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As working moms, we don’t get a pass on learning new things and improving our skills. We must continue to grow in our profession or business. Reading from experts can help. I’m sharing my top 10 books for working moms that help you with different areas of your professional and personal life. Be strategic with your reading choices today to get you more skills or greater opportunities tomorrow. (To make it easier for you to grab, each of the titles takes you to the Amazon listing. I am an Amazon Associate and I earn from qualifying purchases.)
I decided to put this list together because I’m often asked for reading recommendations. In addition to being a writer, I am also a researcher. I read a lot. I read pretty much every night for myself (i.e., not for client work). Normally, I’m working my way through a personal book and a professional one at about the same time. I’ve got loads of suggestions for both. I know your time is limited, so I would love to help you be intentional with your time. I’m always trying to help you work smarter and being strategic with your reading is no different.
How Women Rise
Sally Helgesen shares insights, tips, and advice to help you overcome 12 specific habits that might be holding you back from getting to that next level in leadership. She lays out how to change these habits that women often have so you and others are focused on the value you provide. She helps you reframe, define what success looks like, and get unstuck. Halgesen helps readers rethink how to build relationships and take on measured risk. And, by making these changes, you’ll get closer to reaching your goals of moving to more senior leadership roles.
Atomic Habits
I think this book belongs on everyone’s list of professional books to read, but it definitely belongs on the top 10 books for working moms list. James Clear reminds us that the “quality of our lives depends on the quality of our habits.” If we don’t make changes in our habits, nothing will really change long-term. So, this book provide the steps to make those changes. And we start understanding and building systems so that we can make these changes permanent. The idea is to have the habits become second nature so they become consistent and natural, almost without our thinking about them. If you want to change up your own habits (and who doesn’t), this is your go-to book.
(Hint: this can really help change habits that relate to your work-life balance.)
The Happiness Project
This is one of my all-time favorite books. Each month for a year, Gretchen Rubin focuses on a few different new things to help her become happier in her life. It’s not about easy answers to happiness, which often might feel elusive when you’re a working mom. It’s about the ability and opportunity to explore happiness. And, since it’s done over a year, it seems to take the pressure off shifting mindset to finding more happiness in our lives. We read how Rubin did it and, in doing so, we’re given ideas on what to change and pivot in our own lives. More than anything, it’s about the small changes that you do that make a difference.
Ditch the Act
This book is all about personal branding. Why include this on a list of top 10 books for working moms? This book is about setting yourself up to stand out. Whether you want to be known as a go-to person at work or an expert in your industry, this book can help. You’ll get solid advice and tactical steps that so many other books simply don’t provide. And their examples/case studies provide some great ideas as well. And you’ll use this as a reference guide, rereading it from time to time to get even more ideas. Such good advice!
Daring Greatly
If you don’t know Brené Brown, she’s a researcher who specializes in shame and vulnerability. We spend a lot of time and energy trying to look strong and not show our vulnerability because we think it shows weakness. And, as women, we want to appear strong. Guess what? Showing vulnerability requires strength and courage. And if we lean in and understand it, we become more resilient. By waiting until things are perfect and not trying unless we guarantee we can’t fail, we miss opportunities. On a personal note, we must have vulnerability to find love. Being vulnerable with our kids also gives them a road map to do the same in front of others.
Happiness Advantage
So many of us think, “I’ll do X and then I’ll be happy.” You can fill that X space with things like reaching a specific level of your career, making a specific amount of money, buying a house, getting married, becoming a mom or adding to your family. You reach the goal and then you’ll be happy. That’s not really how it works, though. This book helps you figure out the happiness without focusing on the results. You’ll get 7 specific areas to work on that help you make shifts that build up to a happier life. Most of these are pretty simple to implement too. And Achor is an entertaining writer. He’s a great speaker and I can practically hear him read the words, so it’s a nice conversational tone that very relatable.
Back to Work after Baby
If you’re about to go on maternity leave, or even if you’re about to head back to work after finishing up your maternity leave, this is a great book. You’ll get helpful tips that are easy to implement and you can use them almost immediately. And I appreciate that the author integrates stories from experts and other moms, so you can learn from multiple voices and perspectives about maneuvering during your maternity leave.
Entrepreneurial You
I’m a big fan of Dorie Clark, a consultant and speaker who also teaches in the executive education departments at Duke’s Fuqua School of Business and Columbia Business School. This was the first of her books that I read, although I had seen her work in places like the Harvard Business Review, which led me to seek out the book. The book is all about the different ways to build your platform, which generate all sorts of new income streams. While this is largely for entrepreneurs, she also talks about how your can also be an intrapreneur, which is someone who works as an employee and wants to innovate. So, while this is a really great read for entrepreneurs, you’ll still get something out of it if you’re an employee.
Happier Parent
Most of these books focus on professional things, but this one is about helping working moms be better on the home front. KJ Dell’Antonia, the author, is the former editor of the New York Times’ Motherlode blog. While this is her first book, Dell’Antonia has loads of writing experience and her style is incredibly approachable. This book is all about bringing your best self to parenting. We’re reminded that it’s not if your child will test you; it’s when this happens. She gives us the ability and the words (loads of great phrases throughout the book) to respond to our kids. The idea is to not react to our children’s situations and challenges. This book is full of practical tips and advice to have a better home life, which will allow our relationships with our kids to evolve. She helps us keep the focus on the fun. There are ideas on how to deal with screen time and help older kids manage tech.
My Child is Sick
OK, so this is a personal book, but it will help you know when your child needs medical attention. It’s incredibly helpful. Our first pediatrician (since retired) recommended the book, which is approved/maybe even put out by the American Association of Pediatrics. It’s been my go-to option for years when my boys aren’t feeling well. It helps you understand symptoms, when to see the doctor, and what to do at home. I still use it and my boys are 10 and 8.
And, of course, don’t forget the Mompowerment books. You’ve got two award-winning books to choose from. Mompowerment (the red cover) helps you successfully transition to a professional part-time role. While The Mompowerment Guide to Work-life Balance (the aqua cover) empowers you to create greater work-life balance, regardless of the number of hours you work. Both books are full of my experience and extensive research as well as insights, tips, and advice from interviews with more than 100 professional working moms.
I’ve shared my list of top 10 books for working moms. So, which one will you start with? What’s on your reading list? What do you think I should read next?
