Radical Acceptance by Tara Brach
True Refuge by Tara Brach
Radical Compassion by Tara Brach
Tara Brach’s books are a wonderful introduction to mindfulness, self compassion, and acceptance. Through powerful stories, practical wisdom, and gentle guidance, she shows that there is another way to meet life's challenges—one grounded in awareness, kindness, and curiosity rather than judgment and fear. The themes of mindfulness and the "power of the pause" are woven throughout all of her work. These are books I return to again and again, always finding new insights and wisdom. Her website, TaraBrach.com, is also an incredible resource, offering guided meditations, talks, and other tools for personal growth and healing.
Tara Brach
Browse Books
Self-Compassion by Kristin Neff
Fierce Self-Compassion by Kristin Neff
Kristin Neff is a pioneer in the field of self-compassion, and her work offers a powerful alternative to the self-criticism many of us rely on to motivate ourselves. In Self-Compassion, Neff combines groundbreaking research with practical exercises to show how treating ourselves with kindness, especially during difficult times, leads to greater resilience, emotional well-being, and personal growth. She also explores the important distinction between self-esteem and self-compassion, demonstrating why self-compassion provides a more stable foundation for navigating life's challenges.
In Fierce Self-Compassion, Neff expands on these ideas by showing how self-compassion is not just about self-soothing; it is also about advocating for ourselves, setting boundaries, and taking action when change is needed. Drawing on both research and real-life examples, she challenges the belief that relentless self-criticism is the key to success and offers a more effective and sustainable path forward.
Kristin Neff
The Mindful Path to Self-Compassion by Christopher Germer
In The Mindful Path to Self-Compassion, Christopher Germer provides a practical and accessible introduction to self-compassion and mindfulness. Drawing on both personal experience and clinical expertise, he shows how many of us get trapped in cycles of self-criticism, shame, and emotional suffering, and how self-compassion offers a path toward healing. Filled with relatable examples and simple exercises, this book helps readers develop a kinder relationship with themselves and learn to meet life's challenges with greater resilience, acceptance, and emotional balance. It is an excellent introduction to self-compassion and one that resonates with both men and women.
Christopher Germer
Gifts of Imperfection by Brené Brown (10th Anniversary)
The Power of Vulnerability by Brené Brown
Daring Greatly by Brené Brown
Rising Strong by Brené Brown
I love all of Brené Brown’s books, and I especially enjoy listening to the audiobooks, which she narrates herself. Her warmth, humor, and authenticity make even difficult topics feel approachable. Through a combination of research, storytelling, and personal vulnerability, Brown explores themes such as shame, perfectionism, courage, belonging, and self-worth.
One of the concepts that resonates most with me is her idea of "hustling for our worthiness"—the belief that we must constantly achieve, perform, or prove ourselves in order to be enough. Brown challenges that notion, helping readers understand that true worthiness is not something we earn, but something we already possess. Her books offer powerful insights into embracing our imperfections, letting go of shame, and showing up more fully in our lives. She is such a gifted storyteller that you often forget you are learning life changing tools along the way.
Brené Brown
Carry on, Warrior by Glennon Doyle
Love Warrior by Glennon Doyle
Untamed by Glennon Doyle
Glennon Doyle has a remarkable ability to make you laugh out loud one minute and break your heart the next. Her writing is honest, relatable, and deeply insightful, touching on themes of motherhood, marriage, identity, courage, and what it means to live an authentic life.
In Carry On, Warrior, Glennon captures the messy, imperfect realities of parenting and everyday life with humor and grace. In Love Warrior, she shares her journey through the unraveling of her marriage and the difficult process of reclaiming her sense of self. Her vulnerability reminds us that struggle is part of being human and that growth often comes from the experiences we would never choose for ourselves.
In Untamed, Glennon challenges many of the expectations placed on women, mothers, and wives, encouraging readers to trust their own inner knowing rather than living according to who they think they should be. One of the book's most powerful messages is that a good mother is not someone who slowly disappears in service of everyone else. Rather, by living authentically and fully, we give our children permission to do the same.
Throughout all of her books, Glennon combines humor, wisdom, and powerful storytelling in a way that leaves readers feeling seen, understood, and hopeful. If you enjoy her books, I also highly recommend the podcast We Can Do Hard Things, which she co-hosts with Abby Wambach and her sister, Amanda Doyle.
Glennon Doyle
Good Morning, I Love You by Shauna Shapiro
In Good Morning, I Love You, Shauna Shapiro combines the science of mindfulness, self-compassion, and neuroplasticity to show that meaningful change is possible at any stage of life. Drawing on both cutting edge research and personal stories, she explains how the brain can be rewired through mindful awareness and self-compassion rather than self-criticism and willpower alone.
What I love most about this book is its hopeful message: change does not happen by judging ourselves harshly or trying harder. Instead, lasting change begins with awareness, kindness, and acceptance. Shapiro provides practical exercises and accessible explanations that help readers understand how mindfulness can transform the way we relate to ourselves, ultimately creating the conditions for growth, healing, and positive change.
Shauna Shapiro
The Mountain is You by Brianna Wiest
In The Mountain Is You, Brianna Wiest explores the ways we unconsciously stand in our own way and prevent ourselves from creating the life we want. She takes a thoughtful look at self-sabotage, helping readers understand that these behaviors are often rooted in unmet needs, fear, limiting beliefs, and old emotional wounds rather than a lack of willpower.
What I appreciate most about this book is that it does not simply identify the problem; it offers a path forward. Wiest provides practical insights and strategies for breaking old patterns, building emotional resilience, and creating lasting change. At its core, the book is about accepting where you are, understanding what is holding you back, and intentionally becoming the person capable of creating the future you want. It is an empowering read for anyone who feels stuck and is ready to move forward.
Brianna Wiest
The Perfection Trap by Thomas Curran
In The Perfection Trap, Thomas Curran explores the growing epidemic of perfectionism and the toll it takes on our mental health, relationships, and overall well-being. Drawing on decades of research, he makes an important distinction between striving for excellence, which can be healthy and motivating, and perfectionism, which is driven by fear, self-criticism, and the belief that our worth depends on our performance.
Curran examines the different forms of perfectionism, including self-oriented, socially prescribed, and other-oriented perfectionism, while exploring the cultural forces that have fueled its dramatic rise. Particularly compelling are his discussions of the pressure placed on children to attend the "right" schools and the role social media plays in creating unrealistic standards and constant comparison. This thought-provoking book challenges many of the assumptions our achievement-focused culture promotes and offers a powerful reminder that a meaningful life is not built on perfection, but on connection, authenticity, and self-acceptance.
Thomas Curran
The Gift: 12 Lessons to Save Your Life by Dr. Edith Eger
In The Gift, Dr. Edith Eger draws on her experiences as a Holocaust survivor and her decades of work as a psychologist to explore the mental and emotional barriers that keep us from living fully. Through a combination of personal stories, clinical insights, and practical exercises, she examines common struggles such as victimhood, fear, guilt, avoidance, and self-doubt, showing how these patterns can become prisons of our own making.
What I love most about this book is its hopeful message: no matter what has happened to us, we have the ability to choose how we respond. Dr. Eger reminds us that freedom is not found in changing our past, but in changing our relationship to it. Wise, compassionate, and deeply inspiring, The Gift offers practical tools for healing, growth, and creating a more meaningful life.
Dr. Edith Eger
Man’s Search for Meaning by Viktor Frankl
Man's Search for Meaning is one of the most influential and inspiring books ever written. Viktor Frankl, a psychiatrist and Holocaust survivor, recounts his experiences in Nazi concentration camps and the profound lessons he learned about human resilience, suffering, and the search for meaning.
At the heart of the book is Frankl's belief that while we cannot always control our circumstances, we can choose our response to them. Even in the most unimaginable conditions, he observed that those who were able to find meaning and purpose were often better able to endure hardship and maintain hope.
This is not an easy book, but it is an important one. Frankl's story is both heartbreaking and deeply inspiring, offering a powerful reminder that meaning can be found even in the darkest moments of life. While the latter portion of the book explores his theory of logotherapy, it was Frankl's personal story, courage, and insights into the human spirit that left the greatest impression on me.
Viktor Frankl
Dethroning Your Inner Critic by Joanna Kleinman
I was first introduced to Joanna Kleinman through my High Conflict Divorce Coach training program and was immediately captivated by her presentation. Her book, Dethroning Your Inner Critic, offers a refreshing and practical approach to one of the biggest obstacles many of us face: the relentless voice in our heads that tells us we are not good enough.
Rather than trying to silence the inner critic, Kleinman teaches that the goal is to stop giving it so much power. Through her M.I.N.D. Method, she helps readers recognize the patterns of self-criticism, fear, and limiting beliefs that keep them stuck and shows them how to respond differently. The result is greater self-awareness, confidence, and freedom to make choices based on who you truly are, rather than what your inner critic wants you to believe. This book is insightful, practical, and filled with tools that can be applied immediately.
Joanna Kleinman
Broken Open: How Difficult Times Can Help Us Grow by Elizabeth Lesser
Broken Open is one of the most moving and hopeful books I have read about navigating life's unexpected challenges and transitions. Elizabeth Lesser explores the idea that the experiences we most want to avoid—loss, heartbreak, divorce, illness, disappointment, and uncertainty—often become the very experiences that transform us.
Drawing on her own journey and the stories of others, Lesser shows that even life's most painful unraveling can become an opportunity to grow into a stronger, wiser, and more authentic version of ourselves. What I appreciate most about this book is that it never minimizes the pain of these experiences or rushes readers toward a silver lining. Instead, it encourages us to stop resisting what is happening and trust that growth often emerges from the very places where we feel most broken.
This is a wonderful book for anyone facing a major life transition, particularly those struggling with the decision to separate or wondering what comes next after a difficult chapter has ended. Lesser reminds us that when we have the courage to move through life's challenges rather than around them, we often discover strengths, possibilities, and a deeper sense of self that we never knew existed.
As Lesser beautifully suggests, there comes a time when remaining confined by our fears becomes more painful than the risk of change itself. Broken Open is ultimately a book about choosing growth, embracing uncertainty, and trusting that even our deepest struggles can become a path to greater wholeness.
Elizabeth Lesser
A Radical Awakening by Dr. Shefali
What I found most compelling was Dr. Shefali's exploration of the subconscious programming that influences how women view themselves, marriage, motherhood, success, and self-worth. She encourages readers to question these inherited beliefs and reconnect with who they truly are beneath the roles they have been taught to perform. Her message is powerful: your worth is not something you earn through sacrifice, perfection, or approval from others. It already exists within you.
While some of Dr. Shefali's views on relationships and sexuality may resonate more strongly with some readers than others, the core message of the book is universally relevant: true freedom comes from shedding the expectations that no longer serve us and learning to live from a place of authenticity and self-trust. This is an especially meaningful read for women who feel stuck, disconnected from themselves, or are questioning whether the life they have built is still aligned with who they have become.
One of my favorite takeaways is her reminder that, "Your power doesn't lie in who you become. It lies in remembering who you already are."
Dr. Shefali
The Let Them Theory by Mel Robbins
The power of the book lies in its shift from focusing on others to focusing on ourselves. Instead of trying to change, convince, manage, or please the people around us, Robbins encourages us to simply "let them" be who they are, while taking responsibility for our own choices, boundaries, and responses. This is not about giving up or becoming passive. It is about accepting reality, letting go of what is outside our control, and reclaiming the energy we have been spending trying to manage everyone else.
What I appreciate most about this book is how practical it is. While the concept itself is straightforward, seeing it applied to friendships, family relationships, parenting, work, and romantic relationships makes it surprisingly powerful. At its core, The Let Them Theory is a reminder that peace comes not from controlling others, but from accepting them as they are and taking ownership of our own lives.
One of my favorite takeaways is: "The way people treat you says more about them than it does about you. Let them."
Mel Robbins
We Can Do Hard Things, Answers to Life’s 20 Questions by Glennon Doyle, Abby Wambach and Amanda Doyle
What I love most about this book is that it doesn't pretend life is easy or offer simplistic solutions. Instead, it reminds us that being human is complicated, messy, and often painful, and that we are capable of handling far more than we think. The format makes it incredibly accessible, allowing you to read a chapter at a time and return to the questions that resonate most deeply.
The parenting chapters alone are worth the price of the book. One of my favorite reminders comes from Dr. Becky Kennedy: when children struggle, their behavior is often a signal of what they need, not a reflection of who they are. Another favorite is Glennon's reminder: "Don't become so concerned with raising a good kid that you forget you already have one."
Wise, compassionate, and often laugh out loud funny, We Can Do Hard Things is a book I recommend to just about everyone. It offers reassurance that while life may be difficult, we do not have to navigate it perfectly, and we certainly do not have to navigate it alone.
Glennon Doyle, Abby Wambach and Amanda Doyle
How to Be Enough by Ellen Hendricksen, Ph.D.
One of the book's greatest strengths is its compassionate approach. Rather than encouraging readers to lower their standards, Dr. Hendriksen helps us distinguish between healthy striving and perfectionism. She shows how perfectionists often overidentify with their performance, become trapped by rigid rules and "shoulds," focus excessively on mistakes, compare themselves to others, and hide their struggles behind a carefully managed image of competence and success.
Particularly insightful is her discussion of "perfectionistic self-presentation"—the tendency to show only the polished parts of ourselves while concealing our fears, doubts, and imperfections. While we may believe this protects us from rejection, Dr. Hendriksen demonstrates how it often leaves us feeling disconnected, lonely, and unseen. In our efforts to gain approval, we inadvertently create distance from the very connection we are seeking.
What I appreciate most about this book is that it offers a path forward. Dr. Hendriksen provides practical strategies for loosening perfectionism's grip while preserving the ambition, conscientiousness, and high standards that often accompany it. Filled with fascinating research and actionable insights, How to Be Enough is an excellent resource for anyone who struggles with self-criticism, people pleasing, comparison, or the persistent feeling that they are somehow falling short.
Ellen Hendricksen, Ph.D.
Divorcing a Narcissist by Tina Swithin
Tina is a testament to the human spirit and the Herculean strength of mothers. I thought I had seen just about everything in my 30 years of practice, but Tina’s story blew my mind. And instead of allowing her horrific experiences to consume her, she has helped thousands of mothers navigate through their challenging journeys with narcissistic partners. Her website onemomsbattle.com is an amazing resource for high conflict divorce/custody cases, and her blogs are a wealth of information about how to manage a high conflict individual. I would also highly recommend her courses for any individual embroiled in a high conflict divorce/custody case. Tina has written several other books, which I am sure are amazing, but I haven’t had a chance to read them yet.
Tina Swithin
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Raising Resilient Children with a Borderline or Narcissistic Parent by Margalis Fjeslstad and Jean McBride
This is an amazing resource for anyone trying to co-parent with a narcissist, whether you are still living together or you’re separated. It is a chilling look at the effects of a narcissistic parent on a child, while affirming that one healthy parent can be enough to raise a resilient child. They will walk you through what to do and not do, how to talk to your children about the narcissistic parent and their behaviors, and how to care for yourself throughout it all. This is a must read for anyone trying to co-parent with a narcissist.
Margalis Fjeslstad and Jean McBride
It’s Not You by Ramani Durvasula
Dr. Durvasula is an excellent resource for learning more about narcissistic personalities and the effect their behaviors have on their partners. “It’s Not You” will help you to identify whether you are dealing with a narcissist or just someone with narcissistic tendencies. She will walk you through gaslighting, trauma bonds, and help you to set realistic boundaries. Her website www.doctor-ramani.com is full of helpful tips and links to her videos.
Dr. Ramani Durvasula
The Self-Driven Child by William Stixrud and Ned Johnson
This book literally changed my philosophy for parenting a child with ADHD. The book is a wakeup call that if we do everything for our children, they may appear successful, but we have not prepared them for life. It is an excellent guide to providing your children with some autonomy and responsibility so that they can make mature decisions about their futures. I recommend this book to everyone parenting a child with ADHD.
William Stixrud and Ned Johnson
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Siblings Without Rivalry by Adele Faber and Elaine Mazlish
I read this book when my children were much younger, but the message of this book has really stuck with me. It’s a very common-sense approach to dealing with siblings who do not get along with each other- either all of the time or just occasionally. I highly recommend this book!
Adele Faber and Elaine Mazlish
Never Enough: When Achievement Culture Becomes Toxic- and What We Can Do About It by Jennifer Breheny Wallace
Drawing on extensive research and compelling interviews with students, parents, educators, and psychologists, Wallace examines the unintended consequences of our achievement-focused culture. She highlights how many high-achieving children struggle with anxiety, perfectionism, depression, and a persistent fear of failure, not because they lack success, but because they have come to believe that their worth depends on it. Particularly powerful is her exploration of how college admissions pressure, overscheduling, and well-intentioned parental anxiety can inadvertently reinforce the message that achievement is what makes a person valuable.
The book's most important insight is the distinction between mattering and achievement. Wallace argues that children thrive when they feel valued for who they are, not simply for what they accomplish. Through examples of families and communities that prioritize connection, contribution, character, and belonging, she offers a hopeful alternative to the relentless pursuit of external success.
This book challenged me to think differently about what children truly need from the adults in their lives. Wallace makes a compelling case that the greatest gift we can give our children is the certainty that their worth is not something they have to earn.
Jennifer Breheny Wallace
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