This week, Jessica sits down with Naren Aryal, CEO of Amplify Publishing Group, to discuss what it really takes to publish a meaningful book—and the leadership mindset required to let ideas reach their full potential. Naren shares his journey from law to publishing, sparked by self-publishing a children’s book for his daughter and evolving into a career helping thought leaders find the right audience for their work. Naren explains what excites him most about publishing: working with authors who have strong ideas but need guidance on positioning, clarity, and impact. He talks candidly about the creative tension inherent in publishing, the balance between author voice and editorial discipline, and why successful books require both surrender and ownership from the author. The conversation also centers on the publishing journey of Jessica’s new book, Surrender to Lead. Together, Jessica and Naren reflect on the process of shaping the title, refining the message, co-authoring across different perspectives, and deciding when the author must step fully into their own voice. Through this real-time case study, they explore vulnerability, leadership, culture as lived experience, and why letting go of control often produces the strongest results. At its core, this episode is a behind-the-scenes look at the partnership between author and publisher—and how trust, clarity, and purpose turn ideas into books that matter. As CEO of Amplify Publishing Group, Naren advises industry experts and thought leaders on the opportunities and challenges that exist in the ever-evolving world of publishing. Naren’s visionary leadership has spearheaded a critical disruption of the publishing industry and has legitimized the fastest-growing sector of the market to date. At each turn, he has created more opportunities for deserving authors across genres to not only publish their work, but to publish their work well. He launched Amplify with a single title in 2003 and guided it to what it is today—one of the fastest growing and most respected hybrid publishing companies in the world. At the core of Amplify’s ethos is Naren’s prioritization of innovation. Over the past two decades he has brought new and exciting ways to publish to the fore. Prior to entering the world of books, Naren worked as a lawyer, advising technology companies in the Washington, DC, area. He is a frequent speaker on the publishing landscape, content development and positioning, book production and marketing, and author branding. LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/narenaryal/ Website: https://amplifypublishinggroup.com/ Host: Jessica Kriegel Website: jessicakriegel.com LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/jessicakriegel Instagram: @jess_kriegel Culture Partners Website: culturepartners.com LinkedIn: linkedin.com/company/culturepartners About Naren Aryal

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