Recommended Reading

My holistic background has led me to read many inspiring books about personal and spiritual development, communication, motivation, and Eastern philosophy. I invite you to read any of the books on this list. Perhaps some of them will resonate with you the same way they have me. Enjoy.

	Blink: The Power of Thinking Without Thinking by Malcolm Gladwell In his landmark bestseller The Tipping Point, Malcolm Gladwell redefined how we understand the world around us. Now, in Blink, he revolutionizes the way we understand the world within.
	The China Study: The Most Comprehensive Study of Nutrition Ever Conducted And the Startling Implications for Diet, Weight Loss, And Long-term Health by Thomas Campbell, T. Colin Campbell Even today, as trendy diets and a weight-loss frenzy sweep the nation, two-thirds of adults are still obese and children are being diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes, typically an “adult” disease, at an alarming rate.
	Daring Greatly: How the Courage to Be Vulnerable Transforms the Way We Live, Love, Parent, and Lead by Brene Brown Researcher and thought leader Dr. Brené Brown offers a powerful new vision that encourages us to dare greatly: to embrace vulnerability and imperfection, to live wholeheartedly, and to courageously engage in our lives.
	Now, Discover Your Strengths: How to Develop Your Talents and Those of the People You Manage by Marcus Buckingham Unfortunately, most of us have little sense of our talents and strengths, much less the ability to build our lives around them. Instead, guided by our parents, by our teachers, by our managers, and by psychology’s fascination with pathology, we become experts in our weaknesses and spend our lives trying to repair these flaws, while our strengths lie dormant and neglected.
	Drive: The Surprising Truth About What Motivates Us by Daniel H. Pink Most people believe that the best way to motivate is with rewards like money—the carrot-and-stick approach. That’s a mistake, says Daniel H. Pink
	Emotional Intelligence: Why It Can Matter More Than IQ by Daniel Goleman Everyone knows that high IQ is no guarantee of success, happiness, or virtue, but until Emotional Intelligence, we could only guess why. Daniel Goleman’s brilliant report from the frontiers of psychology and neuroscience offers startling new insight into our “two minds”—the rational and the emotional—and how they together shape our destiny.
	The E-Myth Revisited: Why Most Small Businesses Don’t Work and What to Do About It by Michael E. Gerber The E-Myth, Michael Gerber dispels the myths surrounding starting your own business and shows how commonplace assumptions can get in the way of running a business.
	Exercise for Mood and Anxiety: Proven Strategies for Overcoming Depression and Enhancing Well-Being by Michael Otto, Jasper A.J. Smits Exercise has long been touted anecdotally as an effective tool for mood improvement, but only recently has rigorous science caught up with these claims.
	Flourish: A Visionary New Understanding of Happiness and Well-being by Martin E. P. Seligman With this unprecedented promise, internationally esteemed psychologist Martin Seligman begins Flourish, his first book in ten years—and the first to present his dynamic new concept of what well-being really is.
	Flow: The Psychology of Optimal Experience (Harper Perennial Modern Classics) by Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi Psychologist Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi’s famous investigations of “optimal experience” have revealed that what makes an experience genuinely satisfying is a state of consciousness called flow.
	Food Over Medicine: The Conversation That Could Save Your Life by Pamela A. Popper, Glen Merzer, Del Sroufe (Contributor) Nearly half of Americans take at least one prescription medicine, with almost a quarter taking three or more, as diseases such as diabetes, obesity, and dementia grow more prevalent than ever. The problem with medicating common ailments, such as high blood pressure or elevated cholesterol, is that drugs treat symptoms—and may even improve test results—without addressing the cause: diet.
	The Four Agreements: A Practical Guide to Personal Freedom (A Toltec Wisdom Book) by Don Miguel Ruiz, Janet Mills (Editor) Rooted in traditional Toltec wisdom beliefs, four agreements in life are essential steps on the path to personal freedom. As beliefs are transformed through maintaining these agreements, shamanic teacher and healer don Miguel Ruiz asserts lives will “become filled with grace, peace, and unconditional love.”
	The How of Happiness: A New Approach to Getting the Life You Want by Sonja Lyubomirsky You see here a different kind of happiness book. The How of Happiness is a comprehensive guide to understanding the elements of happiness based on years of groundbreaking scientific research.
	Leadership 2.0 by Travis Bradberry, Jean Greaves Sharing discoveries from a groundbreaking study that separated the leadership skills that get results from those that are inconsequential or harmful, Leadership 2.0 introduces a new paradigm of leadership.
	Make Peace With Anyone: Breakthrough Strategies to Quickly End Any Conflict, Feud by David J. Lieberman Ph.D. Make Peace with Anyone is the first book that shows readers how to quickly resolve any situation, no matter how long it’s been going on, or how many people are involved.
	Managing Transitions: Making the Most of Change by William Bridges, Susan Bridges (Contributor) The business world is transforming. Stories of layoffs, bankruptcy, mergers, and restructuring appear in the news every day. When these changes hit the workplace, the actual situational shifts are often not as difficult for employees and managers to work through as the psychological components that accompany them.
	Mindset: The New Psychology of Success by Carol Dweck Dweck explains why it’s not just our abilities and talent that bring us success—but whether we approach them with a fixed or growth mindset.
	Never Eat Alone, Expanded and Updated: And Other Secrets to Success, One Relationship at a Time by Keith Ferrazzi, Tahl Raz Do you want to get ahead in life? Climb the ladder to personal success? The secret, master networker Keith Ferrazzi claims, is in reaching out to other people.
	Nonviolent Communication: A Language of Life by Marshall B. Rosenberg Do you hunger for skills to improve the quality of your relationships, to deepen your sense of personal empowerment or to simply communicate more effectively?
	Positivity: Top-Notch Research Reveals the Upward Spiral That Will Change Your Life by Barbara Fredrickson World renowned researcher Dr. Barbara Fredrickson gives you the lab-tested tools necessary to create a healthier, more vibrant, and flourishing life through a process she calls “the upward spiral.”
	The Power of Presence: Unlock Your Potential to Influence and Engage Others by Kristi Hedges Everyone recognizes leaders with “presence.” They stand out for their seemingly innate ability to command attention and inspire commitment. But what is this secret quality they exude, exactly?
	The Procrastination Equation: How to Stop Putting Things Off and Start Getting Stuff Done by PhD Steel Piers Using a mix of psychology, evolutionary biology, self-help, and more than a decade of research, Dr. Piers Steel, the world’s foremost authority on procrastination, offers a tried and true method helping us to identify, understand, and break free of our self-destructive bad habits and create more positive lives for ourselves.
	Resilience: The Science of Mastering Life’s Greatest Challenges by Steven M. Southwick, Dennis S. Charney Many of us will be struck by one or more major traumas sometime in our lives. Perhaps you have been a victim of sexual abuse, domestic violence or assault.
	The Resilience Factor: 7 Keys to Finding Your Inner Strength and Overcoming Life’s Hurdles by Karen Reivich, Andrew Shatte Ph.D. Resilience is a crucial ingredient–perhaps the crucial ingredient–to a happy, healthy life. More than anything else, it’s what determines how high we rise above what threatens to wear us down, from battling an illness, to bolstering a marriage, to carrying on after a national crisis.
	Prevent and Reverse Heart Disease: The Revolutionary, Scientifically Proven, Nutrition-Based Cure by Caldwell B. Esselstyn Jr. The New York Times bestselling guide to the lifesaving diet that can both prevent and help reverse the effects of heart disease
	Self-Compassion: The Proven Power of Being Kind to Yourself by Kristin Neff Kristin Neff, Ph.D., says that it’s time to “stop beating yourself up and leave insecurity behind.” Self-Compassion: Stop Beating Yourself Up and Leave Insecurity Behind offers expert advice on how to limit self-criticism and offset its negative effects, enabling you to achieve your highest potential and a more contented, fulfilled life.
	Spark: The Revolutionary New Science of Exercise and the Brain by John J. Ratey Did you know you can beat stress, lift your mood, fight memory loss, sharpen your intellect, and function better than ever simply by elevating your heart rate and breaking a sweat?
	The Pursuit of Perfect: How to Stop Chasing Perfection and Start Living a Richer, Happier Life by Tal Ben-Shahar We’re all laboring under our own and society’s expectations to be perfect in every way-to look younger, to make more money, to be happy all the time. But according to Tal Ben-Shahar, the New York Times bestselling author of Happier, the pursuit of perfect may actually be the number-one internal obstacle to finding happiness.
	To Sell Is Human: The Surprising Truth About Moving Others by Daniel H. Pink  From the bestselling author of Drive and A Whole New Mind comes a surprising–and surprisingly useful–new book that explores the power of selling in our lives.
	We: How to Increase Performance and Profits through Full Engagement by Rudy Karsan, Kevin Kruse Achieve a fully engaged workforceWhat if every single employee-every single one-worked in their dream job, utilized their best talents, worked with an inspirational leader and was fully engaged in their role?
	Why We Do What We Do: Understanding Self-Motivation by Edward L. Deci, Richard Flaste If you reward your children for doing their homework, they will usually respond by getting it done. But is this the most effective method of motivation?
	The Complete Ninja Collection by Stephen K Hayes Bridging the gap between the needs of contemporary society and the essence of the ancient once-secret ninja art
	Leadership and the One Minute Manager by Ken Blanchard, Patricia Zigarmi, Drea Zigarmi From Leadership and the One Minute Manager® you’ll learn why tailoring management styles to individual employees is so important; why knowing when to delegate, support, or direct is critical; and how to identify the leadership style suited to a particular person.
	The Power of Full Engagement: Managing Energy, Not Time, Is the Key to High Performance and Personal Renewal by Jim Loehr, Tony Schwartz The number of hours in a day is fixed, but the quantity and quality of energy available to us is not. This fundamental insight has the power to revolutionize the way you live.
	Wherever You Go, There You Are Paperback by Jon Kabat-Zinn The author of Full Catastrophe Living explains how anyone can use mindfulness–the art of living each moment fully as it happens–to reduce anxiety, achieve inner peace, and enrich life.
	A Whole New Mind: Why Right-Brainers Will Rule the Future by Daniel H. Pink The future belongs to a different kind of person with a different kind of mind: artists, inventors, storytellers-creative and holistic “right-brain” thinkers whose abilities mark the fault line between who gets ahead and who doesn’t.