Praise

“In the book The 7 Fundamentals to Create and Sustain A Successful Knowledge Sharing Organization, author Patricia Pedraza-Nafziger says, “To encourage employees to share the knowledge gained through experience requires building trust and an understanding of how their knowledge will be used.” Be upfront and honest with employees. Explain the benefits of knowledge sharing, and remind everyone of shared goals.“

— Janine Schindler, Forbes Magazine – Forbes.com, What’s Behind Employee Knowledge Hoarding and How to Fix IT.

“Sharing knowledge and learning are social activities. Dr. Patricia Pedraza-Nafziger shows how the combination of sound KM fundamentals and social media will improve the exchange of knowledge to accelerate learning. Leaders are provided with practical examples of what is needed to drive engagement across generations. The 7 Fundamentals to Create and Sustain a Successful Knowledge Sharing Organization provides a wake-up call for smart leaders to leverage and grow their experts while retaining young talent.“

— Cindy Hubert, Executive Director of Client Solutions, American Productivity and Quality Center (APQC), and Author of The New Edge in Knowledge: How KM is Changing the Way We Do Business

“People who fear that knowledge they pass on maybe undervalued or misused are less likely to share it. According to The 7 Fundamentals to Create and Sustain A Successful Knowledge Sharing Organization, “To encourage employees to share the knowledge gained through experience requires building trust and an understanding of how their knowledge will be used.”

— LearnToWin.com, The Cost of Lost Knowledge.

“Patricia leads the reader into a forest of issues associated with workforce social networking, and out the other side, to knowledge sharing benefits that can shine on a corporation if these seven fundamentals are addressed; she accomplishes this using candid inputs from actual practitioners.”

— Tim Bridges, former Knowledge Management Executive, and Contributing Author to Harvard Business Review and Project Management Institute.

“The 7 Fundamentals to Create and Sustain a Knowledge Sharing Organization helped to inform the knowledge-sharing portion of my thesis for Design Management studies at SCAD. I really appreciated the insights shared by Dr. Patricia Pedraza-Nafziger on how to build a successful knowledge-sharing program within an organization using an internal social media platform with the goal of having team members begin to share organically (without prodding). Open, regular knowledge-sharing is a necessary component for a well-informed, innovative workforce that is growth-oriented.“

— Tonya Humiston, Marketing Strategies Manager, Humiston Design, Co.

“Patricia Pedraza-Nafziger has written a solid, quick overview of distance learning. This concise book covers many topics from misconceptions of distance learning to degree options, financial aid, degree options, motivation, tools, and much more. If you are thinking of distance education, this book will help you to determine (as the title says): “Distance Learning: Is it right for you?“”

— Dr. Bruce A. White, Professor, McCombs School of Business, University of Texas, Austin 

“Being Fruitful Without Multiplying adds an important voice to the ongoing discussions regarding women’s reproductive choices. The authors have impressively gathered stories from women around the world of all age groups who each share their own intimate reasons for choosing not to procreate. The collection celebrates the opportunities its contributors have gained from their decisions and illustrates the many affirming roles that children can nevertheless play in their lives. This is a terrific resource for expanding our perspectives on parenting, reproduction and the shifting economic and social realities in women’s lives. I recommend it to academic and non-academic audiences alike.”

— Maythee Rojas, Ph.D., Associate Professor of Sexuality Studies, California State University, Long Beach

“To abandon motherhood is a decision not fully accepted by much of society. “Being Fruitful Without Multiplying” is a collection of memoirs and thoughts on the idea of going child-free in one’s life, as many women come out and discuss their decision to not choose motherhood, and the other ways they have chosen to impact the world, through step-parenthood, adoption, or other ideas. As the women, and a few men as well present their ideas, “Being Fruitful Without Multiplying” is well worth considering for those who want to understand the child-free lifestyle.”

 — James A. Cox, Editor-in-Chief, Midwest Book Review

“Women have made enormous progress in the past hundred years. It’s accepted now that women can, of course vote. Of course they can do well in higher education. Of course they can hold a job! But there’s an area where women still shoulder an enormous stereotype that starts from the moment they are born. They are, by and large, expected to produce children. This isn’t a new challenge, of course. Back in Roman and medieval days, a woman could be divorced and abandoned if she didn’t produce children for her husband. That was her main task in life. You’d think we’d be beyond that in our modern age. However, there are still large segments of the population who feel this is the main task for any woman to achieve. Young girls are told, when they act up, that “someday you’ll have children of your own.” It’s not an IF. It’s simply a WHEN. The moment couples marry they’re often hounded by the “next” question – “so, when will you have kids?” Again, a WHEN and not an IF. It’s assumed this is the way things are. Being Fruitful Without Multiplying is a wonderful counterpoint to this pervasive stance. Women from around the world and all stages of life chime in with their reasons and thoughts on not bearing children. There are young woman who are feeling the pressure from family and friends. Older women who are at peace with how they’ve lived their life. There are travelers and scientists, writers and artists. Women whose partners wholeheartedly agreed and women who faced resistance. I love the diversity presented here, and I love the authenticity. These women know they don’t have all the answers for others out there – but they know what was right for THEM. They spent time considering their options, pondering their strengths, and making a decision that was best for their life path. They benefit the world and their communities in so many ways. Having a child of their own just wasn’t a part of that process. I laud this book and think it’s one every person should read – whether you have a child of your own or not. If you don’t have a child, it will give you insight into others who are in the same situation and the challenges and blessings they have as a result. If you did bear a child, it will help you understand those around you who have made a different choice. The more we can understand each other, and the more we can understand the myriad of options available in our world, the better we can bring compassion and support into each other’s lives.”

 — Lisa Shea, Founder of BellaOnline – The Voice of Women

“As the Founder of Gateway Women, an organisation for women who are childless by circumstance, I recognise the authenticity of the voices in Being Fruitful Without Multiplying. Public discourse around ‘why’ women don’t have children fall into two very simplistic categories: either the women couldn’t have them or they didn’t want them. Being Fruitful Without Multiplying explodes this reductive view by giving voice to the many different ways that a woman finds herself without children. From choice, circumstance, medical, religious, cultural and societal factors, each woman shares her story of how she has navigated the assumptions and expectations of her family and culture as a woman without children.  The latter half of the book, featuring ‘first person’ narratives from women of all ages and backgrounds brings into printed form what is normally only seen in the safety of anonymous childfree internet forums, and may serve to broaden the simplistic assumptions that are often made about ‘why’ or ‘how’ women remain childless. This book is destined to become a valuable social document for researchers, as well as a friend to culturally and socially isolated childless by choice women. Being Fruitful Without Multiplying is an important work, and I commend the authors for their efforts and honesty in sharing their own stories in such depth, as well as collating so many other voices from around the globe.”

— Jody Day, Public Relations & Marketing, Founder: Gateway Women United Kingdom

“Patricia Yvette, Renee Ann, and Janice Lynne have opened their journals and have collaborated to bring us a thoughtful and insightful collection of stories and essays which allow us to explore the diverse lives and experiences of childfree women and men from around the world. The essays featured in Being Fruitful Without Multiplying reflect what I found to be some of the top motives for choosing and embracing a life without biological children-freedom, independence, and quality-of-life -and they serve to validate the experiences and feelings of all who have challenged the assumption of parenthood. I would recommend this book to anyone who has made this choice or is currently childless and wonders “what can I expect if I remain so?””

— Dr. Laura Scott, Author of Two Is Enough: A Couple’s Guide to Living Childless byChoice and Director of the Childless by Choice Project

In “Teaching Adult Students Online: A Corporate Geek Girl’s Journal ” Patricia follows up on her book published in 2013 called “Distance Learning: Is it Right for You?” This newest book highlights the essential information that online instructors need to know when trying to educate a highly diverse adult population.  Patricia begins by outlining the different kinds of adult students that online teachers must handle. Highlighting the diverse characteristics of the various generations from the Baby Boomers to the current Google Generation, she provides a comprehensive, yet succinct guide to what instructors can expect. Patricia points out the learning styles, strengths, weaknesses and preferred communication methods of each group. Reaching people of disparate backgrounds and learning styles is truly a challenge – and Patricia’s clear and concise breakdown of individual differences provides tremendous value for instructors trying to plan their approach. The numerous and various methods of online learning are also discussed. This is helpful to potential students as well as instructors. Going even further, Patricia examines various teaching philosophies and strategies that can help new or even the most experienced instructors provide the greatest value to their students. Well written and packed with solid information, this book should be part of every online instructor’s library.”

— Lee Witt, Author, Speaker, Businessman, and Musician, CEO Brickhouse Leadership Solutions