As a woman, these are the 3 books that changed how I move about the world

From the years 2017 to 2018, I died and was reborn thrice.

Each time coinciding with a book that I read and finished. It sounds dramatic, but if I look back, it feels like there was me before these books and me after these books.

So add these to your To-Read list, but let's hope they don't stay on that list for very long.

Book #1: The Art of Money by Bari Tessler

My biggest gripe about personal finance books is that most focus on strategies and tactics like savings rates, what to budget, and how to start investing. It was heavily skewed on the inner workings of finance and ignored the inner workings of money in our lives.

Which was why coming across The Art of Money was so refreshing. I love that it honoured my money story and how that ultimately affects everything. This book changed how I felt about earning, my self-worth, and helped me negotiate for better pay.

You'll enjoy this book if you want to go deeper into why you do what you do when it comes to your finances. Because you understand that while personal finance is about money, it's never just about the money.

Book #2: Drop The Ball by Tiffany Dufu

I know this to be true, that every woman feels the pressure to be everything to everyone. The double standards that we have to maintain mean we have to give 100% at home and 100% at work. We can have it all if only we learn how to lean in.

This is why it was amazing to have someone like Tiffany show me that I could drop the ball. That while women can have everything, we cannot do everything. This book changed the way I saw delegation and how asking for help doesn't cancel out my image of an independent woman.

You'll enjoy this book if you want to get off the hamster wheel of trying to do everything yourself, knowing that freed up energy will allow you to make big moves in your life.

Book #3: Playing Big by Tara Mohr

I genuinely believe that books find me instead of the other way around. Playing Big was one such book. It came to me at the right time and was one of the reasons I was able to launch a podcast.

Playing Big sheds light on how our society has groomed women to stay quiet, be subservient, be dependent on praise, be stuck in the cycle of criticism, and constantly strive for perfection. Tara Mohr not only highlights all this but also offers concrete ways to blast through these so we can finally stop playing small and start taking up space.

You'll enjoy this book if you're ready to let your voice be heard but are afraid no one will listen. Or if you know that you're bound for big things and are tired of that voice in your head telling you otherwise.