Stories, essays, and the truth about everyday leadership.

This is where I sort through the truth of it all with a little grace and a lot of humor in leadership, in technology, and in life. Sometimes that looks like a short essay on presence. Sometimes it’s a glimpse into my books-in-progress. Sometimes it’s just me sharing what it took today to keep moving forward.

I don’t write on a schedule; I write when there’s something worth saying. Sign up below to read the latest, or start with a few favorites below.

  • Essays on Presence — Reflections on clarity, boundaries, and showing up fully — even when the world is loud.

  • Book Updates — Behind-the-scenes notes on my memoir and nonfiction work. Drafting, revising, celebrating, and sometimes wrestling with words.

  • Personal Reflections — Stories and snapshots from everyday life — coffee on the deck, scary movies, bourbon nights. The moments that remind me why presence matters.

Subscribe
Featured
When the Quiet Voice Becomes Your Compass
When the Quiet Voice Becomes Your Compass

The quiet voice inside you never rushes. It doesn’t compete for attention or demand certainty. It waits for you to stop performing calm long enough to hear it. When you do, it becomes your compass—steadier, wiser, and far more accurate than the noise around you.

When Clarity Crosses a Line
When Clarity Crosses a Line

Clarity is one of my greatest gifts—but offered without permission, it can feel like intrusion. I learned that the hard way recently when my words landed as force instead of support. The recoil I saw wasn’t about malice or arrogance, it was about timing and respect. Every gift has a shadow. The work of leadership isn’t to stop using our gifts, but to wield them with more care. Influence isn’t just about what you know—it’s about how, when, and whether others are ready to hear it.

The Leadership Gift of Space: Finding Clarity Beyond the Busyness
The Leadership Gift of Space: Finding Clarity Beyond the Busyness

We mistake busyness for proof of leadership, as if a packed calendar and a flood of emails equal impact. But busyness doesn’t build clarity—it erodes it. The real gift of leadership is space: a pause before the yes, a moment to breathe, a boundary that protects what matters most. When leaders make room for clarity, energy, and presence, they not only lead better—they invite everyone around them to do the same.

Writing & Reflection, Leadership & Wholeness, Ink & Intuition Amanda Sarratore Writing & Reflection, Leadership & Wholeness, Ink & Intuition Amanda Sarratore

When the Quiet Voice Becomes Your Compass

The quiet voice inside you never rushes. It doesn’t compete for attention or demand certainty. It waits for you to stop performing calm long enough to hear it. When you do, it becomes your compass—steadier, wiser, and far more accurate than the noise around you.

The quiet voice inside you never rushes. It doesn’t demand attention or compete with noise. It waits for you to stop performing calm long enough to notice what is real. Beneath the urgency and expectation, that voice is your compass, steady, honest, and always ready to lead you home.

There was a time when I believed the loudest voice in the room was the one that mattered most.
The voice that spoke first. The one that carried weight through confidence, data, and volume.
I mistook authority for noise and believed that leadership required projection.

But over the years, I’ve learned that the voice worth listening to is rarely the one commanding the most space. It’s the quiet one. The one that sits just beneath the surface. The one that speaks in tension, intuition, and knowing before words ever form.

The quiet voice doesn’t compete for attention. It doesn’t perform. It waits.

And when you learn to hear it, everything changes.

Read more
Read More