Author of Defy: The Power of No in a World That Demands Yes.
UK HM Government Letter of Recognition from the Open Innovation Team – 2023.
Mid-Career Achievement Award, Health Care Management, Academy of Management – 2022.
Sunita studies defiance, advice, and influence, with the aim of improving outcomes and mitigating inequalities in healthcare and society. In her book Defy, she redefines defiance, not as rebellion or chaos, but as the courage to act in alignment with your values when societal pressures push you to comply. Drawing on her extensive research, she explains how quiet, values-based defiance can transform workplaces, relationships, communities and, most importantly, yourself.
A professor at Cornell Johnson Graduate School of Management, Sunita is a physician-turned organisational psychologist. Previously, she was an honorary fellow at Cambridge Judge Business School and a KPMG professor of management studies. From 1997 to 2011 she was a medical doctor in the UK NHS and worked as a management consultant for the pharmaceutical industry. She is also an advisor to government agencies, and former Commissioner of the National Commission on Forensic Science.
Defy: The Power of No in a World That Demands Yes (Blink Publishing, 2026). Why do we stay silent in uncomfortable situations? (TEDxMiami, 2025). ‘The Anxiety You’ve Never Heard Of (But Have Definitely Helped’ (Psychology Today, 2025); ‘The science of defiance’ (The Conversation, 2025); ‘America thinks it’s a country of free thinkers. But we’re actually compliant’ (Los Angeles Times, 2025); ‘Speak Up at Thanksgiving. Your Health Demands It’ (The New York Times, 2023). Why We Struggle to Say No – And How to Get better at It (Science Quickly podcast, 2025).
“In Defy, Sunita Sah brilliantly reframes our understanding of defiance-from an act of mere rebellion to a vital tool for personal growth and social change. This book is a powerful, even transformative, read for anyone who’s ever felt the tension between doing what’s expected and doing what’s right.”
― Dan Pink, Thinkers50 Ranking 2011-2023; author of The Power of Regret, Drive, and When
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Thinkers50 Limited
The Studio
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Wargrave RG10 8PZ
United Kingdom
Thinkers50 Limited
The Studio
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United Kingdom
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