11 Book Recommendations
11 Book Recommendations for December 2024
Whether you want more personal fulfillment, want to connect to your spiritual side, want to improve your leadership skills and business acumen, or take steps to lead a better life, this is a diverse selection of books to inspire you on your journey. I have a long list of books I love, but here are a few that are top of mind for me for now. I hope you find one you like.
Plant Feasts: Recipes for slow living in a fast-paced world, by Frankie Paz
Whether you are looking for some inspiration for a new plant-based recipe, or you want add some amazing taste to your holiday spread, enjoy this book by Frankie Paz. Along with the recipes, you’ll find inspirational stories that encourage us all to slow down, come together, and enjoy food.
I had the privilege of meeting Valarie Kaur when she visited Berkeley on her Revolutionary Love Tour. It was an impactful experience in which she led us through the founding of Sikhism in a moving and musical journey. I already knew her from Instagram and her first book, “See No Stranger: A Memoir and Manifesto of Revolutionary Love.” But hearing her share her story in this way was beyond what I expected. “Revolutionary Love is the call of our times. It is to look upon the face of anyone and say: you are a part of me I do not yet know.” ~ Valerie Kaur
Lovely One, by Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson
It was a highlight of the year to get to meet Supreme Court Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson backstage at the ChIPs Global Summit and receive a copy of her signed book. The event featured Operator Collective founder Mallun Yen in an interview with Justice Jackson, where she shared highlights from her book and received a standing ovation. In it, she shares personal stories full of joy and inspiration. It is on the Amazon Best New Books of 2024 list.
Know the moment your business needs to Pivot, Scale, or Exit through a sale, merger, or acquisition. Three successful tech startup experts wrote this book to help you sail through the choppy waves of entrepreneurship. Most new businesses fail. Most failures are avoidable. In this book, they identify 18 common mistakes that leaders make across four pivotal waves of a startup's journey.
The Complete Guide to yinyoga, by Bernie Clark
If you’ve never tried Yin Yoga, this is your chance to slow down and pay more attention to the health of your connective tissue - your ligaments, tendons, and fascia, so you can find stability in your joints. I had the pleasure of teaching a five-week yin series this fall and all of my students want more! I’ll be starting an online series next year. Stay tuned!
Epic: The Women’s Power Play Book, by Carolyn Buck Luce
Carolyn Buck Luce is the most amazing coach and guide I have ever met. I was smart enough to sign up for her Decade Game last year, which took me on a journey to discover more of who I am and how I want to spend the next 10 years of my life. “Learn to create a life by design, not by default, through a unique framework of inspiring case "herstories" and provocative exercises you’ll play like a game, equipping you to craft the best next chapter of your life.”
The 15 Commitments of Conscious Leadership, by Jim Dethmer, Diana Chapman, and Kaley Warner Klemp
This book taught me the power of leading above the line. It is one of my favorite books on leadership. “You’ll never see leadership the same way again after reading this book. These fifteen commitments are a distillation of decades of work with CEOs and other leaders. They are radical or provocative for many. They have been game changers for us and for our clients. We trust that they will be for you too. Our experience is that unconscious leadership is not sustainable. It won’t work for you, your team, or your organization in the long term.”
Do you dread performance reviews? Do you avoid giving feedback for fear of how it is received? Do you dislike receiving feedback because it feels vague or harsh, or you just don’t know what to do with it? This book is a classic, and I recommend it to all of my workplace clients. Before your next round of uncomfortable reviews, read this book and then host a workshop so all of your employees can receive feedback with curiosity and grace.
The Bhagavad Gita, by Eknath Easwaran
An epic story dating to the first century BCE, the Gita is a classic of Indian spirituality that identifies the Vedic concept of dharma (duty, rightful action); samkhya-based yoga and jnana (knowledge); and bhakti (devotion). It is a story that takes place on a battlefield between prince Arjuna and his chariot guide Krishna. As we discover, Krishna is a representation of God and the battlefield is an allegory for the struggles of human life. I love reading this story and connecting it to lessons we can integrate into our human experience.
How to Talk So Kids Will Listen and Listen So Kids Will Talk, by Adele Faber and Elaine Mazush
While it is a parenting book, this book offers a way to communicate that takes into account the whole person much like coaching. Positive communication takes practice and this book guides you to communicate more effectively instead of reacting in the moment. It helps you create positive relationships and respectful parenting strategies from an early age.
Say Goodbye to Plastic by Sandra Ann Harris
In January, I started to find ways to reduce plastic in my life. It is a struggle! But I find small wins every day and continue to work at it. This book is an inspiration to help you reduce plastic so we don’t continue to leave behind a permanent reminder of the waste we created.
I hope you enjoyed that list. Share it with a friend!
I am sharing links on Amazon because it’s an easy way to share more about each of these books. But, I encourage you to shop at your local bookstores or find any of these books on ThriftBooks, Abe Books, or other online sellers.