Resources that have
fundamentally impacted me
"The mind desperately wants it to be more complicated. The truth is beyond complication. It is incredibly, incomprehensibly simple."Charles Freligh, PhD
These are are the books & practices I return to, recommend often, quote frequently, and find myself thinking about long after I've set them down.
We all resonate with different teachers, authors, and guides. Take what resonates and leave what doesn't. The most useful resource is always the one that meets you where you actually are.
Feel free to follow my Goodreads account for more inspiration on your next read. I'm currently reading a lot of fantasy (well, romantasy).
the reading list
Books worth sitting with
The Will to Do Nothing
Charles Freligh
A quiet, countercultural invitation to stop striving and simply be. Freligh explores what becomes possible when we release the compulsion to produce, fix, and improve, and allow ourselves to rest in what already is.
Tao Te Ching
Lao Tzu, translated by Stephen Mitchell
One of the most translated texts in the world, and one of the most quietly radical. Mitchell's version is spare and luminous: an invitation to stop forcing and start flowing.
The Second Book of the Tao
Stephen Mitchell
Mitchell draws from the lesser-known Chuang Tzu and Confucius to extend the Taoist conversation on effortlessness, acceptance, and the art of living without resistance.
The Creative Act: A Way of Being
Rick Rubin
Less about making art and more about how to live as a creative being. Rubin writes with unusual stillness about presence, attention, and the practice of staying open to what wants to emerge.
The Book of Awakening
Mark Nepo
A daily companion for those willing to slow down and listen inward. Nepo writes with rare tenderness about what it means to be fully alive: to feel, to grieve, to wonder, and to return to yourself.
The Let Them Theory
Mel Robbins
A simple but liberating reframe: let people do what they do, think what they think, and be who they are. Reclaim the energy you've been spending trying to control what was never yours to control.
Set Boundaries, Find Peace
Nedra Glover Tawwab
A clear, compassionate guide to understanding what boundaries actually are and why they matter. Tawwab makes the practice of boundary-setting feel accessible rather than confrontational.
Daring Greatly
Brené Brown
On vulnerability, courage, and what it means to show up fully in relationships, in work, and in life. A book about the power of being seen, even when it is terrifying.
Rising Strong
Brené Brown
What happens after we fall? Brown examines the process of getting back up, not by bypassing the hard emotions, but by moving through them with honesty and intention.
Braving the Wilderness
Brené Brown
On belonging, loneliness, and the courage it takes to stand alone in your own truth. Brown challenges the idea that fitting in is the same as belonging, and argues that true belonging requires being yourself.
Dare to Lead
Brené Brown
Brown brings her research on vulnerability and courage into the context of leadership, redefining what it means to lead with integrity, empathy, and wholehearted presence.
Atlas of the Heart
Brené Brown
A rich mapping of the human emotional landscape. Brown explores 87 emotions and experiences, offering language for what we feel and why naming our emotions matters so deeply.
The Book of Joy
Dalai Lama & Desmond Tutu
A conversation between two of the world's great spiritual leaders on how to find lasting joy in the face of suffering, loss, and uncertainty. Warm, honest, and unexpectedly funny.
Enjoy Every Sandwich
Lee Lipsenthal
Written by a physician facing terminal illness, this is a book about living fully, not despite the fact that life is finite, but because of it. Gentle, wise, and deeply human.
Be Water, My Friend: The Teachings of Bruce Lee
Shannon Lee
Bruce Lee's daughter distills her father's philosophy into a guide for living with adaptability, presence, and self-knowledge. More about inner life than martial arts.
Breath
James Nestor
A fascinating investigation into the lost art of breathing, and how something so fundamental has been overlooked as a path to physical and mental wellbeing.
Zen Mind, Beginner's Mind
Shunryu Suzuki
A foundational text in Zen Buddhism that invites us to approach each moment, and ourselves, with openness, curiosity, and the freshness of someone encountering it for the first time.
The Untethered Soul
Michael A. Singer
An exploration of the voice inside your head and the possibility of living beyond it. Singer invites you to observe your inner world with curiosity rather than identification.
The Surrender Experiment
Michael A. Singer
Singer's memoir of what happened when he stopped resisting life and began saying yes to whatever it brought. A remarkable account of trust, surrender, and the unexpected freedom that follows.
Don't Sweat the Small Stuff
Richard Carlson
A reminder that most of what we worry about doesn't warrant the energy we give it. Simple, direct, and quietly effective at loosening the grip of everyday anxiety.
Digital Minimalism
Cal Newport
A thoughtful argument for being more intentional about technology, not as a rejection of it, but as a reclaiming of attention, solitude, and the things that actually matter.
How to Break Up with Your Phone
Catherine Price
A practical and honest guide to changing your relationship with your phone, not by throwing it away, but by becoming conscious of how and why you reach for it.
How to Be Perfect
Michael Schur
The creator of The Good Place takes moral philosophy off the shelf and makes it genuinely funny and useful. A surprisingly warm exploration of how to make better choices and live a more considered life.
Goodbye, Things
Fumio Sasaki
A personal account of embracing Japanese minimalism, and what happened to the author's inner life when he let go of most of his possessions. Less about tidying, more about freedom.
Radical Candor
Kim Scott
A practical and deeply human guide to honest communication: caring personally while challenging directly. Scott offers a framework for saying what needs to be said without losing the relationship.
Man's Search for Meaning
Viktor E. Frankl
A testament to the human capacity to find purpose even in the most unimaginable circumstances. Frankl's reflections on meaning, suffering, and inner freedom remain as relevant as ever.
Untamed
Glennon Doyle
A fierce and tender memoir about unlearning what you were told to be and finding what is actually true for you. Doyle writes about freedom, identity, and the cost of living someone else's version of your life.
more to explore
Courses and Practices
No pressure or expectation here; Just an invitation to engage in things that can quietly support the work of turning inward.
Insight Timer
The Insight Timer app has been one of the most impactful resources in my own life. I especially recommend the teachings of Tara Brach, Jack Kornfield, and Charles Freligh, whose courses on mindfulness, Zen, and Taoism have deeply influenced my personal journey.
Sitting in Silence
Even five minutes of stillness, without a podcast or a task, can be surprisingly revealing. What arises when there is nothing to do? That is often where the real material lives.
Noticing Your Inner Critic
Begin to observe the voice that judges, compares, and diminishes. You don't have to silence it. Just notice it. Name it if that helps. The act of witnessing creates distance.
Asking Better Questions
Rather than "What is wrong with me?" try "What is this feeling trying to tell me?" The question you ask shapes the answer you find. Curiosity opens doors that judgment keeps closed.
Ready to explore together?
If something here has stirred something in you, that may be worth paying attention to.