Book recommendations for feminist founders

As an accountability coach for feminist business owners, I read *a lot* of books to learn how to better support my clients. These are the titles I most recommend.

Ever wonder what a feminist coach reads? This is a glimpse of my bookshelf (or, more accurately, my audiobook files). Here I share everything I read—actually, this is only the titles I recommend because I can’t endorse every book I read—since I started keeping track in 2019.

Sharing these books gives you a glimpse into some of the educators and thought leaders who have helped to inform my coaching practice and worldview.

I’m not including a synopsis or review, simply sharing the books I read and loved. I’ll leave it to you to explore further those titles that speak to you.

I’ve added an *asterisk next to the few titles that I feel ought to be required reading for every feminist founder, most especially those who hold the most privileged identities.

If you choose to buy any of these books, I hope you’ll consider making your purchase at a locally owned bookstore. The next best option is to use Bookshop.org, where every sale supports local bookstores. Although I’m including links for Amazon, I want to encourage us all (and that’s a reminder to myself, too) to use it as rarely as possible. 

*This post includes affiliate links. If you purchase after clicking a link, I may receive a small finder’s fee (it doesn’t change the price you pay).

2023

“White Feminism” by Koa Beck  Bookshop.org | Amazon
“The Myth of Normal” by Gabor Maté  Bookshop.org | Amazon

2022

* “Rest is Resistance” by Tricia Hersey  Bookshop.org | Amazon
“The Shame Machine” by Cathy O’Neil  Bookshop.org | Amazon
“What We Don’t Talk About When We Talk About Fat” by Aubrey Gordon  Bookshop.org | Amazon
“You Are Your Best Thing” by Tarana Burke and Brené Brown  Bookshop.org | Amazon
“How We Show Up” by Mia Birdsong  Bookshop.org | Amazon
* “Stolen Focus” by Johann Hari  Bookshop.org | Amazon
“Women, Race, and Class” by Angela Y. Davis  Bookshop.org | Amazon
“Fearing the Black Body” by Sabrina Strings  Bookshop.org | Amazon
“Eloquent Rage” by Brittney CooperBookshop.org | Amazon
“Why Does Patriarchy Persist” by Carol Gilligan and Naomi Snider  Bookshop.org | Amazon
“The Menopause Manifesto” by Dr. Jen Gunter  Bookshop.org | Amazon
* “All About Love” by bell hooks  Bookshop.org | Amazon
“Radical Acceptance” by Tara Brach  Bookshop.org | Amazon

2021

* “The Wisdom of Your Body” by Hilary McBride  Bookshop.org | Amazon
“Fierce Self-Compassion” by Kristin Neff  Bookshop.org | Amazon
* “My Grandmother’s Hands” by Resmaa Menakem  Bookshop.org | Amazon
“Tea and Cake with Demons” by Andreanna Limbach  Bookshop.org | Amazon
“Existential Kink” by Carolyn Elliott  Bookshop.org | Amazon
* “The Body is Not an Apology” by Sonya Renee Taylor  Bookshop.org | Amazon
“Braiding Sweetgrass” by Robin Wall Zimmerer  Bookshop.org | Amazon
“Grounded” by Erin Yu-Juin McMorrow  Bookshop.org | Amazon
“Professional Troublemaker” by Luvvie Ajayai  Bookshop.org | Amazon
* “You Belong” by Sebene Selassie  Bookshop.org | Amazon
“Caste” by Isabel Wilkerson  Bookshop.org | Amazon
* “Sister Outsider” by Audre Lorde  Bookshop.org | Amazon
“Pleasure Activism” by adrienne maree brown  Bookshop.org | Amazon

2020

“Loving What Is” by Byron Katie  Bookshop.org | Amazon
“Oppression and the Body” by Christine Caldwell  Bookshop.org | Amazon
* “Burnout” by Emily and Amelia Nagoski  Bookshop.org | Amazon
“Bodyfulness” by Christine Caldwell  Bookshop.org | Amazon
“Digital Minimalism” by Cal Newport  Bookshop.org | Amazon
* “Patriarchy Stress Disorder” by Valerie Rein  Amazon
“Hood Feminism” by Mikki Kendall  Bookshop.org | Amazon
“Unfuck Your Brain” by Faith Harper  Bookshop.org | Amazon
“All Joy and No Fun” by Jennifer Senior  Bookshop.org | Amazon
* “How to be an Anti-Racist” by Ibram X. Kendi  Bookshop.org | Amazon
* “The Fire Next Time” by James Baldwin  Bookshop.org | Amazon
“Not That Bad” by Roxane Gay  Bookshop.org | Amazon
“The Power of Now” by Eckhart Tolle  Bookshop.org | Amazon

2019

“Dare to Lead” by Brené Brown  Bookshop.org | Amazon
“How to Be Yourself” by Ellen Hendricksen  Bookshop.org | Amazon
“Your Inner Critic is a Big Jerk” by Danielle Krysa  Bookshop.org | Amazon
“Feminism is for Everybody” by bell hooks  Bookshop.org | Amazon
“Lead from the Outside” by Stacey Abrams  Bookshop.org | Amazon
“Brave, Not Perfect” by Reshma Saujani  Bookshop.org | Amazon
“White Fragility” by Robin DiAngelo  Bookshop.org | Amazon
“You are a Badass” by Jen Sincero  Bookshop.org | Amazon
* “Big Magic” by Elizabeth Gilbert  Bookshop.org | Amazon
“Fail, Fail Again, Fail Better” by Pema Chodron  Bookshop.org | Amazon
* “Braving the Wilderness” by Brené Brown  Bookshop.org | Amazon
“Mindset” by Carol Dweck  Bookshop.org | Amazon