Featured on BookLife
Jennifer Zach was spotlighted in BookLife’s Cover Crush roundup as one of the indie authors whose cover design powerfully reflects their book’s essence, with her Somatic Awareness: Leading with Body Intelligence cover praised for its “playful elegance” and brave departure from typical business aesthetics. She shares that she nearly chose a more conventional design, but ultimately trusted her instincts, a decision validated by reader feedback about how striking and inviting the final cover is.
Why This Book Matters: The Foreword
Jennifer’s appreciation for our mind-body connection has played itself out in our coaching sessions in the form of her seemingly simple questions: “How did you feel just before that happened?” “What sensation did you feel inSomatic Awareness: Leading with Body Intelligence in your body?”
Over time, she named for me what it was her questions were leading me to understand: Somatic Awareness. Based in physical and social science, Somatic Awareness provides a framework and set of tools to bolster our emotional intelligence, decision-making, and communication skills.
For me, noticing my body’s cues helps me to slow down, re-assess situations and make more measured responses that encourage collaborative problem-solving rather than similar Fight, Flight, or Freeze reactions on the other end. As an added bonus, I just feel better. It’s hard to carry the weight of those physical sensations that arise in stressful situations;Somatic Awareness helps us avoid their unhealthy accumulation over time.
Perhaps most important for me as a healthcare leader, Somatic Awareness is part of what helps me to maintain a healthy team dynamic, where leaders and team members alike feel they are respected and heard. By being fully present, aware, and curious rather than in a struggle to manage my own emotions, I can help our leaders and team members be their best selves as they care for our patients and communities.
I hope that Somatic Awareness: Leading with Body Intelligence is exactly the right book for you at exactly the right time. Thank you, Jennifer, for bringing this blend of science and life practice into being.
Michelle Niermann, MA, FACHE
Chief Operating Officer - East Division UnityPoint Health
Book Life Review
BookLife, from the trusted team at Publishers Weekly, is the gold standard for indie and self-published authors. Their professional reviews don’t just critique — they spotlight books with an industry-recognized seal of credibility.
“Somatic awareness is critical to forming healthy human relationships and generating positive business results,” Zach writes in this concise guidebook. To help readers better recognize and understand their threat responses, Zach first delves into the body’s autonomic processes, covering how the vagus nerve communicates physical sensations to the brain, why our bodies cannot discern between real and perceived threats, and how somatic awareness can prompt thoughtful and deliberate behavioral responses. Those skills are key to positive leadership, Zach asserts, as learning how to regulate our nervous system “is the secret to developing resilience in ourselves and the people we lead, teach, and coach.”
Reader reviews
“Somatic Awareness: Leading with Body Intelligence” is a game-changer for anyone interested in enhancing their leadership skills through body awareness. The book beautifully bridges the gap between mind and body, offering deep insights into how our physical presence and sensations can inform and improve our leadership abilities. The practical exercises and real-life examples are incredibly helpful, making the concepts accessible and actionable. This book is a must-read for leaders who want to develop a more holistic approach to their role, fostering greater self-awareness and more effective communication. Highly recommend for personal and professional growth!”
- Julie Winkle Giuliani, Author of Help Them Grow or Watch Them Go and Promotions are So Yesterday.
Somatic Awareness: Leading with Body Intelligence was recognized by BookLife, the indie publishing arm of Publishers Weekly, as a Cover Crush selection—praised for its “playful elegance.”