When the pressure is on,who do you become?
We all lead something: a team, a business, a family, a community — or simply our own lives. Lead Embodied is a body-centered approach to leadership grounded in evidence-based somatic practices.
About the Book
Leadership Comes Home
Roads Less Traveled to Authentic Leadership
When uncertainty, conflict, or change disrupts what we thought we could count on, knowing what to do isn't always enough. The deeper question is: who do we become when the pressure is on?
In Lead Embodied, bestselling author Rhodes Perry introduces a body-centered approach to leadership grounded in evidence-based somatic practices. Through intimate stories, science, case studies, reflective prompts, and a 12-week coaching journey, readers learn to listen inward, reconnect with what matters, and develop the capacity to respond with greater wisdom, compassion, and authenticity.
For executives, entrepreneurs, spiritual leaders, and anyone navigating an increasingly unpredictable world, Lead Embodied offers a different path forward.
At its heart, Lead Embodied is a reclamation of self — a reminder that the leader you are looking for isn't someone you have to become. It's someone you've been learning to return to. From the book
A Different Path Forward
The shift at the center of the book
Inside Lead Embodied
A book to read. A practice to live.
275 pages of story, science, and structured practice — built so you can put it to work the week you start reading.
Intimate Stories
Immersive memoir from a leader who has navigated real pressure — the White House, the DOJ, PFLAG National, and building a firm of his own.
Evidence-Based Science
Somatic practices grounded in research on how the body shapes attention, decision-making, and the way you show up under stress.
Case Studies
Real leaders working with the patterns beneath their behavior — and what changed in their teams when they did.
Reflective Prompts
Questions at the end of each chapter that move you from reactive crisis management to intentional, values-driven decision-making.
A 12-Week Coaching Journey
A structured practice you can move through alone, with a coach, or as a team — the spine of the whole book.
Built for Teams
Designed to be read together. Book clubs, leadership cohorts, and whole organizations can run the practice side by side.
The Lead Embodied Path™
Leadership begins within.
A four-stage journey from envisioning who you want to be to embodying how you lead — the foundational framework behind Rhodes Perry's embodied leadership methodology.
Imagine
Envision the leader you want to become.
Practice
Build somatic awareness through guided practice.
Transform
Shift patterns that no longer serve you.
Lead
Show up with presence, clarity, and authenticity.
The Leadership Shift
What changes when leaders come home to themselves
The Lead Embodied Path™ helps senior leaders shed professional armor, reconnect with the body's wisdom, and lead with authenticity — building the presence, trust, clarity, and resilience to lead through relentless disruption.
- Stay steady under pressure
- Make values-aligned decisions
- Speak with authentic impact
- Build team safety and trust
- Lead with purpose and resilience
- Sustain energy instead of burning out
Early Praise
What leaders are saying
Lead Embodied is literally about how to embody the leader you were born to be. Rhodes is a treasure, and his writing is not to be missed.David K. MensahPrincipal, WAVE Training and Consulting
Wisdom doesn't just live in our heads — it lives in our bodies, too. Lead Embodied created a lasting shift in how I lead, make decisions, and show up.Mary ElizabethCEO, The Fundraising Event Company
Grounded, practical, and long overdue. Lead Embodied walks leaders toward something most leadership books never touch: the self underneath all of the noise.LaTonya WilkinsCEO, Change Coaches
The Lead Embodied Path™ has transformed how I navigate relationships and make decisions. Instead of overextending myself, I'm making more intentional choices that support the life and leadership I want.Rachel KuehlCo-Chair, Diversity Leadership Alliance
Meet Rhodes Perry
Author · Somatic Coach · Speaker
Rhodes Perry is an award-winning bestselling author, somatic executive coach, and organizational culture strategist who helps leaders embody the presence, resilience, and authenticity required to navigate complexity, build trust, and create belonging-centered spaces where people can thrive.
For more than twenty-five years, he has partnered with values-driven leaders and organizations, drawing from leadership experiences with the White House, U.S. Department of Justice, and PFLAG National, as well as founding and leading a nationally recognized consulting firm.
As an openly transgender leader and lifelong human rights advocate, Rhodes demonstrates that the courage to lead begins with the courage to belong to yourself.
Experience Lead Embodied
Book Rhodes for an event
A Lead Embodied gathering isn't simply a conversation about leadership. It's an invitation to pause, listen inward, and explore who you're becoming — and who you want to be when life asks more of you. Rhodes brings the experience to bookstores, communities, organizations, and leadership gatherings.
Author Talks & Readings
Stories and ideas from Lead Embodied, and audience Q&A.
Somatic Experiences
Guided practices that allow audiences to experience the book.
Author AMA
Conversations about leadership, uncertainty, and authenticity.
Book Clubs & Community Gatherings
Facilitated discussion paired with reflection and embodied practice.
Leadership Keynotes & Workshops
Bring the Lead Embodied Path™ into teams navigating change.
Invite Rhodes to Your Community Advance copies • Author readings • Community partnerships
For Organizations
Bring the Lead Embodied Path™ to your leaders
A somatic approach to executive leadership — moving from performance to presence.
Executive Keynotes
High-impact talks on embodied leadership for conferences, leadership summits, and all-hands gatherings. Rhodes doesn't just talk about presence — he guides the room into a shared somatic practice audiences feel in the moment and remember months later. Best suited to events built around change, trust, resilience, or culture.
Check AvailabilityLeadership Cohorts
Small-group programs that blend somatic practice with peer accountability over a sustained arc. Leaders move through the Lead Embodied Path™ together and build a shared language for pressure, trust, and decision-making that outlasts the program. Built for emerging-leader pipelines and cross-functional leadership teams.
Explore CohortsFacilitated Retreats & Workshops
Immersive half-day, full-day, or multi-day experiences that deepen trust, alignment, and collective capacity. Designed for leadership teams navigating reorganization, rapid growth, or repair — the moments when the work is as much relational as it is strategic. Every session is built around where your team actually is.
Plan a RetreatExecutive Coaching
1:1 somatic coaching for senior leaders navigating complexity and change. Twelve weeks of structured practice centered on what your body does under pressure — and what that pattern is costing you and the people you lead. For executives who look effective on paper and know they're running on armor.
Let's Talk
Book Details
Lead Embodied
Roads Less Traveled to Authentic Leadership
- Author
- Rhodes Perry
- Publisher
- Publish Your Purpose Press
- Publication
- January 2027
- ISBN
- 979-8-88797-254-1 (paperback)
- Formats
- Paperback, Hardcover, eBook, Audible
- Pages
- 275
Advance copies available for events and media. Contact rhodes@rhodesperry.com.
Be First to Know
The leader you're looking for isn't someone you have to become.
Join the list for launch news, preorder links, early somatic practices from the book, and upcoming keynotes, workshops, and retreats built on the Lead Embodied Path™.
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.