Welcome to this month’s Aspire Magazine Top 10 Inspirational Books list! You’ll discover inspirational and empowering books, written by women and for women, each dedicated to sharing a universal message of love, hope and self-empowerment. Through their wisdom-filled books, these visionary female authors are illuminating the path for women on the journey of healing and self-discovery. Add these transformational books to your inspired living resource library.
Didn't See That Coming: Putting Life Back Together When Your World Falls Apart by Rachel Hollis
Fear. Grief. Loss. Betrayal. Rachel Hollis has felt all those things. Now, she takes you to the other side. When it comes to the “hard seasons” of life—the death of a loved one, divorce, loss of a job—transformation seems impossible when grief and uncertainty dominate your days. Especially when, as Didn’t See that Coming reveals, no one asks to have their future completely rearranged for them. But, as Rachel writes, it is up to you how you come through your pain—you can come through changed for the better, having learned and grown, or stuck in place where your identity becomes rooted in what hurt you. With her signature humor, heartfelt honesty and true-life stories, in Didn’t See that Coming Hollis shares how to embrace the difficult moments in life for the learning experiences they are, and that a life well-lived is one of purpose and focused on the essentials. This is a small book about big feelings, inspirational, aspirational, and an anchor that shows that darkness can co-exist with the beautiful.
Living Lively: 80 Plant-Based Recipes to Activate Your Power and Feed Your Potential by Haile Thomas
By a superstar nineteen-year-old activist and motivational speaker, a unique cookbook and inspiring guide that combines 80 delicious, wholesome, super-powered plant-based recipes with a "7 points of power" manifesto to inspire the next generation of leaders toward self-reflection, critical thinking, and unlearning toxic ideas. When her father developed Type 2 diabetes, eight-year-old Haile Thomas began a journey that would change her family's dietary habits, improve her dad's health, and radically transform her life. At 16, she was the youngest to graduate from the Institute for Integrative Nutrition as a Certified Integrative Nutrition Health Coach. Now a social entrepreneur, speaker, and activist Haile is an advocate for conscious living who promotes resilience, positivity, and a healthy, nourishing lifestyle to young people everywhere. Haile’s delicious, nutrition-packed vegan recipes boost brain power, calm the body, and provide energy. Some of the sensational food in Living Lively. Living Lively combines these recipes with advice and insights from Haile's life as well as other dynamic, relatable young women, Gen Z leaders who are activating their power every day, including environmentalist and animal rights activist Hannah Testa, dancer and actress Nia Sioux, entrepreneur and mentor Gabrielle Jordan, global activist and sustainable fashion entrepreneur Maya Penn, and self-love advocate Luisa Gaffga. They promote not just physical nutrition but mental and emotional engagement, by paying close attention to the messages we receive from society, our personal relationships, and more to think critically about how they affect us and our outlook on the world.
Mindful Self-Compassion: Practical Strategies to Cultivate Self-Awareness and Nurture Emotional Well-Being by Tiffany Shelton Mariolle, PhD
Cultivate self compassion and strength with simple, powerful mindfulness techniques. It’s easy to fall into a pattern of being critical toward ourselves, but by breaking harmful thought habits, we can grow and flourish. Embrace yourself with Mindful Self-Compassion, a holistic guide to developing self compassion and overcoming your inner obstacles. It’s packed with short exercises and meditations to serve your mind, body, and spirit―and help you improve the quality of your life. Discover the basic principles of mindfulness and begin observing yourself in the present moment. Learn how to catch yourself during unhealthy self-talk and replace it with self compassion. Practicing is easy with a wide variety of guided exercises, many just 10 minutes long or less. Step-by-step instructions give you the tools to follow through―whether you’re persevering through stress, coping with negative emotions, or fostering long-term positive change.
The Ayurvedic Guide to Fertility: A Natural Approach to Getting Pregnant by Heather Grzych
Creating new life is a natural part of being a woman, but it doesn’t always come as easily as we expect. With high-stress modern lives, many women’s bodies are not prepared to nurture the growth of a child, and they may find it challenging to become pregnant. Heather Grzych discovered firsthand that the practice of Ayurveda, and its deep teachings on the Four Fertility Factors, could help her and other women create the optimal conditions for conception. She shares that understanding — which led to the birth of her son — in this comprehensive book.
The Lazy Genius Way: Embrace What Matters, Ditch What Doesn't, and Get Stuff Done by Kendra Adachi
Being a Lazy Genius isn't about doing more or doing less. It’s about doing what matters to you. The chorus of “shoulds” is loud. You should enjoy the moment, dream big, have it all, get up before the sun, track your water consumption, go on date nights, and be the best. Or maybe you should ignore what people think, live on dry shampoo, be a negligent PTA mom, have a dirty house, and claim your hot mess like a badge of honor.
It’s so easy to feel overwhelmed by the mixed messages of what it means to live well. Kendra Adachi, the creator of the Lazy Genius movement, invites you to live well by your own definition and equips you to be a genius about what matters and lazy about what doesn’t. Everything from your morning routine to napping without guilt falls into place with Kendra’s thirteen Lazy Genius principles. Discover a better way to approach your relationships, work, and piles of mail. Be who you are without the complication of everyone else’s “shoulds.” Do what matters, skip the rest, and be a person again.
Fierce Joy: Choosing Brave over Perfect to Find My True Voice by Susie Caldwell Rinehart
Learn to find joy in every day: Susie Rinehart seemed to have it all—two beautiful kids and a loving husband, a job where she was respected as a leader, and medals as an ultramarathon champion. Then she found out that a tumor on her brainstem threatened to take away her voice…and her life. With so much at stake, Susie had to rethink how she wanted to live. Fierce Joy is the incredible story of one woman who learned to shed perfection and find joy in every day. Brave is better than perfect: So many of us grew up believing that achievements would lead to love and acceptance. Just ace that test, win that race, get that job, and happiness will follow. But it’s hard to arrive at happiness when we’re motivated by fear. When she faced losing everything, Susie learned to choose joy over fear, and brave over perfect. Find strength in your voice: This incredible story is about healing, rediscovering yourself, and becoming a warrior in a new way. For anyone who has lost their voice in the never-ending struggle to please others, Susie offers hope. In each section of the book she offers a series of takeaways—lessons she learned when life forced her to slow down and step back.
Tell A New Story: 5 Simple Steps to Release Your Negative Stories and Bring Joy to Your Life by Carrie Rowan
Why do we keep telling ourselves the same negative stories and expecting our life to yield different results? The stories we tell ourselves and others hold us back and keep us stuck on repeat. Are you ready to own your power, live joyfully, and passionately manifest your dreams? Let’s tell that story! Tell A New Story offers an easy-to-follow five-step approach using the STORY acronym to help uncover your patterns and transform the way you think and talk about yourself. Rowan weaves a tapestry of powerful emotions through personal storytelling. She expounds on struggles that teach lessons on how to dissolve the habits that hold you back from living your dream life. This interactive book gives you the tools to tell the new story of a life you love to live.
Be Mighty: A Woman’s Guide to Liberation from Anxiety, Worry, and Stress Using Mindfulness and Acceptance by Jill A. Stoddard PhD
The Little Book of Energy Healing Techniques: Simple Practices to Heal Body, Mind, and Spirit by Karen Frazier
Discover energy healing―find more balance and peace. Energy healing is the practice of manipulating the subtle energy flow in your body to improve the way you think and feel. The Little Book of Energy Healing Techniques is your introduction to the basics of energy healing, featuring a series of simple exercises you can do anytime. Heal your mind, body, and spirit, with clear and balanced energy that empowers you to live with greater peace and comfort.See for yourself what the power of energy healing can do for you.
The Remarriage Manual: How to Make Everything Work Better the Second Time Around by Terry Gasbard
Drawing on the experiences of dozens of couples and remarriage scenarios, Terry Gaspard shows you how to bring each key home and set up your relationship for lasting success. Whether you are thinking of remarrying and concerned about going the distance or are already remarried and struggling, The Remarriage Manual provides the expert advice, practical tools, hope, and inspiration you need to prevent challenges from becoming deal breakers. The 10 keys provided here will help put you and your spouse on solid footing; keep the flame between you burning bright; and build a deeply trusting, loving, and sustainable connection for the long haul.
