Executive · Author · Speaker
Saying the Hard Parts Out Loud
Backbones, Boardrooms, and Graceful Exits
Hard-earned lessons from the messy side of leadership.
The Book
A business memoir about building a career, becoming a leader, and the lessons you only learn by living through the hard parts.
This book is the story behind the career. The wins, the mistakes, the hard seasons, the people who shaped me, and the experiences that changed how I think about leadership and success. I’m sharing the parts we usually leave out of the professional bio.
"Leadership isn't about power but about presence and empowering others."
“I didn’t write this book from a mountaintop. I’m still actively living the story. I wanted to write honestly about what it means to build a life and a career, and about the experiences that shape who we become along the way.”
— Maranda Dziekonski
Speaking & Podcasts
Let's talk about the things we don't talk about.
Maranda brings the same candor to the stage that she brings to the page — honest, direct, occasionally funny, and always willing to go where most speakers won't. Whether it's a keynote, a panel, or a podcast conversation, she leaves audiences with something they'll actually use.
About Maranda
I learned early how to survive. It took me longer to learn how to trust myself.
I grew up in rural Michigan in a house that didn’t always have plumbing or heat. Somehow, that kid ended up in Silicon Valley boardrooms, building teams, leading companies through change, and eventually becoming a Chief Customer Officer. Along the way, I learned that ambition can take you incredibly far, but it can also convince you to stay in places you’ve already outgrown. Saying the Hard Parts Out Loud is about the career I built, the things I got right, the things I absolutely did not, and what it took to finally trust myself enough to walk away when staying was costing too much. Today, I write and speak about leadership, careers, customer experience, boundaries, resilience, and the messy human parts of work we don’t talk about nearly enough.
Get in Touch
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