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The Most Inspiring Books And Podcasts For Self Help

The power of the written and spoken word can be incredibly transformative. When you read motivational books and listen to inspirational podcasts, you become fully absorbed and transported on a process of growth that is difficult to get otherwise. The huge effect that mantras and affirmations can have on our psyche are well documented, and I believe that’s also why these books and podcasts are so amazing for self-help and development. They open your eyes up to new ideas and help you see the world in a new perspective. I’ve personally had so many great aha moments with all of these tools, they really made a big difference to my mental, emotional and spiritual wellbeing. After reading some of these books and listening to certain episodes, I literally felt like a better human being, they gave me so much pause for thought and helped me to deal with everyday occurrences with greater ease, calm and contentment. Read on below for some inspiration!

Two Wander - The Most Inspiring Books For Self Help

The Most Inspirational Books

What you consume and surround yourself with influences your mindset, and thus your view of the world. All kinds of motivational, inspirational, self-help etc. books are useful for bringing us a bit of clarity and shining a light on a new way of thinking. Sometimes we’re feeling stuck in a rut, or want to make some changes in our lives, or simply feel like being uplifted a bit, and books are an extremely effective way of doing so. Plus, studies also show that just 6 minutes of reading can lower your cortisol levels and start to relax you by almost 70%! It also gets to work faster than other methods of de-stressing, such as going for a walk or listening to music.

Here are some of the 8 most inspirational books:

“The Power of Now” + “A New Earth” by Eckhart Tolle
I cannot stress how revolutionary these books were for me. They literally opened my eyes to a whole new world- suddenly things that used to annoy me didn’t anymore, and an event that would have previously stressed me out no longer did. They’re probably the most well known spiritual self-help books out there, and with good reason! If you haven’t gotten on the Eckhart bandwagon yet, I strongly suggest that you do. I personally preferred “A New Earth” slightly more, but “The Power of Now” is the original one so it could be best to start there. For even greater effect, pair them with Oprah’s Super Soul podcast episodes with Eckhart where they discuss the book in more detail.

“Untethered Soul” by Michael A. Singer
This was another beautiful book that gave me many aha moments that felt really serene and like coming home to myself, as if I was remembering something I previously knew but had forgotten (similar to Eckhart’s books). “Untethered Soul” a really great self-help book for discovering inner peace and resilience to the world around us. Another uber famous one in the spirituality department, this is definitely one to add to your reading list. He’s also synthesised the teachings into a 52-card deck and daily calendar which is pretty cool for some bite-sized motivation!

“The Celestine Prophecy” by James Redfield
This book gave me SO much pause for thought. It introduces some really interesting concepts that I honestly haven’t been able to stop thinking about since. Seriously, I think about this book almost every day haha. I will say that it can maybe get a bit woo woo and out there for some at times, and it takes a strange turn for me at the end, but overall this is a very thought provoking and enlightening read! As “The Celestine Prophecy” is another spiritual wellness classic, it’s definitely worth adding to your list.

“Good Vibes Good Life” by Vex King
This is a lighter read and super cute for giving you some major good vibes, as the name suggests! “Good Vibes Good Life” a really pleasant, enjoyable book that is also peppered with little pearls of wisdom and some great life advice. He also has a super inspirational Instagram account I recommend following for daily nuggets of inspo. Another great self-help Instagram account is Yung Pueblo, who also has a beautifully inspiring poetry book called “Inward”.

“Fear” + “Happiness” by Thich Nhat Hanh
Written by the world-famous Vietnamese monk, founder of Plum Village in the south of France, these books are INCREDIBLY enlightening. Especially “Fear” I found gave me some major whoah moments, these are particularly good to read if you have anxiety or stress in your life, or have a fear of death etc. “Happiness” is really good for giving some practical tips on how you can integrate mindfulness into your daily life. They’re really quick, digestible books and I recommend reading as many of his series as you can! So far I have only gotten through these two, and can highly recommend them, but I intend to read more.

“The Alchemist” by Paulo Coelho
Arguably one of the most popular books ever written, let alone just in the self-help department, “The Alchemist” is truly a must-read. I particularly love this book because it’s written as a story so it’s really engaging and visually evocative. I think sending a message through storytelling is a really effective way to drive a point home, and this is the ultimate book for giving a sense of wanderlust and expansiveness to the meaning of life too. If you like to read novels, I highly recommend this one.

“Eat Pray Love” by Elizabeth Gilbert
This book is so famous, some people might feel like it’s over-hyped, but I absolutely loved it! I actually wasn’t expecting to like it as much as I did but I found her story to be extremely inspirational- I guess it’s not famous for no reason! It’s really enjoyable to read and nice to have something written as a memoir from a lived experience, plus you can watch “Eat Pray Love” the movie after which is always a win. Elizabeth Gilbert is one of the best self-help gurus out there and her other book “Big Magic” is also highly recommended. For finding purpose in life, “Light Is The New Black” by Rebecca Campbell (creator of those magical oracle cards) is also really good.

“Energy Medicine” by Jill Blakeway
This one is a little bit different to the others but I found it extremely interesting to look at healing from a different perspective. Another famous book similar to this would be Dr. Joe Dispenza’s “You Are The Placebo”, but I MUCH preferred this one because I feel the extent of the placebo effect’s efficacy is already fairly well-known (although no less mind-blowing to read some of the examples in the book), whereas “Energy Medicine” opened up my eyes to a lot of new and diverse areas.

I have also read loads of other bestselling authors, such as Brené Brown whose books are extremely well recognized and loved by many, along with The Subtle Art of Not Giving A F*ck by Mark Manson, The 7 Spiritual Laws of Success by Deepak Chopra (and others of his), The 7 Habits of Highly Successful People by Stephen Covey, Spiritual Real Estate by Joanne Park, Blink and Outliers by Malcolm Gladwell, The Secret by Rhonda Byrne, and Autobiography of a Yogi by Paramahansa Yogananda, and many more. While I found these books to be good, and many people do swear by them, I found the main ones listed above to be much more influential for me. However, as with all things, it’s best to try them out and give them a go for yourself to see what you most resonate with!

The Best Self Help Podcasts

Likewise with books, podcasts are another great way to take a break from our day-to-day lives and relax while learning some interesting information and becoming absorbed in the message. Every time I listen to these podcasts I gain valuable insight into how to live a healthier, happier, more productive and calmer life.

If you need a pick-me-up, here are 8 of the best self-help podcasts:

“The School Of Greatness” by Lewis Howes
One of our all-time favourites, this is a really inspiring motivational podcast all about personal growth, mindset, business and life betterment, as well as how to optimise your health and relationships and more. Lewis interviews the world’s best thought leaders from across every field imaginable, and has gone on to become one of the most successful podcasters in the business. It’s geared towards being user-friendly by being really easy to follow along and super upbeat, but also enlightening and thought provoking. This is one that always gets us motivated to go out and do something “great”!

“Super Soul Conversations” by Oprah
As mentioned above, the series where Oprah talks with Eckhart are really great episodes where they delve into more detail about the books, how to practically apply the lessons to your life, and answer listener questions to clarify any confused interpretations. We really gained a lot of valuable insight to the books and life in general by listening to these and they are some of favourite episodes of podcast we’ve ever listened to! Oprah’s Super Soul Conversations in general is all about life, spirituality, relationships, the world, and community where, being Oprah, she interviews the planet’s most influential and important people.

“Under The Skin” by Russell Brand
This podcast hosted by the infamous Russell Brand is, as you can imagine, equal parts enlightening and entertaining. Unfortunately, his show has now moved over to Luminary so it’s a paid subscription, but on iTunes podcasts you can still find the original episodes and there are PLENTY for you to get through! He touches more onto the spirituality aspects of things and interviews some really interesting people with diverse viewpoints. The conversations flow really naturally and it’s so much fun to listen to. Another one that touches more on the spiritual side of things is Sahara Rose’s “Higher Self” podcast.

“How To Fail” With Elizabeth Day
This is a really good podcast for getting a behind-the-scenes look on how people acquired their fame, became successful or got through difficult periods in their life. In a world of “highlight reels” where the work it took to become and “overnight success” is rarely showcased, this is a really refreshing podcast to gain perspective on what it actually takes to achieve success, and that everyone is actually in this same sea of life just in different boats.

The “Mindbodygreen” Podcast
From the Mindbodygreen website (which I read religiously), this podcast has episodes filled with everything you could possibly want to know about living a healthy life and optimising your wellbeing. The people interviewed are all experts in various fields and bring a lot of really valuable information that isn’t often otherwise easily accessible or known.

The “Deliciously Ella” Podcast
This is a cute, simple podcast from cult foodie Deliciously Ella that’s more like an intro into wellness. Listeners are left feeling lighthearted and informed, without getting overwhelmed with too much information. It’s an easy but inspiring podcast to add to your roster when you don’t want something that takes too much commitment.

“Happy Place” with Fearne Cotton
This is a super enjoyable podcast hosted by the beloved TV presenter, Fearne Cotton. It’s a lively show that touches on a lot of mental health topics and is refreshingly honest and down-to-earth. Fearne interviews a variety of people and they always sound really natural and normal- we always feel really good after listening to these!

The “Wellness Mama” Podcast
Another one from a powerhouse in the wellness world, these episodes go into real detail about how to optimise your health and wellbeing. Her topics include how to optimise business and other lifestyle factors too. They can get pretty advanced and specific but, again, we always leave this show feeling inspired and like we’ve learnt a lot of information!

Along with these, there’s also the OG Tony Robbins podcast who is arguably one of the most well-known in personal development, mental health and motivational podcasts out there, along with Tim Ferriss, Dave Ramsey, Gretchen Rubin, and Marie Forleo. Although I haven’t listened to them personally yet, I have heard great things about Optimal living daily, Tiny Leaps, and the TED Talks podcast (of course). If you listen to these already I’d love to know what you think of them!

So there’s our list of the most inspiring books and podcasts for self-help. I sincerely hope you get some value and enlightenment out of them, I certainly have! If you’ve already read/listened to these, what do you think of them? If not, what other books and podcasts do you have to recommend- let us know in the comments section below! I’m endlessly on the hunt for more inspiration.

For more ways to optimise your wellness, check out our post on 7 Ways To Manage Stress Holistically.

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