Leading Through Free Fall

How Innovators Turn Turbulence into Trust

De: Brianna Sylver

Narrado por: Brianna Sylver

People aren’t predictable—but your innovation leadership can be.

You’ve built the best innovation process. You’ve mapped out every step. Then, reality hits: People hesitate. Doubt creeps in. Resistance surfaces. Suddenly, your well-designed plan feels like it’s unraveling, and you’re left wondering, What am I missing? What have I done wrong? These moments aren’t setbacks—they’re gifts. They hold the key to deeper trust, alignment, and impact in your work. In Leading Through Free Fall, innovation strategist Brianna Sylver reveals how to turn the inevitable challenges of innovation into your greatest advantage.

Drawing on over twenty years of experience at the intersection of user experience, market research, and strategy, Sylver walks you through three stages of leading innovation: Suiting Up, Free Fall, and Safe Landing. Seventeen tools are shared in this playbook, each designed to help you to navigate the messy humanness of innovation with confidence, while you build trust and lead with clarity, resilience, and impact. The biggest roadblocks in innovation aren’t technical—they’re human. Through real-world stories and actionable strategies, Leading Through Free Fall teaches you how to tame uncertainty, embrace resistance, and turn roadblocks into breakthroughs—so both your teams and projects thrive.

©2025 Brianna Sylver (P)2025 Brianna Sylver

Approachable, relatable, and actionable

Leading by Free Fall is a fantastic guide for anyone working in research, strategy, or innovation, at any level of experience. Brianna Sylver captures how she expertly approaches her daily work and makes it accessible for all—sharing her innate curiosity and clarity in tackling complex challenges, and demonstrating how to embrace the dynamic nature of innovation in ways that propel teams and projects forward.

As an experienced researcher and strategist, I was impressed by how clearly she lays out the nuances of a strong research design, while keeping the tone approachable, the content easy to digest, and the advice practical. The real-world case stories make the concepts feel alive and relatable, and the step-by-step tips incorporated throughout provide simple, actionable ways to strengthen every part of your process.

I came away not just informed, but inspired. Brianna's book helped me reflect on my own research practice and gave me new ideas for how I can grow. Highly recommend!

Energized innovation

Loved the raw case examples and recommendations for turning roadblocks into breakthroughs. Easy to listen to. I also purchased the book to have as reference.

Innovation with Heart

Leading Through Free Fall is one of those rare leadership books that feels both practical and deeply human. the author doesn’t shy away from the messy, emotional side of innovation, she leans into it, offering a clear framework and actionable tools to help leaders navigate uncertainty with confidence.

What sets this book apart is the author herself. Her personality and point of view shine through on every page. She’s not afraid to bring candor, humor, and honesty into her work, which makes the lessons stick. I was struck by how many of her insights echo a coaching mindset, encouraging curiosity, deeper listening, and building trust instead of just rushing to solutions.

The tone is warm, sometimes playful, yet always grounded in real-world experience. This isn’t just theory, it’s hard-won wisdom from decades of wins and missteps.

If you’re leading through turbulence, this book will give you tools, perspective, and encouragement to land and be stronger than when you started.