BOOK REVIEWS

Gift Mindset is a fantastic book that uncovers the power of connection, purpose and contribution. The 12 gifts are fascinating in their own right, and Renée can illustrate simple shifts in mindset that will change how individuals and teams can achieve work and life goals. 

I really enjoyed the personal stories and how Renée related them to one of the gifts or as an example to strengthen some of the points that are covered in this fascinating book.

Something that really resonated with me was “judgement from others”, and this has changed my mindset that talking about one’s successes doesn’t mean you are gloating. This has certainly made me think deeper in how I can better myself in sharing my successes. I have already applied this to discussions with my team, and I’m keen to develop myself in this area. 

A powerful statement in the book is that “Awareness Takes Time”. It was great to read as many people are given feedback in the corporate world that they must be more self-aware and although this may be true it inevitably suggests that once they leave the room, you must flick some switch and tick the self-awareness box. I will certainly be taking some of the learnings from this and applying them in my day-to-day discussions with my team.

Being an eternal optimist, I was very keen to read the Gift of Optimism and feel that Renée’s writing can be easily applied. This gift is one that many people could apply to their everyday life to change their perspective of the world. It is an extremely powerful gift, and I was excited to read that this also positively impacts health and well-being. 

We all strive for answers on how we connect and Gift Mindset is a powerhouse of examples that can change organisations’ culture and our everyday connection with the world. Highly recommend that all organisations use this book as a benchmark to drive a culture that inspires leadership.  

In a nutshell, congratulations on writing such a great book Renée, you should be extremely proud of this achievement.

Michael Ritoli, General Manager | CUB premium Beverages at Carlton & United Breweries

The key to living your best life – a life of purpose, connection and contribution – isn’t circumstances, or pathology, or talent. It’s your mindset. In this book, Renée unpacks how to develop a Gift Mindset, a mindset designed to have you be at your best both in the workplace and in the rest of your life. It then unpacks 12 specific gifts to focus on, including courage, resilience, gratitude and forgiveness. 

Highly recommend ‘Gift Mindset” for anyone who wants to have a more positive outlook on life but isn’t quite sure how to go about it.

Peter Cook, Author of multiple books including Implement

Gift Mindset is a guide and companion to help us navigate and learn from the daily challenges and opportunities we collide with through life. It’s less about prescription and more about the exploration of the situations, stories and happenings in our life. The 12 Gifts take us by the hand and lead us through the many ways to think and respond to what we experience. And the recipes… they’re a bonus! Gift mindset explores the many perspectives we can take and without making us wrong, helps us understand how we can be better for ourselves and those around us when we observe, consider, learn and share.

Lynne Cazaly, Award-winning Author, Keynote Speaker and Better Ways of Working Expert

Regardless of who we are, constant change today has meant for us all to have the skill of not just overcoming challenges but acknowledging and sharing successes. Making the shift from just a ‘positive mindset’ to a Gift Mindset allows a greater sense of conscious choice at times in our careers and lives that can disempower, frustrate or overwhelm us. Renée walks her talk with the “Gift Mindset” and arms leaders, teams and organisations with practical strategies to create a self-leadership and sharing culture. This is the book every leader, team member, parent, student and child need to create better workplaces for now and the future. I wish I had this book years ago and I’ll be passing on to many of my own clients!

Jane Anderson, Voted #3 Branding Expert Globally, Forbes Coaches Council, Certified Speaker, Award-Winning Writer, Coach and Author of 7 Books

Gift Mindset is a brilliant book that can help us access the gifts or lessons we can learn from both challenges and successes.

Adopting this mindset is a vital leadership skill to master and important in creating a workplace culture where we share the positive and negative and learn from each other.

As a CEO, I feel the powerful messages in this book when applied, could really transform organisational thinking, beliefs and therefore, the overall culture.

Working with Renée for years, I know she lives the Gift Mindset and transfers many of the insights and tools within the leadership and communication pathways she has run at GS1.

Now more than ever, we need connected and collaborative cultures and Renée’s insights and messages in this book need to be taken on board by all organisations.

I loved the practical tools that can be applied and shared in the workplace and that our lessons can fit into the “12 gifts” which are actually soft skill we all need to master in and out of the workplace. This book is a treasure chest of resources, insights, tools and stories we all need to bring into our lives.

Well done Renée, I loved this energising read, it left me thinking about how we can look at the things we face differently. 

Maria Palazzolo, Executive Director and Chief Executive Officer, GS1 Australia

We all have something to give, and something to teach. The challenge is extracting the lessons from our experiences and stories. This is an essential guide for anyone who’d like to integrate past and current, challenges and success, in such a way that doesn’t just provide more meaning and fulfilment in your life, but upgrades your ability to contribute back to the world.

Maurice Schill, Founder & CEO of JuJu

In The Gift Mindset, Renee develops the 12 gifts through generously shared personal stories, and stories from her experience with clients. Each gift is presented with keys to understand and develop your gift, practical ideas to grow your gift, points for reflection, and thought-provoking questions. This book truly is a special ‘gift’.

Mary Butler, Business Leader, Facilitator, Mentor & Coach

Renee’s book is written from the heart.  She’s thoughtfully shared real people’s stories and experiences to impart a story of options and opportunities of who and what we can become if we are courageous enough to change ourselves and then kind enough to share those options with others around us. The stories are highly engaging and the practical steps which follow at the end of each chapter could easily be implemented by a smart fifteen-year-old.  My personal suggestion is simple – if you want to improve the quality of your own life and potentially the quality of other people’s lives too, read the book and take some action.

Antony Gaddie, Founder, Symphony 7

I would highly recommend this wonderful read which is full of gems! “Gift Mindset” really speaks to the tools and strategies that we can all implement to make life more fulfilling for both individuals and organisations. Of course, my favourite gift is “The Gift of Optimism”!

Thanks Renée for another amazing book!

Jenny Boymal, Director of Project Optimism and Educate to Elevate

Gift Mindset® explores the inner workings of human behaviour to understand how we process the events around us, encouraging us to take a step back from situations, analyse our thoughts, consider our reactions, and help us live with purpose and connection. 

We are subject to a multitude of scenarios and interactions every day; we all have the choice as to how they will affect our work and our relationships. The Gift Mindset shows us how to not just confront or resist, but embrace challenges and leverage successes and consider them as ‘gifts’ in our daily lives.

The book is insightful, tapping into daily experiences that anyone can relate to. Renée has a magnificent way of storytelling and engaging us to reflect on our impact on the world around us. It encourages us to be more self-aware and to make changes to not just better ourselves but also to benefit others. 

You will see how the power of optimism is undeniable. Building our capacity for empathy by seeing things through others’ eyes, understanding our emotions and actions and the impact they can have on others and having the opportunity to alter the course and positively affect others, is also shown to be so powerful. 

This is a read that will help you build a human-centric culture, grow leadership, and better understand people to get the best out of each other to maximise performance. You will learn personal and professional strategies and gain the value of sharing and learning from mistakes and successes and how adopting a gift mindset makes anything possible.

Renée has done it again, capturing wisdom from scholars, spiritual leaders, thought leaders and business leaders; however, the insight from her wealth of experience shines through the book and is truly priceless. Gift Mindset is a wonderfully practical, educational, reflective and empowering read; certainly a ‘go-to’ resource.

Karen Littlepage, Chief People & Culture Officer | GS1 Australia

A wonderful compendium and resource for both our hearts and minds. Beautifully written with personal experiences as great examples of why these 12 gifts matter and help us grow as human beings. Never before has such a book been more relevant and applicable in both our personal and professional lives. Self-reflection, self-awareness and acting on the “gift” opportunities will enrich your life. After all, there is nothing for you to lose, and so much for you to gain. Brava Renée!  

Marie Varrasso, Head of Supply Chain|Officeworks

As Renée shares her own family’s story of courage, a story familiar to many second and third-generation Australians, she uncovers the key drivers of change and innovation.  Her insights on how to build connectedness with our colleagues are particularly pertinent during a time when physical distance and flexible working practices are our new norm.  Gift Mindset is a perceptive pathway towards deconstructing the things that unwittingly bind us and which we must unpack to forge forward with purpose.

Joy Atacador, Partner at Dentons-Australia Region lead-IP & Technology

The GIFT MINDSET is a fantastic read that all people can benefit from. It resonated a lot with me on how I have tried to live my life, both personally and professionally. The mindset to embrace our challenges, not just our successes, is a brilliant message on how we can build resilience and create optimism with those around us. 

I specifically enjoyed the message around being courageous by sharing our vulnerabilities. This is a leadership trait that I have tried to instil in myself throughout my career. It helps me to express myself whilst allowing me to connect at multiple levels across diverse cultures.

 The GIFTS outlined by Renée throughout the book are relevant in both your personal and professional life. However, I particularly found that #4 Barriers to a Gift Mindset really resonated. Looking into the mirror and asking yourself ‘what holds us back from expressing ourselves’ is a question I continue to ask myself. I felt highlighting the seven key barriers really helped me shine a light on ‘the why’ and then linking it to the ways to adapt is a powerful way to show the importance of self-awareness & empathy in leadership.I really enjoyed the read and would highly recommend it to others.

Matthew Graham, Marketing Vice President- Mars Wrigley Confectionery Europe, Russia, CIS & Turkey

“I am grateful for the opportunity to co-create with Renée and help deliver the message of the times: “The world needs ‘realistic and infectiously optimistic leaders’ to be beacons of optimism in a fog of pessimism.”  The leader looks like the person in your mirror.  In Chapter 7, Renée shares the habits of optimism that you can adopt to enhance your life and inspire those around you.  I commend the ‘The Gift Mindset’ to you.”

Victor Perton, CEO of the Centre of Optimism-Australian Institute of Company Directors

What a great book!

Congrats! Seriously! 

Love the intro and the framework in part 1 that then prepares you to enjoy and optimally learn from all the gifts that follow in part 2. 

Love the structure for the learning from each gift …with tips to unpack the gift and digest it and summarise the active ongoing and practice of it thereafter. 

Focussed on the gifts of Gratitude and Optimism…… 

This is such a great active resource to learn and grow from as a reader.

 Again, Congrats Renée – well done you!

Noirin Mosley, Director | Project Optimism and Educate to Elevate

A great book to immerse yourself in to find more meaning in your life and workplace. The reflections and practical examples are helpful, but what I really feel this book asks of us is to be curious in how we could introduce change in how we are being to gain greater meaning in our lives. I believe you and I, have our strength already within us. Sometimes we lose a bit of who we really are when we experience success or challenges. My favourite chapter was gratitude as it is a gentle practice, we can all embrace to be kinder to ourselves.

Angela Burr, General Manager, Marketing & Commercial, Lactalis

Renée is authentic, generous and shows strength in her vulnerability. The life lessons that consume many, are craft into gifts, which we can all appreciate and get enormous value from. Renée talks about deep self-awareness as a means for progress and she’s captured this beautifully.

Gift Mindset is a must-read for anyone wanting to thrive, not just survive!

Kate Stewart, Founder and Managing Director, Stay Tray

A must-have resource on every leader’s bookshelf that provides insights and practical exercises on how to unwrap the 12 gifts, which are so needed in today’s complex and constantly changing environments.

In the first part of her book, Renee begins by highlighting what the Gift Mindset is, why it matters and how we can begin to adopt a gift mindset – valuable for times such as these.

Then, in the second part of the book, Renee explores each of the 12 Gifts with real-life case studies and practical steps on how we can begin to unwrap each gift for ourselves, while encourage our team to do the same.

As Renee has so beautifully shared: “Life throws us curveballs. Some are made of glass and hard to catch, some bounce off us, and others seem to fall straight into our hands.”

This book will help us turn EVERY experience, whether a challenge or crisis into a gift so we can adopt the gift mindset each and every time.

Here’s to unwrapping all 12 gifts so you can lead and live a life of purpose, connection and contribution.

Annemarie Cross, Personal brand, Podcast Strategist and Business Coach

Very excited for my great friend and colleague from the Beautiful Land Down Under, Renée Giarrusso- Leadership and Communication Expert on her new book, “GIFT MINDSET®
Unwrap the 12 gifts to lead and live a life of purpose, connection and contribution.”

She’s an amazing human being and brings immense value to everyone whose lives she touches…and I know her book will do the same!

Bob Burg, Author

The ancients were right to hold to the belief that it is ‘more blessed to give than receive’ There’s something magical about the experience of gift-giving. It’s selfless, thoughtful, considerate, personal and memorable.

Now imagine the recipient is YOU. The gift you most needed right now was presented, embraced, understood, accepted. By you. For you.

Renée masterfully invites us into a place where we give ourselves permission to find, unwrap and enjoy gifts from all aspects of life and leadership, she reframes the challenges, contextualises the joys, and makes sense of every day by handing us a framework to find and understand the gifts that can come from the work you do and the life you live.

I met Renée in 2006, when I was training to be an Executive Coach. Her impact on me was as significant then as it is now. In that training, we learnt the phrase “How is this a gift to you?” A game-changing reframe to the world ride we call life. Now, thanks to Renée, we don’t just have a game-changing question, we have a game-changing book to lean into, refer back to and hold as a learning companion for the future.

Rohan Dredge, Founder, New Level Leader, Co-Founder - For Leaders Global Podcast Host & Author

Renée’s book ‘Gift Mindset”, is a must-read as both a business and personal development tool.  She has perfected the art of applying her own self-development stories and those of others to deliver easy to understand and remember methodologies for our own growth.

Applying a growth mindset to our lives is a path to increased self-awareness, happiness and fulfilment as we use her principals to enrich the lives of those around us, in turn, enriching our own!  The “12 Gifts” in “Gift Mindset” are a classic “how to succeed” guide for any budding leader; I suggest you read and practice them often.

Barry Borzillo, Managing Director and CEO | Intrax Consulting Group

I found the book full of short but really powerful lessons. A gift mindset is a way to create an abundance view of the world. A short roadmap full of tips and advice to improve several areas of your life and business. Simple yet practical ways to overcome challenges, difficulties to live a life of purpose.  

The 12 gifts are essential soft skills and by adopting the gift mindset you will live a fuller life, improve your emotional intelligence and positively impact workplace culture through more collaborative sharing.

Ronan Leonard, Managing Director, Trnsform Asia Pacific

Encapsulating what many would think is a formula, then laying out the foundation for others to follow easily, has been a pleasure to realise in Renée’s book, sharing the Gift Mindset is just spectacular, “The Gift of Growth” and the six key steps is something that in itself allows anyone to understand the how. Renée, when first reading your entire book I must say it is a gift in itself, however having a reference for me to remember such simple things is just great. A major take-away when diving into the Gift Timeline is the polar opposites will always bring you to a decision. Well done my friend, a great insight!

Gilbert François, Managing Director | Earthlink Alliance

Renée has always inspired me with every facet of her limitless life, and I will forever be grateful. Whether it be her infectious view of life, her never say die attitude or her unparalleled compassion she shows to all. I have always asked the question: How does Renée do it? Well, that mystery is unravelled for us all in this wonderful book – ‘Gift Mindset’. Renée has always forged into what makes leaders, teams and individuals tick, and this latest tome enables all leaders, great or small to share her gifts, passion and wisdom. It will take your team from inertia to engagement.  Unwrap the 12 Gifts and be rewarded with leading drivers, barriers, tools, frameworks and your very own ‘bonbonniere’!

Whilst Renée exudes all 12 Mindsets, to me, her greatest gifts are encapsulated in the Gift of Resilience (shown from the day she interviewed at Mars); the Gift of Connection (everyone loves working with Renée) and the Gift of Reenergising (she sparks everyone with her unparalleled work ethic). Yet all leaders can also learn the Gifts of courage, curiosity, growth, empathy, optimism and many more. 

May we all live our legacy now by living a life of purpose, connection and contribution. 

Mark Truelson, Disruptor. Speaker, Mentor & Director UniBev-BDV-Innovation and Storytelling Expert

Wowser, that’s all I can say! What a thought-provoking book, filled to the brim with awesome stories, amazing insights and practical tips to try as you work through the book. I can hear Renée’s voice weaved through the entire book.

This book is like a beautiful painting, each brushstroke lovingly painted on the page, each gift unpacked slowly and deliberately, in a way that makes senses and makes me want to jump in and start improving myself immediately.

Renée, this is an absolute work of art, you should be so proud of this, I can’t wait to share this book with all my clients and get to work on the areas that need a little more “polishing.”

Emma McQueen, Executive & Business Coach and author of Go-Getter

The Gift Mindset is the gift that keeps giving! It is an incredible source of inspiration and reminds us to use our life experiences to shape our world, but not to define us. The way we think and feel is our choice and as individuals and leaders, we get the choice to focus on the things that help us connect and collaborate to get the most of ourselves, our teams and each other. This book shows us how.

Dr Amy Silver speaker-author-facilitator, Emotion management for high performance

One of Renee’s many talents is her ability to communicate big, bold and sometimes tough messages through beautiful storytelling. Her first book, Limitless Leadership took us back to our childhood and she shared her insights through the story of Dorothy and the Wizard of Oz.

Gift Mindset does that once again – through our awkward Kris Kringle experiences, our ‘ooooh’ moments as we just miss the Pass the Parcel, and many more, she helps us understand how we can turn events into experiences and most importantly into lessons that contribute to our growth and fulfilment of purpose: regardless of what the world chooses to throw at us.

This isn’t just theory or empty optimism – Renee is vulnerable through this book and she is as open with us as she asks us to be in turn. The depth in this book is impressive and Renee’s wisdom is shared in a way that is so easy to consume that this is literally a 12 month development course in a book.

Gift Mindset is a book for the times, for this time and for all time.

Alena Bennett, Leadership Development and High-Performance Coach