Be Unapologetically Impatient: The Mindset Required to Change the Way We Do Things

Have you ever asked why and been met by a response like: “That’s just the way we do things here.”

In Be Unapologetically Impatient, award-winning psychologist Dr. Christina Cipriano teaches everyone—parents and educators, providers and patients, businesspeople and clients—how to use science to address “the way we do things” right now.

From kitchen tables to classrooms, local playgrounds to national theme parks, doctors’ offices to universities, and boardrooms to the White House, Dr. Cipriano demonstrates how being unapologetically impatient—the activation of intrinsic motivation, emotional intelligence, and gratitude—is the mindset required to change “the way we do things.”

Drawing on deeply relatable experiences navigating hurdles embedded in everyday living and anchored in her oldest son’s rare disease journey, Dr. Cipriano seamlessly weaves together decades of scientific evidence and infectious storytelling to illuminate and interrupt conventions across education, medicine, and industry. Dr. Cipriano privileges the personal and professional, masterfully teaching readers to seek joy and promote justice in their everyday interactions while providing scripts, tools, and framing that are immediately usable for everyone.

An actionable love letter for a generation, it is time to be unapologetically impatient.

Editorial Reviews

"In Be Unapologetically Impatient, Dr. Cipriano offers strategy after strategy for creating light—ways to call in rather than call out, ways to ask questions rather than shout accusations, ways to make a difference rather than just make a point. This is a wonderful book for parents, health care professionals, educators, policy makers and anyone who wants to make the world more just and more joyful too. — Dr. Tim Shriver, Chairman, Special Olympics

"Be Unapologetically Impatient should be a must read for every parent, for every patient, for every provider, for every person, and for every organization they operate in. This insightful and practical book enables readers to learn how to use their voice and their social and emotional competence to support their, and all, children. — Dr. David Osher, Vice President, American Institutes for Research

"By teaching us how to lead with curiosity, humanity, and gratitude, and embracing the conviction that a brighter future that works for everyone is indeed possible, Dr. Cipriano reminds us that being unapologetically impatient is the only way we will realize it. —Melissa Stevens, Executive Vice President, Milken Institute

"Now is the time to seek voices of reason, those who offer grounded clarity and practical solutions for reimagining how we live. Chris Cipriano is one such voice.— Bob Cunningham, CEO, the International Centre for Missing and Exploited Children

"Be Unapologetically Impatient is both a love letter to her children and a challenge to all of us to do better for every child. — David Adams, CEO, The Urban Assembly

"Dr. Cipriano’s pursuit of equal parts joy and justice, admittedly practiced through trial and tribulation, is an inspiring call to action for every parent, teacher, medical professional, advocate, and ally. — Dr. Jacqueline Rodriguez, CEO, the National Center for Learning Disabilities

"Be Unapologetically Impatient is an impassioned manifesto to urgently care and do what is necessary to bring justice to all children and communities. — Dr. Linda Mayes, Arnold Gesell Professor and Chair, Yale School of Medicine