Book Recommendations
Below is a small sampling of books and workbooks that have deepened my own understanding of therapy, mental health, and business.
Workbooks: for doing, not just reading
The Dialectical Behavior Therapy Skills Workbook, by Matthew McKay, Jeffrey Wood, and Jeffrey Brantley. It teaches four skill sets: mindfulness, distress tolerance, emotion regulation, and interpersonal effectiveness, with worksheets for practicing each. It's especially useful when your emotions feel big and fast, or when relationships feel hard to navigate.
The Whole-Brain Child Workbook, by Daniel Siegel and Tina Payne Bryson. The hands-on companion to The Whole-Brain Child, with exercises and activities that parents can use on their own or with their kids.
The Happiness Project Daily Journal, by Gretchen Rubin. Short daily prompts, based on Rubin's Happiness Project, that turn reflection into a habit.
Therapeutic tools: understanding the approaches
Feeling Good, by David D. Burns. This is a cognitive behavioral therapy classic. It shows how the way we talk to ourselves shapes our mood, and it gives you practical exercises for catching and challenging harsh or distorted thoughts. I recommend it for low mood and self-criticism.
Feeling Great, by David D. Burns. Burns' newer book builds on Feeling Good with an approach he calls TEAM-CBT, which pairs mood tracking and motivation work with specific techniques. I recommend it for readers who liked Feeling Good and want more structure.
ACT Made Simple, by Russ Harris. Acceptance and Commitment Therapy is about making room for difficult thoughts and feelings while still moving toward what matters to you. I like it for anyone who is tired of fighting their own mind.
The Happiness Trap, by Russ Harris. This is the self-help version of the same ACT approach, written for general readers. It explains why chasing happiness can backfire, and it offers simple exercises for loosening the grip of anxious or critical thoughts. It's a good place to start if ACT is new to you.
The Mindful Way Through Depression, by Mark Williams, John Teasdale, Zindel Segal, and Jon Kabat-Zinn. It's an eight-week mindfulness program, with guided audio meditations, designed to help prevent depression from returning. I recommend it when low mood keeps cycling back.
No Bad Parts, by Richard Schwartz. This is an introduction to Internal Family Systems, the idea that we all have different "parts," and that each one is trying to protect us. It's a compassionate way to approach the inner critic and the parts of ourselves we'd rather ignore.
Understanding yourself and your relationships
What Happened to You? by Bruce Perry and Oprah Winfrey. The book changes the question from "What's wrong with me?" to "What happened to me?" Its conversational style makes it an easy entry point for understanding how early experiences shape us. (Very good on Audio!)
The Body Keeps the Score, by Bessel van der Kolk. It explores how trauma lives in the body and nervous system, not only in memory. It can be intense, so I suggest reading it slowly, and with support if you have a trauma history.
The Four Agreements, by Don Miguel Ruiz. A short, quiet book built around four principles: be impeccable with your word, don't take anything personally, don't make assumptions, and always do your best. It reads in an afternoon and is simple to put into practice. I recommend it as a gentle reset for people-pleasing, overthinking, and misunderstandings.
The Relationship Cure, by John Gottman with Joan DeClaire. Drawing on decades of Gottman's research, it shows how small, everyday moments of connection, which he calls "bids," build or wear down a relationship. It's useful for couples, families, and friendships alike.
For Parents
Good Inside, by Becky Kennedy. A practical, warm guide to parenting that holds boundaries and connection together. Its central idea is that both you and your child are good inside, even on difficult days. It's full of scripts you can use in real moments.
How to Talk So Kids Will Listen and Listen So Kids Will Talk, by Adele Faber and Elaine Mazlish. A longtime favorite among parents and professionals. It teaches concrete communication skills, such as acknowledging feelings, offering choices, and solving problems together, so that daily conflicts become less of a power struggle.
The Whole-Brain Child, by Daniel Siegel and Tina Payne Bryson. It explains in plain language how a child's brain develops, and it offers twelve strategies for calming meltdowns and building emotional skills. The companion workbook is listed above.
The Anxious Generation, by Jonathan Haidt. Haidt argues that the move from a play-based childhood to a phone-based one has contributed to rising anxiety and depression in teens. It's a strong conversation starter about phones, social media, and independence.
For Business Owners and Leaders
Find Your Why by Simon Sinek, David Mead, and Peter Docker. A practical companion to Sinek's Start with Why, with exercises for identifying the purpose behind your work. I recommend it when you feel adrift in your career or business, or when you're deciding what deserves a yes.
The Hard Thing About Hard Things, by Ben Horowitz. An honest look at the parts of building a company that no one prepares you for, such as layoffs, tough decisions, and doubt. I recommend it for anyone leading a team who wants candor over polish.
Memoir: lived experience
An Unquiet Mind, by Kay Redfield Jamison. A clinical psychologist and professor describes living with bipolar disorder, with both scientific insight and unflinching honesty. Content note: includes a suicide attempt.
When Breath Becomes Air, by Paul Kalanithi. A young neurosurgeon is diagnosed with terminal lung cancer and reflects on mortality, purpose, and what makes a life meaningful. It's moving and short. Content note: terminal illness and death.
Man's Search for Meaning, by Viktor Frankl. A psychiatrist describes his years in Nazi concentration camps and the idea that grew from them, that we can find meaning even in suffering. Content note: the Holocaust.