Crossing The Realms

Crossing the Realms puts Rhysand from Sarah J. Maas's A Court of Thorns and Roses in his wingback chair with Simon Sinek's Leaders Eat Last. Andi and Teddi ask how far a leader should go to protect his people — and whether decades Under the Mountain is the answer.⚠️ SPOILERS: Moderate to heavy for A Court of Thorns and Roses seriesRhysand is the most powerful High Lord in Prythian, and he spends half a century letting Amarantha use him as her weapon so his people never have to know war exists. That's Simon Sinek's "leaders eat last" taken to its most brutal extreme — and Andi and Teddi are here for it. They walk through Sinek's full framework from Leaders Eat Last: Rhysand hand-picking his Inner Circle over centuries (that's oxytocin, not magic), building Velaris as the vision that makes every sacrifice mean something, and then trusting Cassian, Azriel, Morrigan, and Amren to run the whole thing without him for half a century. Rhysand has no purpose without his people — and he'd rather be Amarantha's nightmare for 49 years than let them find that out the hard way.⚔️ First time here? We don't gatekeep — follow Crossing the Realms wherever you listen.Leadership Books DiscussedLeaders Eat Last: Why Some Teams Pull Together and Others Don't by Simon SinekLeadership Concepts DiscussedCircle of Safety (Simon Sinek) — the leader's primary job is creating an environment of trust and security for everyone, not just select peopleThe Alpha Sacrifices First (Simon Sinek) — the leader with the most power makes the first and greatest sacrifices for the groupOxytocin & Trust Chemicals (Simon Sinek) — long-lasting trust is built through time, vulnerability, and proximity, not instant gratificationAbstraction Kills (Simon Sinek) — the further removed you are from the people you lead, the easier it is to harm themTrust as Vulnerability (Simon Sinek) — "giving someone the power to destroy you and trusting they won't use it"Strong Leaders Build People Who Can Lead Without Them (Simon Sinek) — leadership is about building autonomy and competency, then stepping backVision Gives Sacrifice Meaning (Simon Sinek) — long-term vision is what makes the hard work of eating last sustainable and purposefulServant Leadership (referenced broadly through Sinek's framework)Fantasy Characters DiscussedRhysand (A Court of Thorns and Roses) — High Lord of the Night Court; the episode's central character study. 49-year sacrifice under Amarantha, hand-built Inner Circle, teaches Feyre autonomyFeyre Archeron (A Court of Thorns and Roses) — used as the lens to contrast Rhysand and Tamlin's leadership styles; her arc from caged to autonomousTamlin (A Court of Thorns and Roses) — anti-Rhysand contrast; controls, cages, and withholds from Feyre; his court empties as a resultCassian (A Court of Thorns and Roses) — Inner Circle member, half-blood Illyrian, commander of armies; the post-sacrifice dinner table sceneAzriel (A Court of Thorns and Roses) — Inner Circle member, spymaster, half-blood Illyrian; forged bond with Rhysand from youthMorrigan (Mor) (A Court of Thorns and Roses) — Inner Circle member, rescued from the Court of Nightmares; rules both courtsAmren (A Court of Thorns and Roses) — Inner Circle member, ancient celestial being trapped in a Fae body; last resort and advisorLucien Vanserra (A Court of Thorns and Roses) — briefly referenced as Tamlin's one remaining ally who eventually leavesAmarantha (A Court of Thorns and Roses) — the tyrant whose court Rhysand sacrifices himself to for 49 years This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit crossingrealms.substack.com

Crossing the Realms pairs Susan Jeffers' Feel the Fear and Do It Anyway with the most unlikely dragon rider in fantasy — Violet Sorrengail from Rebecca Yarros' Empyrean series. Hosts Andi Waterhouse and Teddi Tostanoski break down how a girl with a chronic illness, a death wish from her own mother, and a mantra of "I will not die today" ends up embodying every leadership truth Jeffers ever wrote.⚠️ SPOILERS: Light to moderate for the Empyrean series (Fourth Wing, Iron Flame, Onyx Storm); minor references to Throne of GlassViolet Sorrengail has Ehlers-Danlos syndrome, joints that betray her, and a mother who shoved her into a war college instead of the scribe quadrant she trained for. Andi and Teddi map Susan Jeffers' five truths about fear onto Violet's arc and the fit is almost eerie. The only way to get rid of the fear is to do it — so she walks across a rain-soaked parapet on day one and never looks back. The fear never goes away as long as you keep growing — and Violet keeps growing, from poisoning her opponents' breakfast pastries to betraying the entire institution she was raised in because her moral code won't let her stop learning the truth. Everyone on unfamiliar territory feels it too — which is how handing Rhiannon a boot and sharing a secret about dragon scale armor turns into a trust economy that builds her whole squad. Tairn — the biggest, most terrifying dragon on the field — doesn't choose her for strength. He chooses her because she's standing over an unconscious enemy she could easily kill and saying "that says a lot about his character, not mine." The thesis: people don't follow physical power. They follow someone who sees them, fights for them, and is incapable of faking it. Violet is surrounded by people performing authority, and her authenticity becomes the most dangerous thing in the room. Fear doesn't leave — you just change your relationship to it.Leadership Books DiscussedFeel the Fear and Do It Anyway by Susan JeffersFantasy Books DiscussedFourth Wing by Rebecca YarrosIron Flame by Rebecca YarrosOnyx Storm by Rebecca YarrosThrone of Glass by Sarah J. Maas (brief reference)Leadership ConceptsJeffers' Five Truths About Fear (Susan Jeffers) — including "The fear will never go away as long as I continue to grow," "The only way to get rid of the fear of doing something is to go out and do it," and "Not only am I going to experience fear on unfamiliar territory, so is everyone else"Authentic Leadership & Moral Identity — leading yourself before leading others; decisions driven by values over institutional pressureFound Family as Leadership Infrastructure — trust as currency, vulnerability as group-building, leveraging collective strengthsViolet Sorrengail (Empyrean) — central character; scribe-turned-rider who leads through preparation, moral code, and radical authenticityTairn (Empyrean) — Violet's bonded dragon; chooses her because of her character, not her strengthAndarna (Empyrean) — the golden feathertail dragon Violet protects during Conscription DayRhiannon Matthias (Empyrean) — Violet's first real ally; follows Violet because of the trust Violet extends firstXaden Riorson (Empyrean) — referenced; has Violet's custom saddle made for TairnImogen (Empyrean) — breaks Violet's arm on the matSawyer, Ridoc (Empyrean) — squad members who share secrets during the RSC assessmentManon Blackbeak (Throne of Glass) — briefly referenced as a character both hosts love for her growth arc This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit crossingrealms.substack.com

⚠️ SPOILERS: Light for Between These Broken Hearts and The Flame and the WarrenWhat happens when you stop saying "someday" and start staying up until 3am building something you can't stop thinking about? Andi and Teddi are back after six months — not because they ghosted you, but because Teddi was building a 259-book fantasy database cataloging every series they've ever read (characters, magic systems, world-building, leadership themes, the works). Then she kept going. A self-designed fantasy literature curriculum from Beowulf to decolonizing fantasy, writing the research on Substack because that's what obsession looks like. No degree required. No permission asked. Just obsession and the willingness to build the damn thing yourself. We're back, fantasy nerds. And we brought infrastructure.---Teddi couldn't find this quote during recording, so here it is:"You are going to f****** die. Sorry to break the bad news. But it begs the question… If you know how the story ends, why not make the middle really f*****g good? Like really f*****g good. Put down your little dopamine machine and go f*****g do something. Build something. Feel something. Risk something. Change someone's life. Change your life. Learn. Travel. Build. Break. Try again. Study your heroes. Pick up a camera and say something to younger you. Fall in love. Lose it. Find it again. Find yourself. Lose yourself. Get obsessed with something that makes you forget to check your phone. Because someday, you'll run out of 'somedays.' And all that will matter is whether you actually lived." — @diewithoutregretss Leadership Books Discussed:Crucial Conversations by Kerry Patterson, Joseph Grenny, Ron McMillan & Al SwitzlerCurrently Reading:Andi: The Flame and the Warren series by Marion Blackwood (books 1–4, book 5 releases end of February) — dragons, shifters, male MC exemplifying self-sacrifice and leadership through hardshipTeddi: Between These Broken Hearts by Lexi Ryan (Beneath These Cursed Stars book 2) — analyzing transparency failures despite not loving the book; also Brimstone and Onyx Storm This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit crossingrealms.substack.com

Crossing the Realms explores why fantasy stories like Fourth Wing, The Witcher, and A Court of Thorns and Roses teach leadership skills better than bestselling business books. Hosts Andi Waterhouse and Teddi Tostanoski break it down. ⚠️ SPOILERS: Light for Throne of Glass, A Court of Thorns and Roses, Fourth Wing, The Stormlight Archive, Lord of the Rings, The Witcher, and Game of ThronesCan a fictional assassin-queen teach you more about leadership than a Harvard Business Review case study? Andi and Teddi make the case that fantasy characters are doing what your leadership bookshelf can't — building empathy networks in your brain, making lessons stick through emotion, and giving you a flight simulator for real-life decisions (shout out to psychologist Keith Oatley for that one). They pair five nonfiction leadership books with their fantasy character counterparts: Geralt of Rivia meets Mark Manson's radical responsibility, Kaladin Stormblessed carries Jocko Willink & Leif Babin's extreme ownership up a literal mountain, Violet Sorrengail embodies Susan Jeffers' "feel the fear and do it anyway," Amren and Asterin bring Kim Scott's radical candor with centuries of bite, and Rhysand physically builds Simon Sinek's circle of safety for his people. Plus: Octavia Butler and the power of imagining worlds that don't exist yet, why Samwise Gamgee is a servant leadership icon, and the mic drop — you actually need both genres, because fantasy without theory is just vibes, and theory without story is just a half-read book on your nightstand.Leadership Books DiscussedThe Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck by Mark MansonExtreme Ownership by Jocko Willink & Leif BabinFeel the Fear and Do It Anyway by Susan JeffersRadical Candor by Kim ScottLeaders Eat Last by Simon SinekLeadership Concepts DiscussedRadical Responsibility & Choosing Your Suffering (Mark Manson)Extreme Ownership (Jocko Willink & Leif Babin)Reframing Fear & Choosing Growth (Susan Jeffers)Radical Candor (Care Personally + Challenge Directly) (Kim Scott)Circle of Safety & Servant Leadership (Simon Sinek)Empathy in Modern Leadership (Keith Oatley, Adam Grant, Terre Satterfield)CliftonStrengths (Futuristic) (Gallup)Fantasy Characters DiscussedAelin Ashryver Galathynius (Throne of Glass) — Andi's foundational leadership character from age 17; strategic, long-game thinkingManon Blackbeak (Throne of Glass) — Andi's leadership arc mirror; hardened leader who learns empathyGeralt of Rivia (The Witcher)Kaladin Stormblessed (The Stormlight Archive)Violet Sorrengail (Fourth Wing)Amren (A Court of Thorns and Roses), Asterin Blackbeak (Throne of Glass), Gandalf (Lord of the Rings) — Radical Candor trioRhysand (A Court of Thorns and Roses)Jon Snow (Game of Thrones)Samwise Gamgee (Lord of the Rings)🔔 Subscribe and follow Crossing the Realms so you never miss an episode or read more about our other fun projects here. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit crossingrealms.substack.com

⚠️ SPOILERS: Heavy for The Book of Azrael by Amber V. Nicole, light for Beneath These Cursed Stars by Lexi RyanWow. We made it to episode 1 of Crossing The Realms…finally…after only five technical disasters. Today hosts Teddi Tostanoski and Andi Waterhouse are diving into The Book of Azrael (#1 in the Gods and Monsters series) by Amber V. Nicole with all the grace of a dragon in a china shop.Join us as we unpack Dianna's journey from human to fire-breathing assassin (relatable) and Samkiel's millennia-long anxiety spiral. We explore inherited vs. earned power, why self-care isn't selfish when you're literally the World Ender, and how cotton candy becomes a metaphor for healing. Plus: accidental book order chaos, transformational leadership theory, and why your favorite fantasy character probably needs boundaries.What Teddi and Andi Are Currently Reading:Beneath These Cursed Stars by Lexi RyanKingdom of Stars and Shadows by Holly ReneeThe Way of Kings by Brandon SandersonLeadership Concepts Discussed:Transformational vs. Servant LeadershipClifton StrengthsFinderEarned vs. Inherited Leadership & PowerSelf-care as leadership foundation This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit crossingrealms.substack.com

Welcome to Crossing the Realms, where two sisters attempt to merge their love of fantasy books with actual leadership theory. In this inaugural episode, Andi Waterhouse and Teddi Tostanoski explain their slightly unhinged premise: analyzing fantasy characters like business case studies while drinking craft beer.Between sips of Belgian triple and interruptions from Alpine (Andi's Great Pyrenees "house dragon"), they share their own leadership journeys and Clifton StrengthsFinder results. Learn why Andi the soccer coach sees leadership lessons in every fantasy battle, and how Teddi went from accidental leadership elective to analyzing C-suite communications. Fair warning: they're still figuring out the whole podcast thing, but at least they came prepared with good beer and strong opinions about transformational leadership.Book Spoilers: Light references to The Book of Azrael by Amber V. NicoleLeadership Concepts Discussed:Transformational vs. Servant LeadershipClifton StrengthsFinder applicationsEarned vs. Inherent LeadershipLeadership communication stylesWhat We're Drinking: Cerberus Belgian Tripple Ale This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit crossingrealms.substack.com