3 Books to Inspire Women Along Their Path for Change

The title of this blog post feels very ~bloggy,~ like something you would actually come across in a Google Search when looking for book recommendations. Maybe someday my blog will be discovered, and right when everyone thinks I am here to dole out advice, I will flip the script and go back to publishing shit about my personal life again. It's called a "bait-and-switch" sweetheart, look it up.

It should come as no surprise that over the past year of self-work I have consumed more books than I have in the entirety of my life. My relationship with alcohol, my cowardice to be imperfect and put myself out there, and my change in career specifically, have led me to three incredible books along the way. It would actually be an injustice to not dedicate a blog post to these books, especially for women who find themselves in similar situations.

So without further ado, here are three books you need to add to your home library:

Quit Like a Woman: Written by Holly Whitaker, this book is dedicated to women who are trying to remove alcohol from their life in a "culture that is obsessed with alcohol." You know it to be true. I know it to be true. We do love alcohol here in the United States, it is nearly impossible to avoid it. And when we do decide to quit, we are often questioned in that choice. This book helped me to realize I was not alone in the process, and was very much my speed. Holly is witty, raw, and vulnerable in all the right ways (there really is no wrong way). Not only did it help me to achieve the goal I was trying to reach, it changed my view on our society; and not just in the way it relates to alcohol, but our society as it relates to systems (such as AA) that were designed for men, and not for women or other historically oppressed people. There has to be another way, and it turns out - there is.

Braving the Wilderness: Written by Brené Brown, PhD, LMSW - I love this book. I have referenced this book so many times in conversation because it always feels applicable. Belonging is an important piece of the human experience. How many times have I written in my own blog posts that we were not meant to be isolated? In today's world, we are more disconnected from others than we have ever been. Social media and the need to fit in, rather than belong and be accepted as we are, is a sickness. The media outlets divide us all, regularly. We are lonely, and loneliness breeds unhealthy coping mechanisms (something I am oh so familiar with). Vulnerability, love, and compassion take courage to express. This book inspires me regularly to continue forward with my goals, and ultimately to even write this blog at all. Being comfortable and confident in who you are, and attracting the community that supports this, is vital. If you are working towards a goal in any capacity that pushes you out of your comfort zone, I urge you to read this book.

The Wisdom of the Whole: Written by Linda Bark, PhD, RN, MCC - this is a book to be utilized by coaches, but do not stop reading here if this does not apply to you. This book has so many insights that I do not believe it should be categorized only for coaching use - although I do highly recommend this book to coaches who are reading this. This book functions as a textbook, and honestly, it reads like one too. However, the tools that can be found in this text are useful to anyone who appreciates a holistic approach to life, and it is a great learning opportunity to become more in tune with your own body. While I like to utilize the tools that I have acquired from this text for coaching sessions, I also use several tools found in this text for myself. For that reason, I believe this book is more than useful to anyone, especially those that are looking for new grounding techniques or even tools to tap into intuition.

Honorable Mention: "In The Flo," written by Alisa Vitti, HHC, AADP. For any woman interested in biohacking, Alisa explains her Cycle Syncing Method and how to live in tune with both our 24-hour cyclical clock, as well as our 28-day hormonal clock. The only reason this is not a legitimate recommendation is because I am not finished reading it through yet. Read more about her method here.

If I had to suggest one book above all else, I would choose Braving the Wilderness. This is a short read, but an impactful one. If you have any book recommendations that fall in line with any referenced above, please send them my way. I am always adding to my library and often reading multiple books at one time these days!