Acclaimed local leadership author writes sequel — with her teenage kids

Leadership consultant and keynote speaker Julie Henry wasn’t necessarily planning to write a sequel to her debut book on leadership, “Wisdom from the Wild: The Nine Unbreakable Laws of Leadership from the Animal Kingdom.” 

Published in late 2021, the book is a deep dive into something Henry, president of Sarasota-based Finish Line Leadership and JH Global Inc., had been doing for much of her career: linking nature to leadership. It also was a hit, ranked as an Amazon bestseller in Biology of Wildlife and business mentoring and coaching, and a 2024 Best Business Minds Book Award winner. 

Henry, who worked in senior-level roles at aquariums and zoos prior to getting into consulting, based the book on both her life and work experience. Consider one chapter focused on leaders grappling with a fear of spiders. The theme is to accept, but not be distracted, by fear, so you don’t miss the opportunity behind being scared. The parallel point: Not all spiders are bad. Which leads Henry, in the book, to write fear can be “nature’s built-in yellow light, reminding you to slow down and pay attention to the opportunities for change that sticks.”