My Library
Books that have shaped how I think about leadership, power, uncertainty, and the long game.
DUNE
Frank Herbert
Why this book matters:
Leadership in Dune is never about comfort — it’s about navigating power, consequence, and survival when the stakes couldn’t be higher. For leaders facing pivotal transitions, it’s a reminder that how you think shapes everything that follows.
A Principle I Return To
How I Apply it
When I’m in high-stakes moments — deals, decisions, transitions — fear narrows thinking exactly when you need clarity the most. I use this as a reset: name the fear, don’t let it drive.
Who Should Read This
Any leader who has ever felt paralyzed by a decision that carries real consequence.
First, Break All the Rules
Marcus Buckingham, Curt Coffman
Why this book matters:
This book dismantled every assumption I had about what great leadership and management actually look like. It gave me permission to stop following inherited rules and start building from what’s real.
A Principle I Return To
How I Apply it
My entire approach is built around helping leaders develop their own operating principles rather than copying someone else’s playbook. This book was foundational to that thinking.
Who Should Read This
Founders and CEOs who feel like they’re leading by someone else’s rulebook and know something isn’t working.
The Body Keeps the Score
Bessel van der Kolk M.D.
Why this book matters:
Success at the highest levels carries weight that most people never talk about. This book helped me understand why leaders — even successful ones — can feel disconnected, depleted, or unable to fully land. It’s not weakness. It’s biology.
A Principle I Return To
How I Apply it
The work I do with leaders isn’t just strategic — it’s human. Being honest about what’s actually happening, internally and externally, is the starting point for sustainable success. This book deepened my understanding of why that matters.
Who Should Read This
High-performing leaders who feel like they’re winning on the outside but carrying something heavy on the inside.
Stories That Expand
Fiction and narrative nonfiction that shaped how I see the world
Lead With Clarity
Leadership, decision-making, and building judgment under pressure
Know Yourself
Inner work, awareness, and sustainable success from the inside out
Words That Stay
Poetry, memoir, and literary craft that cut close to the bone
reading tips
How I get the most out of reading and apply the insights to my business and leadership strategy
