Summer Reads for the Soul: The Next Five Books to Help You Live with Intention

Summer has a way of making us feel we have more time —longer evenings, quieter mornings, maybe a flight or a cottage weekend where you actually finish a chapter instead of reading the same page three times before bed. It's the season when many people read more than throughout the year, and it's why I love sharing a summer reading list.

Last year, I put together ten books that had shaped how I live and lead with more intention. This year, five more have earned a spot on the shelf.

As a neuroscience-trained coach, I'm always drawn to books that sit at the intersection of what the research tells us and what actually changes how we show up day to day. These five do exactly that. I read all of them since the beginning of this year and I want to share them with you.

Books come to you at the right time in your life. I hope at least one of them will find you when it is meant to.

There's a flow to this list too, moving from mastery and craft, into connection and belonging, through flourishing, and into purpose and relationships. If you haven't read last year's ten, you'll find them here—together, these fifteen make one longer list on intentional living.

Here it is:

The Way of Excellence by Brad Stulberg

I pre-ordered this book the moment it was announced, and it did not disappoint. If you've read any of Brad Stulberg's other work, you know he has a gift for taking big ideas and making them practical, and this book is no exception (the bonus video that came with pre-ordering was a lovely surprise too).

The word "excellence" means a lot to me, and Stulberg's definition reflects how I feel about it. He writes, "Excellence is an ongoing process of growth and becoming that imbues life with meaning and vigor. It emerges from involved engagement in something worthwhile that supports your values and goals. Excellence combines mastery and mattering." That's it exactly. Not perfection, not achievement for its own sake, but quality, depth, and the ongoing pursuit of becoming the best version of yourself.

What I appreciate most is how the book is organized. It moves through topics like goals, consistency, focus, confidence, patience, and joy, and for each one, the author includes the mindsets, habits, and practices that support it. You don't need to read it start to finish. Pick it up, find the chapter that speaks to where you are, and start there.

If any part of that definition of excellence resonates with you, you'll find something worth reading in this book.

Wolfpack by Abby Wambach

I came across this one in Brené Brown's Strong Ground, and given how much I trust Brené's recommendations, I listened to it right away. Abby Wambach is a two-time Olympic gold medalist and former captain of the US women's national soccer team, and she brings that same fire and directness to how she writes about leadership.

I've written about this book before because its message has stayed. Wambach lays out what she calls the new rules of leadership, and they're some of the most relevant I've come across for anyone stepping into a leadership role, whether that's for the first time or even later.

Here are some of the rules:

Create your own path. Be grateful for what you have and demand what you deserve. Lead now from wherever you are. Failure means you are finally in the game. Be for each other. Believe in yourself. Demand the ball. Lead with humanity. Cultivate leaders. You are not alone. You have your pack.

If I had to pick a favourite, it's "lead now from wherever you are." So many leaders I coach are waiting. Waiting for the title, the permission, the confidence, the right moment. Wambach's point is that leadership isn't a destination you arrive at. It's a decision you make right where you're standing, with whatever you have - and you certainly don't need the title for that.

This is a quick read. It's the kind of book written especially for those navigating leadership in spaces that weren't necessarily built with them in mind.

Born to Flourish by Richard J. Davidson and Cortland Dahl

Richard Davidson's work has shaped so much of how I think about the neuroscience of well-being, so I was looking forward to this one. The book sets out to answer two questions: what skills do we actually need to flourish in today's world, and is it possible to build our capacity to thrive when things are going well and to learn and grow and still be well when faced with enormous challenges?

Their answer is that flourishing comes about when we're fully present and aware, when we experience genuine connection with the people in our lives and the natural world, when we have real insight into our own thoughts and emotions, and when we feel our lives have meaning and purpose. As they put it, "flourishing is the ability to see the forest from the trees and remain buoyant, uplifted, and moving forward even during times of turbulence. In short, when we are flourishing, we bring the best of ourselves to whatever life throws our way."

What I love most is the framing that flourishing is a skill, not a trait you either have or don't. The book breaks it down into four: awareness, connection, insight, and purpose. Each one can be practiced and strengthened, which is exactly the kind of message I want every person to hear.

The book closes with a very meaningful point: The future of humanity demands that we recalibrate. We were all born with the capacity to flourish. The work now is nurturing it, deliberately, through practice.

If you're drawn to the science behind well-being as much as the practice of it, this one belongs on your list.

Start with Yourself  by Emma Grede

My starting point with Emma Grede wasn't the book; it was her podcast, Aspire with Emma Grede. If you haven't listened, add it to your list - and no, it is not only for entrepreneurs. There is something to learn for everyone. Her guests are incredible, her own story is even more so, and she has this way of showing up that's part mentor, part friend who's going to tell you how it really is.

Grede grew up the child of a working-class single mother in East London, dropped out of high school, and went on to become one of the world's richest self-made women, cofounder and CEO of Good American, founding partner of SKIMS. Start with Yourself is her blueprint: a practical, no-BS framework for identifying what she calls "Old Thoughts," the outdated rules and biases we've absorbed about work, money, and ambition, and replacing them with something that actually serves the life you're trying to build.

One quote from the book that I keep coming back to isn't even hers; it's Henry Ford's, but she uses it beautifully: "Failure is the opportunity to begin again, this time more intelligently." That's exactly how I think about failure, too. It's not the opposite of success; it's feedback. It's information. And the sooner you treat it that way, the sooner you can make good use of it.

If you're looking for a book that will challenge how you think about ambition and success, and maybe give you a nudge to stop waiting for permission, this is it.

It Begins With You by Jillian Turecki

Don't let the title fool you. On the surface, this book is marketed for anyone navigating romantic relationships, and Turecki, a relationship coach and host of the podcast Jillian on Love, does write beautifully about love. But this book is really about our relationship with ourselves. The title undersells it. Go read it, please.

At its core, the book is about our triggers, and what she calls the ultimate test of maturity. She writes that how we respond to a trigger is the real measure of where we're at, and we will fail that test many times. That failure isn't the problem. What matters is what we do with it.

Turecki puts it simply: we are all tasked with overcoming behaving like a child every time we're triggered. That takes self-awareness, and it takes practice, because none of us get it right on the first try, or the tenth. Growth, she argues, comes from practicing in small ways every day how we respond to our inevitable triggers differently. It's a matter of practice, not perfection.

That distinction, practice over perfection, is one I come back to constantly with clients and in my own life. It applies just as much to how we lead a team as it does to how we show up in a relationship. This book will meet you wherever you're doing the work, romantic relationship or not.

And that is all!

Each of these five books offers something different, yet there is a connection: they help us build the intentional life we deserve!

Intentional living isn't about having it all figured out. It's about paying attention, asking better questions, and making choices that align with your values and your life's vision. I hope one (or a few) of these gives you the spark you need this summer.

And if you haven't already, go back and read last year's list of ten. Together, these fifteen books have shaped so much of how I think, coach, and lead, and I have a feeling a few of them will do the same for you.

Happy reading / listening! Send me a note and let me know which one you're starting with, or better yet, what book you'd add to this list.