A Few of My Favorite Reads...

Books That Shifted Me – One Page at a Time

There’s something about the right book finding you at the right time.

Some stories entertain. Others educate. And then there are the ones that you feel deep in your bones, rewire your thinking, and gently nudge you toward a more honest, more open version of yourself.

I haven't always realized it when I was reading, but suddenly I caught myself quoting a line, changing a habit, or seeing the world just a little differently. Sometimes I have started reading a book and just couldn't get into it. Then, a year or so later, I pick it up and can't put it down. Like I said, they know when to find you at the right time.

Today I wanted to share five books that have done just that for me. Some are well-known, some a bit less known - but each one has left its fingerprint on how I move through the world. They’ve shaped the way I coach, the way I write, and most importantly, the way I live.

1. Eat, Pray, Love by Elizabeth Gilbert

This cracked me open! I've watched probably ten times and listened to the audio book twice (so far!)

I know. It’s practically a cliché now. But when I first read Eat, Pray, Love, it wasn’t a punchline, it was a revelation.

At the time, I didn’t even know what I was looking for. I just knew I was looking for something. Lacking in some way but I didn't know what it was. Liz’s story of leaving behind everything safe and known to search for her own pleasure in Italy, devotion in India, and balance in Bali really called to me.

It wasn’t about the travel (although let’s be honest, it helped). It was about the audacity to want more. More than the boxes we’re told to check. More than the roles we’ve been assigned. Her vulnerability gave me permission to ask questions I hadn’t dared ask myself.

What do I want? What if I don’t know yet? What if that’s okay?

I didn’t book a one-way ticket across the globe—but I did begin my own journey inward. And that’s the part that matters most.

“Ruin is a gift. Ruin is the road to transformation.”

2. The Yamas & Niyamas by Deborah Adele

Why it taught me that self-discipline can be sacred

This book surprised me. I was taking classes at my yoga studio on the Yoga Sutras. The Yamas & Niyamas were part of the classes. I was out of the country when we covered them though so I missed that part.

I saw the book and thought it would be a perfect way to catch up in the class. I picked it up thinking it would be a dry breakdown of yoga ethics—something I’d skim through just to say I had read it and was caught up. Instead, it became a guidebook I return to over and over. Deborah Adele doesn’t just explain the ancient wisdom of the Yamas (restraints) and Niyamas (observances) -she brings them into real life with stories, reflection questions, and gentle reminders that growth doesn’t come from striving but from softening.

There’s one concept in particular—Satya, or truthfulness—that hit me right in the chest. Not just the idea of telling the truth to others, but telling the truth to yourself. That’s harder. It made me examine where I was still performing, still people-pleasing, still hiding.

I've now begun applying these principles in subtle ways. Pausing before overcommitting, noticing when I was being harsh with myself, saying no without guilt. The transformation isn't complete, but I am definitely working on it. These teachings don’t just make you a better yogi—they make you a more conscious human.

3. The Let Them Theory by Mel Robbins

Why I use it nearly every day...

This isn’t a long book. It’s more of a mindset—and let me tell you, it’s one that changed my life.

In The Let Them Theory, Mel offers a simple but revolutionary idea: if people want to talk about you, exclude you, doubt you, misunderstand you... let them. Just let them.

The first time I read that, I felt an actual exhale leave my body.

I’ve spent so much of my life trying to manage others’ perceptions. Trying to control the narrative. Trying to be understood. And it’s exhausting. Mel’s words reminded me that my energy is sacred—and that it’s NOT MY JOB to chase down every misinterpretation or fix every false assumption.

Let them doubt. Let them gossip. Let them go. Let them be them!

Since reading this book, I repeat the phrase “let them” like a mantra. In traffic. In family dynamics. It’s helped me draw boundaries without drama. It’s helped me lessen my need to be right. It’s helped me find peace in places I used to find stress. People don't have to agree with me. And that's ok. I don't have to agree with them. And that's ok.

Sometimes the most powerful tools are the simplest ones.

4. Spirit Junkie by Gabrielle Bernstein

Gabby is one of my favortie authors. Her spiritual nature is very much in line with my beliefs and her writing style is exactly the way I like it.

Spirit Junkie showed up in my life at a time when I wasn't sure that being "Spritual" was a thing. Gabby's story of transformation going from a party-loving PR girl to a spiritual teacher, wasn't just inspiring, it was relatable.

She talks openly about fear, addiction, comparison, and self-doubt—things so many of us carry quietly. A lot of us with shame. What struck me most was how she reframed fear not as something to conquer, but as something to listen to and then lovingly release.

She offered spiritual tools without being preachy, and her down-to-earth approach made it all feel accessible.

The book became a turning point in how I viewed my own story. I started to see that the parts of me I once tried to hide were actually the exact places where healing could begin.

Gabby taught me to turn inward, tune in, and trust. And as someone who spent years learning to trust anything at all, that was no small thing.

“Those who are certain of the outcome can afford to wait, and wait without anxiety.” – A Course in Miracles (quoted in Spirit Junkie)

5. Travels with Charley by John Steinbeck

Why it reminded me that you’re never too old to wander

There’s something timeless about John Steinbeck’s writing. In Travels with Charley, he embarks on a cross-country road trip across America with his standard poodle, Charley, in a camper named Rocinante.

It’s part travelogue, part social commentary, and part quiet reflection on what it means to belong to a country and yet feel like a stranger in it. But what I loved most? He brought his dog with him.

Not a tour guide. Not a camera crew. Just him and Charley, driving into the unknown. It makes me think of my cat, Shelby, that I had for 16 years. Although Shelby was not a traveler and would poop the moment I started driving. (vet visits were always fun and moving to Nashville.... yeah, not so fun either.)

It made me reflect on the importance of companionship—and how sometimes the most healing journeys don’t have to be loud or dramatic. They can be as simple as long drives, shared silence, and letting the landscape teach you something you didn’t know you needed to learn.

Reading Steinbeck made me want to take slower roads. Watch people. Ask questions. And maybe bring a furry companion or two along for the ride.

"A journey is like marriage. The certain way to be wrong is to think you control it.”

What They All Taught Me

None of these books were just “good reads.” They were mirrors. Maps. Permission slips.

They reminded me that transformation doesn’t always come from big events. Iit often starts in quiet moments. In scribbled margins or doodles on a piece of scrap paper. In dog-eared pages. In that soft, internal voice that says, “Pay attention. This part’s for you.” I listen to audio books a lot. I have stopped the book and rewound 30 seconds so many times just to remember what was said. A lot of times I will send myself a text (hands free voice to text!) so I don't forget.

They taught me that growth isn’t linear, and healing doesn’t have a deadline. That you can find truth in ancient texts, humor in modern ones, and comfort in well-read stories.

And maybe most of all, they reminded me that I’m not alone in asking the deeper questions.

An Invitation for You

If you’ve read any of these, I’d love to hear what they meant to you. And if you have books that shook you awake, calmed your soul, or made you laugh when you needed it most, please send them my way. There’s always room on my shelf.

Because at the end of the day, we’re all part of the stories we carry.

With love,

Ruthie