Patrick Priestner’s memoir, Notes for the Children, offers readers a profound and intimate look at his life, reflecting on both the highs of business success and the deep personal challenges that shaped him.
While society often measures success through wealth, power, and fame, Priestner’s journey is remarkable for the resilience he displayed in overcoming a troubled childhood marred by abuse, addiction, and instability.
Though his name may not be as instantly recognizable as some other Canadian entrepreneurs, Priestner’s impact is significant. As the founder of AutoCanada, one of the country’s most prosperous automotive enterprises, his success in business is matched only by his generosity as a philanthropist. However, his memoir reveals that his outward success was built on a foundation of hard-earned life lessons, stemming from a deeply personal struggle to rise above his difficult beginnings.
The book is part memoir, part self-help guide, blending business wisdom with reflections on personal growth. Initially conceived as a collection of notes for his children and grandchildren, the book evolved into a larger project, combining decades of observations from business meetings, family relationships, and internal struggles.
Priestner recounts growing up in a volatile household, moving from place to place with his four siblings as they tried to cope with their parents’ destructive behavior—his father, an abusive alcoholic, and his mother, struggling with addiction. These early experiences instilled in him a drive to succeed, but also a need to find inner peace, which he discovered through a love of music and the teachings of Buddhism.
What sets Notes for the Children apart is Priestner’s focus on the emotional and spiritual aspects of his journey. He credits his personal growth to mindfulness, gratitude, and self-compassion, practices that allowed him to confront his inherited demons. He writes with humility, acknowledging past mistakes and expressing gratitude for the struggles that pushed him toward self-awareness. In his own words, “Without these struggles, I may not have been desperate enough to find and study Buddhism or been motivated to practice (and continue to practice) bringing mindfulness, gratitude, and self-compassion to every aspect of my life.”
Priestner’s reflections are filled with honesty and vulnerability, particularly when he discusses the importance of continuous self-improvement. He emphasizes that success—whether in business, as a parent, or as an individual—requires constant self-reflection and the willingness to correct one’s course. His candid admission that “Had I not been embarrassed and ashamed by my behavior, maybe I would not have done the (personal) work I am talking about in these notes to you,” shows the depth of his commitment to personal accountability.
Though Priestner is now one of Canada’s wealthiest individuals, the true value of his story lies in the lessons he shares about overcoming adversity and building a life rooted in gratitude. As he poignantly observes, “I’m not aware of any pharmaceutical drugs that can do for us what gratitude will.”
Notes for the Children is available for purchase on Amazon, Indigo, and Apple Books, offering readers a compelling blend of personal memoir and life guidance that is as inspiring as it is instructive.
