Meet My New Book

Jia-Ba-Bue: Somatic Leadership Beyond the Binary

Embodied Practices for Healing, Connection & Systemic Transformation

What if the most powerful leadership tool you possess isn’t in your mind, but in your body?

In a world shaped by rigid binaries—success vs. failure, mind vs. body, us vs. them—many of us are exhausted by leadership models that ask us to perform, prove, and push through. While these approaches may be valuable at times, research shows that authenticity, creativity, connection, and innovation are stifled under such circumstances. Jia‑Ba‑Bue: Somatic Leadership Beyond the Binary offers a radically different path: one that returns us to our bodies, our humanity, and our capacity to lead with presence, empathy, and wisdom.

Jia‑Ba‑Bue (吃飽未) is a Taiwanese greeting that asks, “Have you eaten until full?” More than a question about food, it is a relational check‑in—an embodied way of asking: Do you have what you need to be well? This book uses Jia‑Ba‑Bue as an invitation to stop doing leadership and start embodying it.

What This Book Is About

Drawing from somatic psychology, Taoism (Wu Wei), Confucian philosophy, and Dr. Yi‑Li Godfrey’s lived experience as a musician, immigrant, mother, entrepreneur, cross‑cultural consultant, and somatic leadership educator, Jia‑Ba‑Bue bridges ancient wisdom with modern leadership challenges.

Rather than offering another set of abstract theories, this book grounds leadership in the body—where stress, fear, intuition, and resilience actually live. It challenges the binary thinking of past leadership models and invites leaders to cultivate curiosity, emotional literacy, and relational intelligence in high‑stakes environments, meeting the needs of leadership tomorrow. It gives readers practical skills to:

• Lead from embodied presence rather than performance

• Release unprocessed pain so it does not get projected onto others

• Reclaim intuition as a legitimate leadership compass

• Navigate power, difference, and belonging with integrity

• Build healthier families, organizations, and communities—one body at a time

Who This Book Is For

• Leaders in boardrooms, classrooms, therapy rooms, and community spaces

• Facilitators, coaches, educators, and healers

• Organizational development professionals

• Anyone who feels constrained by “either/or” thinking and longs for a different way to lead

• Readers on a personal healing and spiritual growth journey who want their inner work to create real-world impact

Whether you lead a team or are learning to lead yourself, this book meets you where you are.

What Makes Jia-Ba-Bue Different

Unlike traditional leadership books, Jia‑Ba‑Bue does not ask you to override your body in the name of productivity. Instead, it teaches you how to listen to and learn from its innate wisdom so readers feel empowered to make choices. You’ll find:

• Personal stories that illuminate how culture, trauma, and identity shape leadership

• Practical somatic reflections and embodied inquiries

• Applications of Taoist flow (Wu Wei) and Confucian relational ethics for modern life

• Language that is concrete, grounded, and deeply human—never performative

Where to Purchase

Jia-Ba-Bue Somatic Leadership Beyond the Binary is available in the following formats:

• Paperback

• eBook (Kindle)

👉 Purchase on Amazon

For bulk orders, organizational workshops, or facilitated book discussions, please contact:

📩 Email: yili@yiligodfrey.com

This book is part of a larger ecosystem that includes classes, workshops, facilitated conversations, and a growing community of readers who are sharing their stories and becoming co-creators of change.

If you are interested in:

• Hosting a book talk or workshop

• Integrating Jia-Ba-Bue into leadership or professional development programs

• Participating in future classes or podcast conversations

Please reach out through the contact page.

Jia-Ba-Bue is a call to remember our shared humanity—and to lead from there, together.

Readers Say

What people are saying about the book

"This is the book about America's hard truths that many of us have been waiting for. Yi-Li Godfrey beautifully weaves together research and authentic storytelling in ways that are thought-provoking and liberating, giving us an experience to grow and connect more deeply with the self and the other. This is a book infused with the love, tenderness, brilliance, and vulnerability needed to transform how we see ourselves, our histories, and our shared futures. Godfrey's work challenges us to engage in honest reflection while offering a compassionate path toward healing and understanding. This is an essential read for anyone committed to personal and collective transformation." – Dr. Erica Powell, Executive Coach

"From the moment I started reading, I felt the genuineness of Yi-Li’s invitation to include my own story with hers. My identities were welcome and given space at the table. My body was invited and engaged– which rarely happens when reading. Even my defenses were welcome– which felt so important as they are usually something I feel I need to hide or leave behind. Yi-Li masterfully integrates theory and story all while making an invitation to each reader to join her symphony. If you are looking for an opportunity to broaden your perspective on identity and inclusion in a way that includes the mind, spirit and body– this is the book for you!" – Lindsay Ngidiwe, Executive Director, Institute of Core Energetics

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Get in Touch

Questions or thoughts? I’d love to hear from you.