I love a book list.
If you’re here, I assume you do, too.
Let’s dig right in and talk about some awesome self-empowerment books.
Consider yourself blessed if you’ve already read or are familiar with these gems. They’ve been the most effective for understanding and truly changing my habits, beliefs, and thoughts.
My mental health, self-confidence, and self-trust are more robust.
I have more hands-on tools to talk and walk myself through hard moments. I learned many of them from these books.
I’m excited. Let’s get started.
Breath: The New Science of a Lost Art by James Nestor
If you didn’t think you could laugh out loud while learning about the art of breathing, then you haven’t read James Nestor’s Breath.
It almost reads like a novel at times because Nestor is an amazing storyteller. This book focuses on his 10-year journey to breathe better, including his massive pile of research on breath, some of which will make your mouth fall open — literally.
I love this book. I’ve read it twice.
Get a highlighter or some of those post-it tabs because you’ll want to remember this information. Plus, in the back of the book, you’ll find a plethora of breathing exercises. It’s a wonderful reference for all sorts of breath techniques, practices, and healing powers.
You’ll learn all kinds of cool things about the evolution of the structure of the face, the role of carbon dioxide (it’s good for us!), and neat facts about anatomy.
This is a fun, fascinating, and page-turning read!
Keep Sharp by Dr. Sanjay Gupta
Dr. Gupta examines the factors contributing to Alzheimer’s Disease and overall brain health/function.
He discusses the connection between diet, lifestyle, mindset, and sleep to developing Alzheimer’s Disease and other forms of dementia.
This book teaches brain healing techniques and exercises and opened my eyes to how much power we have to keep our brain healthy, functioning, and of course, sharp!
We are not destined to develop dementia by family history alone. We can take our brain health into our hands and we can start today.
Breaking the Habit of Being Yourself by Dr. Joe Dispenza
I love this book so much, I’ve written several blogs about its concepts.
I can honestly say this book changed my life. Everything came together for me when I read it. It helped me define some of the more ‘out there’ concepts with mindblowing science and fascinating research.
I’m on my second read and it’s even better because I’m practicing the concepts and doing the daily meditation.
If you don’t think it’s as simple as ‘thoughts create your life,’ think again. (See what I did there?).
Dr. Joe (that’s what I like to call him!) teaches about the other silent component in our struggle to change: our emotions.
Your mind (and thoughts) will be blown.
If you want to learn more before you buy the book, you can check out these posts:
How To Do The Work by Dr. Nicole LePera
Do you follow Dr. LePera on social media?
If not, I highly recommend it. You can find her by searching for “The Holistic Psychologist.”
She posts very helpful relationship and self-healing tips.
Her book is also wonderful.
Dr. LePera’s mission is to remind people they have the power to heal themselves if they’re ready to do ‘the work.’
‘The work’ in this case is self-healing.
This book offers valuable insights into emotional patterns, how to recognize and ease trauma, how to healthily self-soothe, and most importantly, how to re-parent ourselves if we didn’t get the love and care we needed as kids.
The Slight Edge by Jeff Olson
Guess what? I am celebrating the one-year anniversary of doing my Slight Edge daily actions.
What are those exactly?
You’ll have to dive into this book to find out!
This book turned my head upside down and inside out in the best way! It sucks you in from the beginning and doesn’t let go until you’re thoroughly inspired!
The book addresses the power of habits and small actions and the impact every single choice has on our lives, moods, outlooks, and forward momentum.
Jeff talks about the magic of compounding and demonstrates how consistent small actions add up to create quantum shifts in our lives.
I’ve also read this one twice and I’m sure a third read is right around the corner!
You Are A Badass At Making Money by Jen Sincero
Who doesn’t want some hands-on, practical, and effective money advice?!
And who doesn’t want to laugh their ass off while they learn it?!
Seriously, I love Jen Sincero. She’s real. She’s raw. She’s honest. And she’s funny as hell!
This book dissects money habits, and beliefs, and includes writing exercises to help you discover what you want to change.
Jen truthfully shares her money struggles and triumphs, which made me feel connected to her and excited to try her tips.
Innercise by John Assaraf
I’m gonna admit something to everyone.
I bought this book after clicking on a cheesy-ish ad for it. I’m so glad I did.
This book is a straightforward and research-backed encyclopedia on brain training, mental rehearsal, and understanding how to change your brain to get what you want.
You also get a handful of free audios and videos on John’s website. Use them daily for your meditation and brain training techniques.
This book is dense with info but easy to take in. John lays everything out so the brain doesn’t become overwhelmed.
This is an excellent reference book. I always have a copy with me.
Everything Is Figureoutable by Marie Forleo
Marie Forleo has been helping people build businesses, uplevel their potential, and create the lives they want for many years.
I came across her about 12 years ago and have been following her career ever since.
Marie is no-nonsense and wants everyone to create the life of their dreams.
She is a coach, business mentor, and marketing expert. Her book is a goldmine for breaking down the experiences you want and creating them step by step.
Marie focuses on mindset work, taking aligned action, and believing in yourself.
There are tons of cool studies, research, and science to support her message: everything is figureoutable.
Hardwiring Happiness by Dr. Rick Hanson
This book was my introduction to just how amazing the brain is.
Dr. Hanson talks about neural networks, the structures of the brain, how the brain evolved, and how we can change our brains to feel better.
The biggest concept I took away from this book is our brain’s built-in ‘negativity bias.’ Understanding how the brain keeps us alive is the gateway to not attaching to negative thoughts and the feelings they create.
Our brain is awesome and this book will have you falling in love with it.
The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People by Stephen R. Covey
I highly recommend buying the updated version of this one so you can read Stephen’s son’s insights about his father’s legacy and work. It’s very touching.
This is a book you know you should read because it’s famous and once you do, you understand why it’s famous. 🙂
This book covers personal habits and choices, collective beliefs about business, insights on effective communication and relationship-building, and a detailed guide on how to use your time to get the results you want.
There’s a lot in this book to digest, so don’t get discouraged if you can only take in 10 or so pages at a time.
The section on creating a win-win attitude is powerful!
The Benefits of Reading
When we read, we are changing our brains.
New information sparks activity in our frontal lobe, which leads to the creation of new neural networks.
When we read daily, we stimulate our frontal lobe to look for new experiences, new life, new ideas, and new beliefs.
The brain loves novelty and we rarely give it enough. Many of us fall back into patterns of thoughts and beliefs that leave us feeling empty, discontent, and sluggish.
When we make it a habit to read every day (even 5 pages), we keep stimulating the frontal lobe to look for newness. We increase our creativity, focus, problem-solving skills, communication skills, and become more self-reflective.
Reading helps us self-connect and question our current beliefs. It stirs up new perspectives, perceptions, and points of view. In essence, reading makes us smarter, more compassionate, and more aware of where we are placing our attention.
It also helps us ward off dementia and Alzheimer’s Disease by preventing cognitive decline. The more we stimulate the brain, the more it works for us.
Reading is also a natural sleep inducer. You’re using energy to digest and understand new information, which makes us sleepy! Instead of relying on your laptop before bed, grab a book and use up that last bit of brain power so you can nod off faster.
What are your favorite self-empowerment books?
How did they help you and what drew you to them?
I’d love to know in the comments!
