2017's Life-Changing Finds: Books, Podcasts, and more!

Tuesday, January 2, 2018

These are the books, songs, podcasts, and reads I've come across that have shaped my experiences and understandings this year. They are in no particular order. Some are loved more than others, but each has been a beautiful addition to my library of reference. I hope you enjoy going through the list and seeing what has shaped me recently. If you're anything like me, you will!

Best Books



1. Braving the Wilderness by Brene Brown: Taught me the necessity of belonging to myself, even though it sometimes means belonging nowhere else.
2. Gifts of Imperfection by Brene Brown: Helped me embrace the beauty of not being perfect. This was instrumental in defeating my toxic perfectionism.
3. Only Love Today by Rachel Macy Stafford: Showed me how to live a present, vulnerable, loving life. Stafford's poetic style is similar to mine so it really healed my soul to read. *Read an excerpt here*
4. The Highly Sensitive Person by Elaine M. Aron, PhD: Gave me a new way of understanding my sensitivities and needs that I didn't comprehend before - especially my tendency to be an introverted extrovert!
5. Spinning Straw Into Gold by Joan Gould: I hate this book. Which makes my friends laugh when I tell them. But Gould gave me an excellent insight into the lessons for women that can be learned from fairy tales and myth. She also provided a framework for future study on aspects of the feminine. So while I struggled to read it because of the bitter and negative tone, I learned so much. It deserves a spot on the list.
6. Witch by Lisa Lister: I had always had a burning curiosity about witches and witchcraft. I read Witch on the recommendation of a friend and loved it. I ended up reading her other books as well. I learned what it means to be a witch, the history of witches, and getting in touch with the divine in myself.

Perfect Podcasts




1. Bold New Mom, Episode 82 - Connection in Your Marriage
2. The Life Beats Podcast: Ashley Mitchell from Big Tough Girl - Owning your whole story and purposing heartache to help others
3. The Life Beats Podcast: Lauren Elizabeth of Hello Whimzy - Keeping the magical and dreaming aspects of our lives alive
4. LDS Perspectives Podcast, Episode 59 - Women in the Old Testament with Heather Farrell
5. A Thoughtful Faith, Episode 206 - Mother's Milk: Poems in Search of Heavenly Mother with Rachel Hunt Steenblik
6. Magic Lessons with Elizabeth Gilbert, Season 1 Episode 12 - Brene Brown on "Big Strong Magic"
7. Smartest Person in the Room, Episode 10: Religion Series - Religion Series: Mormons vs. Mainstream Christianity
8. About Progress, Episode 013 - A Psychotherapist's Take on Perfectionism with Dr. Jennifer Finlayson-Fife


Amazing Art and Articles




Soul Songs

Every year I ask my friends to share their top 3 songs of the year with me. This year, all my friends cheated and gave a billion way more than three recommendations. C'mon guys! The whole point is to narrow down the most meaningful, most awesome songs for the year. If you're curious, here are mine:


Friends, I hope you check out some of these awesome creations made by our fellow humans. Each one of them has been carefully chosen based on the impact they've had on my life. They are worth every penny and every minute spent on them. I would love to hear about your life-changing finds for 2017 in the comments. If you'd like to share your top books, podcasts, reads, or three (and I mean THREE) songs in the comments, I'd love to hear them! 

Here's to an amazing 2018!

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