The Kind Way by Sophie Bretag

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The life-changing metric for leadership, success and the human spirit is being kind to one another.

Can kindness and success in life co-exist? If so, why is this necessary and how can it be achieved are questions that Sophie Bretag, in both her personal and professional life, was faced with in 2024.

The Kind Way is the culmination of her journey through aggressive cancer, physical exhaustion and a desire to once again work in a field that she loved, but in a far more holistic way, by building kindness into all aspects of daily life.

From a Corporate perspective, she found many Leaders were concerned that if they were too kind, this would be taken advantage of, to the detriment of their bottom line. But over time and with considerable trial and error, a deeper understanding of what kindness entails is emerging.

Companies that have undertaken a different style of management based on kindness have discovered it has immense benefits, with the four pillars created by Sophie Bretag becoming the underpinning of a healthier, more profitable, happier and proactive Company.

The four pillars are:

Know Yourself,
Include with Intention,
Nurture Your Capacity and
Demonstrate Conscious Leadership.

All aspects apply not only to corporate life, but to your personal life. Each can be implemented, measured and embedded within all aspects of modern life.

Burnout, overwork, unreal expectations and disconnection from family are commonplace in the corporate environment of today, but should not, need not, be considered as normal, which has been the case for many years. Bretag refers to this as fatigue of body, mind and soul, which has come about by the focus on results-based achievement, which many Leaders are now beginning to understand is no longer sustainable; that change must happen.

A younger generation of future Leaders is emerging with vastly different values from those now entrenched in the corporate world; they refuse to sacrifice their ‘wellbeing for productivity, and they value their capabilities, skills, and education, demanding recognition. They understand that kindness is not a tool, but a very necessary aspect of life that is essential in daily life to be able to be the best you can be on all levels.

This is the change which Bretag has named the KINDHUMAN, stating clearly that the future will be shaped, not with grand gestures, fancy slogans and impossible demands, but through ordinary kindness embodied consistently. It’s easy to see why she is totally right.

The Kind Way by Sophie Bretag is a pathway to success, to better understanding, a better life and far better outcomes. It is the way of the future; it is a book of introspection, a book of change, a book to a better future that is essential reading for those looking to make sustainable change both in their corporate world and personal life.

Reviewed By Janet Mawdesley August 14, 2026