I am all about support, and support is a big part of Black Girl Magic. I believe that every woman should have a support system and community that values each and every person in it. Many of these authors have been featured on my podcast Support is Sexy, an interview-based podcast that introduces dynamic women professionals and the stories of their journeys to my audiences around the world. I recommended the books of these women because I love their message of self-care, self-love, support, and nurturing a healthy community.
I’d recommend this book to anyone who is interested in the topic of Divine Feminine. Fila Antwine is a self-love and relationship coach who specializes in helping women finally feel worthy of the love that they deserve. Her book is a powerful guide to self-reflection that leads her readers through the process of self-awareness and rediscovery.
Fila McMillan-Antwine is on a mission to help women restore the power, divinity and strength of their essence. She puts a mirror in front of readers and challenges them to take a deep look at their issues. She gives straight and to the point, girlfriend advice with depth. Readers are guided through the process of self awareness and rediscovery. This book is a must read for all women who want to improve their relationships and lives.
From an early age, I had an insatiable curiosity. I questioned organized religion. I wondered why people can’t get along and why wars were fought over personal ideas and beliefs. Additionally, early in life, I had multiple physical and psychological spiritual experiences that kept my wonder and searching alive. My curiosity took me on a journey of self-discovery. I studied the ontology of language and became certified as a structural integration body/mind therapist and mediator. Each of the suggested books played a role in awakening me and providing tools to become a better human being. I hope the books inspire you.
Ken Wilber is a prolific philosopher and writer. His many books cover a wide range of subjects, from psychology to mysticism. I studied with him twenty years ago after the publication of this book. I was enlightened by his holistic theory, which connects four domains of life organized by objective/subjective and individual/collective considerations.
This framework opened my eyes and transformed my work with individuals and groups. This book eventually led to a worldwide program called integral thinking. It is deep, thought-provoking, and enlightening.
A Brief History of Everything' is an engaging, accessible and friendly excursion into the history of consciousness. Wilber examines the course of evolution as the unfolding manifestation of Spirit, from matter (the cosmos) to life (the biosphere) to mind (human consciousness), including the higher stages of spiritual evolution, when Spirit becomes conscious of itself. In each of these domains of evolution, he finds, there are recurring patterns, and by looking closely at these patterns, we can learn much about the predicament of our world and the direction humanity must take if global transformation is to become a reality.
Dominique Antiglio is a Qualified Sophrologist, former Osteopath, and best-selling author based in London. Sophrology is a simple practice for mental well-being supporting everyone to tap into the unlimited resources of consciousness and become empowered in daily life. Having used Sophrology to overcome her own issues as a teenager, Dominique is passionate about how each one of us can find resilience and meaning through difficult times. She is a world-leading Sophrologist, founder of BeSophro, a leading Sophrology clinic in London and a Sophrology platform so everyone can learn to practice the method based on relaxation, breathing, visualisation and movement. Dominique gained her Master's in Caycedian Sophrology under Professor Caycedo.
Dr. Chatterjee’s podcast Feel Better, Live More and The Stress Solution gives a fascinating insight into Dr. Chatterjee’s work with patients and how he has been coaching them into better health by reducing their stress levels. As a stress management expert myself, I am a huge advocate of learning techniques to help you reduce stress and, as Dr. Chatterjee says, it only takes a few small lifestyle changes to live a happier life. This book will give you simple steps to take that can really transform how you feel.
The latest book from Dr Rangan Chatterjee, HAPPY MIND, HAPPY LIFE, is available for pre-order now! __________________________________________________________________________________
FROM THE SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLING AUTHOR OF THE 4 PILLAR PLAN
'One of the most influential doctors in the UK (...) I could talk to Rangan all day (...) he's amazing' Chris Evans
Become a calmer, happier and healthier you with Dr Rangan Chatterjee's The Stress Solution.
In this book, BBC One's Dr Rangan Chatterjee, draws on two decades of practice to show you how to make easy-to-follow and sustainable health and lifestyle improvements to your everyday life. Top tips include:
I always felt like books were mysterious and elusive works of art. When creating them occurred to me, I started to think, “What is a book, really, and what does it mean to publish one?” This over-analysis of books makes me appreciate authors who are able to step back and see books for what they really are–pages and ink. Distilling it down to that makes writing and publishing a book feel more accessible to me.
I’m not usually big on celebrity authors, but this story made me feel like the author really didn’t enjoy reading when he was growing up.
It’s simple and silly and, ultimately, a great way to convince non-readers to get into reading. And hey, by the end of the book, you’ve realized you’ve read a book about not wanting to read a book…how neat is that?
Coming of age in the '70s, I set out to prove that I could do anything men could do as if it were my duty as a woman. This led me to become an exploration geologist, jumping out of helicopters in grizzly bear country. But I had a nagging feeling that I was neglecting what was meaningful to me. I struggled to even know what that was. My next career as a story analyst led me deep into the world of Joseph Campbell and Carl Jung and a fascinating exploration of how people find their best life. And I’m still enthusiastically exploring.
Can you imagine carrying around a more embarrassing book title? Despite that, I carry this nonfiction book in a ziplock bag to protect it. It speaks to me that loudly. This sleeper book from the 1970s delivers rare pearls of insight into how the world of love works. This dives into our poor behavior out of a need for love. It recounts group session dialogues that had me feeling I was there, swinging from cringe moments of self-recognition to ‘aha’ moments about an ex-boyfriend. I also appreciated how it upholds compassion for every person.
Beyond the beacons of personal insights, I’ve recently tried my hand at writing fiction, and this book supports creating characters that are flawed yet relatable and actually likable.
When your storytelling simulates imagined physiological experiences, it guides your listeners to vicariously see, hear, smell, taste, and touch the world of your story. While my books suggest six kinds of stories and four buckets to find stories, I also use these favorite resources for training my brain to think in sensory language. Dip in to find a steady supply of metaphors, images, mannerisms, and context builders that make your story come alive. Current strategies that maximize clicks rarely tap into the wealth of sensory language needed to build epic, long-lasting results.
I love this pre-social-media collection of moral quandaries and relationship-based solutions presented in story form. Much of it is about addiction to substances, but it applies to all kinds of addictions, undermining our ability to deal with dangerous subjects.
I’ve told stories from these pages, and most of my ideas come from reading stories that inevitably remind me of a perfect story from my own life. Stories about release, gratitude, humility, tolerance, and forgiveness offer antidotes to the kind of problems that linear mechanical reasoning can’t solve.
For me, investing in a constant stream of moral stories supports the vital behavioral norms we need as groundwork for developing trusting relationships.
I Am Not Perfect is a simple statement of profound truth, the first step toward understanding the human condition, for to deny your essential imperfection is to deny yourself and your own humanity. The spirituality of imperfection, steeped in the rich traditions of the Hebrew prophets and Greek thinkers, Buddhist sages and Christian disciples, is a message as timeless as it is timely. This insightful work draws on the wisdom stories of the ages to provide an extraordinary wellspring of hope and inspiration to anyone thirsting for spiritual growth and guidance in these troubled times.
I grew up in central Arkansas, which means I experienced first-hand the fiction I describe here. The South in these books - its religion, poverty, and beauty, not to mention its capacity for real ugliness - is not simply an atmosphere these authors have used to decorate their sets. The South in these books is a place where real people live, in exactly the ways these writers have described. My novella, Six Mile Store, is my own take on the real South. These are the books that showed me that these kinds of Southern stories are worth telling.
O'Connor was an uncomfortable contradiction: she isolated herself as much as possible from the world she so beautifully described, writing about ordinary Southern lives with real human feeling and understanding - while holding personal views that were deeply ugly.
I am not going to pretend otherwise. What I will say is that her stories have a cast of people who seem strange until you recognise them, and then they are suddenly far too familiar. She wrote that anything out of the South would be called grotesque by the Northern reader, unless it actually was grotesque, in which case it would be called realistic.
A number of my characters owe their existence to her assortment of murderers, false prophets, hypocrites, malevolent strangers, and good old Southern weirdos.
The publication of this extraordinary volume firmly established Flannery O'Connor's monumental contribution to American fiction.
There are thirty-one stories here in all, including twelve that do not appear in the only two story collections O'Connor put together in her short lifetime--Everything That Rises Must Converge and A Good Man Is Hard to Find.
O'Connor published her first story, "The Geranium," in 1946, while she was working on her master's degree at the University of Iowa. Arranged chronologically, this collection shows that her last story, "Judgement Day"--sent to her publisher shortly before her death―is a…
The central theme connecting the books on my list is the idea that our personal growth comes from creativity, straight talk, and honest reflection. All of these books are first-person accounts, which gives them credibility and authority, and they are quite inspiring. They encourage bravery, curiosity, resilience, and healing.
I wrote Morning Leaves as a way of processing the loss of my younger sister. I leaned into creativity and writing as a way of clarifying my thoughts, prioritizing, and ultimately healing from the grief. This collection of books taught me to trust my instincts, nurture my creative impulses, and find a path to joy.
This book by Melody Beattie sits by my bed and is usually the last thing I read at night.
I love that it is structured as daily entries, and her topics help me think about subjects I might otherwise not have considered. The way she writes is both very personal and quite spiritual.
I feel that I have learned how to better express myself by listening to her voice. She is clear and open and powerful. I find her work to be grounding and centering, especially in times of stress and uncertainty. It's the perfect way to transition from busy days into more peaceful nights.
In the spirit of her bestselling "The Language of Letting Go", America's most beloved inspirational writer guides us on a sacred journey as we learn to expand our creativity, embrace our powers, and open our hearts. Writing with the same warmth, honesty, and compassion that has attracted such a loyal following, Melody Beattie now charts a new path toward spiritual growth and renewal. In 365 insightful and delightfully warm daily reflections, "Journey to the Heart" will comfort and inspire us all as we begin to discover our true purpose in the world and learn to connect even more deeply with…
I always felt like books were mysterious and elusive works of art. When creating them occurred to me, I started to think, “What is a book, really, and what does it mean to publish one?” This over-analysis of books makes me appreciate authors who are able to step back and see books for what they really are–pages and ink. Distilling it down to that makes writing and publishing a book feel more accessible to me.
This book made such a clever use of the “gutter” in the middle of the book.
I have an irrational fear of picture book gutters and margins after formatting my first self-published book and making sure all the important stuff (including the text) stays in the frame.
This book gave me the feeling of ownership over the gutter that I never knew I needed.
In this wonderfully inventive book, Bella is taking her dog for a stroll across the page but halfway across, he disappears! Unable to quite believe what's just happened Bella watches, transfixed, with changing emotions of surprise, indignation, moments of renewed hope (as the authorities arrive to take control) followed by shock (as they too succumb to the book's inexplicable behaviour) and finally action when Bella marches toward the dangerous middle of the book . . . only to disappear herself! At this point, the book has consumed its characters and it's down to the reader to step in to help.…
Dominique Antiglio is a Qualified Sophrologist, former Osteopath, and best-selling author based in London. Sophrology is a simple practice for mental well-being supporting everyone to tap into the unlimited resources of consciousness and become empowered in daily life. Having used Sophrology to overcome her own issues as a teenager, Dominique is passionate about how each one of us can find resilience and meaning through difficult times. She is a world-leading Sophrologist, founder of BeSophro, a leading Sophrology clinic in London and a Sophrology platform so everyone can learn to practice the method based on relaxation, breathing, visualisation and movement. Dominique gained her Master's in Caycedian Sophrology under Professor Caycedo.
I love this book. It's such an incredible story about conquering challenges that appear near-impossible. Diana Nyad was the first person in history to swim 103 miles non-stop from Cuba to Florida which she did successfully on her 5th attempt at 64 years old! What is fascinating is how she managed to separate herself from negative thinking - from doctors and the public, not to mention her own.
Winner of the Cross Sports International Autobiography of the Year award
In the 1970s, Diana Nyad was widely regarded as the greatest long-distance swimmer in the world and set many world records, such as circling Manhattan Island and crossing the 102.5 miles between the Bahamas and Florida. But one record continually eluded her: becoming the first woman to swim between Cuba and the Florida Keys without a shark cage. Finally, in September 2013, after four failed attempts and at the age of sixty-four, Diana completed the crossing after two days and two nights of continuous swimming - 53 consecutive hours,…
