My Favorite Books to Inspire Growth This Season

 

When I was a kid, reading was not my thing. I struggled with it for years, in fact, I was pulled out of class for extra help for years. I dreaded reading and avoided it whenever I could. I couldn’t understand why anyone would choose to read if they didn’t have to.

Fast forward to adulthood, something shifted. About a decade ago, I picked up my first leadership book, and that’s when everything changed. Since then, I’ve become what I once thought I’d never be: a reader.

I don’t read fiction, but I love non-fiction, books about personal growth, leadership, personal finance, longevity, health, and of course “woo-woo” books. I’m not a fast reader, but I’m consistent. I read about ten pages a day, which adds up to around 15–20 books a year.

Mark Twain once said, “The man who does not read has no advantage over the man who cannot read.” That quote hits home for me because now I see reading as one of the most powerful ways to grow, learn, and evolve.

With the holidays approaching, I thought it’d be fun to share a few of my favorite books. You can gift them to someone special or curl up with one yourself during those quiet winter mornings or cozy nights.

My Top Choices

1. Let Them – Mel Robbins
A mindset-shifting guide that encourages you to release control over others’ choices and reactions. Robbins shows how “letting them” live their path frees you to focus on your own peace, boundaries, and growth.

2. Can’t Hurt Me – David Goggins
Goggins’ raw memoir blends grit and psychology, showing how to push past pain and excuses. It’s a powerful story of mental toughness and turning adversity into unstoppable drive.

3. Feel the Fear and Do It Anyway – Susan Jeffers
This classic teaches you how to take action despite fear, uncertainty, or self-doubt. Jeffers offers tools to build confidence and reclaim power over your choices.

4. Die With Zero – Bill Perkins
A bold take on how to maximize life’s experiences, not just your bank account. Perkins urges readers to spend intentionally, invest in memories, and prioritize joy over hoarding wealth.

 

 Personal Finance

1. The Art of Spending Money – Morgan Housel
Housel reframes money as a tool for meaning, not status. He explores how emotions, habits, and values drive how we spend and save.

2. The Psychology of Money – Morgan Housel
This modern finance classic breaks down how behavior, not knowledge, determines financial success. It’s about mindset, patience, and understanding the power of compounding decisions.

3. Financial Feminist – Tori Dunlap
Empowers women to take control of their finances with confidence. Dunlap blends practical money advice with social awareness, covering budgeting, investing, and breaking financial taboos.

4. Live Wellthy – Dawn Dahlby
A holistic guide to building both wealth and well-being. Dahlby blends financial planning with mindset shifts to create security and peace of mind.

5. Secrets of the Millionaire Mind – T. Harv Eker
Eker explores how your “money blueprint” shapes your financial destiny. He teaches practical ways to reprogram limiting beliefs about wealth and success.

 

 Longevity / Health

1. Good Energy – Casey Means
A science-backed look at how optimizing metabolism creates vitality. Means shows how diet, sleep, and stress affect cellular energy and long-term health.

2. You Can Heal Your Life-  Louise Hay
A timeless guide to the mind-body connection. Hay shows how changing your thoughts and self-talk can promote emotional and physical healing.

3. Forever Strong – Gabrielle Lyon
Lyon emphasizes muscle as the key to longevity. She offers a practical blueprint for nutrition and strength training to stay lean, strong, and vibrant as you age.

4. Outlive – Peter Attia
A deep dive into the science of aging and disease prevention. Attia breaks down proactive strategies to extend not just lifespan but healthspan.

5. Young Forever – Mark Hyman
Hyman combines functional medicine and lifestyle practices to slow aging. He focuses on reversing inflammation and cellular damage to help you feel younger longer.

 

Parenting Books

1. The Anxious Generation – Jonathan Haidt
A data-driven exploration of how smartphones and social media impact kids’ mental health. Haidt offers practical solutions to raise resilient, grounded children in a digital world.

2. Raising Mentally Strong Kids – Charles Fay & Daniel Amen
Focuses on building emotional strength, accountability, and confidence. Combines neuroscience and parenting strategies to help children handle challenges with resilience.

 

Self-Help

1. The Mountain Is You – Brianna Wiest
Wiest explores how self-sabotage is often self-protection in disguise. She teaches you to transform pain into power through self-awareness and emotional healing.

2. Stolen Focus – Johann Hari
Examines how modern life steals our attention — from technology to overstimulation. Hari provides insight and solutions for reclaiming deep focus and presence.

3. How to Love Better – Yung Pueblo
A heartfelt guide on emotional maturity and self-awareness in relationships. Pueblo shows how healing yourself creates space for deeper, healthier love.

4. The Gratitude Diaries – Janice Kaplan
Kaplan documents a year of living gratefully and how it transformed her happiness and relationships. It’s a joyful reminder of the power of perspective.

5. The Body Keeps the Score – Bessel van der Kolk
A groundbreaking look at how trauma shapes the brain and body. Van der Kolk explores healing through therapy, mindfulness, and body-based approaches.

 

Leadership

1. Leading with Gratitude – Adrian Gostick
Demonstrates how appreciation and recognition can transform workplace culture. Gostick offers practical tools to inspire teams and boost engagement.

2. Dare to Lead – Brené Brown
Brown redefines leadership through courage and vulnerability. It’s a guide to leading authentically and creating psychologically safe teams.

3. High Performance Habits – Brendon Burchard
Burchard identifies six key habits of successful, fulfilled leaders. It’s about clarity, energy, and consistency over hustle.

4. The Four Tendencies – Gretchen Rubin
Rubin helps you understand personality patterns — how you respond to expectations — to improve motivation, relationships, and leadership.

5. The No Complaining Rule – Jon Gordon
A practical fable about positivity in the workplace. Gordon teaches how eliminating negativity boosts morale, teamwork, and productivity.

 

 Woo Woo Books

1. The Power of Positive Energy – Tanaaz Chubb
Encourages spiritual growth through gratitude, manifestation, and high-vibration living. A practical guide for keeping your energy aligned and optimistic.

2. The Universe Has Your Back – Gabrielle Bernstein
A spiritual roadmap to move from fear to faith. Bernstein teaches how to trust the universe, surrender control, and manifest peace.

3. Manifest Now – Idil Ahmed
A modern manifestation manual that blends mindset, self-belief, and energy work. Ahmed offers affirmations and exercises for attracting abundance and alignment.

4. Aligned Abundance – Emma Mumford
Combines spiritual principles with practical action to manifest success and wealth. Mumford helps you align your mindset and energy with prosperity.

 

As I started writing this list, I realized how many books have truly shaped the way I think, live, and grow. Hopefully, you’ll find a few that speak to you too, perfect for cozy winter reading or thoughtful holiday gifts.