You Belong Here

How to Make People Feel Safe to Be Their Best, Take Bold Risks, and Win

Mike Lipkin and Dr. Diane McIntosh

“You Belong Here” is a statement that every person longs to hear. It’s the assurance that frees us to face our future because others have got our back. It’s also one of the greatest compliments we can receive. It means we are part of a community that celebrates us as one of their own—with all the love and connection that comes with that status.

In a peri-pandemic world where every day brings unpredictable shocks and surprises, the chief role of a leader is to make people feel safe to be their best and take bold risks to win. Safety and risk are not opposites. They depend on each other. People will only swing for the fences if they know they will be rewarded for their courage.

In this pioneering partnership between a renowned professional coach and an acclaimed psychiatrist, Mike Lipkin and Dr. Diane McIntosh take you on a journey to becoming a Keeper of the Safety Flame—that’s someone who creates belonging in a hybrid world, grows enriching relationships, owns their power, wins on the brink, and shows the way.

You Belong Here gives you the tools and strategies, backed by science, to create an environment where others flourish so you will too.

Reviews

“A beautifully humane, accessible, and practical set of considerations for bonding people when so many feel anxious and alone.”

Roger S. McIntyre MD, FRCPC, professor of psychiatry and pharmacology, University of Toronto

“You Belong Here underscores the criticality of a sense of belonging and will prove to be a useful tool for leaders in creating environments where people feel safe and valued and, thus, are able to thrive and realize their full potential.”

Darren Entwistle president and CEO, Telus

“You Belong Here is a totally fresh take on how to create a culture of psychological safety that liberates people to fully express their talents.”

Susan Uthayakumar MD, chief energy and sustainability officer, Prologis

“Mike Lipkin and Dr. Diane McIntosh have pulled off a remarkable feat. They combine brain science with practical leadership techniques to create a breakthrough guide that will change the way you live and work.”

John Ruffolo founder and managing partner, Maverix Private Equity

“You Belong Here expresses Mike Lipkin and Dr. Diane McIntosh’s best insights in ways that are immediately actionable—especially in the current environment.”

Dani Reiss CEO, Canada Goose

“You Belong Here is a guide to a brighter future… one built on optimism, connection, and deliberate action.”

Martin Perelmuter president, Speakers Spotlight

LESS

Mike Lipkin is president of Environics/Lipkin, a global research and motivation company based in Toronto. He is also an international strategic coach, guide and potentiator to leaders everywhere. His passion is creating breakthroughs with others by any means possible. He combines his personal experience of talking to over a million people in sixty-seven countries with rigorous research on extraordinary performance. Mike was raised in Johannesburg, South Africa. He immigrated to Toronto, Canada in 2001 where he now lives with his wife, Hilary. This is his eighth book.

Dr. Diane McIntosh graduated from Dalhousie University, where she completed an undergraduate degree in pharmacy before completing medical school and residency training in psychiatry. She is a clinical assistant professor at the University of British Columbia and has a community psychiatry practice, with a particular interest in the neurobiology of mood and anxiety disorders and ADHD. She is extensively involved in continuing medical education programs to colleagues nationally and internationally, including her own educational program, PsychedUp CME. She is the co-founder of SwitchRx (switchrx.ca), the online psychiatric medication switching tool. Most recently, she co-founded wedomatter.org, which advocates for more compassionate care for psychiatric patients and their families.

ISBN 978-1-77458-428-6
$27.95 CAD • $22.95 USD
Published February 16, 2024

5.5 × 8.5 • 288 Pages
paperback, ebook, audiobook