“To lead in chaos requires stepping into a new way of leading and living. Amy Elizabeth Fox and Nicholas Janni listen to the echo of a possible future. Mystics at heart, they offer whispered, luminous teachings—trans-missions of vulnerability and soulful presence. Their work opens thresh-olds into transformation, inviting us to cross into a more conscious, embodied way of being. This is initiation: a call to co-create, to shed old identities, and to lead from a deeper, more human place. For leaders, seekers, and those standing at the edge of transformation, this offers not answers, but a sacred invitation. The times could not be more urgent for this shift or the counsel of this book more visionary and resounding.”
LENA TRIANTOGIANNIS
Global Service Leader, Unlocking Transformations, Egon Zehnder
“Leading in Chaos is a prophetic guide for our times—a call to leaders everywhere to root their power not in control, but in healing, wisdom, and the open heart. Janni and Fox remind us that only by transforming within can we meet the enormity of today’s challenges and help birth a more whole and compassionate future.”
PABLO GAITO
Co-founder TruHumanitas and Former Head of Talent, GAP and Cargill
“Leadership faces a crisis today. A crisis of form. As the rushing clouds of a converging polycrisis drench our planet in acid rain, we must ask new questions about what leadership serves today. This book takes courageous steps in the direction of a vital reframe that will soothe lives and nourish worlds yet to come.”
BÁYÒ AKÓMOLÁFÉ, PhD
Author of These Wilds Beyond our Fences and Selah:A Báyò Akómoláfé Reader; Hubert Humphrey Distinguished Professor of American Studies, Macalester College
“I have rarely seen leadership work as courageous and necessary as what Amy and Nicholas are offering here. They are asking organizations to step into a sacred role society has abandoned: to become places of authentic belonging, courageous dialogue, and human-centred trans-formation. They remind us that the character of an organization is inseparable from the character of its leaders. This book challenges leaders to embrace humility and curiosity, and the great work of shaping cultures of healing, wisdom, and possibility. This is the kind of leadership the world needs most right now.”
MARY O’HARA
Former EVP, People and Engagement, Blue Shield of California
“While machines achieve superhuman capabilities, we are led by humans operating far below their potential—trapped in trauma, disconnection, and fear. This gap could destroy us—or transform us. Amy and Nicholas cut through leadership platitudes to expose an uncomfortable truth: our global crises stem not from lack of strategy, but from leaders trapped in wounded, disconnected states. The solution isn’t faster thinking—it is deeper healing. Their framework is deceptively simple yet radically challenging: journey inward through shadow work, outward through authentic relationship, and upward toward transcendent purpose. Amy and Nicholas ground consciousness work in boardroom reality. The book’s central insight is revolutionary: our capacity explodes not through acceleration but through integration. The future belongs to leaders who can evolve conscious-ness as rapidly as technology advances. This book lights the way.”
WILLIAM INGHAM
Board and HR Start-up Advisor, Former CHRO, Visa Europe, Banana Republic International, Poshmark, Ouro
“As an Israeli who has lived through times of uncertainty and conflict, I found Leading in Chaos deeply moving and profoundly relevant. Nicholas and Amy’s work resonates far beyond the boardroom—it speaks to the human spirit’s capacity to heal, to reconnect, and to lead with compassion even in the most turbulent of times. This book is a guiding light for anyone who believes leadership can—and must—be a force for hope and renewal.”
DAN AYLON
Executive Chairman, Signatureglass Worldwide LTD
“In African culture, the interconnectedness of all life is a fundamental philosophy that resonates deeply with the themes found in Leading in Chaos by Nicholas Janni and Amy Elizabeth Fox. As we confront global challenges like climate change and social inequality, the need for transformative leadership becomes critical. The African value of Ubuntu, which emphasizes that ‘I am because we are,’ serves as a reminder of our collective vulnerabilities and strengths. The authors stress the necessity for deep inner work and Leading in Chaos challenges traditional perceptions by ultimately reimagining leadership as a role of a healer and servant.”
PROF. LETLHOKWA MPEDI
Vice-Chancellor and Principal at the University of Johannesburg
“Having been lucky enough to work with Amy over many years, I have seen first-hand the power of her approach to transform individual’s lives for the better as well as the positive and substantial change that can flourish in multinational corporations as a result. I have always admired how she shares her knowledge so generously. This collection of essays is characteristic of that spirit. The rich treasure of insights will bring light to all who want to make a positive difference, to their companies, organizations, and personal lives.”
JAMES MARTIN
Former Chief People Officer, Rio Tinto
“This series of meditations is a leader’s companion to the beautiful unfolding of a new way of seeing the world and our place within it. Nicholas Janni and Amy Elizabeth Fox offer a new paradigm for leadership, living, and loving that the world requires of leaders, of all of us, in this poignant and troubled time.”
JENNIFER GARVEY BERGER
Author of Unlocking Leadership Mindtraps: How to Thrive in Complexity
“Nicholas and Amy’s book is a real gift in this tormented world. Above all, after reading it we all feel an urge to act accordingly, this revolution cannot be postponed. We really have to decide now where do we stand. In an era defined by turbulence, rapid change, unpredictability, leadership as we once knew it has been upended. Into this vortex steps Leading in Chaos, a vital guide that doesn’t promise quick fixes but instead offers something far more valuable: clarity, conviction and a roadmap for leading by feeling. Rather than pretending leadership can be tidy, Nicholas and Amy drive straight into the mess: complexity, ambiguity, conflicting demands. They show us that the new leaders have to perform a deep inner work based on healing and awakening of higher consciousness. This is a life changing reading, written by two leaders who are indeed already changing the world. I am definitely fully on board with this transforming journey to help the world become a better place, full of awareness, love and joy.”
GIOVANNI DE BLASIO
CEO, Epoca Collection, Angel Investor
“Through the mist we desperately need guides to help us find the light. Leading in Chaos serves up wisdom and inspiration framed in practicalities that lead us on a different, more spiritual path that you’ll not soon forget.”
THOMAS DELONG
Phillip Stomberg Professor of Management Practice Emeritus, Harvard Business School
“I applaud Leading in Chaos for deepening the leadership development conversation. To address the accelerating global challenges confronting us, we need more healthy, mature, and awake leadership. But such integral leaders will only emerge at scale through a sustained focus on interior evolution. This book points the way.”
ADAM LEONARD
The Google School for Leaders
“Like poems whispered bedside, this hologram of a book offers an anti-dote to our turmoil, inviting leaders toward authentic wholeness as a doorway to sustainable performance, to renewed hope, and to sacred service to our fractured world.”
ZAFER ACHI
Senior Partner Emeritus, McKinsey & Company
“In increasingly chaotic times, we are reminded by Amy and Nicholas in each sincere and earnest essay that now more than ever, unabashedly and courageously embodying and sharing love as a leader, change agent, or coach is fundamental for our own healing journeys and for the world’s future. As Amy says, history is not destiny.”
PAM COLEMAN
Executive Coach and Leadership Consultant, Former Senior Appointee, Obama White House and Biden Office of Management and Budget
“In today’s challenged and complex world, this book stands out as a beacon of wisdom. Its deep reflective thoughts provide invaluable insights for leaders, making it an essential read for anyone looking to navigate the complexities of 21st-century organizations. It is beautifully written. It challenges us all to go deeper and reflect on how we are leading. Much needed soul food.”
ADAM CANWELL
EY Global Transformation Architect
“My humble submission to the reader is to approach Leading in Chaos not for yourself or for the workplace or for its profound essays but for the deep responsibility each of us carries in leaving the world better than when we inherited it. Re-read it if you must, journal if you can—but importantly pace it to allow your heart to heal slowly. It will, if you permit yourself. Remember, in your personal healing and love lies deep societal change. Welcome to this lifelong path of being a seeker and then a healer of friends, family, teams, and colleagues.”
SAMEER BATRA
President and Chief Business Officer, South Asia @ Jubilant Foodworks Limited (Domino’s Pizza)
“Amy and Nicholas write straight from the heart. Leading in Chaos is a brave and beautiful call to leaders everywhere—to slow down, to heal, and to lead with courage and compassion. Reading their words feels like sitting with a trusted friend who tells you the truth you most need to hear.”
NIREN CHAUDHARY
Former Chairman and CEO, Panera Bread
“I am in awe of Amy Elizabeth Fox and Nicholas Janni and how they wove together a masterpiece of truth, light, and inspiration. They have given us the wisdom to address disembodiment in the workplace and a path to discover emotion, joy, awakening and healing. In this moment of darkness, light is created by being grounded in our deepest humanity and restoring our capacity to fully feel our emotions. I am moved by their insights and can see how self-transformation translates to real change in organizations, leading to limitless possibilities.”
PUJA JASPAL
Chief People Officer, Fastly; Former SVP, People and Communities at Cisco, SVP HR at Visa, HR leader at Google
“In this time of outer chaotic change, this powerful book speaks to the inner—often waning—flame inside each of us. Leading in Chaos whispers don’t go out, don’t give up, and don’t forget to shine. Nicholas and Amy remind us that now more than ever leaders need to fan our inner flame of warmth, caring, and compassion. They show us how doing so will inspire ourselves and others to live and lead with humanity. Their book is an important reminder that leaders must care for themselves to truly lead and it offers concrete guidance on how best to do so in challenging times. Their words are luminous, moving, and thought provoking. Their message is timely, needed, and critically essential to all modern leaders trying to find opportunity and growth in the midst of chaos.”
MICHELLE MCMURRY-HEATH, MD, PhD
CEO, BioTechquity Clinical; Former CEO, Biotechnology Innovation Organization (BIO)
“Rarely have I read a leadership book that speaks so courageously to the heart and the wound of our time. In an age of noise, abstraction, and burnout, it calls us back to intimacy, depth, and the courage to heal. A profound work of truth-telling and possibility, it reminds us that the greatest leadership technology is the human heart—awake, embodied, and in service of the whole. This book is a transmission of leadership that heals, reconnects, and plants the seeds for a regenerative society.”
JAN ARTEM HENRIKSSON
Executive Director of Inner Development Goals (IDG) Foundation
“Janni and Fox go well beyond typical definitions of leadership and standard leadership development approaches. They adopt a lens that sees the leader as a whole person and explain how engaging the full scope of our humanity is necessary to address the distinctive leadership challenges of this moment. Enriching their essays with real examples from the field, they depict not only the extent to which many leaders struggle in the face of increasing complexity and chaos, but also the potential for—and the path toward—dramatically positive change.”
KEVIN LANE
Former McKinsey Partner and President of Bio Products Laboratory
“In a world of mounting crisis, ambiguity and nonlinearity, this book makes the essential case that leaders must do their inner healing to meet outer complexity, becoming “sanctuaries” who transmit steadiness, care, and clear thinking under pressure. Leading in Chaos is the rare field guide that treats transformation as both strategic and deeply human: trauma-informed healing plus higher-order aware-ness, practiced together, so organizations can create real trust, clarity, and speed. I’ve experienced the caliber of Amy and Nicholas’s work up close. It changes leaders and cultures in ways dashboards and traditional problem-solving never could.”
GUIDO MEARDI
CEO and Co-founder, V-Nova; formerly Partner at McKinsey & Company
“Leading in Chaos is more than a book. It is a reckoning. It names what leaders are feeling but rarely say: that we are exhausted, overwhelmed, and often unsure how to lead in a world that feels like it is unravelling. But it does not leave us there. Fox and Janni offer a radically human path forward. A path deeply rooted in presence, healing, and the courage to lead from the inside out. This book is essential reading for anyone committed to showing up with integrity when the ground is shifting beneath us.”
ANGELA JACKSON
Author of The Win-Win Workplace (New York Times Bestseller); Director, Future Forward Institute; Lecturer, Harvard Graduate School of Education
“This an urgent read!! This book is a gift to all those who are unwilling to settle for the current reality (and who also may be overwhelmed by it). Rather than look away, this book invites the reader to take up their work, both internal and external, to lead. It is approachable and yet ambitious; this book is a sacred and pragmatic text for our times.”
ZANDER GRASHOW
Co-author of The Practice of Adaptive Leadership; CEO of the Good Wolf Group
“Amy has dedicated her life to helping leaders heal, grow and evolve into the kind of leadership required to foster and build a sustainable and harmonious world. A world where we move toward living in harmony with self, each other, nature and the systems we build. We are experiencing 4 existential crises at the same time – social disharmony; economic divide; planet degradation; and the proliferation of information and disinformation. This creating a power divide and unprecedented levels of fear and anxiety… a mental health crisis. Amy sees and knows that as humans we are able to move from chaos to harmony through vulnerability; healing; and a move to a heart centred and higher purpose driven approach to leadership. A model of leadership that has been lost in our western and modern world. A model that has is available to us and has been proven over thousands of years. A model that yields better outcomes for all.”
KATHERINE DUDTSCHAK
Senior Executive, Author – Sincerely, Katherine and Advocate for unlocking human potential