This is the place where I share books, podcasts, tools, and ANYTHING I find super useful, which I think could be really useful and joy-inducing to you too!
Right now you can find an answer to pretty much any question with a google search. But are we always getting good answers? Personally I think a lot of the time the answer is no. I think the internet is full of millions of answers that leave us feeling a bit lost, and very confused, which is why I think recommendations from people we know and trust are SO IMPORTANT. So here are mine! These are some of my favorite resources that I wanted to share with you.
Books
I’m deeply obsessed with non-fiction books and I love sharing the books that really changed things for me. As a very dyslexic person, I only recommend books that I think are AMAZING, because for me, deciding to read a book takes months, and an extreme amount of focus, energy, and discipline, so 1. I would never want to put someone else through that immense workload unless it was really worth it, and 2. I only make it to the end of a book (where I’m in the position to recommend it) if it’s really good!
Books to fix your head and feel happier in general
Marie is easy to read, funny, engaging, and takes you from feeling lost, to feeling like you can do ANYTHING, with her simple phrase “everything is figureoutable” This book has loads of exercises to help you, and I LOVE IT.
My friend once called this book “therapy for people who can’t afford therapy”. For me, it was a way to look at life that made me feel happier, more peaceful and content. It’s a very hands on book and it WILL fundamentally change the way you look at life.
I loved this book so much I read it twice! (Okay, I listened to the audiobook twice.) It turns out that disturbing magician Derren Brown is actually an incredibly nice guy, and if you’re interested in nerding-out about the history of happiness (like me), and how to approach life with more freedom, you really might love this book. (Nerds only.)
Books to figure out your career (and therefore feel happier in general)
This is a hyper-modern guide to the skills you need to “smash-it” in the career world today. It’s easy to read, full of exercises AND it’s also got loads of links to really useful resources! I think everyone under the mental age of 40 should have a copy of this book!
I’m an absolute nerd for a process called Design Thinking. It’s a empathetic creative problem solving technique, and it’s usually used in super successful innovative companies. But this book is about how you can use it create amazing ideas for what to do with your life!
This book is the next step on from Designing Your Life. If you’re in a job that you don’t necessarily want, (or are unable) to leave, this book helps you make make that job better! It takes a really practical approach to what to do when completely redesigning your life isn’t right for you, and if you feel stuck in your job, I recommend it.
Tools
Ikigai is a really fun exercise to help you see who you are, and find a career that’s meaningful and makes you happy. I use a slightly simplified version in my coaching, but it’s fun to go back to the original and explore everything!
As a really very dyslexic lady, I LOVE videos about things I’d usually have to read a massive book about, and here the school of life PROVIDES! I’m a philosophy nerd, so when I want to feel clever, but can’t be bothered to read, this is where I go!
Podcasts
Podcasts are just great, right! They’re like audiobooks, but usually free! Magazine articles, that read to you out loud! While books are comforting because they let you shut off from the outside world and disappear into your own, I think podcasts are really exciting because you often get to listen to them just days after they’re recorded, to they have this really cool way of making you feel connected to what’s relevant in the world right now!
There are a lot of career podcasts out there, but this one gives you really good advice, the kind of stuff you definitely don’t know already, from interviews with experts and people to look up to. I’ve found this one really helpful!
This one’s a bit random, but I found it so helpful for getting to sleep during lockdown, when I was finding it hard to sleep because of being stuck in the house all day! Christopher has to most relaxing voice EVER and does brilliant sleep meditations.
Each episode Simon interviews someone amazing to discuss big topics like racism, loss, and gratefulness. This podcast has a real genuinely caring and human feel to it. It makes you feel optimistic, inspired, and like you’ve just been given a really good hug!