My Favorite Books of 2025

I really love me a good book. And if you’ve followed me for even a minute, you know I’m always recommending one. But these books? These books carried me through 2025. They shaped me, stretched me, comforted me, and challenged me in all the right ways.

FAITH, SPIRITUALITY & JUSTICE

These are the books that deepened my discipleship and grounded me spiritually to deal with this time of injustice and disenfranchisement I see happening in my community. Big companies have been cutting back on their diversity and inclusion efforts in 2024 and 2025. The White House has put pressure on these companies or made exclusion look more appealing. Christian Nationalists have taken over politics with exclusionary views on the Bible and Christian discipleship, moving in a way that is contrary to Jesus’ teaching, and the stress of all of it has rocked me this year. But these books helped ground me in identity formation in this moment.

1. Jesus and the Disinherited — Howard Thurman

2. The Four Vision Quests of Jesus — Steven Charleston

3. The Cross and the Lynching Tree — James Cone

4. Emotionally Healthy Discipleship — Peter Scazzero

5. Emotionally Healthy Spirituality — Peter Scazzero

6. The Emotionally Healthy Leader — Peter Scazzero

7. The Warmth of Other Suns — Isabel Wilkerson

8. Malcolm Lives — Ibram X. Kendi

MARRIAGE, RELATIONSHIPS & FAMILY SYSTEMS

Books that shaped my understanding of emotional intimacy, conflict repair, and generational healing. Scripture frames marriage as a covenant of unity (Genesis 2:24), mutual submission (Ephesians 5:21), and sacrificial love (Ephesians 5:25). Its purpose is partnership, shared growth, and honoring God through the way spouses care for, respect, and remain faithful to one another. I believe marriage is a spiritual university, a lifelong learning space where we are shaped, stretched, and refined in our ability to love well.

9. The Seven Principles for Making Marriage Work — John M. Gottman, Ph.D.

10. Loving Your Spouse When You Feel Like Walking Away — Gary Chapman

11. How to Improve Your Marriage Without Talking About It — Patricia Love, Ed.D.

12. The Family Crucible — Augustus Napier, Ph.D.

GUT HEALTH, MICROBIOME & DIGESTION

I dove deeper into books on food, inflammation, and the gut-brain axis.

13. The Good Gut — Justin Sonnenburg, Ph.D. & Erica Sonnenburg, Ph.D.

14. The Microbiome Solution — Robynne Chutkan, M.D.

15. No More Heartburn — Sherry A. Rogers, M.D.

METABOLIC HEALTH, LONGEVITY & CANCER

These informed my professional work and my personal philosophy around terrain health and metabolic repair.

16. The Metabolic Approach to Cancer — Nasha Winters, N.D.

17. The Longevity Diet — Walter Longo, Ph.D.

18. Your Brain After Chemo — Dan Silverman, M.D., Ph.D. & Idelle Davidson

NEUROPSYCHOLOGY & BRAIN HEALTH

I expanded my understanding of obsessive-compulsive disorder, ADHD, depression, and how menopause affects the brain. These books deepened my clinical insight and strengthened my work with women navigating cognitive and emotional change.

Fun fact: I actually know Tracy Otsuka. We were in a coaching program together years ago, learning the technical side of live streaming. That program is where I first started going live myself, and I was so nervous. It was an incredibly supportive group, and that experience really shaped my confidence showing up online.

I remember being at my in-laws’ house during the holidays, either Christmas or New Year’s, shortly after her book launched, and seeing ADHD for Smartass Women come up on mainstream TV. It had hit #1, and I just felt so proud. To watch someone you learned alongside, figuring out the same tech, being coached by the same people, and step into that level of impact was really special.

I actually did one of Tracy’s programs, since we were being coached within the same circles at the time. Her work is deeply rooted in lived experience, and that shows. While I view ADHD through a similar strengths-based lens, Tracy brings something uniquely powerful because she has lived it and has built her entire body of work around supporting women with ADHD.

I regularly recommend this book to young women navigating an ADHD diagnosis, especially those feeling insecure or unsure of themselves. And honestly, her chapter on sleep is relevant for all of my clients, ADHD or not. High-quality sleep is foundational, and she does an excellent job of covering the why and how in a practical, compassionate way.

19. Brain Lock — Jeffrey M. Schwartz, M.D.

20. ADHD for Smartass Women — Tracy Otsuka

21. It’s Not Always Depression — Hilary Jacobs Hendel, LCSW

22. The XX Brain — Lisa Mosconi, Ph.D.

23. High Functioning — Dr. Judy Joseph

️ RESILIENCE, SELF-REGULATION & MINDSET

The books in this section are ones I’ve been talking about often and actively using in practice with clients. They’ve helped shape how I think about regulation, resilience, and personal power in a culture that constantly pulls us toward some kind of anxiety.

I want to pause on Hungry for a moment because it’s a book I’ve been talking about quite a bit. It offers a thoughtful and provocative critique of the wellness industry and social media, and of how both shape our perceptions of food.

I appreciate the author’s skepticism and her invitation to question rigid health narratives. At the same time, I hold this alongside the reality that the food system has fundamentally changed, and that metabolic dysfunction is a real medical issue affecting the brain, heart, and hormonal balance, not a moral failing or “body shaming” topic.

There is also growing discussion about how junk food interests and pharmaceutical incentives benefit when prevention is minimized, which can muddy the conversation. When obesity or metabolic disease is discussed, it’s often framed as judgment rather than as a health signal, making it harder for people to have honest, nuanced conversations about prevention and care.

What I value most about Hungry is that it encourages mindfulness around orthorexia, which can absolutely show up in wellness spaces, including the raw food community. A balanced view acknowledges that both capitalism and the pharmaceutical industry have contributed to the anxiety many people feel around food safety, while still recognizing the importance of metabolic health and informed choice.

It’s a book that doesn’t feel like you are living in an echo chamber, and that’s exactly why it’s worth reading. It’s important to always question our motives and their authenticity.

24. The Let Them Theory — Mel Robbins

25. Black People Breathe — Zee Clarke

26. Hungry — Eve Tyrell-Paul

27. Who Better Than You? The Art of Healthy Arrogance and Dreaming Big — Will Packer

THERAPY, PSYCHODYNAMICS & THE HUMAN CONDITION

This book was an eye-opener on all the things not to do as a psychotherapist. Very entertaining and gave me some laughs.

28. Lying on the Couch — Irvin D. Yalom, M.D.