The Words We Leave Behind

Coming 1 November 2026 — pre-order now. Pre-orders ship when the book is published, around 1st of November.

The Words We Leave Behind

Truth, Kindness, and the Culture We Create

By Jussi Reponen, author of Leave It Better Than You Found It

Every workplace, family and community is shaped by the words people use about one another. The Words We Leave Behind explores how gossip, backbiting, and rumour damage trust quietly, why people are drawn to them, and how we can choose better.

Built around Socrates' Triple Filter — Is it true? Is it kind? Is it useful? — the book moves across five parts, from the damage careless words create, to understanding why we gossip, to the Triple Filter itself, to rebuilding healthier cultures in workplaces, schools, families and communities, and finally to the legacy our everyday speech leaves behind.

Grounded in research on belonging, status, emotional intelligence and psychological safety, and in real experiences from the author's own working life, it offers leaders, teams and readers a practical way to build trust through what they say.

Available formats

• Softcover

• Hardcover

• Special Edition — spiral-bound with note sections, so it lies flat for study, book clubs and team discussions