I love to read.
It’s one of my favourite ways to spend time and I am often found curled up in a favourite chair, book on knee, mug in hand. Not to be disturbed :-)
It’s also one of my favourite ways to learn. To absorb ideas and to filter them through my brain. What really stands out? What brings a different perspective or opens up a new way of seeing something? What do I know now that I didn’t before?
Some books have changed my thinking and perspective in an instant - Fierce Conversations by Susan Scott comes to mind, recommended to me by my first coach well over a decade ago.
Some have had a slower burn.
Some I read once and some are well thumbed and underlined in a million places.
It’s these books - the ones that have changed my life - that I love to share.
My top 5 are:
Playing Big by Tara Mohr | The book that helped me take a leap and become a coach, and the one I send the women I coach with most often. I love everything about this book (it’s why I’ve taken every training course she has run), and weave her principles and practical tools into my life and my coaching.
Better than Before by Gretchen Rubin | The book that made me realise there’s no ‘one size fits all’ approach to habit change, and that it’s OK to work with who you are rather than try and fit in a box. It changed how I schedule my day and take care of myself.
Period Power by Maisie Hill | The book that gave me full permission to lean into the different energy levels I have over the course of a month - to work with my body rather than against it. A must have read for anyone with a cycle, or wants to understand more about it.
The Art of Gathering by Priya Parker | The book that taught me how important it is to ‘close the door to create the room’. It’s full of insight and actions to create and host a great gathering, and I’ve used the framework in my life, as well as with people planning a team meeting, an away day, a business and more.
Co-active Leadership by Karen and Henry Kinsey-House | The book that opened my mind to different ways to lead, and to find a way to do each of them in a way that feel authentic to me. It’s based on the beautiful co-active principles that I loved from coach training, and has a brilliantly easy model to explore.
It’s easy to forget the lessons I’ve learned from them as time goes on, and writing this has reminded me of some things to remember.
There’s no one size fits all approach - we are all brilliantly unique.
The more we understand ourselves, the easier it is to lead our lives with energy.
When we’re feeling stuck, there are some simple, practical tools that can get us unstuck.
What are the books that have changed your life?
And what’s the learning you want to remember and take forward?
Wishing you a transformational week,
