There are inevitable moments “when a CEO admits, quietly and without ceremony, that they are exhausted,” writes Ioli, who adds that most of what she’s learned in her career as a leadership coach “has come from those moments, not from frameworks or models.” In this guidebook for business and organizational leaders, the author reframes leadership as a state of being. Per Ioli, one’s “leadership imprint” (“the felt residue of your presence” that signals to those around you “how to behave when you are in the room”) is one of the most important, if often neglected, aspects of meaningful leadership. The author observes that many leaders find themselves falling into reactive, defensive patterns of thinking (the titular “traps”) that negatively affect their imprint. These snares include “The ‘It’s Not Me’ Trap” (a tendency to blame others), “The Judgment Trap” (a prioritization of being right over being open), and “The Image Trap” (a preoccupation with how one appears). The author addresses each of the volume’s seven traps in chapter-long assessments that follow a consistent pattern, beginning with an engaging anecdote from the author’s personal experiences or stories told to her by business leaders. Each chapter ends with a practical “Break Free” section that provides advice for putting the chapter’s recommendations into practice alongside a “Mirror Question” meant to prompt personal reflection. The author is careful to emphasize that the traps are “not flaws in character” but “the natural by-products of being human in complex systems.” They are escapable, though they may require shifts in workplace behaviors in addition to intellectual understanding. Ioli is an accessible writer who effectively balances her pragmatic advice with engaging, real-world stories. While more academic readers may protest the lack of formal citations, the work concludes with a short bibliographic essay on the books that influenced the author.