RESOURCES

BOOKS

Personal Development:

• The Power of Now by Eckhart Tolle. If I only had one book to recommend it would be this one. This book transforms the way you view life, suffering, challenge and has the power to fill you with a newfound sense of peace…

• 7 Habits of Highly Effective People by Stephen Covey: The 7 key elements to becoming your most effective self. It’s a great gateway book into the world of Self-Development.

• How to Win Friends and Influence People by Dale Carnegie: Tips to remember when interacting with other people to make better connections and relationships. Many of the tips provided you can practice and apply right away.

• 12 Rules for Life by Jordan Peterson: How to be your best self, to make sure that you serve the world and stay true to your value system. Actionable steps to not only making the most out the inevitable challenges of life, but coming out on the other side as a respectful, good person. If there’s one Personal Development book I recommend, it’s this one. It covers it all.

• Beyond Order by Jordan Peterson: The sequel to 12 Rules For Life, all about how to manage the struggles of every day life we all face, and clear rules to follow in order to find the path that can guide us to a life of meaning. I found this one even deeper that the previous, opening up discussion on how one should act when faced with heart-wrenching loss and how we can find gratitude despite the hardship of life.

• Better Than Before by Gretchen Rubin: An easy and enjoyable read, demonstrating how our natural tendencies (split up into 4 personality groups) affect our ability to maintain habits. Such a pleasant read, that absolutely everyone can relate to.

• Atomic Habits by James Clear: Concrete actionable steps towards making habits that will stick. The book includes little “fill-in” worksheets that makes creating behavioural change simple.

• Miracle Morning by Hal Elrod: The 6 things you should do every morning before 8am that will change your life. I’ve been following the Miracle Morning for over a year now and it’s been extremely helpful in keeping focus & drive.

• The Way of the Superior Man by David Deida: Insight into the natural differences between masculin & feminine energies and how to balance them in order to have long-lasting and gratifying romantic relationships.

• Everything is Figureoutable by Marie Forleo: if ever you wanted one of those inspiring Youtube speeches that make you want to jump out of bed, in a book format, this is it. Marie includes inspiring stories, with specific actionable steps, and follow-along exercises to really make you realise that you can overcome anything.

• Getting Things Done by David Allen: My brother coins this the book that made him stop stress biting his nails, and I get that. It’s changed the way I view organisation, productivity and most importantly; stress. The principles in this book are ones I now live by and suggest to every single one of my clients.

• Man’s Search For Meaning by Viktor Frankl. This classic hardly requires an introduction, but if ever you haven’t heard of it, it’s one of the most iconic books of the 21st century, describing the physiological interpretation of Frankl’s experience in a Nazi concentration camp during WWII. This book is short, but as you can image, incredibly powerful. The first part is focused on the autobiography of his experience and the 2nd part focuses on explanation of the life in the camps from a psychological point of view, sharing lessons we can all integrate.

• The Queen’s Code by Alison A. Armstrong. This book outlines the differences between men and women in a way few ever had. It reveals the secrets in communicating with men in a way that leads to healthy, supportive relationships (whether that be romantic, friendships, at work etc.).

• Principles: Life and Work by Ray Dalio. The founder of Bridgewaters Associates; the biggest hedge fund in the world, shares the secrets that allowed him to achieve such success. He shares his method of creating “principles” that he used in work and in life. I did a podcast episode about this method which gives you a sneak peak into the concept…

Business:

• The E-Myth by Michael Gerber: Why most entrepreneurial projects don’t work out, and what not to do when starting your own business. I’d say this should be the first book to read if you’re thinking of going out on your own.

• Start With Why by Simon Sinek: Why starting with “why” is the #1 differentiator between successful and unsuccessful businesses. Although the book is written in the context of business, the lessons in it can be applied to your own being and value system as well.

• The Lean Start Up by Eric Ries: Probably the most quoted book in entrepreneurship. This is definitely the basis of new-age entrepreneurship.

• Expert Secrets by Russell Brunson: The sub-title of the book is “The Underground Playbook for Creating a Mass Movement of People Who Will Pay for Your Advice” - and this is exactly what Russell Brunson teaches in his book. He brings you through how to find your niche, how to create a movement, how to build trust and ultimately find your dream customers who need what you have to offer. His suggestions a bit too much on the “sales-y” side for me personally, however he is definitely an expert at what he does and there’s much to learn from him!

Health / Wellness:

• Super Human by Dave Asprey: A really comprehensive book on how Dave Asprey plans to live until 180 years old. The book includes some more hands on suggestions (like supplements, foods to include/avoid) and some more extreme examples of “bio-hacks” Asprey has tested on himself (like injecting himself with stem cells).

• You Are The Placebo by Dr. Joe Dispenza: This book is a comprehensive deep dive into the human brain which makes us understand why we do the things we do, why we don’t do the things we want to do, and what we need to do about it. What you learn in this book with blow your mind…

• The Woman Code by Alisa Vitti: There’s more to your cycle than you ever knew. With every stage of your cycle there is actually a way to move, eat and interact with the world which can leave you feeling drained… or rejuvenated. Learn all about the do’s and don’t in The Woman Code.

PODCASTS

Personal Development:

• The Victoria Sardain Podcast: If you didn’t know, I have my own podcast where I bring you your weekly dose of personal development every Monday, in bite-sized bits of applicable yet mindset-shifting ideas…

• The Life Coach School Podcast: Iconic Master Coach Brooke Castillo shares life lessons and mindset shifts an easily digestible and fun format.

• The Jordan B. Peterson Podcast: My favourite are his “Psychological Significance of the Biblical Stories”. This is not a religious podcast, he takes a very scientific approach to analysing the psychology behind many of the Biblical Stories. It’s absolutely fascinating and includes endless life lessons that will blow your mind.

• The Rich Roll Podcast: Long format interview with today’s leading thinkers, athletes, leaders and more. The interviews are very casual conversations that go deep into topics ranging from mindset, sport, health and spirituality.

• Une Vie Plus Saine et Plus Sereine: Chloe Bloom shared mini episodes on relevant topics of personal development such as; anger, fear, confidence etc. Every episode ends with a little exercise for you to grow as a person with every lesson. (In french)

• On Purpose with Jay Shetty: Weekly digestible practical ideas on relationships, fulfilment and happiness. There’s always a simple take-away with which you can go home and apply.

• The Brendan Show Podcast: These are snippets from Brendan’s video clips as well as his live seminars. His energy is contagious, his clarity, conviction and common sense will fill your mind with new strategies that you’ll be itching to apply to your daily life.

Nutrition & Wellness:

• The Food Matters Podcast: Food Matters Founder James, interviews the world’s most inspiring people from the world of health, wellness, mind-body, spirit and transformation.

• Mind Body Green Podcast: Jason Wachob, founder & CEO of mindbodygreen interviews those shaping the world of wellness, asking them to open up about their personal journeys, struggles, what keeps them up at night and gets them out of bed in the morning.

• The Deliciously Ella Podcast: Ella and her husband brings on board experts for the most honest conversations around business, health, food & well-being.

Business:

• Start Up Creative Podcast: Founder Kaylene Langford shares personal tips for surviving as a creative, how to earn your worth, how to pursue your passion and how to pull yourself out of the natural lows that come with the struggles of start-up/freelance life.

• Collabosaurus Podcast: Founder Jess Ruhfus creates small bite sized episodes which often include a list of actionable steps to help you work through a specific business challenge or how to help you to take your business farther.

DOCUMENTARIES

Nutrition:

• Food Matters Hard-hitting look at our current state of health, exposing the trillion dollar “Sickness Industry” and showing how nutritional therapy can be the answer to all.

• Hungry For Change This documentary exposes the secrets that the diet & weight-loss industry don’t want you to know about. It delivers insight into what’s keeping us from achieving the life, body and health we deserve.

• Cowspiracy Follow filmmaker Kip Anderson as he seeks to discover the truth behind the most environmentally destructive industry on the plant: Animal Agriculture.

• Forks Over Knives A documentary outlining the benefits of a plant-based diet, this time from a health point of view. An incredibly insightful look into how chronic disease can be avoided, halted or reversed through plant-based eating.

• Food Inc. An ethically-focused look at factory farming in the United States. Caution: contains some pretty scaring scenes, but in my opinion it’s better to stare at the truth right in the face rather than pretend it’s not there…

Sustainability:

• A Plastic Ocean This documentary was the catalyst to my waste-free journey. An eye-opening look at plastic pollution in our environment and it’s impact on the planet.

• A True Cost The price of clothing has decreased dramatically over the past few years, however we fail to ask ourselves why and who is paying for this decrease? The answer is in the human and environmental cost. Let this documentary open your eyes to the truth behind fast-fashion.

Personal Development:

• Docu-Series Transcendence This Food Matters original production has so far 2 seasons of inspiring episodes that walk you through topics such as Overcoming Fear & Stress, The Art of Fulfilment etc. with incredible guests such as Jim Kwik, Marie Forleo, Rich Roll and more. Find this series on Gaia (the Netflix of Wellness)

• Docu-Series Rewired I discovered this series after reading Joe Dispenza’s You Are The Placebo and this series is just as mind-blowing. It’s an even deeper dive into the human brain, into human behaviour and how you can use this knowledge to be the person you want to be.