Recommended Reading
Books that have influenced and inspired me over the years
Playing Big
Tara Mohr
This book is a must-read for any woman who is tired of playing small in her life. Easy to read and filled with insights, research and wisdom, it provides you with an understanding of why you are the way you are, and what you can do to live a fuller, bigger life. I’ve read it three times already and reckon it’s something I will do at least once a year to remind myself to step up to braveness – in all areas of my life.
The Art of Possibility
Rosamund & Benjamin Zander
This is one of those books worth rereading from time to time. The very different experiences of Rosamund, as a psychotherapist, and Benjamin, as an orchestra conductor, come together in a very practical and incredibly inspiring book about how to live a life of more meaning, and how to encourage others to do the same. The provide 12 approaches for living live from the viewpoint of possibility and includes lovely stories from their personal experiences as well as many practical examples
Talk Rx
Neha Sangwan, MD
I stumbled across this book at the Emerging Women Live conference in San Francisco. Given what I do for a living, I know the value of talking as a way of bringing insight to the surface, increasing awareness, and ofcourse being healing in an of itself. This book added so much more! It’s a medical doctor’s own personal account of bringing conscious conversation into her practice, and how this brings transformation. She combines thorough explanations of the ‘why’ alongside specific examples and practical application. Incredibly helpful for anyone wanting to improve their relationships.
Breathe: Strategising Energy in the Age of Burnout
Dr Ela Manga
I was fortunate enough to study Breathwork with Ela in 2015 and was so blown away by the results I experienced that I started introducing the technique into every single one of my client sessions. In this book, Dr Manga brings together her work as a medical doctor, along with Eastern philosophy and her own journey working with patients to teach us a more sustainable form of living. Broken down into clear focus areas, the book provides us with a practical and insightful guide to transforming our health.
Mind Over Medicine
Dr. Lissa Rankin
Lissa Rankin is one of my heroines! As a medical doctor frustrated with western medicine’s approach to health and healing, Lissa went on her own journey of discovery and is now working fearlessly to cause a revolution in the world of wellness. This book shares the science of the mindbody connection and helps us understand the critical role of emotions, beliefs, thoughts on our physical bodies. There’s so much insight and wisdom in here it’s almost impossible to summarise it’s awesomeness in a simple sentence.
The Gift of Our Compulsions
Mary O'Malley
This book helps us get curious around our unwanted symptoms and behaviours and take a look at where the hidden underestanding might be. It helps us see how we’re actually all compulsive in one way or another, and that it’s in trying to control our behaviour that our behaviour ends up controlling us.
The Right Questions
Debbie Ford
For those of us who’ve lost sight of who we are and what we want (so all of us, right?), this book is a gem. It takes us through the questions that pin down the truth of who we are. By asking ourselves these questions we’ll be guided back to our personal truth. And with that, the life we truly desire.
Love
Leo Buscgaglia
Oh this book. A massive, big yes! Leo Buscaglia lectured at a university in the US and came to the realization that the one things we all need to learn, but don’t get taught, is love. Knowing he wasn’t’ an expert, he led an open class. This book is the outcome of the shared questions, wisdom and insight. It will make your heart want to explode.
The Honeymoon Effect
Dr. Bruce Lipton
Dr Bruce Lipton is a cellular biologist who discovered the impact of beliefs and emotions on our genes and DNA. Through the field of epigenetics, we now know that we aren’t just a product of our genes. We have a role to play in how things play out. His first book Biology of Belief shares the science. This book is its slightly more accessible sibling, and looks into the role of the sub-conscious and how our programming influences our behaviour and our relationships.
Nourishing Wisdom
Marc David
This book was written by my teacher at the Institute of Eating Psychology and it helps us look beyond food when looking to nourish ourselves. Marc David explains how every aspect of our lives – our beliefs, our environment, our perceptions – influence our relationship with food, and how by opening the doorway to what’ really going on, we can change this relationship for good. Filled with numerous nuggets of wisdom, this book will change the way you look at foods and diets forever.
Essays on Love
Alain de Botton
This book is written by philosopher and founder of the School of Life, Alain de Botton. It provides a real and humourous look at the concept of falling in love. As you relate to its every word, you can’t help shake your head, chuckle and smile the whole way through.
The Desire Map
Danielle La Porte
Doesn’t it boil down to this? DESIRE drives us, it moves us forward or keeps us stuck in the past. This book helps you get down to the real, honest truth of how you really want to FEEL. Because if you know that, if you really know your core desired feelings in all their glory, you can set goals and intentions that get you there.
The Surrender Experiment
Michael Singer
This book surprised me. I wasn’t sure whether I wanted to persevere through the biography of what seems like a hippy yoga guy floating through life. But then was I blown away! This puts a new spin on what it takes to be successful and shares the true story of how abiding by the principle of surrender is what gets you there. I guess it really is supposed to be easy!
Choices & Illusions
Eldon Taylor
This book has a title and cover that wouldn’t usually draw me in. But an interview with Eldon Taylor intrigued me so much that I decided to read his book. I’m so glad I did! It’s filled with mind-blowing information about how we think and process information and helps us understand why we behave the way we do. He writes in a direct, pragmatic and yet highly inspirational way and you’re left with a sense of amazing possibility about life.
The Gifts of Imperfection
Brene Brown
Anything by Brene Brown is a remarkable read. What I love about her work is not only that it’s based on research (I can’t help it, I’m a researcher by profession), but that it’s so very grounded in realness. She takes very difficult human concepts and emotions and breaks them down so you can understand what they’re about, what’s at the heart of them…and importantly, that you’re not alone. We all experience the same things – shame, vulnerability, self-doubt. In this particular book, she looks at the ten guideposts for living with Wholeheartedness – from a place of true belonging and sense of worth. You’ll read this book several times over.
The Book of Joy
His Holiness the Dalai Lama & Archbishop Desmond Tutu with Douglas Abrams
The book was gifted to me by a friend and oh my – what a treasure! It covers a week-long conversation between Desmond Tutu and the Dalai Lama at his exiled home in Dharmasala, India, covering the topic of joy: what gets in the way and how do we bring more joy into our lives? What makes this book so special is not only the wisdom and insight shared, but the openness, honesty and humour with which they share it. The deep connection between them comes to life in a book that is not only about sharing knowledge, but sharing what it means to be human. Deeply touching and one to be savoured slowly.
How to Live a Good Life
Jonathon Fields
This is a gem of a book. It breaks down our lives into three buckets: Vitality, Connection and Contribution , all of which need to be adequately filled in order for us to feel joyful. Jonathan has consolidated many years of study and insight to provide practical tips and tools that we can use to fill our buckets. I use these with clients and they’re great!
Kitchen Table Wisdom
Rachel Naomi Remen, MD
I can’t believe it took me this long to discover this book! I can’t believe it’s not talked about more, shared more and gifted more. The best way to describe this book is that it feels like a warm, nurturing hug. Its incredible wisdom and spiritual insight is wrapped up in a beautifully written book that will have you smiling, nodding… and exhaling. (It also reminded me that the real treasures are not necessarily found in the well-marketed, big-hype books we see today!)
Start with Why
Simon Sinek
I avoided reading this book for a long time because it felt too “businessy” to me but was so glad when I did. What he says is so simple and yet makes so much sense: we tend to focus on WHAT we do, and maybe even HOW we do it, but what really matters is the WHY. I found the stories engaging, the concepts simple and compelling and it helped me piece together some loose ends in my own personal journey. If you’re a small business owner, this book is a must to help you craft your “reason for being” and with that, your messaging. If you’re employed, it will help you become a better leader in your organisation. And if you’re neither of those, it will still help you connect with how you’re choosing to show up in the world.
The Crossroads of Should and Must: Find and Follow Your Passion
Elle Luna
I discovered Elle Luna when she spoke at the Emerging Women Live Conference in San Francisco and I was touched by her humility, creativity and the absolute hard-hitting truth of her message. I'm not sure why I took so long to buy her book, but now that I have it I feel like I want to give it a hug every single day. Not only is it absolutely beautifully illustrated (Elle is first and foremost an artist), but the message is something that I think we all need to hear: the difference between living a life out of obligation (the "should") and a life driven by passion (the "must"). As a solopreneur who often questions myself, this book feels like a daily mantra of motivation.
first, we make the beast beautiful: a new story about anxiety
Sarah Wilson
Sarah Wilson is more commonly known for her books and programmes about how to quit sugar . This, her most recent book, is a personal, and incredibly vulnerable look at her life-long struggles with anxiety. As someone who has encountered this rather late in my life, I found it an absolute gift for the sole reason that it made me feel understood. I noticed myself laughing and nodding in recognition and wanting to highlight several sections of beautiful insights. If you don't suffer with anxiety, but know anyone who does, it's well worth the read as it provides an honest and necessary perspective.
Bird by Bird: Some Instructions on Writing and Life
Anne Lamott
Anne Lamott is a genius in my mind. Her writing is not only beautiful, but honest and deeply resonant. In this book she shares the wisdom from her writing classes, providing practical tips, wise insight and an emotional deep dive into the ups and downs that comes with this territory. Every sentence is so beautifully crafted, I ended up re-reading several portions just to savour it further. And in true Anne Lamott style, it will have you in stitches.
Integration: the Power of Being Co-Active in Work and Life
Ann Betz and Karen Kimsey-House
I ordered this book because I resonate so much with the Co-Active coaching model and was expecting to be a bit of a reference book for my coaching toolkit. Wow was I wrong! Yes it will benefit coaches, but I'd recommend this book to anyone on a journey of personal awareness. Combining their personal experiences, work with clients and what felt like a well-balanced blend of neuroscience, psycology and philosophy, this book is about connectedness, and with that, the power to truly transform our lives.
The Complete Enneagram: 27 Paths to Greater Self-Knowledge
Beatrice Chestnut, PhD
This is my go-to book for exploring the Enneagram and I recommend it to new and seasoned explorers in this field. I find the exploration into each of the 9 types very accessible and yet with the required nuances and depth to really bring this complex tool to life. The author goes into significant detail on each of the types, and also pulls apart the variations of each type via detailed understanding of the 3 sub-types within each. There are stories from individuals which add to the picture as well as a clear view on the growth part of each type: self enquiry and reflection and personal development guidelines.
The Enneagram Development Guide
Ginger Lapid-Bogda, PhD
I’ve been fortunate enough to train with Ginger and her combination of warmth, insight, wisdom and practicality is evident in this book. One of the most important aspects of working with the Enneagram is learning what to do with it. Because learning about ourselves is one thing, but taking action to help us integrate as more balanced and complete humans, is another. In this book, Ginger provides solid insight into each type and plenty of practical tools for how to navigate life through your lens including areas such as conflict, communication and teamwork.