The best 100 Self-Help books

12 Rules For Life (2018) provides readers with an inventory of life’s most pressing concerns and the issues that have been present in the human psyche since ancient times. Author Jordan B. Peterson has collected some of the most enduring philosophical and religious assertions, as well as the lessons from our most cherished tales, to provide us with 12 guidelines to ensure a life of meaning. Drawing on philosophy, psychology, history and myth, these are clear and consistent principles that everyone can live by.

• Students of psychology
• Readers seeking meaning in their lives
• People interested in the lessons of mythology

Set Boundaries, Find Peace (2021) lays out everything you need to know about boundaries: what they are, why you need them, and how to implement them in your life right now. By breaking down the ins and outs of setting healthy boundaries, these blinks will leave you feeling confident and empowered to finally tackle those thorny conversations that you’ve been avoiding for so long.

• People-pleasers who don’t know how to say no
• Couples that have trouble communicating
• Anyone who finds setting boundaries especially difficult

The Procrastination Cure (2017) is an invaluable resource for anyone who's prone to procrastination. Beginning with an accessible guide to the underlying causes that contribute to procrastination, it then offers simple, proven strategies for conquering the urge to procrastinate, boosting productivity, and working optimally to meet personal and professional goals.

• Those who have difficulty starting new tasks or completing tasks on time
• People who want to stop scrolling endlessly through social media sites
• Chronic procrastinators who are ready to kick the habit

Unwinding Anxiety (2021) breaks down the brain science behind the bad habits that keep us stuck. Have you ever tried to reason yourself out of binge eating, or procrastinating? Then you’ll know that it just doesn’t work. That’s because addiction and obsessive thought patterns are controlled by our instinctive survival brains, not our rational brains. Learning how to retrain our brains using mindfulness techniques will allow us to free ourselves from chronic worry, anxiety, and other obsessive habits. 

• Chronic worriers who want a way to calm their racing thoughts 
• People who want to interrupt addictive behaviors
• Health professionals looking for new tools to curb the anxiety epidemic

Everyday Vitality (2021) explores how we can cultivate resilience while juggling the small, nonstop stresses of everyday life. Those who thrive do so because they build vitality, a force of power and flexibility that allows them to handle difficulties. The people who cope best are the ones who find ways to turn their stress into strength through intentionality, purpose, and connection.

• Anyone looking to alleviate stress in their daily lives
• People interested in improving their quality of life
• Those who are interested in achieving peace amid busyness

The Daily Laws (2021) is a compendium of 366 rules for life, covering everything from seduction and power to the discovery of your life’s great task. It distills the insights author Robert Greene has uncovered in a series of best-selling books spanning 22 years of word.

• Fans of Robert Greene’s best-selling work
• People who’ve lost touch with their sense of purpose and drive
• Anyone in need of a strong dose of wisdom

Atlas of the Heart (2021) is a guide to understanding your emotions and learning how to regulate them. Everyone experiences strong emotions, but most people can’t identify what it is they’re feeling, or work out where the feelings come from. Developing your emotional vocabulary will transform your relationship to yourself, and the people around you.

• Curious adventurers interested in exploring their own emotional landscapes
• Anyone who feels flooded by painful emotions that they can’t understand or control
• Fans of Brené Brown’s work wanting to learn more about her latest insightful theories of emotion

The Power of Pressure (2021) takes a deep dive into the world of pressure in all its forms, and how high performers deal with it. By noticing the patterns of both single, peak pressure moments and pressure over the long haul, it’ll provide you with a practical set of tools to start using pressure to your advantage.

• Workers feeling overwhelmed by the daily grind
• Productivity hackers looking to boost performance under pressure
• Anyone who has ever been stressed out

Dopamine Nation (2021) explores the connection between pleasure and pain. Our modern world is filled with more dopamine-inducing stimuli than ever – including everything from drugs and sex to smartphones and shopping. Citing years of clinical experience and patients’ stories, this book helps to understand addiction and explains how to achieve a healthy balance in our lives. 

• People struggling to break bad habits
• Family members of loved ones struggling with addiction
• Anyone who can’t seem to put down their phone

The 7 Habits of Highly Effective Families (1997) was written by Stephen R. Covey with, as he says, “such a passion . . . because family is what I care about most.” It’s a very personal book that talks about how the author, his wife, and nine children apply each of the habits in their family life. It can also be your guide to solving the problems you face in your family as you strive, individually and together, to become more effective.

• Self-improvement seekers who want to understand how effective families work
• Couples who want to raise their family in a nurturing environment
• Fans of The 7 Habits of Highly Successful People

The Everyday Hero Manifesto (2021) is a how-to primer for becoming the hero of your own life. It’s full of detailed plans interspersed with short essays, anecdotes, and even poetry to help you become happier, more productive, and more successful.

• Anyone stuck in a rut
• Go-getters looking to improve their career trajectory
• Self-improvement seekers searching for practical guides and techniques

The Mountain Is You (2020) can help you recognize the negative patterns in your life and what they are really telling you. Changing those patterns will be like climbing a mountain and the reward will be unlocking your own potential.

• People with bad habits that they want to understand and change 
• Those looking to maximize their potential
• Anyone who feels stuck

The Power of Discipline (2020) explores the biological tendencies within our brains that determine our ability to control our self-discipline. It shows us how we can refine these tendencies in order to develop improved self-disciplinary habits and reach our goals.

• Anyone lacking some self-discipline in their lives
• Those who need to ditch their bad habits
• Goal-setters looking for advice on how to be an achiever

Retrain Your Brain (2016) is all about learning practical strategies to break free from negative thought patterns and cultivate a more positive, fulfilling life. Whether you're struggling with anxiety or depression, or just want to improve your overall mental well-being, this guide is a valuable resource for retraining your brain and becoming your best self.

• Anyone suffering from depression, anxiety, or low mood
• Life hackers looking for tools to enhance emotional well-being
• Curious minds interested in the science behind cognitive behavioral therapy

The Highly Sensitive Person’s Guide to Dealing with Toxic People (2020) sheds light on why empathetic individuals tend to attract those with toxic personalities and harmful behaviors. It provides a practical guide to recognizing, mitigating, and recovering from the manipulative tactics of toxic people.  

• Sensitive types who are prone to manipulation
• Targets for narcissists and other toxic people
• Those seeking emancipation from controlling partners or family members

Psychedelics and Psychotherapy (2021) is a thoughtful exploration of how substances and techniques like ayahuasca, MDMA, and holotropic breathwork can unlock our innate capacity for wholeness. Combining wisdom from Indigenous cultures with insights from Western psychology and science, it reveals how psychedelic experiences allow people to access and process repressed emotions and memories, which can help them heal from various mental health challenges. Simultaneously, it stresses the importance of context and intention behind psychedelic use, recommending guided sessions with trained facilitators who can lead people through psychedelic experiences safely and responsibly.

• Mental health professionals interested in alternative therapeutic approaches
• Individuals experiencing mental health issues
• Psychonauts interested in the therapeutic potential of psychedelics

Hidden Potential (2023) challenges the notion that only those born with natural and exceptional talent can excel intellectually, artistically or athletically. Supported by groundbreaking research, it offers a framework that any individual can use to tap into their hidden potential and achieve more than they ever thought possible. 

• Novices wanting to master a challenging skill
• Those who feel they’ve stagnated or plateaued
• Leaders seeking to unlock the potential of others

The Science of Self-Discipline (2019) explores what really drives consistent action and why motivation alone never lasts. It explains the biological and psychological forces behind willpower, showing how to strengthen your self-control through habits, mindset, and environment. Drawing on research and real-world examples, it reveals how to manage temptation, conserve mental energy, and build the discipline to stay focused and follow through on what matters most.

• Busy professionals and leaders improving their focus and accountability
• Students and early career professionals mastering habits
• Creators and health enthusiasts seeking consistent performance

Sexual Intelligence (2013) explores how beliefs, emotional awareness, and self-acceptance shape sexual satisfaction far more than physical appearance or technical skill. It challenges the idea that sex should follow a scripted formula or aim for performance-based success. Drawing on decades of real-life experience, it encourages us to embrace our own definitions of pleasure and build intimacy through authenticity, curiosity, and connection.

• Anyone seeking a healthier, less anxious sex life
• Couples wanting deeper emotional and sexual connection
• Individuals tired of chasing sexual “normalcy” or perfection

Don’t Believe Everything You Think (2022) is a guide to overcoming anxiety, self-doubt, and self-sabotage. Rejecting feel-good clichés about motivation and willpower, it draws on timeless Buddhist wisdom to demonstrate how thinking entangles us in a life of suffering – and how we can free ourselves from that trap. 

• Overthinkers and self-sabotagers
• Anyone interested in Buddhist perspectives on pain and suffering
• Spiritual seekers and explorers  

The Negativity Fast (2023) presents a transformative approach to personal growth, emphasizing the power of positivity and effective management of negative emotions. It guides you through a process of eliminating negativity and nourishing your mental outlook with optimism, offering concrete strategies for perspective-taking and coping with conflicting beliefs.

• Stressed-out individuals who need effective ways to counteract negativity
• People sensitive to global events and political discourse
• Social media users seeking to guard their mental well-being

Dopamine Detox (2020) is a concise guide that addresses a prevalent issue in today's distraction-filled world, offering you practical strategies to overcome procrastination and enhance focus. It reveals the impact of excessive dopamine stimulation on your ability to concentrate and tackle demanding tasks. Through a step-by-step approach, it empowers you to implement a dopamine detox in just 48 hours, enabling you to regain control over your attention and pursue your goals with renewed clarity.

• Chronic procrastinators
• Goal-setters struggling to find motivation
• Professionals seeking enhanced productivity methods

How to Enjoy Your Life and Your Job (1955) provides guidance about getting more out of your day-to-day life, by generating more energy into your workday and improving your personal relationships. It sheds a light on how human nature influences the way we behave, so you can improve your interpersonal skills and deepen your self-understanding.

• The chronically weary
• Managers who want to become more effective leaders
• Students of human nature

Slow Productivity (2024) offers a transformative philosophy for achieving meaningful accomplishment while avoiding overload. It critiques the broken definition of productivity that leads to overwhelming task lists and burnout, proposing a more sustainable alternative inspired by history's creative thinkers. Drawing on examples from Galileo to Jane Austen, it presents the principles of "slow productivity", offering practical advice for escaping overload and pursuing long-term quality in work.

• Stressed knowledge workers overwhelmed by pointless admin
• Burnt-out professionals who’ve lost their creative spark
• Managers who want to see real results from their teams

You, Happier (2024) is a guide to achieving lasting happiness and well-being by understanding and adapting to your own specific brain type. Packed with practical strategies and science-backed insights, it offers a roadmap to improving brain health and unlocking the keys to feeling good, both mentally and physically.

• People struggling with anxiety, depression, or other mental health challenges
• Health-conscious individuals looking to improve their overall well-being
• Anyone seeking practical strategies to boost happiness, resilience, and life satisfaction

Invincible (2026) argues that aging and disease are not inevitable, and that understanding your unique biology is the key to a longer, healthier life. It offers practical steps to reverse biological aging, prevent metabolic decline, and recapture vitality at any age.

• Middle-aged people looking to reverse aging before decline takes hold
• People with chronic illnesses wanting to halt and reverse symptoms
• Fitness fans who use precision data to optimize workouts

Somehow (2024) is a collection of stories that are both deeply personal and universally resonant, offering poignant insights into the human experience. Filled with candid and witty reflections on love, loss, and faith, it captures the essence of what it means to be human, inviting readers to embrace life's complexities with courage and compassion.

• Anyone interested in approaching life with more grace
• People in recovery or dealing with grief
• Readers who like a good memoir

The Courage to Be Disliked (2018) takes a look at the psychology of Alfred Adler, the famous twentieth-century Austrian psychologist. Adler argued that we should care less about what other people think and the authors show how this philosophy can benefit us today.

• Mental health professionals
• Quiet souls with low self-esteem who want to find their place in the world
• Educators seeking insights into human behavior

This is Why You Dream (2024) explores the science behind dreaming. It explains why dreams occur, and how they impact our waking lives. It also offers insights into the benefits of dreaming – like improved problem-solving and cognitive performance – and provides advice on harnessing the creative power of dreams based on the latest neuroscientific research.

• Science lovers interested in how the brain works
• Psychology fans with a keen interest in what our dreams say about us
• Anyone intrigued by the enigmatic world of sleep and dreaming

What It Takes to Heal (2024) explores the interconnected nature of personal and collective healing, drawing on the author’s experiences as a therapist, facilitator, and social justice advocate. It offers insights into how trauma manifests in individuals and communities, emphasizing the importance of understanding your own healing journey in relation to broader societal issues. Through a blend of personal anecdotes, practical exercises, and philosophical reflections, it provides a roadmap for cultivating resilience, compassion, and transformative change.

• Self-help enthusiasts and mindfulness practitioners
• Social justice activists and organizers
• Community leaders and educators

The First Minute (2020) explores effective techniques for mastering the crucial initial moments of communication, aiming to enhance the impact of spoken interactions. It offers strategies to organize thoughts and deliver messages with clarity and confidence, ensuring that speakers can engage and persuade their audiences from the start.

• Business professionals seeking improved presentation skills
• Sales representatives working on more effective pitches
• Team leaders looking to boost meeting productivity

Help Me, I Have No Discipline and Zero Self-Control (2024) offers a roadmap to self-discipline for those who struggle with procrastination and unfulfilled goals. This guide aims to transform you from a daydreamer into an action taker, offering practical strategies from time management to burnout prevention, while explaining how to cultivate motivation and resilience.

• Chronic procrastinators looking to break the cycle of delayed action
• Goal-setters who struggle to follow through on their plans
• Students aiming to balance academic, personal, and social responsibilities

How to Be Enough (2024) offers a transformative approach to overcoming perfectionism by shifting from harsh self-judgment to genuine self-acceptance. Through seven key mindset changes, from embracing self-compassion to practicing emotional authenticity, the book provides practical strategies for breaking free from the cycle of never feeling good enough while maintaining healthy standards of excellence. 

• Those who have difficulty accepting compliments or celebrating their successes
• High-achieving professionals who struggle with imposter syndrome
• People-pleasers who have difficulty setting boundaries or saying no

In Getting Things Done (2001), David Allen introduces his famous system for stress-free productivity. With this system, you can face an overwhelming amount of things to do, but still be productive, creative and relaxed as you tackle them.

Why you should care: Learn to do more and stress less.

• Anyone who feels stressed or overworked
• Anyone who wants to be productive in their work and personal lives
• Anyone curious about the widely acclaimed Getting Things Done method

The Absent Father Effect on Daughters (2021) explores the lasting psychological impact of literal or emotional father absence through the lens of Jungian analysis. It examines how this absence shapes a daughter’s identity, relationships, and self-worth –⁠ often unconsciously –⁠ by weaving personal stories, myths, and dream analysis into a powerful portrait of the wounded feminine psyche. Ultimately, it offers a path toward healing through inner reconciliation with the lost or idealized father figure.

• Adult daughters of emotionally or physically absent fathers
• Fathers seeking to repair estranged relationships
• Anyone curious about the psychological power of the father-daughter bond

The Magic of Mindful Self Awareness (2025) teaches readers how to achieve unconditional happiness through mindful presence.  It provides practical techniques for stopping overthinking, clearing unwanted thoughts, transforming negative emotions into compassion, and discovering one's true self – the part that remains peaceful even during life's most challenging moments.

• Anxious overthinkers who want to escape mental loops
• Busy professionals looking to find inner peace without adding to their schedules
• Anyone seeking deep fulfilment and lasting peace

The Let Them Theory (2024) explores how two simple words – “Let Them” – can liberate you from the pressure to manage other people’s expectations, emotions, and approval. It shows how shifting focus from controlling others to taking ownership of your own choices leads to greater peace, stronger relationships, and personal power. Through practical tools and real-world examples, it reveals how to stop wasting energy on what you can’t control and start living a life that truly reflects your values.

• People overwhelmed by other people’s expectations
• Those healing from toxic or one-sided relationships
• Anyone craving more peace, clarity, and self-trust

The Compass Within (2025) follows Jamie Hynes, a fictional manager on a journey to uncover his core values. His search reveals how deeply values shape decisions in three essential aspects of life – relationships, career, and community – and how misalignment across these areas can jeopardize lasting success and happiness. Through Jamie’s story, we’re invited to reflect on our own values and use them as a compass for building a purposeful and fulfilling life.

• Ambitious professionals feeling unfulfilled and seeking a new direction
• Individuals seeking clarity on major life and career decisions
• New managers struggling to find an authentic leadership style

The Opposite of Settling (2025) is a practical guide to modern dating that helps readers find empowering love without losing themselves in the process. Blending mindfulness, research, and optimism, it offers a clear roadmap for navigating dating with confidence, recognizing relationships that lift you up rather than weigh you down, and letting go of fear-based habits.

• Singles who want to learn to date with confidence and clarity
• Couples who’ve gotten lost in their relationships and want to find themselves again
• Anyone who’s ready to get off the apps and find true connection

Every Time I Find the Meaning of Life, They Change It (2015) is an entertaining reflection on philosophy and what we can learn from it. As a college student, Daniel Klein began collecting quotes from philosophers, and adding his own commentary. Now in his eighties, he looks back at his notebook and reflects on what he’s learned.

• Philosophy enthusiasts
• People looking for guidance on how to live
• Anyone who’s ever wondered about the meaning of life

A Trick of the Mind (2025) asks a provocative question: what if the world you experience is less reality itself and more a story your brain invents? It makes a strong case for how our minds act like scientists – predicting and testing what we see and believe. It also shows how this process can sometimes lead to brilliant ideas while other times it can trap us in unhealthy distortions.

• Psychology enthusiasts
• People interested in the mechanics of prediction, learning, and decision-making
• Skeptics and critical thinkers

Leveling Up (2022) is a personal-development guide structured around 12 questions that prompt honest self-assessment across work, relationships, habits, and purpose. It blends stories with practical exercises to help you take ownership of growth, refine your definition of success, and build the courage, feedback loops, and rhythms to move forward.

• Ambitious mid-career professionals seeking actionable growth frameworks
• Overstretched managers building courage, feedback, and accountability
• Anyone wanting practical, story-driven self-improvement

What Matters Most (2025) is a guide to living from an end-of-life doula. Through her work with the dying, Diane Button has learned what matters most in life, and how we can prepare for a good death by living well.

• People facing the prospect of the death of a loved one
• Those who want to know what makes a “good death”
• Anyone looking for advice on how to live a more fulfilling life

The Life That’s Waiting (2025) invites you to move beyond fear-driven striving and persistent pain toward a life aligned with clear vision and honest self-truth. It urges you to stop forcing outcomes, release what doesn’t fit, and allow aligned people and paths to come – and stay – so you can live the life that’s been quietly waiting for your yes.

• People navigating heartbreak and other major life changes
• Adults seeking purpose, clarity, and steadier daily habits
• Individuals overcoming fear, burnout, and comparison

The Overthinker’s Guide to Making Decisions (2025) explores why many people get stuck in loops of analysis and doubt, and shows how overthinking often stems from deeper fears and misunderstandings about control, certainty, and failure. It explains how to shift from mental noise to inner clarity so you can make everyday and life-changing decisions with more confidence, ease, and trust in your own judgment.

• Chronically indecisive professionals facing major career choices
• Anxious perfectionists stuck in everyday decision loops
• Thoughtful people seeking a calmer inner compass

One Move Makes All the Difference (2025) explores how small, intentional moves can help you regain control over your thoughts, emotions, and actions. Drawing on neuroscience, psychology, and real-life stories, it introduces the TEAM framework – thoughts, emotions, actions, manifestation – as a practical path to break mental spirals, ease burnout, and create sustainable, values-driven change in both your work and life.

• Professionals and high achievers feeling stuck or doubting themselves
• People managing major life changes or career setbacks
• Anyone seeking practical tools for mindset and resilience

Success is a Numbers Game (2025) spills a well-kept secret: every goal has hidden probabilities of success and failure attached to it, but most people never analyze or attempt to manipulate these odds. A practical “probability hacking” framework helps you map your goals, spot critical decision points and risks, and intentionally adjust the variables that influence success – increasing your odds, every time you make a choice.

• Entrepreneurs ready to pivot from failure to success
• Creatives chasing long-shot artistic breakthroughs
• Career climbers who want to hack their way to the corner office

The View from Ninety (2025) is a collection of final essays written while facing mortality after a stroke. It distills nine decades of experience into reflections on what truly matters – distinguishing the important from merely serious, measuring success in relationships rather than wealth, and finding peace with the natural cycle of life and death. It offers practical lessons for living contentedly when all pretense falls away and only essentials remain.

• Professionals reimagining work and redefining success
• People in their later years seeking wisdom
• Anyone facing significant life changes or transitions

Why Do I Keep Doing This? (2025) explores how childhood survival strategies around control keep adults trapped in toxic cycles of approval-seeking and people-pleasing. It unveils how behaviors that were once protective disconnect people from their authentic selves and block genuine connection, and shows how you can begin to break free from your unconscious patterns.

• People-pleasers who apologize constantly and have difficulty saying no
• Burned out achievers wondering why they feel so empty despite striving for perfection
• Anyone seeking to understand why rest and self-care feel impossible to justify

Intentional (2025) reveals how to achieve your ambitions by aligning your daily actions with what truly matters to you. Drawing on a decade of productivity research and insights from Buddhist philosophy, this guide offers practical strategies for structuring goals, overcoming procrastination, and knowing when to let go of pursuits that don’t serve you. Discover how to transform productivity from a struggle into something that flows naturally from your deepest values.

• Professionals who want to focus their energy on what truly matters
• Goal-setters who struggle to follow through
• Anyone seeking a deeper sense of fulfillment beyond just checking off tasks

The Love Language That Matters Most (2026) shows that identifying someone’s primary way of feeling loved is only the beginning. Within each of the five categories exist individual dialects – subtle but crucial variations in how affection is best communicated and understood. Recognizing these specific patterns turns well-intentioned actions into connections that genuinely reach the heart.

• Couples in romantic relationships who want to strengthen their emotional connection 
• Parents seeking to communicate love more effectively to their children
• Readers familiar with the original love languages concept who want to take their understanding to a more nuanced level

Die Empty (2013) is a wake-up call for anyone worried their best ideas are stuck on permanent “someday.” It looks at why capable people and teams drift into comfort and stagnation, and offers a practical framework for putting energy, creativity, and focus to better use each and every day.

• People tired of coasting
• Professionals with unused ideas
• Leaders who want more than busy days

Nothing Changes Until You Do (2014) reveals how linking our self-worth to careers, appearance, and achievements leaves us perpetually unsatisfied. Through candid personal narratives and lessons learned from working with diverse clients, it shows that treating ourselves with compassion is what unlocks genuine transformation. When you stop being your own harshest critic, you’ll find the freedom to thrive in all aspects of life.

• People experiencing major life transitions who are redefining their identity
• High achievers and successful professionals who struggle with self-doubt
• Anyone looking to break free from negative self-talk and perfectionism

Lateral Thinking for Every Day (2023) teaches how to tackle everyday problems through imaginative approaches that rethink conventional problem-solving methods. Drawing on real-world examples and case studies, it presents practical frameworks and techniques to help you build stronger reasoning skills and enhance creative problem-solving abilities. Through these methods, you can develop fresh perspectives and discover original solutions to your most challenging situations.

• Business leaders and entrepreneurs seeking innovation
• Team managers handling organizational challenges creatively
• Anyone seeking fresh solutions to persistent problems

Ichigo Ichie (2019) is a guide to the Japanese philosophy of treasuring each unrepeatable moment, rooted in Zen Buddhism and the art of the tea ceremony. It teaches you to awaken all five senses and practice genuine presence in order to transform your daily life. By combining ancient wisdom with practical techniques for mindfulness, it reveals how recognizing the singular nature of each encounter can unlock deeper attention, harmony with others, and a genuine love of life.

• Mindfulness seekers and busy professionals craving daily presence
• Creative individuals looking to awaken their full potential
• Anyone yearning for meaningful connections and spiritual depth

Grow or Fold (2026) challenges you to reject the stagnation often accepted in midlife and instead actively design a future of purpose and resilience. It provides a strategic toolkit to ruthlessly audit your life, identifying the specific habits and mindsets holding you back from your true potential. By treating your personal growth with the same rigour as a high-stakes business turnaround, you'll learn to use catastrophic challenges as fuel for your most significant chapter yet.

• Midlife professionals seeking a strategic roadmap for career reinvention
• Parents raising children with disabilities
• Aspiring entrepreneurs wanting to align passion with professional success

Humor Me (2026), reveals how humor serves as a fundamental tool for human connection, creativity, and survival. It combines personal stories, scientific research, and wisdom from comedians to reveal practical strategies for noticing absurdity, laughing at yourself, and taking social risks that deepen relationships and lighten life's burdens.

• Individuals struggling with perfectionism, self-consciousness, or harsh self-criticism
• People interested in the science of happiness, wellbeing, and longevity
• Anyone curious about the role of humor in social movements, community building, and resistance

Jolted (2026) digs into the sudden, unexpected events that force you to rethink your entire career. You’ll see how everyday shocks lead to abrupt resignations and learn how to respond with strategy instead of impulse. Once you grasp the mechanics of these disruptions, you can make sharper, more deliberate choices about whether to stay, speak up, or walk away.

• Employees feeling stuck or unfulfilled in their current careers
• Managers wanting to understand and prevent sudden team turnover
• Professionals working through the chaotic transition between jobs

The Invincible Brain (2026) reveals how your daily habits play a vital role in shaping your memory, focus, and long-term brain health – right down to the level of your cells. It explains what you can start doing today to help your brain grow stronger, sharper, and more resilient, no matter how old you are.

• People who worry about memory loss or Alzheimer’s disease
• Anyone interested in staying mentally sharp and protecting their brain as they age
• Individuals dealing with brain fog, stress, or attention challenges

Beyond Belief (2026) examines the hidden psychological assumptions that shape what you see, how you feel, and whether you act – and makes the case that most of the limits you accept aren’t fixed realities but beliefs you’ve absorbed without questioning. It introduces three distinct powers of belief – attention, anticipation, and agency – and shows how you can develop them. It’s a practical framework for anyone who has quit too soon, stalled without knowing why, or suspected that the real obstacle was internal.

• People stuck in cycles of self-doubt and quitting
• Leaders and entrepreneurs seeking untapped potential
• Anyone managing health challenges or personal belief systems

Think Like a Stoic (2025) is a guide to Stoicism written for a world crowded with noise, choice, stress, and stimulation. Drawing on ancient wisdom on topics as diverse as death, happiness, and the good life, it helps us reframe the problems we encounter in everyday life. 

• Anyone seeking calm in a distracted world
• Fans of Stoicism and practical philosophy
• Those interested in psychology and mindset

Flourish (2026) investigates why some groups and communities generate extraordinary levels of connection, energy, and purpose. It argues that thriving communities share two core dynamics: a quality of attentive, open engagement with one another, and a collective ability to cocreate and move forward in unison. Drawing on scientific research and real-world examples, it maps out how these principles can be cultivated to build a richer, more meaningful life at any scale.

• People curious about what makes certain communities feel alive
• Individuals craving deeper connections at work, home, or in their neighborhood
• Anyone who feels successful on paper but wonders if there’s more to life

Cheers to Monday (2026) argues that chronic stress isn’t an inevitable part of working life but a systemic problem with a practical solution. It lays out a three-step framework – See, Sort, and Solve – for identifying what’s driving your stress, categorising it, and taking the right action. It also makes the case that reducing stress isn’t just good for your health; it’s what creates the conditions for joy to become a genuine part of your working life.

• Professionals who feel burned out or close to it
• Anyone who’s confused overwork with achievement
• People who have lost sight of what brings them joy

The Ambition Trap (2025) takes an insightful look at the hidden forces driving your success, and asks whether they’re actually serving you. It serves as a wake-up call to anyone who’s felt caught between striving for more and craving peace. It also offers a roadmap for redefining ambition on your own terms and how to pursue big goals without losing yourself along the way.

• High achievers who are feeling burned out, restless, or disconnected from their work
• Women, people of color, LGBTQIA+ folks, and other historically excluded leaders
• Entrepreneurs and founders who are questioning the sustainability of hustle culture

What Your Childhood Memories Say About You (2012) shows how your earliest recollections offer a window into understanding who you've become. By examining these formative experiences and your emotional responses to them, you can uncover the patterns shaping your behavior today and use these insights to build stronger relationships and create positive change in your life.

• People seeking to better understand themselves and their behavioral patterns
• Anyone curious about how their upbringing continues to influence their adult life
• Those interested in psychology and self-help approaches to personal growth

The Gift of Struggle (2019) is an earnest and uplifting reflection on how we can learn and grow from the inevitable struggles life throws our way. Through the sharing of a number of personal anecdotes, it shows how tough times inevitably present us with gifts, in the form of lessons that can be applied to how you lead yourself and others.

• Aspiring leaders looking for advice from a seasoned veteran
• Students of humanity and its many and varied stories
• Anyone going through tough times and struggling to see the light

How a Little Becomes a Lot (2026) shows how small, steady habits slip past the mental defenses that usually block change. Shrinking huge ambitions into pocket-sized steps, paired with a reshaped daily environment, lets you grow without leaning on willpower. You'll see how a softer perspective and real self-kindness turn ordinary choices into a life that feels genuinely yours.

• Struggling souls who keep falling off daily habits they care about
• Anyone chasing steady personal growth without burnout
• People ready to soften the harsh voice inside their own heads

How to Be Okay When Nothing Is Okay (2026) hands you practical, lived-in strategies for handling mental health struggles, creative block, and overwhelming anxiety. You’ll find ways to reframe your darkest moments into sources of strength, along with tools for setting unapologetic boundaries that protect your peace. These insights help you survive and thrive on the days your brain tries to sabotage you.

• Anyone working through anxiety and depressive episodes
• Creatives stuck in artistic paralysis and crippling self-doubt
• Introverts looking for practical tools to set social boundaries

In a Good Place (2026) explores how the spaces around us quietly shape the people we become. Drawing on psychology, design, and everyday life, it reveals how homes, offices, streets, and public spaces can either nourish or frustrate our need for agency, connection, and a sense of belonging.

• People interested in psychology and everyday environments
• Readers seeking calmer, more meaningful living spaces
• Designers, managers, and parents shaping shared spaces

Work Happier (2025) makes the case that workplace happiness is neither a luxury nor a matter of luck, but a right that every worker can measure, pursue, and claim. Built around six evidence-based drivers of employee happiness, it gives anyone from the shop floor to the boardroom the tools to take control of their own working life.

• People considering a job change who want to be sure they’re solving the right problem before making a move
• Workers in high-pressure or high-hours cultures who’ve normalized exhaustion
• Anyone who recognizes that their own happiness at work directly shapes the environment around them

This Is the Door (2025) is an exploration of physical pain and what it reveals about the human condition. Drawing on personal experience, neuroscience, philosophy, and spiritual tradition, it examines how suffering reshapes identity, empathy, and the way we move through the world. It argues that pain – however unwanted – can open us to a deeper understanding of our own bodies, our connections to others, and the fragility and wonder of being alive.

• Individuals navigating chronic pain, illness, or physical limitation
• Those drawn to the intersection of science, spirituality, and the body
• Anyone who has felt suffering change them, and wants to understand how pain can reshape identity

Stop Letting Everything Affect You (2025) is for anyone exhausted by overthinking and emotional chaos. It reveals why small situations trigger overwhelming reactions and provides practical tools to defend your inner calm. By learning emotional detachment, setting firm boundaries, and practicing daily gratitude, it shows you how to finally take back control.

• Empaths exhausted by absorbing others' emotions
• Survivors of manipulation and gaslighting
• Overthinkers stuck in anxiety loops

Your Mind, Your Rules (2026) explores how repeated thoughts and beliefs shape confidence, habits, and the limits people place on themselves. It offers practical tools for challenging limiting self-talk, reframing old patterns, and using the mind more deliberately to support personal change.

• Self-critical strivers stuck in limiting beliefs
• Ambitious professionals seeking stronger mental habits
• Anyone interested in personal transformation

What’s Going Right (2026) offers a refreshing approach to mental health by shifting the focus away from endless self-criticism and toward the powerful drives that are already working within you. With insights on self-awareness, motivation, and emotional balance, it explores how people can reconnect with purpose, resilience, creativity, and genuine joy in everyday life.

• People feeling emotionally stuck, overwhelmed, or burned out
• Anyone interested in psychology and self-awareness
• Coaches and caregivers who support others going through difficult times

The Ownership Mindset (2023) reveals how a fundamental shift in mentality separates those who simply collect a paycheck from those who truly thrive at work – and help others do the same. Drawing on one leader's remarkable turnaround from personal struggle to celebrated CEO, it offers a practical path of real-world strategies and memorable examples for leaders looking to unlock greater drive, resilience, and impact.

• Novice managers stepping into leadership for the first time
• Seasoned CEOs and executives seeking fresh strategies to build a culture of accountability and engagement
• Anyone feeling stuck in a “paycheck mentality” who wants to reignite their drive and find more purpose in their work

The Other Side of Change (2026) explores how people rebuild their lives after sudden, unwanted turning points, using real stories and behavioral science to show why change can feel destabilizing – and how it can also spark growth. It examines the emotional and psychological patterns that surface in upheaval – like grief, identity shifts, and new values – and offers practical ways to navigate uncertainty and emerge with a clearer sense of who you’re becoming.

• Overwhelmed professionals facing sudden career upheaval
• Resilient caregivers navigating illness, loss, or burnout
• Anyone seeking meaning after life shifts

What to Make of a Life (2026) explores how humans find, sustain and reinvent meaning over the course of their lives. Based on a decade of studying the lives of remarkable people from politicians to musicians, it sheds light on the pivotal turning points that reshape careers, identities, and ambitions. The result is a deeply human framework for overcoming hardship, navigating uncertainty, and finding passion and purpose in life. 

• Ambitious professionals wondering how to evolve their purpose
• Lifelong learners drawn to deeply-researched, story-driven non-fiction
• Anyone finding themselves at a crossroads in their lives

The Meaning of Your Life (2026) argues that we’re in the midst of a full-blown crisis. Our societies feel hollowed out, while addictive technologies have rewired our brains in ways that flatten our perspective and erode our sense of meaning. It’s no wonder that so many people feel lonely, bored, and purposeless. Drawing on scientific research, spiritual traditions, and philosophical wisdom, it explores what gives life meaning – and how each of us can cultivate more of it in our own lives.

• Anyone feeling drained by constant digital distraction
• Readers interested in happiness, purpose, and psychology
• People looking for a deeper sense of meaning beyond status or success

Self-Help from the Middle Ages (2026) explores how medieval ideas about sin, confession, and moral struggle can illuminate modern problems such as anxiety, envy, burnout, and self-control. Using the seven deadly sins as a framework, it connects historical beliefs about the mind and soul with practical reflections on temptation, guilt, desire, and change.

• Historically curious self-improvement enthusiasts
• Overwhelmed professionals seeking alternative sources of wisdom
• Anyone interested in practical philosophy

Wisdom Untethered (2026) is a dialogue-based exploration of life’s deepest spiritual questions. It explores how the practice of surrender can help you let go of the fears, blockages, and pains keeping you stuck, freeing trapped energy and bringing you deeper into alignment with life itself. Through its wisdom, you’ll learn how to find peace amid chaos, quiet the mind’s chatter, and give up ego-based desires in service of something greater –⁠ ultimately reconnecting with the awareness, freedom, and stillness that already lie within.

• The spiritually curious
• Yoga and meditation practitioners
• Anyone experiencing anxiety or emotional overwhelm and seeking inner peace

Mind Drama (2026) explores the hidden mental loops that keep us stuck in worry, self-criticism, and emotional exhaustion – and offers a toolkit for finding your way out. Blending neuroscience, psychology, and practical techniques, it offers a fresh look at how to interrupt destructive thought spirals and transform that mental energy into greater calm, creativity, and self-understanding.

• Anyone who is stuck in frustrating thought patterns, replaying past events
• People interested in psychology and neuroscience
• Folks looking for practical tools for feeling more grounded

Runnin’ Down a Dream (2026) explores how to build a fulfilling career around work you genuinely care about. Organized around six core principles, it offers a philosophy for avoiding career regret – from following your curiosity and committing to craft, to choosing the people, environments, and opportunities that take you somewhere worth going.

• Ambitious professionals seeking more fulfilling careers
• Curious founders building long-term career momentum
• Anyone reconsidering their professional path

80,000 Hours (2016) challenges you to rethink the tired advice of simply chasing your passion when choosing a professional path. It lays out a science-backed framework for building flexible skills, finding fulfilling work, and tackling the world’s most pressing problems. Along the way, it challenges some of the most common assumptions about what makes work meaningful.

• College students planning their future career moves
• Professionals searching for more meaningful and impactful work
• Anyone curious about the effective altruism movement

Time Anxiety (2025) tackles one of the most pervasive problems of modern life – the feeling that time is constantly running out and that you’re always behind. It draws on research into time perception, cognitive patterns, and the psychology of avoidance to offer a practical and philosophical path toward a calmer, more purposeful relationship with time.

• Perfectionists who can’t stop chasing an impossible standard
• Productivity addicts still waiting to feel on top of things
• High achievers who’ve confused being busy with living well

Mattering (2026) reveals why feeling needed, cherished and prioritized is a core human need – and how we can better meet it in an era of unprecedented disconnection. Combining the latest research on human connection with heartfelt stories of real people, this thoughtful exploration shows how we can cultivate genuine care and small acts of kindness to make each other feel important again.

• Parents and Educators interested in creating environments where children thrive
• Business leaders and managers looking to make their employees feel appreciated
• Anyone who ever asked themselves if they really matter

The Playful Way (2026) argues that playfulness helps us navigate challenges with more creativity and joy. Humor, curiosity, and compassion, it shows, make us feel more connected. Packed with insights drawn from everyday life and practical exercises, it encourages us to embrace openness and experimentation.

• People tired of constant stress and overthinking

• Creative types stuck in rigid routines

• Anyone craving more joy and spontaneity

The Problem with Pretty (2025) explores the biological, social, and cultural roots of idealized beauty standards, as well as their impacts on relationships, self perception, and professional opportunities. It uncovers how beauty ideals are linked to factors like wealth and power, and what anyone can do, regardless of their appearance, to feel more confident and beautiful in the body they are in. 

• Anyone struggling with low self-esteem or a sense that they don’t measure up to conventional beauty standards
• History buffs and social butterflies curious about the cultural and historic roots of beauty 
• Those spending too much time or money chasing beauty, who want to break free and embrace their natural beauty.

Procrastination Proof (2026) argues that procrastination isn’t a laziness problem, which is why willpower and hard work won’t fix it. Instead, it offers a four-step system built around permission: to dream, plan, do, and review – so you can close the gap between who you are and who you aspire to be.

• People who keep putting off the things that matter most to them
• Individuals who’ve tried willpower and discipline and still feel stuck
• Anyone who suspects their procrastination runs deeper than laziness

Overcoming The Impostor (2021) explores why so many capable, successful people secretly feel like they're only one mistake away from being exposed as a fraud. Through relatable stories and practical insights, it reveals how self-doubt can affect careers, relationships, and ambitions – and how a simple shift in perspective can turn uncertainty into an engine for growth. If you've ever wondered whether you're really good enough, here’s an encouraging roadmap for moving forward with greater confidence.

• Professionals who struggle with persistent self-doubt or perfectionism
• New managers and emerging leaders adjusting to greater responsibility
• Coaches, mentors, educators, and anyone who helps others develop professionally

Likeable (2026) explores why so many of us are trapped in an exhausting cycle of people-pleasing, and what it really costs us. It argues that the desperate need to be liked by others leads us to suppress our true selves, silence our voices, and shrink our lives. At its heart, it makes the case that the only way to break free is to stop seeking approval from outside and start liking yourself instead.

• Women who constantly say yes when they mean no
• Perfectionists who measure their worth by others’ approval
• People pleasers exhausted by wearing their good-girl mask

Visual Intelligence (2016) teaches you how to observe more carefully, question your assumptions and communicate what you find with precision. It shows how these skills can prevent costly mistakes and reveal opportunities that would otherwise go unnoticed. Whether you want to read a room, a relationship or a crisis, you’ll come away with a practical method for turning sharper observations into better decisions.

• Professionals who rely on careful observation
• Writers and speakers aiming for precision
• Decision-makers working with incomplete information

The Power of Beliefs (2026) argues that the beliefs we hold are the greatest predictor of our future, shaping both how we see reality and what happens next. Drawing on two decades of research across organizations like NASA, the NFL, and the Fortune 100, it shows how strengthening a group of core beliefs changes the math of what feels possible, and in doing so reshapes the path our lives take. Rather than offering hollow positive thinking, it treats belief as a practical mechanism that alters what we notice, what we attempt, and how others help sustain us. 

• People feeling stuck or navigating a transition in their lives
• Self-help skeptics looking for a rigorous, research-backed take on mindset
• Leaders, managers, and coaches looking for frameworks on limiting beliefs

All the Feels (2026) argues that our devices are no longer separate from our inner lives; they are actively reshaping how we feel and express emotion. There is an advent of new, tech-inflected emotion, from doomscrolling rage and read-receipt anxiety to the friend-like warmth we extend to Siri and Alexa. We need a toolkit for living alongside our devices, harnessing digital technology for a healthier, more emotionally rich life both online and off. 

• Doomscrollers who want to reclaim their feed-hijacked moods
• Phone addicts who need to understand screen time’s hidden opportunity cost
• Digital detoxers who are ready to let tech into their lives in positive ways

Addicted to Anxiety (2025) makes the case that anxiety isn’t just something that happens to us – many of us are unknowingly hooked on it. The behaviors and thought patterns we use to manage anxiety in the short term are often the very things keeping it going, and breaking free means treating it like any other addiction. Drawing on 30 years of clinical experience, it offers a structured, compassionate path from understanding the habit to dismantling it.

• Anyone who manages their anxiety with rituals or avoidance
• People in high-pressure environments where anxiety feels necessary
• Individuals who grew up in stressful households and carried that energy into adulthood