14 Best Personal Development Books That Every Woman Should Read

14 Best Self Help Books

Personal development is my favorite category of books to read! I love the motivational message behind each one I read.

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Each one is inspiring in its own way. If you are feeling stuck, unmotivated, need some guidance in life, or simply want to educate yourself, I highly suggest picking out one of these books!

I feel so good about myself and the direction I am taking in life while reading personal development books.

This post is all about the best personal development books every woman must read!

You Are a Badass

Jen Sincero’s ‘You Are a Badass’ is a great guide to creating a life you love. One of the more popular personal development books out there now!

“In this refreshingly entertaining how-to guide, bestselling author and world-traveling success coach, Jen Sincero, serves up 27 bitesized chapters full of hilariously inspiring stories, sage advice, easy exercises, and the occasional swear word, helping you to: Identify and change the self-sabotaging beliefs and behaviors that stop you from getting what you want, Create a life you totally love. And create it NOW, Make some damn money already. The kind you’ve never made before.

By the end of You Are a Badass, you’ll understand why you are how you are, how to love what you can’t change, how to change what you don’t love, and how to use The Force to kick some serious ass.”

Girl, Wash Your Face

‘Girl, Wash Your Face’ is a book that empowers us to live a passionate life.

“Rachel is real and talks about real issues. More than that, she reveals the specific practical strategies that helped her move past them. In the process, she encourages, entertains, and even kicks a little butt, all to convince you to do whatever it takes to get real and become the joyous, confident woman you were meant to be. Because you really can live with passion and hustle – and give yourself grace without giving up.“

The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck

‘The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck’ is all about exactly that- not giving a f*ck! Shit happens pick up the pieces and keep moving.

“In this generation-defining self-help guide, a superstar blogger cuts through the crap to show us how to stop trying to be “positive” all the time so that we can truly become better, happier people.”

The Big Life

The Big Life helps women achieve their goals in their career while also balancing their personal life.

“The Big Life is a guide for women in their 20s and 30s who are hungry for a job they love, a supportive network of friends, respect from their bosses, and partners who want all those things for them as badly as they do.” —The New York Times“

Unfu*k Yourself

‘Unf*ck Yourself’ takes a tough love approach to self help. Nothing is sugarcoated in this book! If you are looking for a realistic, no bullshit, then this is your book.

“this refreshing, BS-free, self-empowerment guide that offers an honest, no-nonsense, tough-love approach to help you move past self-imposed limitations.”

Leave Your Mark

‘Leave Your Mark’ gives practical advice on how to land your dream job and how to work your way up in your career.

“Licht shares advice, inspiration, and a healthy dose of real talk in Leave Your Mark. She delivers personal and professional guidance for people just starting their careers and for people who are well on their way.”

The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People

This book has been voted most influential business book of the Twentieth century! It’s been a fan favorite for years and years now. This may be one of the most well-known personal development books out there!

“One of the most inspiring and impactful books ever written, The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People has captivated readers for 25 years. It has transformed the lives of presidents and CEOs, educators and parents—in short, millions of people of all ages and occupations across the world. This twenty-fifth anniversary edition of Stephen Covey’s cherished classic commemorates his timeless wisdom, and encourages us to live a life of great and enduring purpose.”

How to Win Friends & Influence People

Another classic that’s been around for years!

“You can go after the job you want—and get it! You can take the job you have—and improve it! You can take any situation—and make it work for you! Dale Carnegie’s rock-solid, time-tested advice has carried countless people up the ladder of success in their business and personal lives. One of the most groundbreaking and timeless bestsellers of all time”

Atomic Habits

Atomic Habits is one book that I’m seeing everyone reading right now! One great personal development books that focuses on habit making and breaking. Imagine what you can achieve if you are able to form good habits and break the bad ones.

“No matter your goals, Atomic Habits offers a proven framework for improving–every day. James Clear, one of the world’s leading experts on habit formation, reveals practical strategies that will teach you exactly how to form good habits, break bad ones, and master the tiny behaviors that lead to remarkable results.”

Untamed

‘Untamed’ took the world by storm after its release in 2020. Even Adele said this book changed her life.

“There is a voice of longing inside each woman. We strive so mightily to be good: good partners, daughters, mothers, employees, and friends. We hope all this striving will make us feel alive. Instead, it leaves us feeling weary, stuck, overwhelmed, and underwhelmed. We look at our lives and wonder: Wasn’t it all supposed to be more beautiful than this? We quickly silence that question, telling ourselves to be grateful, hiding our discontent—even from ourselves.”

Tiny Beautiful Things

A book of compilations of advice given and received. Books filled with advice from experience are my favorite types of personal development books to read.

“Life can be hard: your lover cheats on you; you lose a family member; you can’t pay the bills—and it can be great: you’ve had the hottest sex of your life; you get that plum job; you muster the courage to write your novel. Sugar—the once-anonymous online columnist at The Rumpus, now revealed as Cheryl Strayed, author of the bestselling memoir Wild—is the person thousands turn to for advice.”

Girl, Stop Apologizing

From the author of ‘Girl, Wash Your Face’ Rachel Hollis teaches you how to live your life to your full potential.

“She knows that many women have been taught to define themselves in light of other people—whether as wife, mother, daughter, or employee—instead of learning how to own who they are and what they want. With a challenge to women everywhere to stop talking themselves out of their dreams, Hollis identifies the excuses to let go of, the behaviors to adopt, and the skills to acquire on the path to growth, confidence, and believing in yourself.”

Maybe You Should Talk to Someone

A great self help book with some humor that will totally transform how you look at life!

“Maybe You Should Talk to Someone is rev­olutionary in its candor, offering a deeply per­sonal yet universal tour of our hearts and minds and providing the rarest of gifts: a boldly reveal­ing portrait of what it means to be human, and a disarmingly funny and illuminating account of our own mysterious lives and our power to transform them.”

The Up Side of Down

This book explore different career paths and how failing shouldn’t be dreaded, instead a learning experience and how to grow from it.

“Most new products fail. So do most businesses. And most of us, if we are honest, have experienced a major setback in our personal or professional lives. So what determines who will bounce back and follow up with a home run? What separates those who keep treading water from those who harness the lessons from their mistakes?”

This post was all about the best personal development books for women.

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