BI author’s new book says listening key in era of social fragmentation

Published 1:30 am Thursday, June 18, 2026

Burnout. Fatigue. Social Fragmentation. Loneliness. Political polarization. Disconnection. Those are all terms often read on social media pages, news headlines and heard rolling off the tongues of family members, friends and acquaintances. Amba Gale put words together to create meaning in an era of collective exhaustion with The Heart of Sacred Listening: Transform Your Relationship, Your Work, and Your Life.

Gale is a master coach, award-winning author and a lifelong guide. With 40 years of leadership on Bainbridge Island and beyond, Gale published her second book, The Heart of Sacred Listening, which explores the role of deep listening, presence, relationship and human connection at a time when many people are struggling with social atomization.

The stories and lessons that Gale shares through her books are drawn from her own life, including her relationship with her father, her husband’s battle with cancer, her work with leaders and organizations and countless moments when listening opened doors that seemed impossible to open, she shared.

A large aspect of Gale’s story is her experience with brain surgery. In 2003, Gale was diagnosed with a large meningioma, a tumor in the frontal lobe of her brain. She met with a handful of surgeons, all of whom described the operation as difficult, telling her she would lose her sense of taste and smell. “All that week, sensations of fear coursed through my body. They consumed me like a hungry monster from the deep,” Gale writes in chapter 19 of her book.

Then, something changed.

“I visited my acupuncturist,” said Gale. “She listened deeply to my fears and then said something I have never forgotten: Sometimes, the body knows exactly what it needs. She also told me that I would find the right surgeon.”

That conversation was a pivotal moment for Gale, and she began to listen in a different way instead of searching for fear. Soon after, she found a surgeon in Los Angeles who approached the situation differently. “It was a breakthrough in my life,” said Gale. “More than 20 years later, I still have my sense of taste and smell.”

Gale shares her life experiences, such as her journey with brain surgery, in her new book and how it has transformed her life.

“That experience became one of many moments in my life that revealed the power of listening,” she said. “Not merely for others, but for ourselves, our bodies and for the wisdom that sometimes arrives when we become still enough to hear it.”

The author first began her journey in serving others through teaching high school English in 1968 after graduating from the University of California, Berkeley with a Master’s in Education. In the 1980s, she founded Gale Leadership Development.

Through a program Gale created called ‘The Heart of Leadership,’ inspiration began to blossom into her second published book. “Throughout those years, I had the privilege of witnessing profound transformations in individuals, teams and organizations,” she said. “One of the central distinctions in that work is listening – not simply as a communication skill, but as an access to connection, presence, understanding and transformation. Again and again, I saw that when people learned to listen differently, new possibilities became available in their relationships, their leadership and their lives.”

Gale, however, didn’t do it alone. Through her work and connections, she formed a bond with longtime client and dear friend, Bill Weymer, retired CEO of Town & Country Markets. Weymer encouraged Gale to write a book that captured her stories. “He saw their value and believed they deserved a wider audience,” she said.

Another dear friend of Gale’s, Lynne Twist, contributed a foreword in The Heart of Sacred Listening. Twist is the co-founder of the Pachamama Alliance, founder of the Soul of Money Institute and author of The Soul of Money and Living a Committed Life.

“For nearly 50 years, I have known Amba Gale to be a woman of profound integrity, unwavering purpose and radiant love,” Twist writes in the foreword. “Amba’s journey is one of depth and discipline. She immersed herself in the wisdom of many teachers and traditions, cultivating a practice of listening that became the foundation of her extraordinary gift: the ability to midwife transformation in individuals, organizations and communities around the world.”

Writing poetry has also followed Gale throughout her entire life, an aspect that weaves its way into her interactive transformational work with others, she shared. In 2020, Gale published her first award-winning book, which included poetry, photography and reflective questions, called Crossing Thresholds, Island Reflections.

“At a certain point, I realized that the conversations, stories and distinctions that had shaped my life and my work for four decades would not live forever unless I gave them a home beyond myself,” said Gale. “The book became my way of placing them into the hands of others. What the book means to me is simple: In a world that often feels divided, hurried and lonely, listening remains one of the most powerful acts of love available to us. My intention is that readers discover that Sacred Listening is not reserved for experts. It is a human capacity available to each one of us. It can be cultivated, and it has the power to transform our relationships, our work and our lives.”

Eagle Harbor Book Company hosted a live launch event for Gale’s second book, The Heart of Sacred Listening, June 11, with a chance for the Bainbridge Island community to connect with the words the island-based author put on paper.

“After two years of living with these stories and teachings, it feels deeply meaningful to gather in community and send this book into the world as an invitation to deeper listening, connection and belonging,” said Gale. “I do so trusting that the ripple of being in true communication with one another will continue to spread outward into our families, our workplaces and our world, a world so thirsty for the healing balm of genuine human connection.”