Is sending your only child far away to college supposed to be devastating? Not for Karen Walrond, whose daughter Alex just graduated and, this fall, will be heading from the family's home in Texas to art school in Chicago. As the parents of an only child, Karen and her husband Marcus are facing down an empty nest, and honestly...they are feeling pretty good about it. Karen and Meagan (whose son Will is also heading some distance away in August) have a chat about what the college-selection process looked like in each of their homes and what they expect they'll feel when the kids actually head off, as well as reminisce about their own college days and share some things they hope their kids will remember about this time of life. Karen also shares what it was like letting her hair go gray and talks about the new book she's working on about joyful aging.

About Karen Walrond

Karen Walrond is a lawyer, leadership coach, photographer, author and activist.  Her latest book, The Lightmaker's Manifesto: How to Work for Change Without Losing Your Joy, beckons readers toward lives of integrity, advocacy, conviction and joy.  She is a Certified Dare to Lead™ Facilitator, trained in Brené Brown's research on empathy, courage and vulnerability, and serves on the board of the Houston Coalition Against Hate.  Karen and her work have been featured on PBS, Huffington Post, CNN.com, and The Oprah Winfrey Show.  She curates the award-winning blog Chookooloonks and is the author and photographer of The Beauty of Different.  Karen and her family live in Houston, Texas.

Episode Links:

Karen was a guest in season 1 of Mother of Reinvention. Check out her interview on joyful activism.

Instagram- Karen Walrond :: Chookooloonks (@heychookooloonks)

Facebook- Karen Walrond

Twitter- Karen Walrond (@Chookooloonks)

LinkedIn- https://www.linkedin.com/in/karenwalrond

Website-  chookooloonks.com

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