Books like Rising Strong

01

Daring Greatly

Brené Brown · Health

Daring Greatly is Brené Brown's argument, drawn from twelve years of qualitative research on shame and vulnerability, that the willingness to show up without guarantees — to be seen, to risk failure, to remain open in the presence of uncertainty — is not weakness but the foundation of courage, connection, and meaningful achievement.

Both dig into vulnerability.

02

Self-Compassion: The Proven Power of Being Kind to Yourself

Kristin Neff · Psychology

Kristin Neff makes a claim that many readers initially resist: treating yourself with the same kindness you'd offer a good friend in distress is not self-indulgence, weakness, or an obstacle to high performance.

A kindred self-help read.

03

Lost Connections

Johann Hari · Health

Lost Connections is Johann Hari's argument that depression and anxiety are not primarily chemical imbalances in the brain but responses to social and environmental conditions — disconnection from meaningful work, close relationships, the natural world, a secure future, and status that feels deserved.

A kindred self-help read.

04

Emotional Intelligence

Daniel Goleman · Psychology

Daniel Goleman's Emotional Intelligence, published in 1995, made a widely influential argument: that the cluster of abilities involved in managing emotions — self-awareness, self-regulation, empathy, and social skill — predicts life outcomes at least as well as IQ, and possibly better in many domains.

Both dig into self-awareness.

05

Atlas of the Heart

Brené Brown · Psychology

Atlas of the Heart is Brené Brown's attempt to map eighty-seven distinct human emotions and experiences — not as a clinical taxonomy but as a practical vocabulary for people who want to communicate more precisely about what they feel.

Shares vulnerability and self-awareness with Rising Strong.

06

I Thought It Was Just Me (but it isn't)

Brené Brown · Psychology

I Thought It Was Just Me is Brené Brown's first major book, written from her research on shame as a social scientist.

Shares resilience and vulnerability with Rising Strong.

07

Ego Is the Enemy

Ryan Holiday · Self-help

Ego Is the Enemy is Ryan Holiday's argument that ego — the inflated sense of our own importance, the need to be seen and validated — is the most consistent obstacle to doing meaningful work and living well.

Both dig into resilience.

08

Everything Is Figureoutable

Marie Forleo · Self-help

Everything Is Figureoutable is Marie Forleo's argument that almost any problem — personal, professional, creative — becomes solvable once you adopt a foundational belief that a solution exists and that you're capable of finding it.

Both dig into resilience.

09

Keep Going

Austin Kleon · Self-help

Keep Going is Austin Kleon's third book in his series on creative practice, following Steal Like an Artist and Show Your Work.

Both dig into resilience.

10

Nonviolent Communication

Marshall B. Rosenberg · Self-help

Nonviolent Communication is Marshall Rosenberg's framework for communicating in ways that preserve connection and address needs rather than triggering defensiveness.

Both dig into self-awareness.

11

The Achievement Habit

Bernard Roth · Self-help

The Achievement Habit is Bernard Roth's attempt to bring the principles of Stanford's d.school — the design school he co-founded — into the domain of personal effectiveness.

Both dig into self-awareness.

12

The Art of Learning

Josh Waitzkin · Self-help

The Art of Learning is Josh Waitzkin's account of how he became a national chess champion as a child and later a world-champion martial artist, and what those two very different disciplines taught him about the structure of high performance.

Both dig into resilience.