At the heart of innovation lies uncertainty. Every leader has known the moment when the project that once felt exciting begins to wobble—when resistance, shifting priorities, or unexpected turbulence suddenly stalls progress.
Brianna Sylver’s new book, Leading Through Free Fall: How Innovators Turn Turbulence into Trust, shows how those moments of uncertainty can be met with confidence, clarity, and compassion.
The book distills Brianna’s 20+ years of consulting experience into a toolkit leaders can use to not only weather the turbulence of uncertainty but transform it into momentum.
The Phases of “Free Fall”
Built around a sky-diving analogy, the book’s three sections are:
- Suiting Up - How to set your project up for success
- Free Fall - How to navigate resistances to change with clarity and resilience
- Safe Landing - How to ready your innovations for real-world implementation
Each section contains pragmatic, real world case studies, frameworks, and exercises that help leaders manage the inescapably human side of innovation.
The Innovators Toolkit
17 practical tools are shared in the book. Each one will help leaders to:
- Uncover resistance and reframe it as a source of insight.
- Build alignment among stakeholders with competing priorities.
- Clarify success metrics when goals feel shifting or unclear.
- Make decisions from a place of knowledge rather than anxiety.
These tools aren’t abstract or theoretical. They’re proven methods Brianna has used with cross-functional teams facing
Who This Book Is For
This book speaks directly to innovation, insights, customer experience, and marketing leaders, but its reach is even broader.
If you’ve ever had to bring people together in moments of deep uncertainty, balance competing and seemingly incompatible needs, or make the gritty, tough calls in the face of resistance, you’ll find yourself in these pages.
No matter your role or industry, the challenges of leading through turbulence are universal. The tools and stories in Leading Through Free Fall offer any leader practical ways to steady themselves, build trust, and guide others forward.
What Others Are Saying
"In a business world defined by constant disruption, Leading Through Free Fall offers a much-needed blueprint for leaders seeking to turn chaos into a competitive advantage."
—Forbes
“Emphasis on human dynamics, vulnerability, and compassion runs throughout this guide, making it a standout resource for leaders seeking to balance innovation with emotional intelligence.”
—BookLife Reviews
“A damn important book. Necessary. Relevant. In total, just in time. I wish I had this guide earlier in navigating my design career. Better now than later.”
—Design Feast’s Nate Burgos
“Highly logistical and process-driven (e.g., managing timeline change requests; how to assess changes to a project's ecosystem after a leadership shift, etc.). This will be a helpful guide for people who find themselves in hot water or in a time of scary change and need a kind, clear path forward.”
—BlueInk Review
Become a Changemaker
Brianna’s book has become the launchpad for a growing conversation about what it means to “lead with trust” in uncertain times.
As the readership of this book grows, and the impact of its profoundly human-centric approach to innovation widens, Brianna will be sharing insights, events, and behind-the-scenes updates with a group of radical changemakers – and we want you to be a part of it.
Join the Leading Through Free Fall Newsletter to stay connected and be the first to know about new opportunities to learn and engage.
Measurable Impact
Leading Through Free Fall isn’t a book that leaves you with a sugar-rush high of inspiration for a day or so; and then has you crashing back into the reality of your day-to-day life. No, this is a handbook that you’re meant to turn to again and again in your journey as an innovation leader. Each time that you do, you’ll find new inspiration for ‘what to do’ as you look yet another challenge in the eye.
You’ll find it has durable and practical strategies for managing change:
- A language set for discussing deep resistance with anyone.
- Tools to transform chaos into an opportunity for improved clarity and trust.
- A structured, compassionate approach to navigating organizational division.
This is a book you will find yourself reaching for as challenges arise, a reference point for moments when the path forward feels uncertain.
Are You Ready to Take the Leap?
The jump into innovation is never effortless (and never without uncertainty!), but with the right tools, you can land your jump with trust, clarity, and confidence.
Buy Leading Through Free Fall at your favorite bookseller today.
