13 Empowering Books Everyone Should Read

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This article showcases our top picks for the best ‘Empowering Books’. We reached out to industry leaders and experts who have contributed the suggestions within this article (they have been credited for their contributions below). 

We are keen to hear your feedback on all of our content and our comment section is a moderated space to express your thoughts and feelings related (or not) to this article This list is in no particular order.


TranscenDANCE by Melissa Drake

This product was recommended by Melissa Drake from Uncorped Influence

Telling the story of recovery and growth, this empowering book demonstrates the power of resilience, openness, and being poised to take the lead from the Universe in life’s dance. The narrative is part memoir and part self-help relating dance to complex life stories and themes including trauma, codependency, self-sabotage, mental health, addictions, and recovery. Filled with anecdotes and autobiographical info, the author revisits childhood wounds, unearths adult stressors, and witnesses daily obstacles that, eventually, she learned to accept with a cosmically-aided dos-a-dos.


You Are a Badass Every Day by Jen Sincero

This product was recommended by Valerie Bowden from ValerieBowden

The book I ALWAYS come back to is You are a badass every day, by Jen Sincero. It’s little nuggets of motivation from all her books combined. It’s the kind of book that you can open to any random page and you’ll get the perfect piece of wisdom to help you at that moment. It’s also empowering because the author used to be completely broke and now has experienced mega wealth. It makes me feel like it’s possible for me too.


Anchored Together by Renee Garrison

This product was recommended by Renee Garrison from ReneeGarrison

About 11 million kids in our country are growing up with at least one alcoholic parent. Mental health experts predict the current pandemic, job losses and racial unrest will cause that number to increase. Those of us who have lived with this disease as children sometimes have problems that extend into adulthood. Things like: Do you constantly seek approval and affirmation? Do you fail to recognize your accomplishments? Do you fear criticism? Do you overextend yourself? Do you have a need for perfection? Are you uneasy when your life is going smoothly, continually anticipating problems? I wrote this book to let teens know that, while they didn’t cause and can’t control their parent’s drinking, they can talk about it. And they should.


Women Don’t Owe You Pretty, by Florence Given

This product was recommended by Rhiannon Moore from Evopure

I’m suggesting this product because it’s such a gorgeous extension of feminism, especially to read as a young adult like myself. It’s got plenty of incredible retro-style illustrations, and features conversations between the author and her younger self. It’s a reminder that being progressive is a journey and your thoughts develop as time goes on and you experience new things.


Sulwe by Lupita Nyong’o

This product was recommended by Plamen Beshkov from 10Beasts

Of the many female-empowering books I have introduced and read to my daughter, one will always shine the brightest – Sulwe, by the beautiful Oscar-winning actress Lupita Nyong’o. I would describe this children’s book as a powerful, moving picture book about colorism, self-esteem, and learning that true beauty comes from within. Sulwe is a little African girl who has skin the color of midnight. She is darker than everyone in her family. She is darker than anyone in her school. Sulwe just wants to be beautiful and bright, like her mother and sister. Then a magical journey in the night sky opens her eyes and changes everything. What I like about how this story is presented is the fact that it can help children to learn that the truly important and beautiful things are inside our souls, and not a trait of our skin.


We Should All Be Feminists by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie

This product was recommended by Muhammad Mateen Khan from PureVPN

In this personal, eloquently-argued essay—adapted from the much-admired TEDx talk of the same name—Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie offers readers a unique definition of feminism for the twenty-first century, one rooted in inclusion and awareness. Drawing extensively on her own experiences and her deep understanding of the often masked realities of sexual politics, here is one remarkable author’s exploration of what it means to be a woman now—and an of-the-moment rallying cry for why we should all be feminists.


From Ball Girl to CMO by Melissa M. Proctor

This product was recommended by Melissa M. Proctor from MelissaMProctor

Even though Melissa M. Proctor never played basketball, her dream as a child was to be the first female coach in the NBA. Your heart will sink and soar as you live through Melissa’s trials and triumphs. Through incredible experiences like surviving Hurricane Andrew, moving to London and becoming the first ball girl for the NBA’s Miami Heat, her unconventional path has taken a number of twists and turns that has led to earning the position of Executive Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer for the Atlanta Hawks and State Farm Arena. However, some would be surprised to learn that even at this stage of her career, Melissa still doesn’t know what she wants to be when she grows up…and that’s exactly how she wants it. From Ball Girl to CMO includes relevant themes of hope, persistence, empowerment, and courage to help readers navigate everything from the personal to the professional. Throughout the pages, Melissa shares lessons learned, guiding principles, and a means of comfort for those not quite sure what to do next. She presents a powerful framework for defining Guiding Principles that anyone can use to help direct life decisions. With her laid-back style and down to earth attitude, Melissa offers the option of acceptance at a time when many are confused and hope when uncertainty distorts the light at the end of the tunnel. From Ball Girl to CMO urges us to look at ourselves, reflect on where we’ve been and be open to the possibilities of what’s to come.


The Career Toolkit by Mark A. Herschberg

This product was recommended by Mark A. Herschberg from The Career Toolkit

After teaching thousands of people over twenty years at MIT’s career success accelerator class and in other companies and universities, Mark Herschberg has created a single book that packs a powerful punch. The skills are the ones we’ve all been told are important—networking, negotiating, communication, leadership—but most of us have had little if any formal training on these skills. The Career Toolkit, Essential Skills for Success That No One Taught You provides concrete tools and techniques that can be applied day one. It goes beyond the typical advice you find in other books, covering topics like the double bind for women in leadership, looking at mental models in communication, and has a full chapter on ethics in the workplace. The book also has a free app to help reinforce the lessons.


I know it was the blood by Ceola J.

This product was recommended by Chantay Bridges from Los Angeles Real Estate Now

I am an advent book reader yet this book truly is an inspiration. Despite being barren, raped, domestic violence survivor, she still made it. She spends her life helping other women find their happy place and to overcome to.. It’s a miracle to see what she went through and came out alive, still with her head up. It’s very empowering, let’s you know, regardless of what you face, there is sunshine on the other side.


Empowering Women by Louise Hay

This product was recommended by Gerardo Juarez from Sheep Buy Inc

The author in this book wants women to know and learn how to take control of their own lives, how to love themselves and how to accept their identity regardless of the past they had. Moreover Louise focuses on powerful meaning for women such as self-worth and self-esteem. One of the greatest empowering book.


Life Is Easy. We Make It Hard by Cory Collins

This product was recommended by Courtney Pritchard from Emineo Marketing Solutions

Life is Easy, We Make it Hard by Cory Collins is an amazing self-help book that offers easy-to-follow, practical advice on how to get ahead in life by getting out of your own way. It touches on a number of topics such as career, business, relationships (both personal and professional), and the everyday struggles of life in general, and fully empowers you to attain the prosperity and self-fulfillment that you may desire, through both the author’s personal experiences and some very enlightening quotes from many well-known people. This book is very inspiring and motivational, and has had a very positive impact on both my life.


We Should All Be Feminists by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie

This product was recommended by Beth McCallum from Oh So Spotless

This essay should be required reading for everyone. The author shares her experience of sexism, and the need for feminism, in the current day and culture. She focuses on inclusion, sharing her thoughts on feminism in an accessible way, as well as writing beautifully. In only 50 pages, Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie packs in a lot of wisdom and enthusiasm, as well as empowering her readers, encouraging them to change the world around them.


Think and Grow Rich by Napoleon Hill

This product was recommended by Danielle Fehring from Regulus Writing

Think and Grow Rich is the best selling success book of all time. If you are looking to empower your financial mindset, this book is a fantastic place to start.

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