Book Recommendations

Book Cover (links)Books I am currently enjoying
This is an amazing book shedding light on understanding and valuing women’s bodies. For someone who has neglected her body for many years and who subscribed to cultural ideas about emotions, menstrual cycles, hormones, and what my body needs this book has been life changing. An important read for all mothers with young daughters.
Limitless: Upgrade Your Brain, Learn Anything Faster, and Unlock Your Exceptional Life by [Jim Kwik](Audiobook) I am almost finished with this book as of 7/2/2020. One of my big focus areas is to put what I learn into action. Jim’s book has so many great tips in the 2nd part of the book around memorization, comprehension, and speed reading that this will take me a bit to practice. As far as the book goes. A lot of the first half was already things I had heard before in his podcast or interviews on other podcasts. The second half of the book was well worth listening to!! The real test is if I am able to make improvements in speed reading and memorization. I will report back.
An excellent book on understanding trauma, how bodies store trauma and ways to release it.
The Book of Mormon: Another Testament of Jesus Christ (Official Edition)The Book of Mormon is one of the books I turn to most often for guidance and inspiration. All scriptures can be a powerful tool. Every time I turn to them I find answers to what I need in that moment or discover something I had never recognized before no matter how many times I have read them.
The Myth of the Nice Girl: Achieving a Career You Love Without Becoming a Person You HateI love this book. Like it or not in many areas “The good Ole boy network” is still alive and well. Being a female in engineering industries requires you to keep it in mind. This book helped me with good practical advice and new ways of considering this interesting dynamic in many different settings. I think this is a must read for men and women.
Reshaping It All: Motivation for Physical and Spiritual FitnessI am rereading this book. I have read it multiple times. I love that it connects a healthy lifestyle to teachings in the bible. This helps appeal to my spiritual side and bolsters my ability to make good choices and eat right.
The Success Principles(TM) - 10th Anniversary Edition: How to Get from Where You Are to Where You Want to BeI am a certified trainer of Canfields success principles. I am constantly referring back to this book and my training materials to apply to my personal life and share with my clients. So this is almost always on my currently reading list just like the scriptures.
The Business Owner’s Guide to Financial Freedom is an excellent book for business owners and really anyone who is striving for financial freedom.
(Audiobook) The Craving Mind: From Cigarettes to Smartphone to Love – Why We Get Hooked and How We Can Break Bad Habits.
I just spent a few months creating a business plan. It is the third one I have created and I feel really good about it. I am just starting to vet it out now on investors. But honestly, I wish I would have had this information first! I love the one page business model canvas. Check out the Strategyzer site and sign up to download the free tools if you are working on a business. They are excellent.
BooK Cover (Links)Must Reads – Life altering
The Gifts of Imperfection: Let Go of Who You Think You're Supposed to Be and Embrace Who You AreI am a Brene Brown fan! There is an online course I would highly recommend supporting this book. The course made the book even more meaningful. It was done in conjunction with Oprah Winfrey so you can find it in the OWN Life Classes at Oprah.com. The course takes you through a process of creating an art journal. This introduced a whole new way for me to be creative. I often tell my kids if anything happens to me and you really want to know what I am all about look through my art journal.
The Human Magnet Syndrome: The Codependent Narcissist TrapI don’t know that this book would be life altering for everyone but it was for me. I struggled for years trying to understand the interaction and relationships in my family and in my marriage. This book is a must read for anyone who struggles with codependent tendencies or a lack of self love or feeling powerless/like a victim.
The Book of Mormon: Another Testament of Jesus Christ (Official Edition)The Book of Mormon is one of the books I turn to most often for guidance and inspiration. All scriptures can be a powerful tool. Every time I turn to them I find answers to what I need in that moment or discover something I had never recognized before no matter how many times I have read them.
High Performance Habits: How Extraordinary People Become That WayI have this book in audio and hard cover. I love the audio. This is a critical book for anyone who is working to create long lasting habits and achieve their goals. I would say it is more practical than inspirational.
The Genie in Your Genes: Epigenetic Medicine and the New Biology of IntentionI found out my father wasn’t my biological father when I was 13. This created a passion to learn and understand more about genetics and how it impacts human behavior. This was one of the first books where I really started getting some answers. This prompted me to learn more about epigenetics and gave me so many aha’s about nature vs. nurture.
Daring Greatly: How the Courage to Be Vulnerable Transforms the Way We Live, Love, Parent, and LeadIt is hard for me to imagine someone living in the United States and not knowing who Brene Brown is. But in case you don’t, this was the first of her books I read. It prompted me to really look differently about how I was living my life. READ all of her books!
The Body Keeps the Score: Brain, Mind, and Body in the Healing of TraumaAs I am writing this I am listening to a video of Dr. Bessel Van Der Kolk. He really is the master of defining how trauma effects us and our bodies. It answered many questions I had about why I was behaving certain ways and how my childhood was impacting my relationships. This answered many questions about emotional abuse and how it impacts us and our bodies.
How to Be an Adult in Relationships: The Five Keys to Mindful LovingWow! This was an excellent book in defining how relationships can actually look. Very thought provoking for me. Not only did it show me where my relationship was toxic but it gave me alternatives.
Ego Is the EnemyEgo is the Enemy – While I had read a lot about the ego and how it gets in the way this book called me out! I can’t even tell you how many times I started this book and stopped because it caused me to confront “my stuff”. I finally made it through and in the end became a big fan.
The Four Agreements: A Practical Guide to Personal Freedom (A Toltec Wisdom Book)The Four Agreements – This book was another challenging one for me. The first agreement is be impeccable with your word. As a recovering people pleaser it was easy for me to over commit but even more importantly to compromise on the commitments I made to myself. What I didn’t understand was how important the other three agreements were and how they all work together. Definitely a must read.
The Empath's Survival Guide: Life Strategies for Sensitive PeopleI read Judith Orloff’s book Positive Energy. This book really helped me connect to the whole concept of energy. The Empaths survival Guide book was life changing because it gave me coping skills and permission to be highly sensitive. It is ok to get worn out by a big party and need time to myself to recover or to ask for time alone. I had been made to believe this was abnormal for so long that it was a huge relief to have someone say it is OK and give me ideas for how to support myself and my needs.
Loving What Is: Four Questions That Can Change Your LifeI read this book while going through an incredibly challenging time in life. I listened to this book over and over again. Byron Katie has such a kind and loving way about her. I needed to hear someone call me sweetheart and honey. I could feel her love. I will say when I first listened to this, I had a really hard time grasping the four questions, especially when she asks “is it true?” I get it now. But it took me a while and a lot of emotional healing to get to that place.
This image has an empty alt attribute; its file name is 51xIjbq1Z8L._SX332_BO1,204,203,200_.jpgAnother Brene Brown book. This builds off the Daring Greatly book and focuses on overcoming hard things.
This image has an empty alt attribute; its file name is 41seVs6gxqL._SX331_BO1,204,203,200_.jpgI recommend any of Christiane Northrup’s books. She is an OB/GYN doctor who believes in holistic health. I have read many of her books but because I am nearing the menopause age, this one was timely and answered many, many, questions for me regarding women’s health, menopause, and women’s confidence. I would also highly recommend Women’s Bodies Women’s Wisdom for women of all ages.
I am a huge basketball fan. I love watching a five man team and how they work together offensively and defensively. The principles can be applied to teams in any kind of setting. Anyone who is a basketball fan hopefully knows John Wooden. I have several of his books but this one is a favorite.
I loved this book. Again I am a big science fan. I don’t like hearing I can’t change something or it is in my DNA. I acknowledge this is a factor but this book helped me understand it is only one of many factors. It was life altering for me because it validated something I intuitively feel so strongly about. Our minds and heart are powerful and we have the potential to change, heal, and do so much more than many of us realize. Genie in You Gene’s by Dawson Church was also like this for m
book Cover (Link)Must read business books
Dare to Lead: Brave Work. Tough Conversations. Whole Hearts.There are so many amazing business books. This section could be very long so I have tried to select those books that might not be on the great leadership and business books of all time from authors like Peter Senge, John Maxwell, Jim Collins, …. This book is fantastic and a good summary of concepts in all of her books. This book applies those great concepts to leadership and a business setting.
The Power of Habit: Why We Do What We Do in Life and BusinessOut of all the books I have read around the concept of habits and how to change habits this one is my favorite.
The Myth of the Nice Girl: Achieving a Career You Love Without Becoming a Person You HateI love this book. Like it or not in many areas “The good Ole boy network” is still alive and well. Being a female in engineering industries requires you to keep it in mind. This book helped me with good practical advice and new ways of considering this interesting dynamic in many different settings. I think this is a must read for men and women.
Big Potential: How Transforming the Pursuit of Success Raises Our Achievement, Happiness, and Well-BeingI am also a big Shawn Achor fan. How can you be a born optimist and not value the work and research Shawn Achor has done in positive psychology? This is probably my favorite book of his. I would recommend reading The Happiness Advantage too. It really drills home the importance of community. I love the story about the fire flies in the beginning of the book.
Are You Fully Charged?: The 3 Keys to Energizing Your Work and LifeThis book is a must read for anyone managing teams.
Book Cover (Links)Other great books
Dodging Energy Vampires: An Empath's Guide to Evading Relationships That Drain You and Restoring Your Health and PowerThis book was the first one I read that started to give me some answers of the things I was struggling with in my relationship. Once I was able to see some of the things I was experiencing really weren’t normal or “my fault” I was able to look at things more objectively.
(Audiobook) As you can see I read most of my books in audio form. This is because while I am getting my doctorate all my regular reading is devoted to text books and an occasional fiction get away book. I love audio books especially if they are read by the author because you get to hear how they intended it to read with voice variation and all. I particularly loved this audiobook not only because I loved the content but because Jen Hatmaker would stop at points and add editorial comments. This made the book even more fun to listen to.
(Audiobook) I think this book is a must read for anyone 50 years old or more. This book is entertaining and provides practical yet critical information of how to train and thrive in the last third of your life.
A Mind at Home with Itself: How Asking Four Questions Can Free Your Mind, Open Your Heart, and Turn Your World AroundThis is Byron Katie’s newest book. It is deep, but a very good read. I used to say swimming and long runs were hard for me because all that time alone with my thoughts was dangerous. I got a waterproof ipod. But I am happy to say I really am ok spending time alone with my thoughts now and am feeling like I am developing A Mind at Home with Itself.
Mastering Affluence: 6 Lessons to Create a Life You LoveI have enjoyed Carol Tuttle’s books. One of my other favorites is Remembering Wholeness. I like her views on money and spirituality.
This image has an empty alt attribute; its file name is 71yjvtfovHL._AC_SX200_SY200_.jpgThis book is the sibling of Ego is the Enemy. I could arguably put both of them in the life changing category. I would not say I am a stoic but I value much of what these books have to say.
In Sheep's Clothing: Understanding and Dealing with Manipulative PeopleThis is a very deep book on narcissism and good if you are searching for information or answers on this topic.
Women Who Love Psychopaths: Inside the Relationships of inevitable Harm With Psychopaths, Sociopaths & NarcissistsSame as above. This is a very deep book on narcissism and good if you are searching for information or answers on this topic.
Becoming the Narcissist's Nightmare: How to Devalue and Discard the Narcissist While Supplying YourselfAgain the same as above but this is with a twist. This is a very deep book on narcissism and good if you are searching for information or answers on this topic.
Love Warrior: A MemoirThis is an excellent book about relationships and addiction.
Mantras in Motion: Manifesting What You Want through Mindful MovementI love Erin Stutland! Many of us believe in mantras, affirmations, Cantations. She puts rhythm and rhyme to them. It is a fun and great way to remember and get your body moving. I have some of her downloaded workout audios to listen to. Go to her site and check out her free download of the soul stroll.

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