Avery MuseMuse Leadership Press
The memoir · November 11, 2026
A Memoir of Faith, Leadership, and Service Beyond the Title. Discover the story, hear from early readers, and find purchasing and group-order information.
The other side of the story
Most people see the A-side of a life: the titles, promotions, accomplishments, and moments that make it onto the résumé.
The real story lives beneath them. The faith. The family. The private pressure behind public responsibility. The people who see something in us before we see it ourselves.
These are the rooms that formed Avery Muse.
Inside the memoir
A faith-rooted leadership memoir about the hidden formation behind visible success.
Buy the bookAvery Q. Muse, Sr. did not begin life on a clear path to executive leadership. Born prematurely in Baltimore to teenage parents, shaped by family, faith, hardship, and the pull of the streets, he struggled in school, failed the fifth grade, and barely graduated from high school.
Then he made a decision that would alter the direction of his life: he committed to joining the United States Navy before he knew how to swim. He learned before leaving home.
From Navy communications and the Pentagon to DISA, international assignments, federal law enforcement, the U.S. Capitol Police, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, and ultimately the Senior Executive Service, Muse served across some of the nation’s most consequential public missions.
But the heart of this book is the B-side: the family decisions behind career moves, the grief that still comes to work, the mentors who see capacity before it is fully visible, and the quiet formation that happens long before recognition arrives.
The Rooms I Had to Earn is a faith-rooted leadership memoir about the hidden formation behind visible success.
Avery Q. Muse, Sr. did not begin life on a clear path to executive leadership. Born prematurely in Baltimore to teenage parents, shaped by family, faith, hardship, and the pull of the streets, he struggled in school, failed the fifth grade, and barely graduated from high school. Then he made a decision that would alter the direction of his life: he committed to joining the United States Navy before he knew how to swim, then learned before he shipped out.
What followed was a rare journey of discipline, faith, sacrifice, and service. From Navy communications and the Pentagon to DISA, international assignments, federal law enforcement, the U.S. Capitol Police, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, and ultimately the Senior Executive Service, Muse served across some of the nation’s most consequential public missions. His career spanned defense, law enforcement, public safety, the legislative branch, public health, and global technology operations.
But this is not a book about titles.
It is about the B-side of leadership: the private pressure behind public responsibility, the family decisions behind career moves, the grief that still comes to work, the mentors who see capacity before it is fully visible, and the quiet formation that happens long before recognition arrives.
Through stories of leaving the Navy to protect his family, rebuilding after transition, leading through crisis, serving in international mission environments, coaching young men in the gym, supporting high-stakes national operations, and learning that authority must always serve the mission, Muse shows that leadership is not formed only in the rooms people celebrate.
It is formed where faith is tested, humility is required, responsibility is heavy, and service costs something.
At once personal, practical, and deeply reflective, The Rooms I Had to Earn speaks to students, veterans, public servants, executives, parents, emerging leaders, and anyone who has ever wondered whether their beginning disqualified them from their future.
This is a memoir about what happens before the title, beneath the accomplishment, and beyond the position.
The title came last. The formation came first.
Final chapter: Service Beyond the Title
The Rooms I Had to Earn is not a book about career milestones. It is about the journey that makes those milestones meaningful. Avery Muse writes with uncommon honesty about the setbacks, uncertainty, moments of doubt, and lessons that shaped him into the leader I came to know and respect.
Former Chief Information Officer, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
Former Deputy Chief Information Officer, FBI
“The Rooms I Had to Earn is not a book about career milestones. It is about the journey that makes those milestones meaningful. Avery Muse writes with uncommon honesty about the setbacks, uncertainty, moments of doubt, and lessons that shaped him into the leader I came to know and respect.”
Former Chief Information Officer, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
Former Deputy Chief Information Officer, FBI
“Avery Muse has a talent for writing. The Rooms I Had to Earn is clear, well organized, creatively written, and profoundly interesting. It tells the American story with humility, humor, honesty, inspiration, and aspiration.”
Retired Army Colonel, former SES, and former Principal Director, DISA Global Operations
“Whether you’re just beginning your leadership journey or sitting at the highest table, there is something in these pages that will challenge you, inspire you, and make you reflect on the kind of leader you want to be.”
Chief Programming Officer, Next One Up
“The throughline from a kid who got hit by a car, to a sailor who couldn't swim when he joined the Navy, to a leader who spent a career trying to close the distance between Mahogany Row and the people actually doing the work—that's a hell of an arc, and you earned every room in it.”
Vice President, Alpha Omega
“The Rooms I Had to Earn reminds us that the rooms we earn matter far less than who we become on the way there and who we make room for once we arrive.”
Chief Executive Officer, M3J Management, LLC
“The memoir reveals both the scale of Avery Muse’s journey and the private cost beneath the public accomplishments.”
Law Enforcement Officer | U.S. Marine Corps Veteran | Founder & CEO | Presidential Fellow
“This memoir is more than a personal story; it is a blueprint for perseverance, leadership, faith, and purpose.”
U.S. Navy Veteran | Retired Law Enforcement Officer
“The B-side concept is outstanding: simple, yet deep in meaning.”
Former USAF Lt. Col. | Senior Advisor to the DISA Director
“A powerful reminder that the journey is not always linear, but every experience is building something for the future.”
Executive, Unilever | Duke University Graduate | MBA
“Accessible, engaging, and deeply rooted in service. You can feel the care, the leadership, and the love throughout these pages.”
Senior Advisor, U.S. Capitol Police
The memoir · November 11, 2026
The Rooms I Had to Earn
A Memoir of Faith, Leadership,
and Service Beyond the Title
By Avery Q. Muse, Sr.
Foreword by Bishop Oscar E. Brown
Launching November 11, 2026. Ordering links will appear here when announced.
Buy the book Follow Avery for launch updatesBring the story to your group
Planning a group read, a leadership gathering, or books for your organization? Tell us what you have in mind.
Email the bulk sales team:
bulksales@themusegroup.net
What to include in your email
Please include your name, organization, number of copies, preferred date, and any questions or delivery details.
The email link opens your email app. If it does not open, copy the address into your preferred email service. Nothing is sent through this website.
This is an inquiry, not a completed order.
“Before any command, agency, or executive office ever shaped me, Baltimore did.”
From Chapter 1 · Provident Beginnings