Scooby and I took a break in the shade along the Lachine Canal today and I recorded this short video to share some news and a thought.

Queering the Way: Navigating Leadership Ethics from the Margins is now available for pre-order on Amazon, ahead of its June 4th release.

It is a personal book. A personal philosophy of queer leadership rooted in the Tao Te Ching — built around how you feel, what you know, how you think, how you use your voice, what you dream, and how you lead. It’s for the change-makers who are looking for someone with whom they can connect and say: I get this. This is the way I haven’t considered for how I can lead from my convictions with full integrity.

I was editing the VOICE principle when I recorded this, and I want to say something about what voice actually means in this context. Not just how you speak or communicate, but the different ways in which you do that, and most importantly, how your message is understood by others so that you have genuine influence. Not power over, rather the kind of conviction that others feel and want to follow.

Audre Lorde wrote:

“I have come to believe over and over again that what is most important to me must be spoken, made verbal and shared, even at the risk of having it bruised or misunderstood.”

Sometimes we have to be disruptive. Sometimes we have to ruffle feathers. That doesn’t mean we have to be disrespectful, though it may feel that way to some people. When you call out the truth for what it is and force people to see a perspective they’re not quite aware of — the things they are standing for that are harming others — you are standing up for the dignity of everyone.

That is the essence of what this book is about.

June 4th. Nine days away.

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit darrenstehle.substack.com