​Wholehearted Leadership, by Simon and Ceri Harris  

'An invitation to step out of striving and shame, into a more integrated, grounded, and grace-filled way of leading; offers guidance for anyone longing to lead from a deeper place'

Wholehearted Leadership: Leading from a Deeper Place 
By Simon and Ceri Harris 
Independently published
ISBN: 979-8308744092
Reviewed by Simon Goddard

Many leadership books focus on external skills – vision casting, strategy, communication – but far fewer help us to attend to the internal life of the leader. Wholehearted Leadership by Simon and Ceri Harris does exactly that, inviting us to lead not just with our heads, but with our hearts. And not the fractured, over-stretched hearts many of us carry around – but hearts that are becoming whole. We join them on a journey beneath the surface, into the often-unseen emotional terrain that can either sustain or sabotage our leadership. 

I’ve had the privilege of witnessing Simon and Ceri’s integrity and compassion firsthand. Their wisdom is not abstract; it’s lived, practised, and offered generously. In this book, they bring that same wholeheartedness to the page, offering a rare blend of honesty, insight, and practical tools. It’s an invitation to step out of striving and shame, and into a more integrated, grounded, and grace-filled way of leading, and offers guidance for anyone longing to lead from a deeper place. 

The book unfolds in three parts. Part One, “The Problem,” begins by shining a light beneath the surface of our lives. In chapters like Heart Attack, the authors gently but clearly name the emotional risks and hidden wounds that so often jeopardise otherwise gifted leaders. They don’t do this to provoke guilt or anxiety – but to open the way to healing. 

Part Two, “Hope,” offers a way forward and is rich with insight and spiritual depth. The language is beautifully biblical and emotionally intelligent – drawing from theology, psychology, and years of pastoral experience. In chapters with titles like Name Your Fig Leaf and The Key to Unlock Your Heart, we are invited to courageously explore our inner world, to bring truth into the hidden places, and to make peace with the parts of ourselves we’re often tempted to ignore or hide. 

The final section, “Wholehearted Living,” draws the threads together, offering a vision of what it looks like to walk in this new way. The two chapters on Walking Wholeheartedly are especially compelling, not because they offer easy fixes, but because they are rooted in reality – they offer practices for a rhythm of leadership that is sustainable, fruitful, and faithful. 

What makes the book even more powerful is the way it is interwoven with stories from other leaders – honest accounts of struggle, growth, and healing. These testimonies turn theory into lived experience and make it clear that wholehearted leadership is not reserved for the unusually self-aware or emotionally fluent. It’s available to any leader willing to take a brave and honest look at what lies beneath the surface – and to take steps, however faltering, toward greater wholeness. 

Wholehearted Leadership is not a book to skim or race through. It’s a companion for the journey – one you’ll want to return to again and again. In a time when leadership fatigue, burnout, and moral failure are all too common, Simon and Ceri offer a better way: a path that leads through truth, honesty, and grace, into the freedom of an undivided heart. 

This book is vulnerable, it’s real, and it offers practical steps for creating the healthy emotional foundations that are essential for every leader who longs to be fruitful in every aspect of their lives. 

 

For more on Ceri and Simon Harris, visit their website Wholehearted Solutions 

Simon Goddard is a Baptist minister and director of RiverTree