I love to read, and even more than that, I love to be read to, so I always have an audiobook on the go. I confess, that if I like the audiobook enough, I usually buy a copy as well so I can have the real thing on my bookshelf.
Coaching, mindset, learning and personal development is my passion. So I’m just as likely to lie on the beach with a coaching book as a novel.
Here are some of my top recommendations…
The Kindness Method: Changing Habits for Good By Shahroo Izadi
Map your habits, set your own goals, and treat yourself with the kindness you truly deserve.
Shahroo Izadi has a revolutionary message: treating yourself kindly is the only way to make changes that last. She is living proof that her method works – after years of yo-yo dieting, she shed over 8 stone (and has kept it off ever since). Professional training coupled with personal experience led her to develop The Kindness Method™, where traditional strict regimes are turned upside down to leave you feeling empowered, positive and ready to embrace change.
Whether it’s weight loss, cutting down on drinking, improving relationships or ditching a dull job for one that you love, The Kindness Method will help you change any unwanted habit. Because when you shift your focus to your individual strengths and skills (rather than what you can’t do), you too will find you have the power to change – for good.
The Boy, The Mole, The Fox and The Horse by Charlie Mackesy
The Sunday Times Bestseller and New York Times Bestseller. A book of hope for uncertain times.
‘Feeling a little blue? Meet the new Winnie the Pooh.’ The Daily Mail
‘A wonderful work of art and a wonderful window into the human heart’ Richard Curtis
Enter the world of Charlie’s four unlikely friends, discover their story and their most important life lessons.
The conversations of the boy, the mole, the fox and the horse have been shared thousands of times online, recreated in school art classes, hung on hospital walls and turned into tattoos. In Charlie’s first book, you will find his most-loved illustrations and some new ones too.
Running like a girl by Alexandra Heminsley
Alexandra Heminsley had high hopes: the arse of an athlete, the waist of a supermodel, the speed of a gazelle. Defeated by gyms and bored of yoga, she decided to run.
Her first attempt did not end well.
Six years later, she has run five marathons in two continents.
But, as her dad says, you run with your head as much as with your legs. So, while this is a book about running, it’s not just about running.
You could say it’s about ambition (yes, getting out of bed on a rainy Sunday morning counts), relationships (including talking to the intimidating staff in the trainer shop), as well as your body (your boobs don’t have to wobble when you run). But it’s also about realising that you can do more than you ever thought possible.
Very funny, very honest and very emotional, whether you’re in serious training or thinking about running for the bus, this is a book for anyone who after wine and crisps for supper a few too many times thinks they might . . . just might . . . like to run like a girl.
The Subtle Art of Not Giving A F*ck By Mark Manson
#1 New York Times Bestseller. Over 6 million copies sold
In this generation-defining self-help guide, a superstar blogger cuts through the crap to show us how to stop trying to be “positive” all the time so that we can truly become better, happier people.
For decades, we’ve been told that positive thinking is the key to a happy, rich life. “F**k positivity,” Mark Manson says. “Let’s be honest, shit is f**ked and we have to live with it.” In his wildly popular Internet blog, Manson doesn’t sugarcoat or equivocate. He tells it like it is—a dose of raw, refreshing, honest truth that is sorely lacking today. The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F**k is his antidote to the coddling, let’s-all-feel-good mindset that has infected modern society and spoiled a generation, rewarding them with gold medals just for showing up.
Manson makes the argument, backed both by academic research and well-timed poop jokes, that improving our lives hinges not on our ability to turn lemons into lemonade, but on learning to stomach lemons better. Human beings are flawed and limited—”not everybody can be extraordinary, there are winners and losers in society, and some of it is not fair or your fault.” Manson advises us to get to know our limitations and accept them. Once we embrace our fears, faults, and uncertainties, once we stop running and avoiding and start confronting painful truths, we can begin to find the courage, perseverance, honesty, responsibility, curiosity, and forgiveness we seek.
There are only so many things we can give a f**k about so we need to figure out which ones really matter, Manson makes clear. While money is nice, caring about what you do with your life is better, because true wealth is about experience. A much-needed grab-you-by-the-shoulders-and-look-you-in-the-eye moment of real-talk, filled with entertaining stories and profane, ruthless humor, The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F**k is a refreshing slap for a generation to help them lead contented, grounded lives.
Why Men Don’t Listen & Women Can’t Read Maps by Barbara & Allan Pease
In this classic international bestselling book, Allan and Barbara Pease highlight the differences in the ways men and women think.
Barbara and Allan Pease travelled the world collating the dramatic findings of new research on the brain, investigating evolutionary biology, analysing psychologists research, studying social change and annoying the locals. The result is WHY MEN DON’T LISTEN AND WOMEN CAN’T READ MAPS, the sometimes shocking, always illuminating, frequently hilarious look at where the battle line is drawn between the sexes, why it was drawn and how to cross it. Revealed:
Why men really can’t do more than one thing at a time
Why women make such a mess of parallel parking
Why men should never lie to women
Why women talk so much and men so little
WHAT MEN AND WOMEN REALLY WANT
A must-read for everyone – you will learn as much about yourself and how to improve your relationships, as you will about the opposite sex.
You’re Not Listening: What You’re Missing and Why It Matters By Kate Murphy
When was the last time you listened to someone, or someone really listened to you?
This life-changing book will transform your conversations forever.
At work, we’re taught to lead the conversation. On social media, we shape our personal narratives. At parties, we talk over one another. So do our politicians. We’re not listening. And no one is listening to us.
Now more than ever, we need to listen to those around us. New York Times contributor Kate Murphy draws on countless conversations she has had with everyone from priests to CIA interrogators, focus group moderators to bartenders, her great-great aunt to her friend’s toddler, to show how only by listening well can we truly connect with others.
Listening has the potential to transform our relationships and our working lives, improve our self-knowledge, and increase our creativity and happiness. While it may take some effort, it’s a skill that can be learnt and perfected.
When all we crave is to understand and be understood, You’re Not Listening shows us how.
Blue Mind by Wallace J. Nichols
Why are we drawn to the ocean each summer? Why does being near water set our minds and bodies at ease? In Blue Mind, Wallace J. Nichols revolutionizes how we think about these questions, revealing the remarkable truth about the benefits of being in, on, under, or simply near water.
Grounded in cutting-edge studies in neurobiology, cognitive psychology, economics, and medicine, and made real by stories of innovative scientists, doctors, athletes, artists, environmentalists, businesspeople and lovers of nature – stories that fascinate the mind and touch the heart – Blue Mind will awaken readers to the vital importance of water to the health and happiness of us all.
The Chimp Paradox by Dr Steve Peters
The Chimp Paradox is an incredibly powerful mind management model that can help you become a happy, confident, healthier, and more successful person. Prof Steve Peters explains the struggle that takes place within your mind and then shows how to apply this understanding to every area of your life so you can:
– Recognise how your mind is working
– Understand and manage your emotions and thoughts
– Manage yourself and become the person you would like to be
The Chimp Mind Management Model is based on scientific facts and principles, which have been simplified into a workable model for easy use. It will help you to develop yourself and give you the skills, for example, to remove anxiety, have confidence and choose your emotions. The book will do this by giving you an understanding of the way in which your mind works and how you can manage it. It will also help you to identify what is holding you back or preventing you from having a happier and more successful life.
Each chapter explains different aspects of how you function and highlights key facts for you to understand. There are also exercises for you to work with. By undertaking these exercises you will see immediate improvements in your daily living and, over time, you will develop emotional skills and practical habits that will help you to become the person that you want to be, and live the life that you want to live.
How to have a beautiful mind By Edward De Bono
People spend a fortune on their bodies, their faces, their hair, their clothes. Cosmetics, plastic surgery, diets, gym membership – everyone’s trying to be more attractive. But there’s an easier way to become a beautiful person. It doesn’t have to be physical. No matter how you look, if you have a mind that’s fascinating, creative, exciting – if you’re a good thinker – you can be beautiful.
And being attractive doesn’t necessarily come from being intelligent or highly-educated. It isn’t about having a great personality. It’s about using your imagination and expanding your creativity. And it’s when talking with people that we make the greatest impact. A person may be physically beautiful, but when speaking to others a dull or ugly or uncreative mind will definitely turn them off.
In clear, practical language, de Bono shows how by applying lateral and parallel thinking skills to your conversation you can improve your mind. By learning how to listen, make a point, and manoeuvre a discussion, you can become creative and more appealing – more beautiful.
The 7 Habits of highly effective people by Stephen R. Covey
The 7 habits have become famous and are integrated into everyday thinking by millions and millions of people. Why? Because they work!
With Sean Covey’s added takeaways on how the habits can be used in our modern age, the wisdom of the 7 habits will be refreshed for a new generation of leaders.
They include:
Habit 1: Be Proactive
Habit 2: Begin with the End in Mind
Habit 3: Put First Things First
Habit 4: Think Win/Win
Habit 5: Seek First to Understand, Then to Be Understood
Habit 6: Synergise
Habit 7: Sharpen the Saw
This beloved classic presents a principle-centered approach for solving both personal and professional problems. With penetrating insights and practical anecdotes, Stephen R. Covey reveals a step-by-step pathway for living with fairness, integrity, honesty, and human dignity – principles that give us the security to adapt to change and the wisdom and power to take advantage of the opportunities that change creates.
