“As a leader and entrepreneur, I’ve seen what can happen when you put humanity first at work: Connection deepens. Trust grows. Relationships flourish. And your bottom line? Better than ever. But I learned about it the hard way. The Five Embodiments is the guide to human-focused leadership that I wish I’d had when I started my business. It’s simple, accessible, and research-backed, and it will help leaders at all levels create cultures of connection and psychological safety. If you’re looking to bring humanity back to your workplace but aren’t sure where to start, start here.”

—Kristen Hadeed, CEO, author of Permission to Screw Up: How I Learned to Lead by Doing (Almost) Everything Wrong

“The Five Embodiments resonates with me on several levels. The way Matt and Jean connect the loneliness epidemic and the obstacles to making meaningful human connections at work is timely and on point. Work has a massive impact on our very being, and the framework this book offers is a novel solution to a widespread problem. When I was building businesses in the ’80s, interpersonal human relationships were far more front and center, yet today the norm is much more transactional. The ‘embodiments’ are an innovative approach to building the skills that many of today’s leaders lack. I love how they brought their ideas to life and wove in case studies, stories, and practical takeaways. This is not a system that any company I know of can look at and say ‘We already do that.’ Despite all the leadership training out there, no one is focusing on this. This is truly a different approach to leadership and in my opinion only has upside.”

—Steve Pruett, Executive Chairman, Cox Media; author, The Gain Principle

“If you’ve ever whispered, ‘There’s gotta be a better way’ into your coffee between meetings—this book offers it. The Five Embodiments is a guide and invitation to making leadership more relational, more intentional, and way more human. If you want to lead in a way that actually serves people and not just performance metrics, this one’s for you. It will help you show up with greater clarity, compassion, and the courage to act.”

—Stephen "Shed" Shedletzky, speaker; coach; author, Speak-Up Culture: When Leaders Truly Listen, People Step Up

“Finally, a leadership book that doesn’t just inspire. It equips. As someone leading sales, marketing, and culture for a large organization, I’ve read a lot of leadership books —but The Five Embodiments landed differently. The ideas aren’t new, but the way they’re framed—curiosity, authenticity, care, gratitude, and ownership—makes them feel accessible and actionable. This book gave me practical tools to grow and to bring my team along for the ride. The chapter wrap-ups and practice prompts made it easy to stay engaged—and easy to come back to. The consistency story from Jean (about yoga and learning to sway instead of staying rigid) hit me hard. Clear, actionable, and actually useful—this is the kind of leadership book you’ll dog-ear and revisit again and again.”

—Chad Allers, Vice President of Sales and Marketing, Bargreen Ellingson