Behind the Launch: A Case Study in Peace, Rest, and Rhythms

This week, I released the audiobook version of my latest book, Grace Under Pressure: A Story About Leadership and the Hidden Cost of Ambition.

After the sigh of relief from finally getting to the finish line, I reflected on how grace-empowered decision-making was such a big part of everything connected to this book. The decisions weren't dramatic, high-stakes moments; however, they were consequential choices with trade-offs that carried ripple effects.

I thought I'd share a short case study on how three gifts of grace — peace, rest, and rhythms — were especially vivid for me in this process.

Peace (Over Chaos)

Noise is the enemy of wise decision-making. Deadlines shout, and our own inner critic (or others) urges us to hurry up and decide. Grace empowers us to pause long enough to listen deeply for wisdom, for the truth beneath the noise, and for the steady voice of clarity that only emerges when chaos quiets down. When you create intentional space to listen, you move beyond reaction and into discernment.

How it showed up for me:

Earlier this year, I faced a decision about whether to push back my March paperback release date until the audiobook was ready. Publishing wisdom says launch all formats together for maximum momentum. The problem was that waiting would have meant months of delay.

That’s exactly how I’d done it before. Grace Over Grind—now with over 20,000 copies sold—was launched with every format hitting the market at once. Another one of my books followed the same playbook. It worked. But this time, grace led me in a different direction.

Peace led me to release the paperback first, back in March. The trade-off was losing some launch synchronization and potentially sales, since audio has made up about 60% of my book sales in recent years. The gain was getting the message into readers’ hands sooner and, more importantly, being in alignment with the timing for the bigger picture that the book was supporting.

Rest (Over Striving)

Striving often demands certainty. Grace frees you to take bold steps without guarantees and move forward even when the path isn’t fully clear. It means loosening the grip on control and leaning into a deeper confidence that things will ultimately work out as they should. For me, that means trusting that God’s goodness covers what I can’t predict or engineer.

How it showed up for me:

When it came time to produce the audiobook, the “safe” option was obvious: like my other books, I could go into my local studio, narrate the entire thing, and release it on Audible, the largest audiobook platform in the world. That’s the route I’d taken with my previous books, and it served me well.

But Grace Under Pressure is an allegory full of dialogue and characters. I knew in my spirit that the story needed multiple voices. Hiring a full team of voice actors wasn't feasible, so I researched my options and found a solution using AI voice actors.

The problem? Using that AI tool would disqualify my audiobook from Audible. The trade-off was significant distribution reach. The gain was creative integrity and an experience aligned with the vision for the book. It wasn’t catastrophic, but it was a meaningful consequence. Rest invited me to trust the fruit of alignment more than the safety of easy reach.

Rhythms (Over Pressure)

Chronic urgency sabotages wise leadership. Moving at the pace of grace in our work/life makes sustainable success possible. Pressure will often say, "Hurry up!", while sustainable rhythms will say, "Move steadily and you’ll multiply fruit over time."

How it showed up for me:

Both decisions meant releasing at a pace that didn’t match the conventional “perfect launch plan.” Instead of delaying indefinitely or forcing everything to converge, I followed the unforced rhythm of grace: step by step, without anxiety and undue stress. While that meant releasing the audiobook a couple of months after I'd initially hoped, embracing the realities of summer with the kids home and enjoying those moments was surely worth it.

Full Circle

Launching the audiobook this week feels like closing a loop on months of consequential choices, each one a reminder that peace, rest, and rhythms really do create sustainable impact.

I’m celebrating the release with a little gift: the audiobook is available at 50% off this week—only $5. You can grab your copy here: https://shaebynes.com/gupbook.

More than a release, this launch is a reminder: you can move forward without striving, and still create fruit that lasts.

I'm Shae Bynes (aka Chief Fire Igniter). As an executive advisor, I bring over a decade of experience helping entrepreneurs and leaders adopt a grace-empowered approach to business.

For those ready to bring transformation to full scale at the organizational level, I collaborate with the powerhouse team at Excellent Cultures. Together, we help you expose and eliminate the culture monsters—those hidden issues that quietly sabotage performance—so you can create the results you truly desire (often with triple and quadruple-digit ROI).

👉🏾 Want to assess the sustainability of your current leadership? DM me for free access to RECALIBRATE: A Sustainable Rhythms Leadership Diagnostic.