My Bookshelf

Great By Choice – Jim Collins and Morten T. Hansen

I absolutely loved this book and its powerful lessons on how to thrive in uncertainty and chaos live close to my heart.

The School of Life – Alain De Botton

One of the deepest explorations of emotional intelligence I’ve ever encountered.

Sapiens – Yuval Noah Harari

I learned about the grand story of it all from one of the crispest intellectual minds of our time.

The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People – Stephen R. Covey

I learned the principles of effectiveness from someone who sincerely analysed them.

Nonviolent Communication – by Marshall B. Rosenberg

I learned that the language of life is expressed in terms of emotions and needs from one of the most compassionate thinkers I’ve ever encountered.

Waking Up – Sam Harris

Waking Up was a life-changing book for me, I’ve read it multiple times. It taught me, quite simply, atheist spirituality in a compelling way.

Build to Last – Jim Collins

I learned what unique characteristics organisations that thrive over the long term have.

Good to Great – Jim Collins

I learned the principles of how an organisation can transition from long-term mediocrity to long-term greatness.

Great by Choice – Jim Collins

I learned how organisations thrive and achieve greatness in uncertainty and chaos.

BE 2.0 – Jim Collins

I learned how organisations mature and become great.

How the Mighty Fall – Jim Collins

I learned how once great organisations went through the stages of decline.

Turning the Flywheel – Jim Collins

I learned how great organisations build up momentum.

What to Make of a Life

A more personal exploration of how to make the fire “burn bright and late” into life.

Start with Why – Simon Sinek

I reflected on how many great organisations led with their mission and “why” before the “how” and “what”.

Leaders Eat Last – Simon Sinek

I learned the principles how to create emotional safety in an organisation, so that people don’t waste time on being overly worried about their own security.

The Infinite Game – Simon Sinek

I learned how some people play to win, others play for the joy of staying in the game long term.

Winning – Jack Welch

One of my all-time favourite business books, Jack Welch had a unique way of getting to the heart of things through his ‘simplicity’-minded approach.

Linchpin – Seth Godin

I found this book useful in my early career to consider the unique contributions I wanted to make in any organisation I work in.

The Education of Millionaires – Michael Ellsberg

I read this early on in my career. I was enthralled by it. I really enjoyed learning that my own learning style was mirrored by the most successful people- self-taught, led by books in your own customised curriculum.

The 4-Hour Workweek – Timothy Ferriss

A classic book, well worth re-reading, reflecting on how the standard narrative about careers and 9-5 work can be disrupted.

Who Will Do What by When? – Tom Hanson and Birgit Zacher Hanson

One of my all-time favourite business books. Anyone who’s worked with me in the past decade has had to read this book (because I was their manager 🤣). It contains a very digestible, “feel-good” approach about integrity and its importance in our professional and personal lives.

The Founder’s Dilemmas – Noam Wasserman

I loved this book- not just “one person’s opinions/story”, but an academic study looking into the agonising decision-points that entrepreneurs face as part of their journey. I found it useful and instructive as part of my own entrepreneurial journey.

The E-Myth Revisited – Michael Gerber

I really enjoyed reading this book reflecting on the role that high levels of expertise play in creating indispensable founders who then struggle to ‘clone’ themselves.

Lost and Founder – Rand Fishkin

I was compelled by this book from the first paragraph to the last, and read it several times. This part memoir, part guidebook by Rand Fishkin discusses his experience founding Moz, relationships with venture capital firms, and other aspects of the entrepreneurial journey. He’s vulnerable, real, and authentic in a way that makes the book spellbinding.

The Lean Startup – Eric Ries

This book has become a classic in the entrepreneurial spaces. I read it over a decade ago. I learned about the iterative, agile, “MVP” style of building products and momentum.

Building a StoryBrand – Donald Miller

I enjoyed the simplicity-minded approach to branding advocated for in this book, but found some of its supporting claims and stories to be severely lacklustre (E.G “all movies have the same general plot”, and its anthropological understanding of ancient humans is extremely basic and inaccurate)

Bad Blood – John Carreyrou

I absolutely loved this book, it read like a true crime novel, unravelling the picture, layer by layer, of how Elizabeth Holmes deceived both herself and her investors to the tune of hundreds of millions of dollars.

Rich Dad Poor Dad – Robert Kiyosaki

A classic book to help us reframe our financial educations and values we inherit from childhood and the environment. The picture it paints is somewhat incomplete and a bit salesy, but important nonetheless.

Cashflow Quadrant – Robert Kiyosaki

I actually found Kiyosaki’s second book more helpful than the first (Rich Dad). Cashflow Quadrant presented ideas to me that were simple and I continue to utilise them in how I think about income.

MONEY Master the Game – Tony Robbins

This book was about quadruple the length that it needed to be, but nonetheless contained a bunch of generally helpful ideas about finance.

A Random Walk Down Wall Street – Burton G. Malkiel

It’s been years since I read this book but it did inform and educate me about finances generally.

Deep Work – Cal Newport

A very good concept, stuck in a book that is too long for it.

Irrational Exuberance – Robert J. Shiller

This book taught me about how financial bubbles work. I found this one quite enjoyable.

ProBlogger – Darren Rowse

Read early in my career and learned how to write well for the internet.

Zucked – Roger McNamee

Skin in the Game – Nassim Nicholas Tale

Delivering Happiness – Tony Hsieh

I actually really enjoyed this exploration when I first encountered it.

This is Marketing – Seth Godin

Makes sense but overly lengthy.

Disrupted – Dan Lyons

Very entertaining deepdive into the culture of certain startups like HubSpot.

Delivering Happiness – Tony Hsieh

I actually really enjoyed this exploration when I first encountered it.

Civilized to Death – Christopher Ryan

I learned what kind of species Homo Sapiens is, and how we’re still reeling from the sales pitch of the agricultural revolution- our first “I have a great idea” moment as a species.

Sex at Dawn – Christopher Ryan and Cacilda Jethá

I dove into the prehistoric origins of human sexuality, and joined the author’s humble reflection of it being challenging to propose a modern solution for them.

Sapiens – Yuval Noah Harari

I learned about the grand story of it all from one of the crispest intellectual minds of our time.

Homo Deus – Yuval Noah Harari

I learned about the greatest challenges facing humanity over the next few centuries.

21 Lessons for the 21st Century – Yuval Noah Harari

I learned about the most urgent questions on humanity’s agenda for this century.

Nexus – Yuval Noah Harari

I learned about the history of information networks, and how that relates to our modern era.

Astrophysics for People in a Hurry – Neil deGrasse Tyson

This was a fun one, with the classic Neil DeGrasse Tyson humour sprinkled throughout

Starry Messenger – Neil deGrasse Tyson

A fun and well-thought out exploration of many modern topics.

Chimpanzee Politics – Frans de Waal

I was utterly fascinated by the power dynamics between chimpanzees in group settings. Our cousins in the animal kingdom are far more like us than we realise.

Cosmos – Carl Sagan

I absolutely loved Carl Sagan’s book Cosmos, read it several times, and watched the series by Neil Tyson. I enjoy partaking of Carl Sagan’s special, deeply tantalising, bright curiosity.

How We’ll Live on Mars – Stephen L. Petranek

I loved diving into the speculative details about how mankind might live on Mars one day.

The Bonobo and the Atheist – Frans de Waal

Frans De Wall argued (correctly I believe) that moral and ethical behaviour emerged spontaneously from the natural kingdom- and that human codifications of it are merely expressions of something deeper underneath.

The Linguistic Shaping of Thought – Alfred H. Bloom

An exploration into the relationship between language and conceptual understanding. I read this many years ago. In retrospect I can see some flaws in it, but the underlying idea was fun to explore.

The Vegeterian Myth – Lierre Keith

A provocative read from an ex-vegan of 20+ years, challenging simplistic views of nutrition, plant-based diets, and ecosystem health.

Educated – Tara Westover

A unique and powerful memoir about highly orthodox and religious upbringings, their danger, and the growth journey towards and educated adulthood.

Will – Will Smith

I read Will Smith’s memoir Will several times over the years. I found it compelling each time. He has truly climbed every mountain that discipline can allow a human being to climb, and seen what’s on the other side. It’s fascinating to then ask “what then?”

Elon Musk – Ashlee Vance

My first deepdive into Elon Musk’s career and life.

Elon Musk – Walter Isaacson

My second deepdive into Elon Musk’s career and life, Walter Isaacson did a fantastic job with this book, I found it compelling end to end. I had many thoughts and reflections.

Steve Jobs – Walter Isaacson

I found Walter Isaacson’s biography of Steve Jobs was compelling end-to-end. Jobs was a remarkable human being whose life was deeply fascinating. Sadly though it ended early likely due to lack of self-care.

The Woman in Me – Britney Spears

I was perhaps more interested in her real-life story than I was in her music (though the music is classic). It’s a powerful read diving into her story and trauma.

The Happiest Man on Earth – Eddie Jaku

A deeply moving book from a holocaust survivor.

Spare – Prince Harry

I got bored about halfway through, it was written by a ghost writer, but I thought it raised fair concerns about royalty, and especially media/paparazzi.

Hell on the Way to Heaven – Chrissie Foster

A harrowing read about child sexual assault in the Catholic church.

Still Standing – Chrissie Foster

A follow-on later in Chrissie Foster’s life. I interviewed her after reading this.

The Course of Love – Alain de Botton

An absolutely epic portrait of modern love, marriage and relationships. I read it three times. I discovered much of myself and my own romantic relationship in its pages.

The Good Enough Parent – The School of Life

So-called “good enough parents” do an awful lot of emotional work for their kids, just saying.

On Mental Illness – The School of Life

A beautiful, grounded, and deeply compassionate companion through times of mental illness.

How to Overcome Your Childhood – The School of Life

A wonderful book again showcasing the School of Life’s insightful psychodynamic perspective

The School of Life – Alain De Botton

One of the deepest explorations of emotional intelligence I’ve ever encountered.

The Pleasures and Sorrows of Work – Alain de Botton

A lovely, meandering story that helped me feel ‘seen’ regarding many aspects of working life, and featured many quotable paragraphs.

Affairs – The School of Life

A multifaceted, nuanced exploration of a common phenomenon.

Insomnia  – The School of Life

It has accompanied me through several bouts of insomnia, a wonderful book.

Anxiety – The School of Life

This book is close to my heart

A Therapeutic Journey – The School of Life

A beautiful summary of much of the wisdom Alain de Botton has to give, with an inspiring ending ‘still learning’.

How Modern Media Destroys our Minds  – The School of Life

A provocative, yet highly intuitive look at the impact the media has on mental health.

Varieties of Melancholy – The School of Life

A deeply empathetic and soothing book to read.

A Simpler Life – The School of Life

A wonderful read, inviting us to consider our choices and how to build simpler lives.

Stay or Leave – The School of Life

A crucial exploration for times of relational crisis.

How To Think More About Sex – Alain de Botton

As usual Alain de Botton approaches this subject with wit and wisdom, and his signature preference for the psychodynamic.

Free Will – Sam Harris

A fascinating deepdive into the strings that drive us all.

Lying – Sam Harris

The Moral Landscape – Sam Harris

A wonderful read for me in my 20s as I was pondering what ethics and morality look like.

Waking Up – Sam Harris

Waking Up was a life-changing book for me, I’ve read it multiple times. It taught me, quite simply, atheist spirituality in a compelling way.

Daring Greatly – Brené Brown

I really enjoyed Brené’s reflections in this book.

Dare to Lead – Brené Brown

I really enjoyed Brené’s reflections in this book.

Braving the Wilderness – Brené Brown

This one really connected with me- “belonging nowhere and everywhere” intellectually and emotionally.

Mating in Captivity – Esther Perel

A wonderful and insightful book about the flow of desire in long-term relationships.

The State of Affairs – Esther Perel

A truly remarkable deepdive into the ‘clandestine reality’ of affairs worldwide.

Being Mortal – Atul Gawande

This book really struck me and made me think. What matters to you in the end as you age?

Blink – Malcolm Gladwell

An interesting book exploring both the strengths and limitations of intuition and ‘gut feel’.

Option B – Sheryl Sandberg & Adam Grant

A strong read in times of crisis to come to terms with option A no longer being available.

The End of Your World – Adyashanti

I was critical of Adyashanti’s book The End of Your World. It had too much “woo” in it for me.

Self-Therapy – Jay Earley

Jay Earley provided an interesting exploration of IFS

Polysecure – Jessica Fern

Polysecure is a breakthrough book combining attachment theory and polyamory. Few people are able to entertain a connection between both, Fern does it spectacularly.

The Body Keeps the Score – Bessel van der Kolk

It took me nearly 2 years to finish reading this book. I learned a ton about trauma, attachment and healing from a world-leading psychiatrist.

Who Moved My Cheese? – Spencer Johnson

This one always stuck with me as a witty and insightful exploration of dealing with change.

No Bad Parts – Richard Schwartz

I love Shwartz’s perspective that the parts of the self/psyche are similar to parts of a body, none are intrinsically bad, they just get sick/burdened.

The Ethical Slut – Dossie Easton & Janet W. Hardy

An aspirational book painting a picture of ethical polyamory.

Blink – Malcolm Gladwell

An interesting book exploring both the strengths and limitations of intuition and ‘gut feel’.

No More Mr. Nice Guy – Robert Glover

I got bored halfway through (kinda got the gist of it), but it is a valueable book especially for highly agreeable men who utilise covert contracts.

The Bonobo and the Atheist – Frans de Waal

A powerful book exploring ethical behaviour in animals.

Leadership and Self-Deception – The Arbinger Institute

I really disliked this book. The author clearly hated themself and the self-hatred is on every page.

The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck – Mark Manson

A classic book, I’ve read it 2-3 times, always a good reminder of how to dial in to “healthy ennui”.

Enterprise and Venture Capital – Christopher Golis

I actually met Chris and read his book during a mentoring program I did with him. It is a bit dry, but for anyone interested in the ins and outs of VCs it was interesting.

The Bitcoin Standard – Saifedean Ammous

I roll my eyes at it now (crypto), but it was a good review of the fundamentals of stock and supply of currencies.

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy – Jason M. Satterfield

Learning about CBT.

The Psychedelic Explorer’s Guide – James Fadiman

A wonderful guide for any aspiring psychonaut.

On Having No Head – Douglas Harding

A short book, and the most valuable part is right in the beginning, exploring mindfulness and nonduality.

The Happiness Trap – Russ Harris

A good introduction to mindfulness and ACT.

Emotional Agility – Susan A. David

Forgot it now (years ago) but good book.

Why We Sleep – Matthew Walker

Very interesting about the science of sleep.

The Art of War – Sun Tzu

At the time I enjoyed it greatly, but later on realised this is basically a book about how to pass on trauma.

How to Win Friends & Influence People- Dale Carnegie

If you look past the somewhat sleezy-sounding cover the book is decent.

The Body Keeps the Score – Bessel van der Kolk

It took me nearly 2 years to finish reading this book. I learned a ton about trauma, attachment and healing from a world-leading psychiatrist.

Quiet – Susan Cain

An interesting exploration of introversion, though, I came across more rigorous thinkers in later stages.

Calmer, Easier, Happier Boys – Noel Janis-Norton

To help with the parenting!!

Scattered Minds – Gabor Mate

An absolutely beautiful and insightful book about ADD (ADHD), insightfully nicknamed ‘attunement deficit disorder’.

The God Delusion – Richard Dawkins

A seminal book in my life, read at a time I was challenging my belief in God.

The Book of a Mormon – Scott D. Miller

This book really helped me process my own missionary experience.

An Insider’s View of Mormon Origins – Grant H. Palmer

A fantastic deepdive into early Mormon history.

Combatting Cult Mind Control – Steven Hassan

A powerful book, well worth the read to understand cults.

The Varieties of Religious Experience – William James

A really dense, yet classic book exploring religious experiences.

The Doors of Perception – Aldous Huxley

A classic exploration of consciousness.

How to Change Your Mind – Michael Pollan

I absolutely loved this book by Michael Pollan, and read it twice. A wonderful exploration of the power of psychedelics.

Sex & God – Darrel Ray

Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire – J.K. Rowling

Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix – J.K. Rowling

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – J.K. Rowling

Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets – J.K. Rowling

Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban – J.K. Rowling

Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone – J.K. Rowling

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince – J.K. Rowling

The Scorch Trials – James Dashner

The Maze Runner – James Dashner

Dune – Frank Herbert

Classic and epic.

The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy – Douglas Adams

Many good laughs had.

Dune Messiah- Frank Herbert

Classic and epic.

The Autobiography of Kathryn Janeway – Una McCormack

A wonderful audiobook about a fictional character I draw a lot from.

World War Z – Max Brooks

Just plain fun.

Fifty Shades of Grey – E L James

I actually got bored after a while, but enjoyed reflecting on what makes this book appealing to certain audiences.