Exclusive Limited Offer
Unlock Access to 11 Transformational Principles of Resilient Leadership
To thank you for being an early supporter, Shirin is offering a special bonus: order The Unexpected CEO now and you’ll also get her 11 Transformational Principles of Resilient Leadership
These aren’t just ideas on a page. They are the exact principles she relied on to navigate impossible odds – turning survival into strength, and strength into billion-dollar leadership.
The Unexpected CEO + A Special Bonus Gift
When you order The Unexpected CEO, you’ll also unlock 11 Transformational Principles of Resilient Leadership – the exact principles I used to turn setbacks into stepping stones and build billion-dollar leadership from the ground up.
Step 1: Get Your Copy of the Unexpected CEO
Pick up your copy of The Unexpected CEO from your favorite retailer below. Once complete, return here to claim your free bonus!
Step 2: Claim Your Bonus
After you’ve purchased your copy, share your order details via the form above receive immediate access to Shirin's 11 Transformational Principles of Resilient Leadership.
For bulk orders, please contact: mat@bookhighlight.com
Exclusive Limited Offer
11 Transformational Principles of Resilient Leadership: Unexpected Lessons from a Billion-Dollar CEO
When I look back at my life, from coming to the States to a gas station cashier in California, from brain surgery to the boardroom of a billion-dollar company, one truth emerges: resilience is not a gift, it’s a practice. It is built moment by moment, decision by decision, through the ways we choose to move forward in the face of adversity.
These lessons weren’t learned in theory. They were forged in survival, sharpened in business, and tested in every season of my life. Each one reflects a shift in perspective that helped me not just overcome, but grow stronger. They are not rules — they are anchors. And they are as relevant to leadership as they are to living.
With the purchase of my book The Unexpected CEO, you'll also get the eleven principles that guided me from the hardest chapters of my story to the most rewarding. My hope is that they offer you both perspective and practical tools to lead your own life — because you can.
Here's What You'll Gain:
How to move forward even when you don’t feel ready
Why your history doesn’t define your future
The mindset shift that turns obstacles into opportunities
What it means to be the CEO of your own life
How to transform pain into power
About the Book
The Unexpected CEO
She started behind bulletproof glass at a gas station.
She ended up leading a billion-dollar company.
The Unexpected CEO tells a compelling and powerful story of building resilience, with lessons carved from challenges and a life constructed despite circumstances. Through each chapter, a vision takes form—for how to build, lead, grow and live with clarity and conviction. This book offers not a tale of overnight success, but one of steady strength, rebuilding from the ground up, and of what becomes possible when adversity is met with unwavering intent.
Shirin Behzadi was arrested multiple times under an oppressive regime in Iran before she had even reached adulthood. Fleeing her homeland alone as a teenager, she carried nothing with her but a suitcase —and a bold dream. In Istanbul, and later behind bulletproof glass at a Los Angeles gas station, she quietly declared to anyone who would listen: One day, I will lead a large company.
What followed was a journey of determination and quiet reinvention. Shirin put herself through college, earned her degree, rose through the ranks, raised millions in private equity, and built a billion-dollar company—while navigating poverty, the loss of home and belonging, motherhood, and a near-terminal illness that left her unable to stand—let alone lead.
But she walked again. And she led again. And in every setback, she unearthed something essential: that the resilience honed in dark times could also light the way forward in business, in leadership, and in life.
This is not just a story of overcoming. It’s a story of becoming. Becoming a builder, a mother, a CEO. Becoming someone who redefines what’s possible—not despite adversity, but because of it.
In The Unexpected CEO, Shirin Behzadi shares not just her extraordinary journey, but the wisdom earned at every turn. This book is both a memoir and a guide, offering a blueprint for turning life’s deepest trials into stepping stones toward purpose and possibility.
For bulk sales, please contact mat@bookhighlight.com.
Praise for the Unexpected CEO
Shirin’s story is so inspiring. It reminds us that the people who overcome adversity are often capable of the most extraordinary things. This memoir is a gift to anyone striving to live with courage and compassion.”
— Lawrence R. Armstrong
Chairman, Ware Malcomb; Chair, Orange County United Way Board of Directors; and New York Times Bestselling Author
For current and aspiring leaders, Shirin challenges out-dated models of power and sets a new, more humane standard—one that today’s workforce demands and future generations will expect by default.
— Tal Goldhamer
Former Partner, Chief Learning Officer, EY Americas
This book reveals how the most underestimated among us can become the most transformative. The Unexpected CEO tells not only a story of survival and success, but a powerful case for human potential.
— Mrs. Cherie Blair
Founder, Cherie Blair Foundation for Women
A deeply moving memoir highlighting the opportunity to be found in hardship and the ultimate reward in uplifting others. A must-read for personal and professional growth.
— Kath Carter
Former Global Strategy and Transactions Partner — Markets, Business Development and Talent, EY
Shirin’s story is beyond inspirational. Having faced huge personal and business challenges, she shows us that by staying focused on the positive and on our goals, we can accomplish anything and achieve great success while retaining integrity, compassion, and grace.
— Susan B. Parks
President and CEO,
Orange County United Way
This book is more than inspiration—it’s a guide to unlocking your own resilience. Shirin Behzadi’s story is fuel for anyone ready to rewrite their own.
— Betsy Schwartz
National Mental Health Leader and Advocate
