The
bookshelf.
The books that found me when I needed them.
43 books that shaped this journey, from ancient texts to the science of the nervous system.
“The first book I ever handed to someone I loved and said: read this.”
Surrender
& trust.
- 01
The Untethered Soul
The book that taught me what it means to let go of the inner dialogue and relax into life.
- 02
The Surrender Experiment
A memoir about what happens when you stop insisting on your own plans and let life lead.
- 03
The Alchemist
A fable about following what calls to you, even when the path makes no sense.
- 04
Ask and It Is Given
The book that introduced me to the idea that alignment matters more than effort.
- 05
The Four Agreements
Four principles that quietly dismantle the agreements we never knew we made.
- 06
The Power of Positive Thinking
The book that started it all. A classic reminder that belief shapes experience.
Ancient
wisdom.
- 01
Autobiography of a Yogi
The book that led me to Encinitas. I wasn’t ready the first time. Then I was.
- 02
Siddhartha
A novel about seeking, exhausting every path, and finding what was always there.
- 03
The Bhagavad Gita
An ancient conversation about duty, surrender, and the nature of the self.
- 04
Tao Te Ching
Eighty-one poems about letting go of force and moving with what is.
- 05
Change Your Thoughts, Change Your Life
Living the wisdom of the Tao, one verse at a time. A devotional and a practice.
- 06
Wishes Fulfilled
The bridge between imagination and reality, grounded in the feeling of what you want to become.
- 07
The Upanishads
The ancient source texts of Indian philosophy. Where the Gita is a conversation, the Upanishads are the silence beneath it.
- 08
The Essential Kabbalah
The mystical heart of Judaism, made accessible. Curated passages with context for the modern seeker.
- 09
The Yoga Sutras of Patanjali
196 sutras on the nature of mind, suffering, and liberation. The philosophical foundation everything else rests on.
Presence
& compassion.
- 01
The Power of Now
The first book I ever handed to someone I loved and said: read this.
- 02
A New Earth
A deeper exploration of ego, pain bodies, and awakening to what we already are.
- 03
Radical Acceptance
How to stop fighting yourself and begin again with compassion.
- 04
Self-Compassion
The research and practice behind treating yourself the way you’d treat someone you love.
- 05
Lovingkindness
The practice that softened everything. Start here.
- 06
Awakening Joy
A step-by-step invitation to reclaim joy as a birthright, not a reward.
The body
& the field.
- 01
Breath
The science of something so simple we forgot we were doing it wrong.
- 02
The Body Keeps the Score
The science behind what the body stores and how it heals.
- 03
Waking the Tiger
How trauma lives in the nervous system, and how it resolves.
- 04
Breathe! You Are Alive
The sacred art of breathing, taught by a master of gentle attention.
- 05
You Can Heal Your Life
The original permission slip to believe your thoughts shape your reality.
- 06
The Field
The science beneath the mysticism. What connects everything to everything.
- 07
The Power of Eight
What happens when small groups focus their intention together. The results are startling.
- 08
Tuning the Human Biofield
The science of sound healing and what tuning forks reveal about the body’s electric field.
- 09
Electric Body, Electric Health
Sound, frequency, and the electric body. Stranger than fiction, and real.
- 10
Earthing
The simplest healing practice: put your bare feet on the ground.
- 11
Words Can Change Your Brain
The neuroscience of how what we say rewires how we feel.
- 12
The Hidden Messages in Water
What water reveals about the power of intention, words, and consciousness.
- 13
Awaken Healing Energy Through the Tao
Ancient energy practices for circulating and cultivating life force.
Meditation
& practice.
- 01
Mindfulness in Plain English
The book we used in my first meditation class. If you’ve never meditated, start here.
- 02
Eight Mindful Steps to Happiness
A deeper dive into the Buddhist path, made accessible and warm.
- 03
A Path with Heart
A guide to spiritual life that honors both the sacred and the messy.
- 04
The Art of Forgiveness, Lovingkindness, and Peace
A small, powerful book about the practices that soften what we carry.
- 05
Living in the Heart
How to move from thinking to feeling, and live from the heart’s intelligence.
Creativity
& purpose.
- 01
Tribes
A short, fierce book about leading from conviction, not permission.
- 02
Linchpin
The book that changed how we built What Weekly. It gave us permission to pour everything into the work, not because it would scale, but because it mattered.
- 03
The Creative Act
Not about music. About the act of being alive and paying attention.
- 04
The Artist’s Way
The book that unlocks what you’ve been afraid to create.
More for readers.
RECOMMENDED READING
The Bookshelf
_________
The books that shaped this journey.
SURRENDER & TRUST
The Untethered Soul — Michael A. Singer
The book that taught me what it means to let go of the inner dialogue and relax into life.
The Surrender Experiment — Michael A. Singer
A memoir about what happens when you stop insisting on your own plans and let life lead.
The Alchemist — Paulo Coelho
A fable about following what calls to you, even when the path makes no sense.
Ask and It Is Given — Esther & Jerry Hicks
The book that introduced me to the idea that alignment matters more than effort.
The Four Agreements — Don Miguel Ruiz
Four principles that quietly dismantle the agreements we never knew we made.
The Power of Positive Thinking — Norman Vincent Peale
The book that started it all. A classic reminder that belief shapes experience.
ANCIENT WISDOM
Autobiography of a Yogi — Paramahansa Yogananda
The book that led me to Encinitas. I wasn’t ready the first time. Then I was.
Siddhartha — Hermann Hesse
A novel about seeking, exhausting every path, and finding what was always there.
The Bhagavad Gita — translated by Eknath Easwaran
An ancient conversation about duty, surrender, and the nature of the self.
Tao Te Ching — Lao Tzu, translated by Stephen Mitchell
Eighty-one poems about letting go of force and moving with what is.
Change Your Thoughts — Change Your Life — Wayne W. Dyer
Living the wisdom of the Tao, one verse at a time. A devotional and a practice.
Wishes Fulfilled — Wayne W. Dyer
The bridge between imagination and reality, grounded in the feeling of what you want to become.
The Upanishads — translated by Eknath Easwaran
The ancient source texts of Indian philosophy. Where the Gita is a conversation, the Upanishads are the silence beneath it.
The Essential Kabbalah — Daniel C. Matt
The mystical heart of Judaism, made accessible. Curated passages with context for the modern seeker.
The Yoga Sutras of Patanjali — translated by Sri Swami Satchidananda
196 sutras on the nature of mind, suffering, and liberation. The philosophical foundation everything else rests on.
PRESENCE & COMPASSION
The Power of Now — Eckhart Tolle
The first book I ever handed to someone I loved and said: read this.
A New Earth — Eckhart Tolle
A deeper exploration of ego, pain bodies, and awakening to what we already are.
Radical Acceptance — Tara Brach
How to stop fighting yourself and begin again with compassion.
Self-Compassion — Kristin Neff
The research and practice behind treating yourself the way you’d treat someone you love.
Lovingkindness — Sharon Salzberg
The practice that softened everything. Start here.
Awakening Joy — James Baraz
A step-by-step invitation to reclaim joy as a birthright, not a reward.
THE BODY AND THE FIELD
Breath — James Nestor
The science of something so simple we forgot we were doing it wrong.
The Body Keeps the Score — Bessel van der Kolk
The science behind what the body stores and how it heals.
Waking the Tiger — Peter A. Levine
How trauma lives in the nervous system—and how it resolves.
Breathe! You Are Alive — Thich Nhat Hanh
The sacred art of breathing, taught by a master of gentle attention.
You Can Heal Your Life — Louise Hay
The original permission slip to believe your thoughts shape your reality.
The Field — Lynne McTaggart
The science beneath the mysticism. What connects everything to everything.
The Power of Eight — Lynne McTaggart
What happens when small groups focus their intention together. The results are startling.
Tuning the Human Biofield — Eileen Day McKusick
The science of sound healing and what tuning forks reveal about the body’s electric field.
Electric Body, Electric Health — Eileen Day McKusick
Sound, frequency, and the electric body. Stranger than fiction, and real.
Earthing — Clinton Ober
The simplest healing practice: put your bare feet on the ground.
Words Can Change Your Brain — Andrew Newberg & Mark Robert Waldman
The neuroscience of how what we say rewires how we feel.
The Hidden Messages in Water — Masaru Emoto
What water reveals about the power of intention, words, and consciousness.
Awaken Healing Energy Through the Tao — Mantak Chia
Ancient energy practices for circulating and cultivating life force.
MEDITATION & PRACTICE
Mindfulness in Plain English — Bhante Gunaratana
The book we used in my first meditation class. If you’ve never meditated, start here.
Eight Mindful Steps to Happiness — Bhante Gunaratana
A deeper dive into the Buddhist path, made accessible and warm.
A Path with Heart — Jack Kornfield
A guide to spiritual life that honors both the sacred and the messy.
The Art of Forgiveness, Lovingkindness, and Peace — Jack Kornfield
A small, powerful book about the practices that soften what we carry.
Living in the Heart — Drunvalo Melchizedek
How to move from thinking to feeling—and live from the heart’s intelligence.
CREATIVITY AND PURPOSE
Tribes — Seth Godin
A short, fierce book about leading from conviction, not permission.
Linchpin — Seth Godin
The book that changed how we built What Weekly. It gave us permission to pour everything into the work, not because it would scale, but because it mattered.
The Creative Act — Rick Rubin
Not about music. About the act of being alive and paying attention.
The Artist’s Way — Julia Cameron
The book that unlocks what you’ve been afraid to create.