Daring Greatly by Brené Brown revolutionized my understanding of anxiety, guilt, shame, vulnerability, courage and trust. For most of my life, I could not distinguish between the feeling of anxiety and the feelings of guilt, shame, and vulnerability, nor did I understand or see all the different forms of armor I donned in order to avoid feeling vulnerable. This book clarifies the distinction between these feelings, describes the different forms of armor we wear, and discusses how building shame resilience and daring greatly are critical to forming deeper and more meaningful connections with the people around us.

The Science of Trust: Emotional Attunement for Couples by John Gottman revolutionized my understanding of trust and relationships. Reading it was like flipping on the light switch after stumbling around in the dark for decades.

12 Rules for Life: An Antidote to Chaos by Jordan Peterson revolutionized my understanding of myth, faith, suffering, evil, meaning, and responsibility. It illuminates the underlying ailments that plague our modern societies and describes what we can and should do, as individuals, to improve our lives and the lives of those around us. It reaffirms the basic tenant of many world religions that suffering is real, and that the intentional creation of unnecessary suffering is evil. And finally, it makes a case that meaning is derived from responsibility.