Darren Stehle Coaching

06/04/2026

The book is out.

"Q***ring the Way: Navigating Leadership Ethics from the Margins" — available today on Amazon and directly from me.
To quote my own words:

"Your experience of living outside the heteronormative status quo is not a liability. It is a form of ethical intelligence."

Nearly a decade in the making. I hope it finds the people who need it.

If you've been following along — thank you. If you're ready to read it, here it is.

https://www.darrenstehle.com/q***ring-the-way/

And if you read it and it speaks to you — an honest review on Amazon makes a real difference.

Not a template. Not a framework. A philosophy — built from the margins, for those ready to lead from the full truth of who they are.

05/25/2026

It's real!

"Q***ring the Way: Navigating Leadership Ethics from the Margins" is now available for pre-order on Amazon, ahead of its June 4th release.

This is the book I spent nearly a decade trying to write — a personal philosophy of q***r leadership grounded in the Tao Te Ching and ethical inquiry, built from the experience of living outside the heteronormative status quo.

It's for q***r and trans leaders, change-makers, and social entrepreneurs who are done compromising and ready to lead from the full truth of who they are.

Pre-order on Amazon: https://www.amazon.ca/dp/B0H2SMRLFV/
Or follow along before launch: darrenstehle.com/q***ring-the-way

June 4th. Ten days away.

05/24/2026

So, this is exciting!

Book cover: finalized!

Book uploaded to Amazon: done!

Pre-order link: within the next 72 hours!

Release date: Thursday, June 4th!

05/19/2026

I started writing my book three times.

The first time, I got to 13,000 words and stopped. The second time, years later, I wrote and dictated four chapters and disliked what I wrote so much that I put it down and put it out of my mind for a while.

The third time was the charm, as the expression goes. I found the reframe I needed to move forward, which allowed me to keep going and finish it.

I am telling you this not because the struggle is the point, but because the reframe is.

For a long time, I envisioned my book as a leadership book that happened to be written from a q***r perspective. That framing made the book feel like it needed to justify itself to an audience that might not share my experience — to translate, explain, or make it palatable. Yuck!

The reframe was that q***r identity isn't the context for the leadership ethics explored in this book; rather, it's the source of those ethics.

Living outside the heteronormative status quo and navigating a world whose default order is not built to include you produces a particular kind of ethical intelligence — an awareness and capacity to see structures that others move through without noticing. The results include the habit of questioning what others take for granted, and the knowledge that thinking for yourself is not optional; it is a survival skill.

"Q***ring the Way: Navigating Leadership Ethics from the Margins" is what happens when you take that emotional and ethical intelligence seriously as a foundation for leadership, not despite your q***rness, but because of it.

I wrote my book because I needed to give voice to a q***r ethics. I also wrote it for the q***r and trans leaders, changemakers, and social entrepreneurs I've worked with for nearly a decade. They needed something tangible that conveyed the message: your lived experience is not a liability. It's precisely what leadership needs more of.

My book publishes on June 4th! Follow along here:

Not a template. Not a framework. A philosophy — built from the margins, for those ready to lead from the full truth of who they are.

05/14/2026

I took this selfie at the gym this morning. I look tired because I am.

I missed two workouts this week. Not because I didn't care, but because I got so deep into the zone preparing for my book launch that suddenly it was too late. No alarm set to stop. No calendar reminder. Was it a conscious choice or convenient excuse? Probably both.

I slept so deeply last night that I woke up with pillow impressions on my face and the remnants of a dream completely outside my lived experience.

We all do this, and it's okay, but only for a short while.

Life is a constant balancing act of choices, whims, distractions, and priorities. I've walked Scooby every day this week, which benefit my well-being. The workouts, however, got deprioritized while I wasn't paying attention.

This morning's selfie was the reminder I needed.

In my book Q***ring the Way, the first principle — FEEL — includes this practice around Energy: Fuel your body and mind with practices that support vitality, stamina, and clear-headedness — the essentials for showing up fully each day.
I wrote that. I believe it. But this week I didn't live it.

Time spent on self-care is not time lost. A clear mind and an equanimous spirit clear the path for more effective and enjoyable work. I know this, now I simply need to practice it again.

Follow along with the book launch here:
https://www.darrenstehle.com/q***ring-the-way/