Books like Putting the Heart Back into Business — picked by fans

This book has been a blessing for my life and my relationships.

I learned how to express my needs without blame or demand, and how to listen so that others feel both heard and understood. What also amazed me was to realize how limited my vocabulary was. I was basically using generic words like nice or good or great or fine, without actually giving any color or content of my experience in that present moment. I also noticed the tendency to say “I feel” a certain thing when, in fact, I was thinking a certain thing. Not feeling at all.

Rosenberg brings a clarity to language which encouraged me to expand my vocabulary and choose words with more content. And, most importantly, to communicate in a gentle, clear, non-blaming or violating way.

I read this book shortly before I started writing my book called Slow Sex.

I was especially struck by how David highlights elements like relaxation, pleasure, awareness, and rhythm as essential to metabolism. I also discovered the existence of Yoga’s universal metabolic enhancers, which I knew nothing about!

All this fascinated me because it is precisely these metabolic enhancers that are completely parallel with the qualities I incorporated into my sexual exploration four decades ago. These qualities then became the principles of Slow Sex that I propose, because they profoundly shape and impact the quality of intimacy.

This book was also a reminder to avoid distractions while eating, to eat more consciously, to chew more thoroughly so as to liberate the flavors, and to savor them. A great book!

I love this book because of the way sensuality is encouraged.

Wonderful to feel the sweet teachings of presence, embodiment, and love that have been so helpful in my life for creating a delicious relationship. There is a gentle shining presence to this book, full of passion, energy, and practical exercises. Reading it was a relaxing and satisfying experience.

Hollenbery’s suggested 7 medicines are markers on a journey to connection, delight, and joy. I appreciate the depth and breadth of spirituality, careful attention to detail, and welcoming warmth. I found it beautifully written, engaging, and good fun.

I value how each word invited me into a deeper connection with myself and my body, and as a by-product, a healthier and more intimate connection with others.

This book resonated deeply with me, especially as I have spent decades exploring and teaching about the transformative power of presence.

I was touched by the author’s raw, tender, and illuminating writing. Eskey expresses herself with an engaging vulnerability and wisdom, and her life story illustrates how challenges can serve as a catalyst for personal growth and spiritual awakening. It caused me to reflect on my own life’s challenges in a more creative way.

I was also impressed by her capacity to access and recall all the nuances of her feelings, be it the agony or the ecstasy, from decades previously. Not only romantic love, but also the kind of love that emerges when we truly meet ourselves. A truly inspiring memoir of a life lived in love. 

The prevailing corporate form renders corporations prone to anti-social and environmentally destructive behavior because they are designed to maximize profits for shareholders without considering the consequences to society and the environment.

I love Better Business because it tells the story of the creation of an emergent alternative corporate form, the B-Corp with benefit corporation governance, that provides a material positive benefit to society and the environment in addition to making profits for shareholders.  

A sustainable economy not only requires new economic principles, but also new corporate forms that are endowed with a social and environmental conscience in addition to the usual pecuniary one. Better Business introduces you to these new corporate forms without bogging you down in legalese.

Patagonia’s founder doesn’t just talk about building a company—he talks about building one with conscience. I admire how he defines success as humble and fiercely independent. This book is a manifesto for aligning profit with purpose and mission with mindfulness. It challenges entrepreneurs to think not just about revenue, but about the legacy they want to leave behind.

I loved this book because it gave me a behind-the-scenes look at a company I admired from afar but didn’t really know. I’d heard about Patagonia’s commitment to sustainability, but reading about how they actually implement their values—through design, materials, and a “repair, not replace” philosophy—was eye-opening. I also connected deeply with Chouinard’s memoir-style reflections. I appreciated his raw honesty, his resistance to conventional business wisdom, and how he stayed true to his principles. Those are all approaches that deeply resonate with me.

This book was a revelation. It gives positive examples of why we can be optimistic about the future while not shying away from uncomfortable truths about business and consumerism.

Her enthusiasm for a kinder economy and her personal stories and journey are inspiring and provide great lessons about change in society and business.

This guidebook in the form of a memoir, or memoir in the form of a guidebook, is both highly entertaining and profoundly useful. Through brutally honest stories from his years leading FINCA, the global microfinance network, Scofield shows how social change happens: one mistake, one insight, and one breakthrough at a time. By laying them out so clearly and in such a reader-friendly format, he has provided a valuable gift to a new generation of changemakers.

I had so many lemonade stands when I was a kid but mine never became a million-dollar business (not even close!)! If only I’d had Mikaela’s book (and determination) back then... I loved her story of being a kid entrepreneur and her relatable advice for building a purpose-driven, bug-based company. Like the women my book Eat Bugs is based upon, Mikaela got a deal on Shark Tank too.

I strongly believe business leaders and brands must engage with all stakeholders (including society and the planet) to thrive – and this is the essence of John Browne’s message in Connect.

Browne, a former CEO of BP, contrasts positive engagement with traditional corporate social responsibility, which he contends is often more about complying with laws and regulations and looking good rather than doing good. 

The first half of the book provides real world examples of how corporate success is dependent on greater engagement with society.

And the second examines Browne’s four tenets of connected leadership – map your world, define your contribution, apply world class management, engage radically – and how companies can exemplify them going forward and profitably place society at the heart of business.