Does Your Leadership Become You?
In a world where leaders are constantly pulled between external expectations and internal truths, Dr. Natalie Pickering’s first forthcoming book—Leading Becomes You: How to Lead from Your Own Skin—offers a transformative journey to rediscover and reclaim the authentic self-as-leader. Drawing from psychology, emotional intelligence, and leadership development, this book dismantles the illusion that leadership success requires sacrificing who we truly are.
Blending research, personal insights, and actionable exercises, Leading Becomes You: How to Lead from Your Own Skin guides leaders through a four-phase process of awareness, acceptance, assimilation, and authentic expression. It begins in the wasteland—a metaphor for the disconnected, depleted self—and charts a course toward flourishing, where identity and leadership align seamlessly. Along the way, readers will explore their own “Root-Bound Self,” challenge outdated scripts, and cultivate the courage to lead with purpose and wholeness.
As they navigate the day-to-day challenges of their roles, managers, supervisors, and leaders cannot lead and manage effectively without this foundational work of building their very own self-as-leader leadership blueprint. This is the how to!
Get Chapter One in advance!
Dr. Natalie’s insights have been featured in:
Advance Praise
Dr. Natalie Pickering is the kind of person who, if you met her in line in the grocery store, would strike up an animated, humorous conversation with you, all the while offering curative adice that you would later, sitting in your care realize, significanlty impacted your life and wellbeing. I know. I’ve had that conversation with her. The next best thing to calling her for an actual appointment, is to read her animated, skillfully written practical guide to becoming the kind of leader who knows how to lead from their own skin. Five stars!
–Jamie Winship, Author, Speaker, Founder, Identity Exchange
Wow! Instead of the usual book detailing symptoms of leader discontent Leading Becomes You offers a tested and true blueprint from an experienced Psychologist and Coach’s clinical expertise. It is a deep work but an easy and enjoyable read. I have personally seen the dramatic impact Dr. Pickering’s work has on the wide variety of managers, supervisors, and leaders with whom she works. I compiled a list of gift recipients as I read this book!
–Cynthia Mealer, PhD Clinical Psychologist
Leading Becomes You both challenged and encouraged me. Engagingly written, with stories from the author’s own life story as well as her years of practice helping clients discover their authentic self-as-leader. Having recently completed a career chapter in non-profit executive service, I’m looking ahead to my next chapter. Leading Becomes You has given me the language and tools to navigate this next phase of leadership successfully. I wish I could have read it thirty years ago. You won’t regret this read.
–Tim Rickel, VP WGM, Retired