Amber Frazier-Finkelstein is a leader who refuses to engage in surface-level leadership or relationships. She works with high-performing executives, founders, and their partners who have mastered the game but are beginning to feel the cracks—not just in their leadership, but in their marriages, connections, and the way they show up at home.
She founded Battles Insights with the belief that success isn’t just about what a person builds—it’s about who remains standing beside them when they get there. Amber emphasizes that leadership and relationships are not separate; one cannot be a powerhouse in one area while being a liability in the other. Through her work, she helps leaders navigate the most challenging transitions of their lives—without losing the people who matter most.
What were your initial years of growing up like? Tell us about your life before starting your corporate journey/venture/initiative.
I didn’t grow up in a world of handouts or safety nets. If we wanted to eat, we fished. If something broke, we figured out how to fix it. Complaining didn’t change a damn thing, so it wasn’t an option.
My dad never gave motivational speeches. He didn’t have to. When things got tough, he’d just look at me and say, “There is always an excuse for failure.” Then he’d walk away. No explanation. No sympathy. Because the message was clear: Excuses are always there. You either take them, or you take action.
That’s where I learned that people will doubt you. Some will even hope you fail. But you don’t answer them with words—you answer them with results. And I’ve been proving people wrong ever since.
Every industry that is now a large-scale, top-notch business once started as a small idea in the minds of entrepreneurs. What was that idea or motivation that made you start your business/initiative? What motivated you within to say, “YES, go for it!”?
I started Battles Insights because I was sick of watching high-performing leaders wreck their personal lives while building their businesses. Watching executives lose themselves in the process—burning relationships, making reactive decisions, and waking up one day realizing their success came at the cost of everything else.
I saw the communication breakdowns, the identity crises, and the marriages that looked picture-perfect but were barely holding together. I knew I could help. So I built a framework that forces leaders to face the hard truths—because you can’t lead powerfully if your foundation is cracked.
Some people talk about change. I make sure it happens.
Would you like to share with our young budding women entrepreneurs the change you would like to see in the world if given an opportunity?
I want to see women stop playing defense. Stop apologizing for ambition. Stop shrinking so other people don’t feel uncomfortable. You don’t owe anyone softness.
Stop waiting for “perfect”. It’s not coming.
People will doubt you—hell, some are doubting you right now. Some are even betting on you to fail. And some of them? They’re the ones you love most.
Do it anyway.
There will be waves of time where it all feels like too much—where business, parenting, relationships, and even basic functioning feel like a test you’re failing.
Keep going.
You don’t need permission. You need a fire. You need a grudge. You need that deep, unrelenting drive to prove them wrong—so completely that they choke on their own doubt. You need to outlast, outwork, and outwin.
Not just for them. For you.
You know who never asks, “Am I being too much?”—men who get handed opportunities because they look the part. Meanwhile, women who have twice the talent, twice the strategy, and twice the grit are still filtering their decisions through the “Will they think I’m too much?” lens.
Be too much. Be so damn undeniable that the people who once underestimated you have to choke on their own doubt.
Women are a growing force in the workplace worldwide, standing shoulder to shoulder with their male counterparts. There are cracks in glass ceilings everywhere, with many women breaking through to carve out a space right at the top of the pyramid. What are your thoughts about women’s leadership today?
Women aren’t just breaking glass ceilings anymore—we’re building the damn buildings. The problem? The old guard still expects us to feel grateful for being let in.
Screw that.
The real power move isn’t just cracking ceilings—it’s creating new spaces where we don’t have to ask permission to lead. If the system wasn’t built for you, build your own. If they won’t give you a seat at the table, set the whole damn thing on fire and build a better one.
And for the women still stuck under outdated systems? We don’t just fight for ourselves. We push, we mentor, we clear the path—so the next generation doesn’t have to fight the same battles we did.
What’s the most important thing you have learned in your personal life and professional journey? What is your personal motto in life?
The most important thing I’ve learned? No one is coming to save you. No perfect opportunity, no magical turning point—just you, deciding whether to act or stall.
My personal mottos come from my dad, and they have stuck with me through every season of life:
- “There is always an excuse for failure.” Not a taunt, just a fact. It’s always right there, waiting to be used. The question is whether you take it.
- “Success is the best revenge.” People doubt, people talk, people write you off. Let them. Then let your success do all the talking.
However, when I need a little more of the fighting spirit, I remind myself of the motto I carved out as my own:
“Light the fire. Feed the grudge. Burn every doubt to the ground.”
With your grit and determination, you are making a considerable impact, breaking through, and serving as a role model for many budding entrepreneurs. What would you want to say to our young women leaders/audience reading this?
Stop waiting for perfect. It’s not coming.
Start before you feel ready. Mess it up. Learn. Try again.
People will doubt you, and some of them will be the ones you love most. Do it anyway. There will be seasons where you feel like you’re failing at everything—business, parenting, relationships, self-care.
Keep going. You don’t need permission, you need action.
