Be the Calm or Be the Storm: Leadership Lessons from a Woman at the Helm

by Sandy Yawn, Samantha Marshall (With)

Leadership lessons from Captain Sandy Yawn, a renowned superyacht captain with over 30 years of international maritime experience, and star of the reality show Below Deck Mediterranean .

Everyone experiences a moment in life when they need to lead. Sometimes it's a team, sometimes it's a company, a classroom, a patient ward, a family, or simply your own individual self. Based on the leadership lessons she's gathered from her resourceful and resilient life, Captain Sandy, a superyacht captain and star of Bravo's Below Deck Mediterranean , shares the leadership skills and critical thinking inherent to being a captain that can empower anyone to navigate their way to a successful life.

Among some of the stories/lessons she'll



Woven throughout her stories are Captain Sandy's optimism and abiding faith that, given the right tools and opportunities, individuals are capable of so much more than they realize, especially when they can find someone to believe in them.

Genres: Memoir

232 pages, Hardcover

Published January 10, 2023

Reviews

[Claire · Rating 4 out of 5]

Captain Sandy is the GOAT for a reason. We all need some inspiration like this sometime and I timed this read perfectly.

[Lisa Klenke · Rating 3 out of 5]

I admired the author’s resilience and ability to overcome many personal challenges. Her leadership lessons can be a guide for all.

[Madelyn Messick · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have been obsessed with Captain Sandy since I watched her on Below Deck Med. I loved hearing her thoughts and stories. Some of the add-ins felt a little off topic. But overall I enjoyed it and took some tips of how to be a leader and stand up for yourself.

[Jennifer · Rating 2 out of 5]

Meh. I don't expect to be wowed by these "memoirs" but I did expect a bit more. It's a very short read which on the one hand is good but on the other left me wanting. First, I was annoyed by the number of errors that should have been caught by a final copy edit or proofread. For something that has some celebrity push behind it and related hype, it should have been cleaner. I can't imagine Captain Sandy approved of that.

The writing is true to who Sandy is and presents herself as on the show. She didn't shy away from telling some difficult stories about her life, nor did she avoid the Below Deck experience as Kate did in her "memoir" (still need to read Captain Lee's). But the structure of life lessons for leadership detracted for me in a big way. I wanted this to be less an instructional piece and more a collection of her life experiences. I didn't mind some leadership or life lesson teachings but it didn't need to be so heavy handed. And honestly, that's not why I'm here. Sure, there is an audience for her speaking engagements in the corporate world, and this book complements that. But I wasn't reading it from that space and I'd argue most people who pick this up aren't either.

I enjoyed every minute of her descriptions of life at sea and even her pre life at sea. I wish we'd had more pages of that and that it had been structured chronologically. A real memoir.

[Anne - ReadingfortheWeekend · Rating 3 out of 5]

Let me just say that I am a HUGE fan of Below Deck and think Sandy is a strong captain. I enjoy seeing her being so fierce in a man dominated field. It’s very inspiring.

I think her story and leadership messages would have been better if this was more of a memoir. Just like rough seas, part of this nonfiction leadership lessons novel felt choppy.

Spelling out how her experience could relate to a corporate business person felt very forced. It became clear early on that this book is Sandy setting up her career post Below Deck as a speaker at business conferences. I mean hey, good for you! But as a reader, this format didn’t work for me.

Also it was a bit cringe how she repeatedly said she “has a hit tv show.” That’s misleading. She’s on a hit tv show.

I appreciate how open Sandy was about her struggles with drugs and alcohol and how she conquered her demons and rose to the top of her industry.

Overall it had some good advice and some not so great advice (looking at your feet IMO shows lack of confidence) and also had some little nuggets of stories from BD. Would have loved more BD stories.

[Madison · Rating 4 out of 5]

I picked up this book after binging below deck Mediterranean. At first I was expecting this to be a biography, and allow some insight into the background of captain Sandy.
Instead of being a tropical biography, Sandy uses the book and her memoir at sea to teach how to be a good leader, on and off land. For the fans of below deck, there and some nice behind the scene snippets as well as finally getting the full pirate story. The way she was able to weave her points across through the narrative of her life was very well done and one one of the better leadership books I’ve read to date. Each chapter ends with her ‘log’ where she summarizes the take away points from each chapter without coming across as too pretentious. Overall I really enjoyed the book

[Ashley · Rating 3 out of 5]

Solid Leadership book, I love Captain Sandy and thoroughly enjoyed reading more about her and her take on leadership

I enjoyed the breakouts on leadership skills but felt a little bit like she was trying to fit too many different leadership skills into one short book.

I would have preferred she focus more on her strongest skills and share more about how she developed them. As a rising leader, I would have found that more helpful.

[Rebecca · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love thé author’s personal story and where she is in life and how she got there. Her personal story is what keep me interested, not necessarily her leadership lessons. This is a rewarding read if you look at it as an autobiography but would be a 2 or 3 star if I was measuring it as a leadership or self-improvement book.

[James Hovland · Rating 3 out of 5]

I love Below Deck and I love Captain Sandy.
I would work for/with her anyday!

The life lessons and attention to leadership is something many people need to read. When I originally purchased this book, I wanted more behind the scenes stories of the TV show but I found myself in a leadership workshop and walked away feeling refreshed.

[Ashley · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love Captain Sandy! I enjoyed learning more about her background and struggles, makes her more of a bad ass to me. I will keep this handy for the motivational tips she shared. Loved the fact she narrated the book as well.

[Jo ✨☾ · Rating 4 out of 5]

I`m a big fan of Below Deck and Capt Sandy so i was curious to read her book. This is a great book about leadership - well done ! I have read many leadership books in my 30+ yrs military career so this is a good one.

[Janine · Rating 4 out of 5]

A story of perseverance and leadership. No new leadership discoveries but great reminders for sure. If you love Captain Sandy of Below Deck Mediterranean this is a great read!

[Nicola Simone · Rating 4 out of 5]

An incredible story of resilience, strength and self-discipline. Captain Sandy is truly an inspiration and I tried to soak up as much of her advice as I could.
4.5 stars!

[Keegan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Love Captain Sandy and her book! Practical, refreshing and grounded approach to leadership.

[Helen · Rating 5 out of 5]

very good read

[Erica (_speedereader_) · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have watched every episode of Below Deck: Mediterranean, and oftentimes, I don't love how Captain Sandy shows favoritism for certain cast members. However, reading this book helped me learn so much more about her and understand her POV. I wish she were able to share more about her experience and her life and how she earned her way onto the show than she's been able to do in the past because this book really helped me see her differently.