Who would have thought that a successful engineer-turned-lawyer at the apex of her career would give up the seemingly “good” life and give in to her passion for writing, photography and public speaking? Some may call it foolhardy while others may view it as a bravebut for Karen Walrond , it was the best decision she’s ever made! The Trinidadian born Houston resident says that her formative years were spent traveling between her home country and the U.S. since her father worked as an engineer with Amoco. She later attained her degree in engineering and then moved on to a career in Law from the University of Houston Law Centre. “I practiced law for 15 years total. I’m still licensed as an attorney but I don’t practice anymore.” During her career as a lawyer in the oil industry, she travelled extensively throughout Brazil, Argentina, China, Egypt just to name a few. Walrond's career was booming. She started as a transactional lawyer writing and creating deals, then assisted in running law departments and soon enough was promoted to General Council.
While living in England, she met the man of her dreams..and like the rest of hackneyed fairytales, she wanted to become a mother. She soon realised that her hectic career as a successful lawyer and the demands of impending motherhood were mutually exclusive. After careful thought and support from her husband, in 2008 she left her career in law for good. “ I was at a level where I had to work very long hours and I decided that I needed to spend more time being a mom.” Unlike the start of her career where Walrond dealt with “happy law”, which allowed her to express her creativity, the latter part of her career dealt with conflict, which eventually took a toll on her body, mind and spirit. “ The subject matter can be emotionally wrenching – lawsuits and firing people.” Although her decision to leave was final, she was aware of the great risk factor. “ Even though my husband was incredibly supportive of the idea it meant leaving an incredibly secure salary to creating my own work,” she states.
Walrond also struggled with the idea of sacrificing to some extent, her financial responsibilities to her family. Her love for photography was birthed after she finished her law degree and bought her first camera. She used it to keep a pictorial diary of all the places she travelled to as a lawyer. She also pursued blogging as a hobby back then, attending blogging conferences where she was able to make a name for herself. After leaving her job ,Walrond said she was inspired by an online diary about motherhood that she came across on the Internet. As motherhood became more of a reality for her, she started her own blog as a means way of keeping her family across the globe involved with her new life as a mom. “Chookooloonks” was the medium she used to address topics on everyday life and to share photos. She also advertised her diverse skill sets in her new creative career. Then, the offers started pouring in- fast. Her blogs became so popular that she was invited to participate on an online show called Momversation which was a hit with viewers.
“ Basically we addressed everyday issues within the prism of motherhood,” she states. Although her participation in the show lasted one year, soon enough Oprah came knocking. “ Oprah was looking to do a show on parenting and three of us were selected. She was as lovely as you can imagine,” she beams.
Her latest creation however, has been the Amazon best selling book,“The Beauty of Different”. Inspired by her early years when she was always trying to blend in, Walrond explores this theme through her own thoughts, complemented by of course, her photos. “ The photos feature people who have something about them that is different which they use as the source, their superpower.” Walrond is currently working on an e-book as well. Her advice for that stay-at-home-mom or bank manager who is afraid of pursuing the passion that lies within their heart is simply “take a lot of time to be introspective to find out what you are talented and passionate about, and then take small steps to pursue those goals, even if it's one minute out of your day. “ To quit with no plan is crazy.”
