Daring Greatly by Brene Brown

“Courage starts with showing up and letting ourselves be seen.” Brene Brown

Having listened to Brene Brown’s fantastic TED talk and then downloading the audio copy of The Power of Vulnerability I had to learn more. I was hooked, engaged and inspired. I’ve now just completed listening to the audio version of Daring Greatly and can safely say that my belly is full.

In Daring, Greatly Brene shares all that she has learnt about vulnerability. It is not only inspiring and insightful but also highly practical. (more…)

The Cheese Trap by Neal Barnard

Neal Barnard is one smart guy that knows an incredible lot about the science of health. Having interviewed Neal on my podcast, I was swept away by just how humble he is. I feel he possesses a great deal of poise, empathy, understanding and kindness that kind of takes away the edge when speaking to anyone wearing a white coat. I think you’ll get the same feeling when reading this book on how to break the cheese addiction and escape the “Cheese Trap.”

Neal Barnard is an adjunct associate professor of medicine at the George Washington University School of Medicine and Health Sciences. (more…)

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The Waking Up Podcast by Sam Harris

Waking Up is a podcast by Sam Harris, a neuroscientist, philosopher and best-selling author. The podcast aligns itself with one of his five books called, Waking Up: A Guide to Spirituality without Religion. The subtitle represents a major theme to his podcast. In his podcast, Sam explores some of the most critical questions about the human mind, society, and current events.

Having written five New York Times bestsellers including; The End of Faith, (more…)

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No Ego: How Leaders Can Cut the Cost of Workplace Drama, End Entitlement, and Drive Big Results by Cy Wakeman

No Ego, a book about overcoming workplace drama. Cy Wakeman, past guest on The Hidden Why (episode 459), has written a fantastic book to assist organisations and leaders improve results and reduce staffing costs by creating a culture of accountability rather than one of entitlement. It’s a slap in the face to the current style of leadership, and it starts by understanding the role ego plays in the workplace and how to bypass it. (more…)

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The Power of Vulnerability: Teachings on Authenticity, Connection and Courage by Brene Brown

Dr Brene Brown has become one of my new favourite people. Ever since I watched her TED Talk titled The Power of Vulnerability, I’ve been hooked on the knowledge and wisdom she shares. She has spent over a decade researching the topic of vulnerability which she would define as “uncertainty, risk and emotional exposure.” She’d further say that vulnerability is not either a good or bad emotion but rather the essence to all emotions that when understood and cultivated will allow us to walk into a greater sense of meaning, purpose and joy in life. (more…)

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The Pursuit of Time and Money: Step into Radical Abundance and Discover the Secret to a Meaningful Prosperous Life by Sharon L. Spano PhD

In an interview, I did with Sharon Spano, the author of The Pursuit of Time and Money; she stated that the pursuit of time and money isn’t about learning how to be useful in managing these resources but instead a matter of shifting perspectives. That is the goal of this book. Through the lens of human development, Sharon hopes to help people experience transformational change as it relates to their time and money mindset.

I will admit up front that for the first half of this book and beyond I read it in a somewhat unenthusiastically manner. I felt there wasn’t enough meat in the opening chapters to get me excited about the journey of learning something new about time and money. (more…)

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The Intelligent Heart: A Guide to the Compassionate Life by Dzigar Kongtrul and Joseph Waxman

There are few books I read as passionately as I did this one. It had me coming back enthusiastically to learn more. When I put it down, I couldn’t stop thinking about the learnings. With curiosity, I found myself in constant reflection on how the lessons applied to my life. If I could take these methods of mind training on board in practice, I wonder how much I could transform my life. As I read that last page I knew it would be a book I’d love to read again.

In this book, Dzigar Kongtrul shares practical insight into what he believes is the most profound teaching in traditional Tibetan Buddhism, tonglen. It is a Tibetan word that can be translated as “giving and taking” and is a meditation practice found in Tibetan Buddhism. In this book, Dzigar Kongtrul focuses on sharing lojong which is the practice of training the mind to be better able to practice Dharma. (more…)

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How It Began: A History of The Modern World with Brad Harris

Brad Harris is the brains behind this exciting new podcast series – How It Began. Earning his PhD in history of science and technology at Stanford University, Harris with his unique and professional style wishes to educate and entertain others to the fascinating inventions and discoveries that have helped shape the modern world.

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Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies

This detailed book on the history of how human societies evolved answers some tough questions about why and how we’ve evolved the way we have.

The author Jared Diamond, Ph.D., does a brilliant job to capture the reader’s attention at the start by proposing a series of questions that many of us sometimes may wonder, i.e. How did some people rise to conquer and others did not? Why are there inherent differences exist amongst cultures? (more…)

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Psyched Up: How the Science of Mental Preparation Can Help You Succeed

“Happiness doesn’t depend on any external conditions, it is governed by our mental attitude.” Dale Carnegie

Daniel McGinn says that our success and failure in life is often determined by a few crucial moments and it is in those moments we need to perform at our absolute best. In this book, the author McGinn shares some scientific findings and other observations that assist people in raising energy, reducing anxiety and boosting confidence before an important performance or opportunity. (more…)

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