s book offers guidance for navigating workplace challenges, emphasizing emotional intelligence, effective communication and bridge-building. Newman told The Elk Grove Citizen that his upbringing in the Sacramento area, along with his parents’ influence, played a major role in shaping his work.

“I really believe that my Sacramentan roots and my parents have played a huge part of the work I’ve done, the book I’ve written,” he said. “There’s a lot of things in my book, even though I talked about leadership, it talks about communication and solving conflict; it’s really rooted in family, and it’s rooted in love.”

Newman began his journey in leadership as a student ministries pastor at Capital Christian Center, now Destiny Christian Center, in Roseville. He also attended American River College, which he credited as another formative experience within the Sacramento region.

Newman said that his daughters were a major inspiration behind “Beautiful Together,” as he aimed to equip them for challenges they might encounter, particularly in environments lacking racial and cultural diversity.

Julian S. Newman’s book and talk on June 10 addressed timely issues, such as incivility in the workplace, which he said has led to significant costs for organizations. Courtesty photo 

“I felt like when I moved to the Midwest from the West Coast, it was very different in relation to how people navigated their relationships, racially, ethnically, stylistically, etc.,” he said. “Their experience as African American girls going to, in their cases, predominantly Caucasian schools was a challenge because of the lack of exposure so many of these teachers, administrators, students and parents had.”

“So I wanted to help them by being part of the solution to the problem and not just someone who talked about the problem,” Newman said. “The foundation of the book is that all of us have something; none of us have everything. When we put all of our somethings together, we have everything. We’re more beautiful together.”

Newman described the book as a guide to help individuals create positive and inclusive environments at work.

“I really believe there’s a part of us that wants to experience a beautiful future, beautiful community, the ability to work together, live together, love each other and do good together … but we don’t always have or exercise those tools to be able to do that effectively,” he said. “The book ‘Beautiful Together’ is a field manual and a guide to help make that happen.”

Sacramento native Julian S. Newman’s book offers guidance for navigating workplace challenges, emphasizing emotional intelligence, effective communication and bridge-building. Courtesy photo

Although the book focuses on workplace issues, Newman said that its message is for everyone.

“I think whether you’re a corporate executive, community leader or connector, whether you’re in a nonprofit or for-profit world but also if you are a person at home trying to navigate the world with a measure of hope, I really think that ‘Beautiful Together’ can be very helpful,” Newman said.

As Newman continues to share his message across the country, his Sacramento roots remain central to a vision that calls all of us to build a more beautiful future together.

To learn more about Newman or for information about his book, visit beautifultogetherbook.com or purchase on Amazon at a.co/d/2zpuQ8b.