By: Travis Mane
Eryn Anitavi’s story is a testament to what can happen when visionary leadership intersects with boundless creativity and grit. As the CEO and Founder of Sapphire Partners, she’s made it her mission to reimagine how leaders approach strategy, growth, and life itself. Together with its sister venture, The Sapphire Academy, her company stands at the forefront of a quiet revolution: empowering leaders—especially neurodivergent ones—to operate in their brilliance.
It all started with a deceptively simple question at a networking event in 2018: “Could you spare five hours a week to help me with my business?” That single inquiry set Eryn’s entrepreneurial mind alight. She saw a fundamental problem: brilliant leaders bogged down by the weight of operational chaos, unable to focus on their true strengths. Sapphire Partners was her solution, turning day-to-day overwhelm into a strategic advantage. Today, the company provides comprehensive executive support for leaders who dare to dream big but need help with the details.
Eryn’s unique approach to leadership is deeply informed by her personal journey. As an autistic entrepreneur, she brings a fresh perspective to the table, viewing neurodivergence not as a challenge to overcome but as a superpower to embrace. This ethos shapes every aspect of her work, from the development of Sapphire’s Clarity Matrix—a tool that helps leaders map and achieve their goals—to her public speaking engagements on leadership, neurodivergence, and executive support. For Eryn, every leader deserves to be seen, heard, and understood, regardless of how their brain works.
The road to building Sapphire Partners, however, was anything but smooth. Eryn has faced the full spectrum of challenges that come with entrepreneurship. She has navigated moments of financial uncertainty, poor hiring decisions, and even instances of fraud. “I’ve blown up the company—accidentally—three times,” she recounts with her trademark candor. “But we always found a way to rebuild.” Through these trials, she’s cultivated an extraordinary resilience, drawing on hard-earned lessons about leadership, trust, and the art of delegation.
A pivotal moment in her journey came when she discovered stoicism, particularly through the book The Obstacle Is the Way. It gave her a framework to view challenges not as barriers but as opportunities for growth. “Leadership never gets easier,” she reflects, “it just gets more public.” It’s a philosophy she carries into every corner of her work, embracing the hard path when it leads to greater rewards.
Eryn’s commitment to neurodivergence isn’t just a personal conviction—it’s baked into the DNA of Sapphire Partners. The company is uniquely positioned to support neurodivergent leaders, offering fixed subscription pricing, more than 250 service options, and a cutting-edge blend of human expertise and AI-driven insights. One standout innovation is a predictive energy management algorithm currently under development, designed to help leaders align their workflows with their natural energy rhythms. “When you build for the minority, you make it better for the majority,” she often says, encapsulating her belief that inclusive design benefits everyone.
This commitment extends to The Sapphire Academy, where the next generation of executive support professionals is being trained. Eryn is also a vocal advocate for reshaping how businesses think about support roles. She even suggests that venture capitalists and angel investors should require leaders to hire executive support as part of their funding agreements—a radical idea that underscores her dedication to transforming the industry.
Eryn’s professional milestones reflect her wide-ranging interests and relentless drive. At 19, she sold her first company. Later, she pitched a screenplay in Hollywood and secured an option agreement, even coming close to casting an A-list actor. Yet, it’s the quieter victories that mean the most to her—like moving her team from contractors to employees or receiving her first heartfelt client testimonial. Each milestone is a reflection of her dedication to building a business rooted in purpose and impact.
Looking to the future, Eryn’s aspirations remain as ambitious as ever. She envisions Sapphire Partners expanding globally to support more neurodivergent leaders, while The Sapphire Academy grows its influence in the world of executive support training. She also plans to launch Sapphire Technologies, an AI-driven venture that will revolutionize energy management and operational strategy. Then there’s her dream of acquiring the Sapphire Castle in Europe, a retreat space for her team and clients that reflects her flair for blending practicality with whimsy.
Through it all, one truth drives Eryn forward: leadership is about empowering others. Her work is a rallying cry for visionaries who feel like their ideas are “too much” or their challenges insurmountable. She’s living proof that no dream is too audacious, no idea too bold to bring to life. Whether mentoring her team, speaking to audiences worldwide, or crafting the next big innovation, Eryn Anitavi is not just reshaping what it means to lead—she’s redefining what’s possible.
Published by Zane L.
