Stop Chasing, Start Creating - by Justin Jones-Fosu (Paperback)

Book Synopsis

Stop running toward someone else's definition of success, and start intentionally shaping your own. This prequel to Aesop's famous tortoise and hare fable shows exhausted professionals how to shift from chasing external validation to creating internal meaning and alignment.

Stop chasing visibility. Start creating meaning.

In today's high-pressure workplace, professionals are depleted from constantly proving themselves to others--yet struggling to find genuine satisfaction in their work. What if the breakthrough isn't working harder within the system but instead reimagining what success means to you?

Stop Chasing, Start Creating reveals the untold story of Tano the tortoise before his famous race with the hare. In this prequel to the beloved Aesop's fable, we discover that Tano wasn't always the steady, purposeful creature we know. He once chased visibility, approval, and validation just like the rest of us--until a moment of awakening changed everything.

Through Tano's journey from external pressure to internal clarity, readers discover the crucial difference between chasing meaning and creating it. Grounded in motivation science, this framework shifts professionals from extrinsic motivation (external rewards, recognition, and belonging) to intrinsic motivation (purpose, contribution, and alignment).

Perfect for burned-out professionals in healthcare, education, nonprofit management, and other purpose-driven fields, this story-first approach offers the metaphor-rich reflection modern workers crave without feeling like another productivity manual.

Review Quotes

"This work provides a timely invitation to pause, realign, and do the inner work that fuels purposeful leadership and organizational transformation."
--Mike Campbell, Senior Director, HR, adidas

"Jones-Fosu has the rare gift for taking big, overwhelming concepts and making them resonate in the most practical, human way. This book is a great reminder that purpose and resilience aren't found in the sprint, but in steady, intentional steps."
--Whitnee Dillard, Executive Director, The National Invest Program

"In the rush of a busy day, don't miss the moments that count. This book shows how embracing those moments can transform your work and your well-being."
--David G. Erickson, President, Covenant Living Communities and Services

"This is an elegantly written tale that grips the reader from the first line. It is the handbook everyone needs to 'work, lead, and live from the inside out.'"
-- Jennifer B. Kahnweiler, speaker, consultant, and bestselling author of The Introverted Leader

"This book reshaped how I approach my work, leadership, and relationships--helping me plan more strategically, connect more meaningfully, and grow with purpose."
--Marvin Sepulveda, Senior Area Sales Manager, Neuroscience Division, Lundbeck Pharmaceuticals

"I know this story because I know the young man who lived it, and know the man he became because of it. My hope is that this short book helps you give yourself the same grace, courage, and meaning I've watched him discover."
--Valerie Jones-Williams, Justin's mom and first believer

About the Author

Justin Jones-Fosu is CEO of Work.Meaningful., which is a firm focused on workplace engagement and diversity and inclusion that he founded eighteen years ago. He is a full-time speaker and trainer who speaks and trains 10,000 to 20,000 people per year. He is a former radio host and former workplace contributor to NPR's "The Takeaway" and is known for his ability to connect to a broad range of people in a down-to-earth, humorous way. He's the author of I Respectfully Disagree, The Inclusive Mindset, and Your WHY Matters Now.