For the past 10 years I have read more non-fiction books than fiction and I absolutely love reading self-development, personal development, self-help and leadership books.

The podcasts I listen to (check out my blog about my top ten podcasts) are often conversations with people who have just published a book. More often than not, I end the podcast and order the book. I have learned so much from reading non-fiction books and I am forever grateful to the wonderful authors, who take the time to sit down and distil what they have learned and inspire me to give it a try.

It was hard compiling a list of my top ten favourite non-fiction books and my main criteria was that they actually changed me deeply in one way or another and I can trace important decisions I have made back to these books.

So here it goes:

1. Emotional Intelligence, by Daniel Coleman (Bloomsbury Publishing, 1996)

This book validated my belief that emotional intelligence ‘EQ’ is as important as IQ intelligence. It was one of the first books about the subject and I read it when I was 25 and it changed my life. Another book I read very recently about emotional intelligence, and I did an IGTV about it, is called Permission to Feel by Marc Brackett! My favourite bit is that he talks about being an emotional scientist rather than an emotional judge, meaning that if we can understand emotions rather than judge them, that will change how we feel and how we make others feel! 

2. Rising Strong, by Brene Brown (Vermillion, 2015)

That book taught me about all the things we do to numb the pain and made me realise that I was drinking alcohol to numb the pain. It eventually made me stop drinking and I learned to tune in to pain. For a longer version of that journey, you can read my book Fears to Fierce where I talk about this in more detail.

3. The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, by Stephen Covey (Schuster, 2004)

When I first heard about it in 2014, I felt embarrassed because it seemed like everyone had read it… and I can see why! It is immensely powerful, and I still remember many of his lessons now. Of the 7 lessons, the 5th one is the one that stood out for me. “Seek to understand, then to be understood”. I loved that so much, so often we are preoccupied with making ourselves understood that we miss out on understanding others, when that actually makes it easier to then explain yourself!

4. Rise Sister Rise, Rebecca Campbell (Hay House, 2016)

‘A guide to unleashing the wise, wild woman within’ – that’s the subtitle!!! You just have to read it! That’s all I can say! 

5. Feel the Fear and Do it Anyway, by Susan Jeffers (Hutchinson, 1987)

A friend of mine gave this book to me the day before I started my new job at Women for Women International in 2008 and the title became my mantra! One of the best things Susan suggests is to try something that stretches your comfort zone every day, to ensure you make your world bigger. I follow this advice to this day!

6. A New Earth, by Eckhart Tolle (Penguin, 2009)

Eckhart gave me a totally new understanding of the voice in my head and my Ego. When we can realise that the voice in our head is not us, then everything opens up… a definite must-read!

7. Time to Think, by Christine Carter (Ballantine Books, 2017)

This book was given to me as a present in 2012, just when I became Executive Director – and as with many books, it came at exactly the right time. This book is all about creating an environment that allows you and your colleagues to unleash your potential! It inspired me to introduce the habit of sharing one good thing every Monday at our team meeting. 

8. A Field Guide to Getting Lost, by Rebecca Solnit

Honestly, I could have listed all of her books, it is so hard to choose one, but this one is incredible! “Never to get lost is not to live, not to know how to get lost brings you to destruction, and somewhere in the terra incognita in between lies a life of discovery.” I don’t think I need to quote anymore, right??? Amazing!

9. The Four Agreements, by Don Miguel Ruiz (Amber-Allen Publishing, 2018)

Those four agreements are powerful, and I quote them regularly! ‘Be impeccable with your word’ is probably my favourite one! Choosing the words you say to yourself and others really matters!

10. My Stroke of Insight, by Jill Bolte Taylor (Hodder Paperbacks, 2009)

This book and her TED talk taught me so much about the left and right brain; the intuitive power of the right brain and how that knowledge can help us to access inner peace.

Want to add any of these books to your reading pile? Head to the Bookshop.org!