What Happens When the Leader Everyone Admires Loses Herself?

Kristen Hadeed built a company, wrote a bestselling book, and became a sought-after speaker on leadership and culture—and she was quietly falling apart. Beneath the blazer and the keynote stage, she was drowning in debt, resenting the team she loved, numbing the pain, and staring at a reflection she no longer recognized. Human Leadership is the book she wrote to tell the truth about all of it.

This isn't a leadership book with frameworks and action plans. It's a story—raw, unfiltered, and deeply human—about what it actually costs to lead from a place of fear, people-pleasing, and self-abandonment, and what it takes to find your way back to yourself. If you've ever felt lost inside a life that looks great on the outside, this book was written for you.

What makes this book different:

• A founder's unflinching account of burnout, financial crisis, and the slow unraveling of a beloved company—told without the polish
• A guide to identifying the hidden beliefs quietly running your leadership and your life
• Honest, practical prompts to help you see yourself more clearly
• Proof that the most important leadership work is the work you do on yourself first

Human Leadership is for anyone who has ever poured everything into others and woken up wondering where they went. Kristen Hadeed didn't just survive her worst chapter—she finally learned to lead herself through it. And in sharing every messy, imperfect step, she gives you permission to do the same.