This post was originally published on Audible.com.
The best self-help audiobooks for women zero in on universal themes nearly every woman grapples with in her daily life. From body image issues and impossible beauty standards to the expectation that a woman should always be nice, women confront many forces that leave them fractured and hurt. In these listens, experts on self-help for women offer a healing balm to that pain with suggestions on how to introduce more self-love and self-acceptance into daily life. Find some positivity, empowerment, and comfort in these essential wellness titles for women.
Feeling insecure about your body? Many women struggle alongside you to accept and love themselves. To reclaim joy in your body, try The Body Is Not an Apology by activist-poet Sonya Renee Taylor. This groundbreaking, bold audiobook helps you rewire your negative thoughts towards your figure and transform them into body positivity. Covering topics like shame, guilt, and building a self-love practice in an era of mass loathing, The Body Is Not an Apology challenges each listener to imagine another way of relating to her own incredible body.
“A great audiobook for anyone first dipping their toes into the waters of wellness, The Worthy Mind shepherds the listener through multiple concrete steps they can take towards realizing, and acting on behalf of, their own worthiness. The work is narrated by the author herself, Meadow DeVor, who paves the way for learning by giving real examples of obstacles she overcame by way of worthiness in her own life. Internalizing these foundation lessons make it possible to build and reach other goals, leading to a more fulfilling life. I can’t recommend this listen enough for anyone getting started on their spiritual or wellness journey!” —Editor Madeline A.
Entrepreneur Hannah Bronfman’s attitude of self-acceptance and owning positive beauty standards was formed early on as she witnessed a close family member struggle with disordered eating. Now a wellness influencer, Bronfman channels her past experiences into positive ones as she promotes a two-fold philosophy about being healthy—it's beautiful and should bring you pleasure. In Do What Feels Good, Bronfman adapts her point of view into an easily accessible manifesto on living life with healthy indulgences. Serving up recipes along with suggested routines and helpful resources, this is an inspiring listen from which every woman can draw a little light.
Candice Kumai, author of Clean Green Eats, a Japanese-inspired guide to cleaning up your eating habits, brings her wellness expertise and ancient Japanese healing practices to everyday life in Kintsugi Wellness. By digging into the cultural roots that shaped her childhood, Kumai gives simple and easy to implement examples of how to bring Kintsugi into your life in small yet meaningful ways. Broken up into four sections—lifestyle, mind, heart, and nutrition—this immersive guide to the Kintsugi way of living has the ultimate goal of helping listeners live a more peaceful and joyful life.
Women are often caught in the struggle to “have it all,” and with their social feeds highlighting their seemingly more successful peers, it’s not hard to see why. Fortunately, in Average Is the New Awesome, journalist Samantha Matt gives each woman the permission she needs to embrace being average and stop feeling the toxic pressure to be perfect. Humorous and heartfelt, this listen will kickstart your mindset and help you love the person you are, not the person you feel you must be. Listeners should expect laughter and many resonant moments from Matt’s narration of her own words.
By her late 20s, Tara Schuster was by any measure a success. Not only had Schuster worked on The Daily Show with Jon Stewart, she was also crucial to the launch of the critically acclaimed show, Key & Peele. Yet depression and anxiety began to surface in her life, and eventually, Schuster could not outrun her unhealthy coping methods. From that experience, the author coaxed lessons that any woman can use to bring more self-love into her life and compiled them into this title. Be prepared to gain valuable insight and nod along with Schuster’s frank yet comforting narration.
As little girls, many women are exposed to fairy tales where a helpless princess is rescued by a dashing prince before going on to live happily ever after. Feminist poet Amanda Lovelace tackles the damaging impact of those stories in her verse while inviting women to bring more self-care and self-love into their lives. The first installment in Lovelace's women are some kind of magic series, the princess saves herself in this one reinvents such harmful tropes in a way that's both deeply personal and empowering to listeners. Lovelace’s narration of her own work enhances the poems by drawing precise meaning from each and every word.
In short, Work it Out is all about achieving the career of your dreams. One of the most sought out woman speakers in the world, bestselling author and talk show host Mel Robbins skillfully breaks down thorny workplace issues that are particularly challenging for women. If you’re wondering how to get paid what you deserve or struggling with how to say no without being labeled difficult and advocate for yourself, among many other essential skills for success, this listen is for you.
How many times have we heard someone call a female character “unlikeable"? Whether in fiction or in their real lives, many women feel pressured to be “likeable,” a gendered term that demands women to be just the right level of nice, helpful, successful, and ambitious. This impossible-to-meet standard is what acclaimed journalist Alicia Menendez identifies as a “likeability trap.” Menendez’s The Likeability Trap digs deep to uproot the history and core of this unhealthy expectation and offers listeners a way out of the conundrum. Prepare to be extra enlightened and emboldened by the author’s passionate narration.
Sometimes all it takes to feel uplifted and empowered is the perfect quote. And in I Really Needed This Today, that’s exactly what Today show host Hoda Kotb has curated. Across 365 mind-expanding quotes and sayings, listeners get a daily dose of wisdom to schedule at their convenience. Whether you need a spark of hope in the morning or a thoughtful reflection before bed, I Really Needed This Today is the perfect companion to a woman’s journey through life.
Struggling to find your self-worth? Glennon Doyle has a message for you in Untamed—start listening to yourself instead of other people. Doyle believes there's a voice inside every woman who craves more authenticity, but that most of us have gotten really good at silencing that inner voice in response to a society that pressures us to do so. In this memoir, Doyle shares how she learned to tune into her "inner knowing" and offers advice on how every woman can tune into her own voice and begin to trust herself.
“I thought I knew a lot about Tunde Oyeneyin. I mean, we work out together five days a week. I knew she suffered the loss of a younger brother and both parents. I knew that she struggled with her weight as a child and that she used to be a celebrity makeup artist in LA. But listening to Speak has given me a new appreciation for my favorite Peloton instructor. Despite the grief, setbacks, and disappointments she endures, Oyeneyin’s infectious, joyful spirit never skips a beat as she talks through every step of her SPEAK acronym—surrender, power, empathy, authenticity, and knowledge. Whether you’re a Peloton rider or not, Speak will motivate and inspire you to want better and do better for yourself. In fact, I’m going to jump on my Peloton bike right now.” —Editor Margaret H.
As the creator of TV series like Grey’s Anatomy and Scandal, Shonda Rhimes penned strong, flawed, and relatable female characters. In her own life, however, Rhimes still struggled with confidence and routinely turned down invitations that might require putting herself out there. When her sister challenged her to stop saying “no” to experiences and start saying “yes,” Rhimes embarked on a year of being open to new opportunities, however anxiety-inducing they felt. In Year of Yes, Rhimes reflects on how the experiment opened her world—and how it can change yours too. This listen was a 2017 Audie Award Finalist for Audiobook of the Year, so you won’t want to miss this outstanding audio experience, narrated by the author herself.
As editor-in-chief of Teen Vogue, and the second person of African American heritage in Condé Nast's 107-year history to hold such a title, Elaine Welteroth ushered in a new era of social awareness for a new generation of young women readers. Throughout her influential tenure, the magazine saw the dawning of a readership eager to participate in issues of social justice while also practicing self-love and self-acceptance. In More Than Enough, Welteroth relives her revolutionary leadership at Teen Vogue, adapting key takeaways from her experience for listeners. Treat yourself to the experience of Welteroth narrating her own book, a performance that brings an extra level of intimacy to an already candid memoir.
In a recent interview with Audible, licensed therapist and bestselling author Nedra Glover Tawwab described her latest book, Drama Free, as a tool for overcoming harmful familial patterns. “People often speak of family issues as something they have to deal with, as if there aren't any solutions. The solutions are complicated to implement when within the family, you are expected to go along with how things are,” says Glover Tawwab. Narrated by the author, this is a compassionate guide to moving beyond painful relationships and finding the courage to trust and take good care of yourself.
Only have an hour for an uplifting and inspiring listen? Check out Where to Begin by poet and author Cleo Wade. For many women, the current social turbulence crushes optimism that we can heal again together. In Where to Begin, Wade offers her prescription for how to find hope for personal and community resilience despite the challenges inherent in today’s world. This listen is the blueprint many women are looking for on how to begin taking better care of themselves, their loved ones, and their community. Brief but enlightening, Where to Begin is a great single-session listen for a quick pick me up.
Angela Duckworth, bestselling author of Grit, called this audiobook, “a timely message for girls and women of all ages that perfection isn’t just impossible but, worse, insidious,” and we couldn’t agree more. Narrated by its accomplished author, Girls Who Code founder and CEO Reshma Saujani, Brave, Not Perfect is jam-packed with empowering messages delivered with clarity, enthusiasm, and warmth that will leave you inspired to claim your voice and fired up to go for what you genuinely want in work and life.
