Have you ever wanted to learn more about the special leaders in your life? To get beyond the bio paragraphs, sound bites and elevator pitches and go deeper, to mine the depths to the real essence? Have you wondered about what makes them tick, their leadership philosophy, core strengths and values? How they think and feel, get clear about their big picture purpose, make decisions, stay calm under pressure, build relationships, and navigate change? Over the course of my career I've had the pleasure of closely interacting with thousands of leaders. These are among the very finest I have ever crossed paths. They love what they do, stay true to themselves, leverage their strengths and develop and empower people in different ways. All are beloved in their communities and highly respected by their colleagues, clients and friends. They are not household names, but should be. They live rich lives, not measured by material wealth accumulation or classic conventional scorecards. They light up and carry a room with highly contagious enthusiasm and zest for life that attracts. While they are wonderfully unique, they share one thing in common. They all show up in their authenticity. They model for us what leading well looks like, and invite us to lead with our own authenticity, open to leading and living well, being "all in" ourselves. Their beautiful, heartfelt examples, life stories and lessons learned enable us to expand our own perceptions. Being a wholehearted leader is courageous. It's showing up and daring greatly. I hope their stories touch your life and inspire you, too.