The 5 Books That Changed My Life (Like, Actually…)

If you’ve been following along with The Foundation Blog for awhile, you’ve probably noticed that I loooooooooooove settling in with a good book. 

Whether it’s paging through a book before bed, reading in the bathtub with my waterproof Kindle and a glass of my fave tea or red wine, or listening to a book on Audible while I take a lunch break walk in the sunshine, I’m constantly digging into 2–3 books at a time (reading multiple books at once is normal, right?????)

And while there have been a lotttttt of books that I’ve loved (check out a full list here!), there are five that have truly changed. my. life. These five books have TOTALLY shifted my perspective on my habits, mindset + spirituality, finances, nutrition, and health. In this post, I’ll give ya the lowdown on each book and why I’ve given it one of the coveted spots on this list—I honestly CANNOT recommend these books more highly, and I can’t wait to share them with you!

Without further ado, here are the five books that have changed my life:

Atomic Habits by James Clear

Atomic Habits is a book that I had heard of about approximately 7693732060 times, and I waited around for wayyyyyyy too long before I picked it up because I thought it was going to be just another run-of-the-mill self-help book, tbh. 

But when I FINALLY went for it I found it to be super concrete + tangible, and it 100000% shifted the way I thought about the “why,” “how,” and “when” behind making positive change a REALITY in my life. I believe that nothing changes if nothing changes, and this book genuinely shows you how to create habits that will help you cultivate a better life in every way. 

This is one book that I would recommend listening to on Audible, because I found it a liiiiiiiiittle dry to read. But listening to it felt like a juicy, inspiration-filled “I can implement this today” kind of podcast (I meannnnn...what could be better??). I LOVED this one.

Vibrate Higher Daily: Live Your Power by Lalah Delia

HOLY COW. If I had to choose just one book to emulate with my spirit and who I am and how I show up in the world???? It’s THIS one. 

The idea of showing up better and “vibrating higher” may SOUND a little woo-woo, but trust me—this book is suuuuuuper grounded while still being beautifully spiritual. Vibrate Higher Daily is about how to upgrade your life and simply make it brighter in areas like self-talk, relationships, food choices, etc., and mmmmmmmmm the writing just speaks to the dang SOUL. 

What I love most about this book is that it’s full of gorgeous quote pages and workbooks that really allow you to interact with it + journal your way through from beginning to end. Even though I’ve read it cover to cover at LEAST 2-3 times, I find myself just opening it up to page through whenever I need a little spiritual boost, and no matter what page I end up on, I take something new away each time. 

Yes, this is THEE book that always pops into my instagram stories with people asking “what book is this????????” :) Pages of text, mixed with beautiful quotes/graphics like this, space for journaling and reflection…. It’s magic, friend.

I Will Teach You to Be Rich by Ramit Sethi

THIS. BOOK. It is the financial book of allllll financial books. Refreshing, easy to read, humorous, lighthearted…it makes learning about finances approachable and fun. 

I Will Teach You to Be Rich was one of the books that inspired me to get my entire financial life in order--  not just generically “saving” my money, but how to save. Not just generically “investing”, but how to invest. I also really appreciate Ramit’s abundant approach to money—he doesn’t tell you to budget yourself to death or save every. single. last. penny. Instead, he sets you up for responsible, logistic financial success and teaches you to prioritize spending on the things that bring you JOY and are in alignment with your morals and values. 

This book is a 6-week (super tangible) program that *actually* works towards building wealth. I’ve never read another finance book like it. Highly, highly, highly recommend this one. 

(Pssssssst…want to check out more of my fave finance books? Check out my blog post about the only four money books you’ll need HERE!)

In Defense of Food: An Eater’s Manifesto by Michael Pollan

Ya know those cute “little free libraries” that you’ll see in neighborhoods? Well, that’s how I found this book. Just an average evening walk through my neighborhood where I picked out this book on a whim…. and it ended up changing my life and how I eat.

In Defense of Food was the first book that ever made me TRULY think twice about processed foods. The biggest “aha!” moment I had when I was reading?? “Eat FOOD—not food-like substances.” Mind. Blown. This insight is so simple, but I had never really thought of it like that. 

This book completely shifted my mindset around food: not making nutrition about calories and strict diets and rules and this and that, but instead asking one simple question. “Is this food natural, whole, and as close to the source as possible?” 

It’s beautifully written, so intelligent, and makes a shift in perspective around food so tangible.. A true life changer for me personally (and nutritionally), and I hope you enjoy it. (If you want alllll the details, I would read “In Defense of Food”, but if you prefer a shorter, more concise version I recommend reading “Food Rules” by Michael Pollan as a more digestible version with the same takehome points!)

tea, PJs, and books. my happy place.

Period Repair Manual: Natural Treatment for Better Hormones and Better Periods by Lara Briden, ND

If you’ve been around for awhile, you know how passionate I am about women’s health. And this book??? I consider it my women’s health BIBLE (bonus: you don’t need a PhD to read it!).

Period Repair Manual outlines the A-Z of everyyyyyyything you need to know about your cycle, period, birth control, women’s health symptoms, etc., and it’s a perfect combination of having a holistic and natural approach while being FULL of data. This book inspired me to get off hormonal birth control, learn my cycle, and actually feel EMPOWERED in it. It was a huuuuuuuge catalyst in my career to continue to want to work with women and their health. It’s not a quick fix, but it really teaches you what to do to improve your health holistically to improve your cycle. I couldn’t recommend it any more highly!

(Looking for more books on holistic + integrative health books? Check out this post!)

in a nutshell…

There are a lotttttttt of books out there, but these five are the ones that TRULY changed the game for me in some of the most important areas of my life. It is WILD for me to think about how different my mindset, finances, eating habits, or even my period would be if I hadn’t read these particular books….

I realllllly hope you enjoy this list—books are POWERFUL, my friend! If you read one (or all!) of the above titles, let me know in the comments or drop me a line on Instagram. Can’t wait to hear what you think! 

the line up: