As the year draws to a close, it’s the perfect time to reflect on the lessons we’ve learned, the goals we’ve accomplished, and the resources that have inspired and supported our growth along the way. One of the most enriching ways we continue to learn and evolve —both as coaches and as individuals—is through reading. Books provide a powerful gateway to understanding ourselves more deeply, building confidence, and taking meaningful steps toward our ambitions. They challenge our perspectives, nurture our skills, and spark fresh ideas.

In this blog, we would like to share a selection of our favourite reads from the past year—books that have broadened our horizons, deepened our practice, and inspired us personally and professionally. Covering everything from the quiet power of introversion to mastering emotions, overcoming fear, fostering resilience, and cultivating self-awareness, these titles offer valuable tools and insights to navigate both work and life with clarity and purpose.

Whether you’re a coach, leader, or simply someone looking for inspiration and personal transformation, we hope these recommendations will resonate with you and provide the same sense of support and growth they’ve offered us.

Quiet by Susan Cain

In Quiet, Cain shines a light on the power of introverts in a world that often celebrates extroversion. Through research, stories, and practical advice, Cain challenges societal norms, demonstrating how introverts bring unique strengths such as deep thinking, creativity, and listening. This book is a must-read for anyone looking to better understand themselves or others, and how to harness the quieter side of leadership and success.

Feel the Fear and Do It Anyway by Susan Jeffers

Susan Jeffers’ Feel the Fear and Do It Anyway is a practical guide to overcoming fear and self-doubt. Jeffers teaches readers that fear is a natural part of growth and can be managed through mindset shifts, actionable strategies, and personal empowerment. A timeless classic, this book helps individuals take control of their lives and move confidently through challenges, even when uncertainty arises.

How to Begin by Michael Bungay Stanier

How to Begin by Michael Bungay Stanier is an inspiring call to action for anyone looking to start something meaningful. Stanier encourages readers to dream bigger, focus on what matters, and take tangible steps toward bold goals. Through practical frameworks and thought-provoking questions, he equips individuals to take action, unlock their potential, and make a difference personally or professionally.

Love Your Imposter by Rita Clifton

In Love Your Imposter, Rita Clifton reframes imposter syndrome as a strength rather than a weakness. Sharing her own experiences and professional insights, Clifton highlights how moments of self-doubt can drive self-awareness, resilience, and growth. The book provides encouragement and tools to embrace vulnerability, develop confidence, and turn perceived shortcomings into powerful advantages.

Positive Intelligence by Shirzad Chamine

Shirzad Chamine’s Positive Intelligence explores how mental fitness can transform your life and performance. By identifying internal saboteurs like the Judge, Hyper-Achiever, or Stickler, Chamine teaches readers to quiet negative self-talk and build “sage muscles”—the part of the mind focused on empathy, calm, and resilience. This practical approach helps individuals achieve greater clarity, confidence, and well-being.

Coaching for Resilience by Adrienne Green and John Humphrey

This practical guide explores how coaching can be a powerful tool in developing resilience, both in individuals and within organizations. Green and Humphrey provide actionable strategies to help individuals overcome adversity, navigate change, and build emotional strength. The book focuses on understanding what resilience is, why it is critical in today's fast-changing world, and how coaching frameworks can help unlock potential in this area. It includes real-world examples and techniques for integrating resilience-building into leadership, team development, and personal growth.

Radical Compassion by Tara Brach

This powerful book explores how compassionate mindfulness can transform our lives and relationships. Brach introduces the RAIN method—a mindfulness practice designed to help us recognise and process difficult emotions with self-kindness and awareness. The acronym stands for Recognise, Allow, Investigate and Nurture. Through stories and practical exercises, Radical Compassion teaches readers how to let go of self-judgment, connect with others authentically, and live with greater ease and purpose.

Existential Coaching by Yannick Jacob

Jacob combines existential philosophy with practical coaching strategies, helping readers navigate life’s big questions about meaning, freedom, and responsibility. By grounding coaching conversations in existential principles, Jacob offers a framework for helping clients embrace uncertainty, confront challenges, and build lives that align with their values. A must-read for coaches looking to work with clients on a deeper, more personal level.

How Emotions Are Made by Lisa Feldman Barrett

A groundbreaking exploration of how emotions are not universal, biologically hardwired reactions, but rather constructed experiences shaped by our brains' predictive processing. Drawing on neuroscience, psychology, and philosophy, Barrett reveals that emotions emerge from our brain's constant attempt to make sense of sensory input by predicting and interpreting it based on past experiences, cultural influences, and context. This challenges the classical view of emotions as pre-set "circuits" in the brain, emphasizing instead that we are active architects of our emotional lives. By understanding how our brains construct emotions through predictions, categorizations, and social learning, Barrett empowers readers to realize how much influence they have over their experiences, opening up new possibilities for emotional mastery, mindfulness, and personal growth.

The Experience Machine by Andy Clark

The Experience Machine by Andy Clark is a fascinating deep dive into the predictive processing framework of the brain, offering a compelling view of how we actively construct our perception of reality. Clark explores how the brain operates as an "experience machine," using prior knowledge and predictions to shape our experiences and interactions with the world. In doing so, he references Lisa Feldman Barrett's work on constructed emotions, emphasizing her argument that emotions are not innate, universal responses but the result of the brain's predictive processes categorizing bodily signals and contextual information. By weaving Barrett's insights into his broader narrative, Clark reinforces the idea that our perceptions, emotions, and even sense of self are products of the brain's active and dynamic engagement with the world, challenging traditional notions of fixed reality and opening the door to profound implications for self-awareness and agency.