Choosing to Lead Against the Current: The Courageous Operating System for Changemakers--Empowering leaders to transform the world with integrity, impact, and purpose

by Eveline Shen

Overview

This is the blueprint we need to lead with audacity, transform oppression into power, and ignite a future rooted in collective liberation. —Lateefah Simon, US Congress member and MacArthur “Genius” Fellow

Heart-centered tools for social change leaders to foster courage, keep momentum, and manage burnout

In the face of complex challenges, capable leaders need more than a simple box of leadership tools. They need an internal system of leadership, a tested operating system to help them navigate successfully through forces of oppression, while staying connected to their purpose, values, and vision.

In Choosing to Lead Against the Current, award-winning movement leader, social change strategist, and executive director Eveline Shen shares her Courageous Operating System, a revolutionary system designed to help positive transformation leaders cultivate their power, sustain themselves both mentally and physically, and create lasting conditions for success.

With inspiring stories and case-studies drawn from her own experiences, as well as, from her work with other change leaders, topics include how to:

• Turn encounters with adversity into sources of strength
• Redefine success on one’s own terms
• Build creative momentum against forces of oppression
• Transform failures into progress
• Prioritize short and long-term self-care

Shen’s system has been taught to leaders in over 200 organizations across the U.S. and global South. It’s holistic in nature, with different elements designed to work as one. Choosing to Lead Against the Current takes readers through the system's components, with exercises at the end of each chapter to help integrate them into any leadership style.

Shen’s offering teaches anyone leading against the current how to harness their full leadership power to build a future that values the liberation of all people and life on this planet.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9798889842125
Publisher:	North Atlantic Books
Publication date:	08/05/2025
Sold by:	Penguin Random House Publisher Services
Format:	eBook
Pages:	330
File size:	2 MB

About the Author

Eveline Shen has worked with hundreds of leaders of color from over forty states. In 2010, Shen launched the Strong Families Initiative, galvanizing over 200 organizations to change the way people think, feel, and act in support of families. In 2016, Shen created Stepping Into Power, a movement-wide fellowship, which brought hundreds of leaders across the country to find and hone their courageous leadership. She has also created numerous other trainings and seminars on the Courageous Operating System for youth activists (ages 16-20), leaders in philanthropy (trustees, CEOs, and senior directors), women of color in public office, and BIPOC mental health professionals (therapist, educators, and social workers). Shen was awarded the 2015 San Francisco Foundation Community Leadership Award, and the Lani Shaw Award for Courage and Compassion in the Pursuit of Reproductive Justice by the Funders for Reproductive Equity in 2017.

Editorial Reviews

"To navigate today’s complex social change landscape, leaders must have grit, creativity, and courage. For those who also contend with racism, sexism, homophobia, and other forms of oppression, the challenges become even more monumental.
Choosing to Lead Against the Current guides us through the critical components of leadership necessary to effectively engage with the significant organizational and societal challenges we face in pursuit of social change. Eveline inspires us to break free from conventional leadership models and cultivate an environment for success that is anchored in our moral compass and deepest purpose. Her Courageous Operating System details the inner transformation required for effective leadership and offers a clear pathway to achieve meaningful results, even in the face of setbacks.
Perhaps most importantly, this book encourages us to discover and honor the unique gifts we each bring to our leadership, as we make the change we so urgently need in this moment. This book is for any leader working to envision a better world."
—Heather McGhee, New York Times best-selling author of The Sum of Us

"This book is a manifesto for every leader fighting to dismantle oppressive systems and build something bold, just, and liberatory. Eveline Shen’s Courageous Operating System is more than a framework—it’s a call to action for those of us who refuse to bow to the forces of greed and brutality. This is the blueprint we need to lead with audacity, transform oppression into power, and ignite a future rooted in collective liberation."
—Lateefah Simon, US Congress member and MacArthur “Genius” Fellow

"This book is an extraordinary gift to movement workers everywhere. Choosing to Lead Against the Current is a must-read for anyone harnessing people power for justice and social change in the twenty-first century. With a masterful blend of history, strategy, and actionable advice, Eveline offers an indispensable guide for change-makers determined to transform our world. Eveline’s humble and remarkable guidance has profoundly shaped my life and leadership. I’m thrilled that her invaluable lessons are now accessible to a broader audience through this book."
—Shanelle Matthews, former director of communications for the Movement for Black Lives and distinguished lecturer in anthropology and interdisciplinary studies at City College of New York

"I have been fortunate to know Eveline Shen for over two decades. Many of my leadership skills that I apply in my work I have learned from her. I devoured Choosing to Lead Against the Current in two sittings. This is an important and accessible resource that new and experienced changemakers can use to strengthen their own leadership and their organizations. While Eveline’s purpose is to focus on BIPOC and gender-diverse leaders, the wisdom and practical approaches of the Courageous Operating System could benefit any person confronting a myriad of leadership issues. I can’t wait to integrate these practices into my day-to-day and to share these with my leadership team."
Lourdes A. Rivera, president of Pregnancy Justice

"Choosing to Lead Against the Current is an essential guide for changemakers, offering a bold and beautiful blueprint for courageous leadership in these high-stakes times. Shen masterfully weaves wisdom from her decades of experience as a social change leader with inspiring stories and actionable practices, creating a must-read resource for those committed to leading with purpose."
—Dimple Abichandani, philanthropic advisor and author of A New Era of Philanthropy

"What a remarkable gift to changemakers! This book’s lessons and offerings will deeply resonate with social justice leaders. The Courageous Operating System provides a framework for making meaning of challenging experiences and concrete approaches for overcoming them.
I reflected on my own experiences as a woman of color in every chapter and have immense gratitude for the powerful compilation of tools and approaches that Eveline brings together in her model—insights I have learned and will continue to explore on my leadership path.
I especially appreciate the way Eveline beautifully centers the stories of women and gender-expansive leaders, providing examples of courageous leadership and innovative solutions to structural barriers they face. Knowing the challenges that new and seasoned executive directors face today, this book will be an invaluable resource as we all continue to navigate how to effectively lead against the current."
—Sarita Gupta, vice president of programs at Ford Foundation

"If you are ready to elevate your leadership, then read this book! Ev provides us with the powerful framework we need to cultivate our courage, define success according to our values, move through self-doubt, and achieve the impact we seek. Our movement is undeniably stronger because of her visionary leadership and steadfast support for all of us."
—Wendy Chun-Hoon, former director of the Women’s Bureau at the US Department of Labor

"This book takes leaders on a transformative journey to connect with their unique gifts, strengths, and powers. It is an excellent resource for coaches and those who work to empower women and gender-expansive leaders of color. It is inciteful and practical, with stories and case studies that illustrate the Courageous Operating System, which is intended to inspire and elevate leadership and/or coaching practices."
—Akaya Windwood, author of Leading With Joy, activist, and coach

"Eveline is one of the rare leaders in our movement who has achieved tremendous success in bringing people together to create structural change while embracing the challenges that often hold us back. Her commitment to addressing these difficulties has made our movements stronger and more adaptive.
As a leader in the transformational movement field, Eveline has taught us that liberation cannot be achieved by intellect alone. She emphasizes the importance of integrating mind, body, and spirit into our leadership to effectively tackle the complex challenges facing our communities. Her transformative work within her organization and the powerful coalitions she has built over the years exemplify the principles of the transformative leadership framework she developed and embodied.
Eveline’s wisdom is hard-earned, not just from her successes, but from her willingness to help us confront our breakdowns, unconscious habits, and the ways we get in our own way. She has done this work herself, emerging as a trusted coach and guide to some of the most powerful and effective leaders in our movements. It takes real wisdom to help brilliant, strong leaders grow even stronger, and Eveline has consistently done just that.
Choosing to Lead Against the Current is a must-read for anyone who wants to leverage their full selves in a mindful and strategic way as they step fully into their leadership power. I am deeply grateful that her practice and approach are now accessible to so many others through this inspiring and practical guide."
—TAJ JAMES, founder of the Movement Strategy Center and Full Spectrum Capital

"Choosing to Lead Against the Current is essential reading for women of color in leadership roles. As the number of women of color leaders rises, we find ourselves navigating a landscape marked by political polarization and a backlash against DEI initiatives. This complex environment calls for new rules of engagement and, above all, immense courage.
Having had the privilege of working directly with Eveline and her transformative Courageous Operating System (COS) during the early stages of our co-directorship, we can attest to its profound impact. The COS provided us with a structured framework that encouraged us to ask bold questions of ourselves and each other, allowing us to delve into the intricate dynamics of leadership at the intersection of race, gender, and power.
Embracing a leadership style that moves away from traditional “pale and male” paradigms requires bravery, and the COS empowered us to pursue a more authentic and inclusive approach.
Moreover, the COS fostered an environment of trust that developed surprisingly quickly as we explored our shared vision for leadership within a social justice organization. The time we spent working through the COS laid a solid foundation for our successful partnership, enabling us to explore our similarities and differences with openness and respect.
Eveline’s unique insights and innovative approach, as articulated in the Courageous Operating System, offer a valuable framework for problem-solving and fostering iterative conversations. Rather than presenting a prescriptive one-size-fits-all solution, her work encourages leaders to engage in meaningful dialogue and adapt this model to fit their unique contexts.
In a time when courageous leadership is more crucial than ever, Choosing to Lead Against the Current is an essential guide for those ready to embrace their power and lay the foundation for their leadership success."
—Mariko Miki and Denise Tomasini-Joshi, co-directors of If/When/How

"As women of color leaders, we encounter distinct challenges, including leadership models that feel inauthentic and a lack of safe space to stretch ourselves and experiment with our leadership. Working with Ev and using the Courageous Operating System during a critical juncture in my journey enabled me to take a significant leap forward and expand my vision of what was possible. This experience helped me develop the muscle memory to lead with integrity, confidence, generosity, and strength.
I am so excited about Eveline Shen’s new book, Choosing to Lead Against the Current. I wish I had such a clear and complete guidebook to back me up at the start of my leadership journey. When I transitioned into leadership as the first Black executive director of a historically white-led organization, I was fortunate to have Eveline as an advisor and thought partner after participating in the inaugural Stepping into Power leadership development training in 2016. Since my time in that program, the components of the Courageous Operating System have been touchstones in my growth as a leader. But to see those elements become a book with stories and examples from Eveline’s life is incredibly special and a welcome gift to our movement.
This book centers the humanity of those we serve, those we work alongside, and ourselves in decision-making and response to conflict, threats, and obstacles. This book demonstrates that leading with integrity can get us to better outcomes that do not compromise our commitment to liberation. I look forward to sharing this book with other leaders of color who are navigating their leadership while making radical change in an unjust world."
—Kwajelyn Jackson, executive director of Feminist Women’s Health Center, Atlanta

"I wish I had this book twenty years ago! Eveline offers a practicable path to courage, making tough decisions as a leader, and facing and transforming failure. She lovingly invites us into self-knowing and real self-care, as a ground for vision and collective power."
—Staci K. Haines, founder of generative somatics and author of The Politics of Trauma

"Until our oppressive societal systems change, we have to focus on what we can change—ourselves. In this book, Ev masterfully distills her brilliance, wisdom, and experience into a practical guide for any changemaker to lead organizations and movements from the inside out. I am confident that by applying the tools outlined in this book, we can cultivate greater balance, precision, and possibility in our leadership. For over a decade I have looked to Ev as a mentor and movement sage, and this book serves as a powerful reminder of the invaluable lessons she has imparted—lessons I am eager to revisit and apply."
—Yamani Yansá Hernandez, CEO of Groundswell Fund/Groundswell Action Fund and former executive director of the National Network of Abortion Funds

"Eveline Shen provides the inspiration we need to step up and lead in this moment. Choosing to Lead Against the Current is a breath of fresh air, a much-needed reminder to keep pushing forward. This book is both a motivation and a powerful reminder that the answers we’ve been seeking have always been within us."
—Sulma Arias, executive director of People’s Action

"I am so grateful for Ev’s work and for this book. Her leadership experience and the Courageous Operating System grounded and inspired me in times of great organizational transition. Ev’s practical insights and wisdom guided my leadership transformation with purpose and love. This book gives us critical examples of moving collectively toward gender, racial, and economic justice while challenging and changing ourselves and our movement-building organizations."
—Bia Vieira, CEO of Women’s Foundation California

From the Publisher