My Personal Development Book List
Breathing & Embodiment
“Breathe: The New Science of a Lost Art” by James Nestor
“The Wakeful Body” by Willa Blythe Baker
“The Breathing Book” by Donna Farhi
“The Practice of Embodying Emotions” by Raja Selvam, PhD
Career
“YOU-Turn: Get Unstuck, Discover Your Direction, and Design Your Dream Career” by Ashley Stahl
“Pivot: The only move that matters is your next one” by Jenny Blake
“Designing Your Work Life: How To Thrive and Change and Find Happiness at Work” by Bill Burnett and Dave Evans
“The 2 Hour Job Search: Using Technology to get the Right Job Faster” by Steve Dalton
“Give and Take: Why Helping Others Drives Our Success” by Adam Grant
Coaching & Life Design
"Designing Your Life: How To Build A Well-Lived, Joyful Life" + Workbook by Bill Burnett and Dave Evans
“Design The Life You Love: A Step-by-Step Guide to Building a Meaningful Future” by Ayse Birsel
“Finding Your North Star” by Martha Beck (recommended on audio)
"Well-Designed Life" by Dr. Kyra Bobinet
“Taming Your Gremlin” by Rick Carson
“Mastering Life's Energies” by Mariah Nemeth Ph.D
“Playing Big” by Tara Mohr
“Supercoach” by Michael Neill
“Trillion Dollar Coach. The Leadership Playbook by Silicon Valley’s Bill Campbell” by Eric Schmidt, Jonathon Rosenberg and Alan Eagle
“The Science of Stuck: Breaking Through Inertia to Find Your Path” by Britt Frank LSCSW
Conversational Skills
“Non-Violent Communication” by Marshall B. Rosenberg
"Start With Why: How Great Leaders Inspire Everyone to Take Action" by Simon Sinnek
"Yes, And" by Kelly Leonard
"Getting to Yes" By Roger Fisher, William Ury, & Bruce Patton
"Getting Past No" By William Ury
“Fierce Conversations” by Susan Scott
“Difficult Conversations” by Douglas Stone
Creativity
“The Creative Act: A Way of Being” by Rick Rubin
“The Artist’s Way: A Spiritual Path to Higher Creativity” + Workbook by Julia Cameron
"The War of Art" by Steven Pressfield
"Creative Confidence" by Tom Kelley and David Kelley
"Big Magic" by Elizabeth Gilbert
Dating & Relationships (+ Sex)
“Attached: The New Science of Adult Attachment and How it Can Help You Find and Keep Love” by Amir Levine and Rachel Heller
“How to Be An Adult In Relationships: The 5 Keys to Mindful Loving” by David Richo
“Come as You Are: Revised and Updated: The Surprising New Science That Will Transform Your Sex Life” by Emily Nagoski
“Mating in Captivity” by Esther Perel
“The State of Affairs” by Esther Perel
“If the Buddha Dated” by Charlotte Kasl
“Eight Dates: Essential Conversations for a Lifetime of Love” by John Gottman Ph.D and Julie Gottman Ph.D
“Getting the Love You Want” by Harville Hendrix
“So Tell Me About the Last Time You Had Sex: Laying Bare and Learning to Repair Our Love Lives” by Ian Kerner PhD
Diversity & Inclusion
“So You Want to Talk About Race” by Ijemoa Oluo
“How to Be an Anti-Racist “by Ibram X. Kendi
“White Fragility” by Robin J. DiAnjelo
“Just Mercy” by Bryan Stevenson
“The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness” by Michelle Alexander
Fulfillment, Mindset & Getting Unstuck
“The Perfectionist’s Guide to Losing Control: A Path to Peace and Power” by Katherine Morgan Schafler
“How to Do the Work” by Dr. Nicole LaPera
“The Outward Mindset: Seeing Beyond Ourselves” by The Arbinger Institute
“Untamed” by Glennon Doyle
“How Will You Measure Your Life” by Clayton M. Christensen
“Stillness is the Key” by Ryan Holiday
“How to Do Nothing: Resisting the Attention Economy” by Jenny Odell
"The Quarter-Life Breakthrough: Invent Your Own Path, Find Meaningful Work, and Build a Life That Matters" by Adam Smiley Poswolski
"You are a Badass! How to Stop Doubting Your Greatness and Start Living an Awesome Life" - by Jen Sincero
"The Crossroads of Should and Must" by Elle Luna
"Loving What Is" by Byron Katie
"The Alchemist" by Paulo Coelho
"When Things Fall Apart, Heart Advice for Difficult Times" by Pema Chodron
"The Places That Scare You" by Pema Chodron
"The Power of Now" by Eckhart Tolle
"New Earth: Awakening to Your Life's Purpose" by Eckart Tolle
"Tiny Beautiful Things" by Cheryl Strayed
"Emotional Agility: Get Unstuck, Embrace Change, and Thrive in Work and Life" by Susan David Ph.D
“Mindset” by Carol Dweck
“The 5 Second Rule: Transform your Life, Work, and Confidence with Everyday Courage” by Mel Robbins
Habits, Understanding Your Brain, Emotional Intelligence
“Atomic Habits, An Easy & Proven Way to Build Good Habits and Break Bad Ones” by James Clear
“Scattered Minds” by Gabor Mate
“Stress Less, Accomplish More: Meditation for Extraordinary Performance” by Emily Fletcher
“Immunity To Change: How to Overcome It and Unlock the Potential in Your Organization and Yourself” by Robert Kegan
“The Power of Habit: Why We Do What We Do In Life and Business” by Charles Duhigg
"Breaking the Habit of Being Yourself" by Dr. Joe Dispenza
“A Mind of Your Own: The Truth About Depression and How Women Can Heal Their Bodies to Reclaim Their Lives” by Kelly Brogan
“Incognito: The Secret Lives of the Brain” by David Egleman
“Thinking, Fast and Slow” by Daniel Khaneman
"Feeling Good" by Dr. David Burn
“Sober Curious: The Blissful Sleep, Greater Focus, Limitless Presence, and Deep Connection Awaiting Us All on the Other Side of Alcohol” by Ruby Warrington
“Quit Like a Woman: The Radical to Not Drink in a Culture Obsessed with Alchohol” by Holly Whitaker
"Managing The Mental Game: How To Think More Effectively, Navigate Uncertainty" by Jeff Boss
“Emotional Intelligence: Why It Can Matter More than IQ” by Daniel Goleman
Leadership
“Conscious Business: How to Build Values Through Value” by Fred Kofman
“The Meaning Revolution: The Power of Transcendent Leadership” by Fred Kofman
“Principles” by Ray Dalio
"Start with Why: How Great Leaders Inspire Everyone to Take Action" by Simon Sinek
"What They Don't Teach You at Harvard Business School: Notes from a Street-smart Executive" by Mark H. McCormack
"The Go-Giver Leader: A Little Story About What Matters Most in Business" by Bob Burg and John David Mann
“Drive: The Surprising Truth About What Motivates Us” by Daniel Pink
“5 Dysfunctions of a Team” by Patrick Leoncioni
“Scaling People: Tactics for Management and Company Building” by Claire Hughes Johnson
“The First 90 Days, Updated and Expanded: Proven Strategies for Getting Up to Speed Faster and Smarter” by Michael Watkins, Grover Gardner, et al
Learning, Time-Management, Prioritization & Productivity
“Four Thousand Weeks: Time Management for Mortals” by Oliver Burkeman
“Off the Clock: Feel Less Busy, While Getting More Done” by Laura Vanderkam
“Tools of Titans: The Tactics, Routines and Habits of Billionaires, Icons and World-Class Performers” by Tim Ferris
“Essentialism” by Greg McKeown
“The 5 Elements of Effective Thinking” by Edward Burger & Michael Starbird
“How We Learn: The Surprising Truth About When, Where, and Why It Happens” by Benedict Carry
“The 4-Hour Work Week” by Tim Ferriss
"Getting Things Done: The Art of Stress-Free Productivity" by David Allen
“Finish: Give Yourself The Gift of Done” by Jon Acuff
Mindfulness + Healing (+ Breathing)
“Vibrate Higher Daily: Live Your Power” by Lalah Delia
“Do Pause: you are not a To Do List” by Robert Poynton
“You are Enough: Revealing the Soul to Discover Your Power, Potential, and Possibility” by Panache Desai
“Living Beautifully: with Uncertainty and Change” by Pema Chodron
“Man’s Search for Meaning” by Viktor Frankl
“The Tao Te Ching” Translated by John H. McDonald
"The Untethered Soul: The Journey Beyond Yourself" by Michael A. Singer
"The Surrender Experiment: My Journey Into Life’s Perfection" by Michael A. Singer
“Radical Self-Acceptance” by Tara Brach
“Mindfulness” by Ellen J. Langer
“Attending: Medicine, Mindfulness and Humanity” by Ronald Epstein M.D
“The Wisdom of Insecurity: A Message for the Age of Anxiety” by Alan Watts
“Still the Mind: An Introduction to Meditation” by Alan Watts
“A Mind at Home with Itself: How Asking Four Questions Can Free Your Mind, Open Your Heart, and Turn Your World Around” by Byron Katie
“The Reluctant Healer” and “Healing” (Free PDF) by David Elliott
“The Body Keeps Score” by Bessel van der Kolk M.D.
“Feeding the Hungry Heart” by Geneen Roth
Money & Profit
“Overcoming Underearning: Overcome Your Monday Fears and Earn What You Deserve” by Barbara Stanny
“I Will Teach You To Be Rich” by Ramit Sethi
“Profit First: Transform Your Business from a Cash-Eating Monster to a Money-Making Machine” by Mike Michalowicz
"The Energy of Money" by Mariah Nemeth Ph.D
“Unshakeable” by Tony Robbins
“You are a Badass at Making Money” by Jen Sincero
“Women and Money” by Suze Orman
“Think and Grow Rich” by Napolean Hill
Negotiation & Selling
“To Sell is Human” by Daniel H. Pink
"You Can Negotiate Anything" by Herb Cohen
“Never Split the Difference” by Chris Voss
Personality & Self-Awareness
"The Wisdom of The Enneagram" by Don Richard Riso and Russ Hudson
“Search Inside Yourself” by Chade-Meng Tan
“Learned Optimism: How to Change Your Mind & Your Life” by Martin Seligman
“Flourish: A Visionary New Understanding of Happiness & Well-Being” by Martin Seligman
“Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World that Can’t Stop Talking” by Susan Cain
Psychology of Motivation, Influence & Change
“Give and Take: Why Helping Others Drives Our Success” by Adam Grant
“Positive Intelligence: Why Only 20% of Teams and Individuals Achieve Their True Potential and How You Can Achieve Yours” by Shirzad Chamine
"Ego is the Enemy" by Ryan Holiday
"Rejection Proof" by Jia Jiang
"The Hero of A Thousand Faces" by Joseph Campbell
"The Go-Giver" by Bob Burg
"The Obstacle is The Way" by Ryan Holiday
“Switch: How to Change Things When Change Is Hard” by Chip & Dan Heath
“Made to Stick: Why Some Ideas Survive and Others Die” by Chip & Dan Heath
“Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion” by Robert Cialdini
"So Good They Can't Ignore You" by Cal Newport
“The Art of Possibility” by Rosamund Stone Zander and Benjamin Zander
"The Biology of Belief" by Bruce Lipton PhD
“How to Change Your Mind: What the New Science of Psychedelics Teaches Us About Consciousness, Dying, Addiction, Depression, and Transcendence” by Michael Pollan
Positive Psychology & Self Compassion
“Self Compassion, The Proven Power of Being Kind to Yourself” by Kristin Neff Ph.D.
“Learned Optimism: How to Change Your Mind and Your Life” by Martin Seligman
“Flourish: A Visionary New Understanding of Happiness & Well-being” by Martin Seligman
“Flow: The Psychology of Optimal Experience” by Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi
“Positivity: Top-Notch Research Reveals the Upward Spiral That Will Change Your Life” by Barbara Fredrickson
“How Will You Measure Your Life” by Clay Christensen
"Positive Intelligence" by Shirzad Chamine
Spirituality & Yoga
“Care of the Soul” by Thomas Moore
“Bringing Yoga to Life” by Donna Farhi
“Discover Your Dharma” by Sahara Rose
"Anatomy of The Spirit" by Caroline Myss PhD
“Waking Up: A Guide to Spirituality Without Religion” by Sam Harris
"The Everyday Art of Ecstasy" by Margo Anand
"The Universe Has Your Back" by Gabrielle Bernstein
“Heart Minded: How to Hold Yourself and Others In Love “by Sarah Blondin
“Inward” by Yung Pueblo
Women’s Health & Empowerment
“Women Code” by Alisa Vitti
“In the Flo” by Alisa Vitti
“Women Food and Hormones” by Sarah Gottfried, M.D.
“Taking Charge of Your Fertility” by Toni Weschler
“Awakening Shakti: The Transformative Power of the Goddess of Yoga” by Sally Kempton
Vulnerability & Risk-Taking
“The Gifts of Imperfection” by Brene Brown
“Daring Greatly” by Brene Brown
“Braving the Wilderness: The Quest for True Belonging and the Courage to Stand Alone” by Brene Brown
“Existential Kink: Unmask Your Shadow and Embrace Your Power (A method for getting what you want by getting off on what you don't)” by Carolyn Elliott
“Everyday Greatness” by Stephen Covey
"Losing My Virginity" by Richard Branson
"Scar Tissue" by Anthony Kiedis
"#Girlboss" by Sophia Amorusa
"The Dip: A Little Book That Teaches You When to Quit (and When to Stick)" by Seth Godin
“The Mountain is You” by Brianna Weist
“The Courage to be Disliked: The Japanese Phenomenon That Shows You How to Change Your Life and Achieve Real Happiness” by Ichiro Kishimi
*Please note many of these titles belong in multiple categories, but in order to simplify, I chose just one.