Portland CEO’s leadership book wins Nautilus Gold Award
Brenna Davis’s “Leading Through Fire,” published by Lumination Hive, won gold in the Business & Leadership category for independent presses.
By Sofia Marchetti · World Affairs Correspondent
2 min read
Portland executive Brenna Davis has won a 2026 Nautilus Gold Award for her leadership book, giving a small-press title focused on resilience, stewardship and sustainability a national books honor. “Leading Through Fire: Resilient Leadership for People, Planet, and the Future,” published by Lumination Hive, took gold in Business & Leadership in the Small Press/Independent Press division.
The Nautilus Book Awards honor books tied to conscious leadership, lifelong learning and social change, and the program has been running for more than 25 years. The award places Davis’s book in a business-books category that often centers on how executives handle uncertainty, governance, culture and long-term value.
Davis is a Portland-based author and chief executive officer of a multi-state organic food enterprise serving customers across eight western states. Her background includes more than two decades of executive work across several industries, with experience in economic disruption, supply chain volatility, organizational change and governance, according to Lumination Hive.
“Leading Through Fire” argues that technical skill alone is not enough for senior leaders. The book centers on resilience, courage, stewardship and purpose, with an emphasis on creating durable value for employees, organizations, communities and the environment.
Davis said she wrote the book because she believes leadership affects more than individual companies, extending into communities, economies and the future. She said she hopes it gives leaders more confidence to address complexity with resilience, integrity and purpose.
The book is aimed at CEOs, executives, entrepreneurs, board members and rising leaders. It uses Davis’s executive experience and systems thinking to address governance, organizational culture, trust, stewardship and long-term value creation.
The award also marks an early business milestone for Lumination Hive, the leadership ideas company Davis founded. The firm develops publications, research, executive education and other resources focused on leadership, governance, resilience and the future of enterprise.
Business books built around resilience and sustainability have drawn wider interest as companies face pressure from supply chains, labor shifts, climate risk and changing expectations from boards and customers. Davis’s resilient leadership book for business leaders sits in that category, linking operational durability with broader responsibilities to people and communities.
Since publication, “Leading Through Fire” has also become a No. 1 International Amazon Bestseller, Lumination Hive said. The company framed that sales milestone as evidence of interest in leadership models that stress trust, stewardship and long-term thinking.