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Books That Shaped How I Lead, Think & Show Up as a Woman
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items A curated collection of books that helped me think bigger, lead with intention, and grow through different phases of life and career. These aren’t just popular reads, they’re books I’ve personally connected with while navigating ambition, purpose, an...
Sections
3
Purpose & Influence
Mindset & Inner Work
Leadership & Career
Purpose & Influence
For when you're asking the bigger questions — why you do what you do, how you want to show up, and what kind of leader or creator you want to become.
I cried reading parts of this. Indra Nooyi ran one of the biggest companies in the world while navigating the cultural weight of being a South Asian woman, a daughter, a mother, an immigrant. She doesn't pretend she had it all figured out. The trade-...
My Life in Full: Work, Family & Future
This changed how I think about everything I put out into the world — including this platform. When you lead with why you do something rather than what you do, people connect with you at a completely different level. For South Asian women who were rai...
Start with Why: How Great Leaders Inspire
I know, I know — everyone has heard of this one. But there's a reason it's been around for decades. I re-read it every few years and take something different from it each time depending on where I am in life. The habit that stays with me most is "beg...
The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People
Don't let the title put you off — this is really a book about authenticity and how people connect with stories, not facts. It completely shifted how I think about sharing my work online. If you've ever felt awkward promoting yourself or your platform...
All Marketers are Liars: The Underground Classic
Mindset & Inner Work
For the seasons when you need to come back to yourself. These are the books I return to when I've lost perspective, when I'm being too hard on myself, or when I need a reminder that growth is a long game.
This book quietly rewired how I respond to failure - and honestly, how I parent too. The idea that ability isn't fixed but built through effort sounds simple until you realise how much of your life you've been operating from the opposite belief. If y...
Amazon.com: Mindset: The New Psychology of Success
This book was gifted to me by my director & it helps me stay grounded daily. This book is not cover to cover read but rather 1 page a day. Short, grounding, and surprisingly relevant to navigating life for everyone. It taught me the difference be...
The Daily Stoic: 366 Meditations on Wisdom
What drew me to this one over the hundreds of other mindset books is that it's written by a South Asian couple — the framing just landed differently. It helped me get honest about the beliefs I was carrying unconsciously, many of them inherited, abou...
Law of Attraction
I picked this up during a season when I was questioning whether I had what it takes to keep going. The research is clear: it's not talent that determines who succeeds, it's sustained effort over time. As someone who had to work twice as hard to be ta...
Grit: The Power of Passion and Perseverance
Leadership & Career
Real, honest reads for women navigating ambition — especially in spaces that weren't built with us in mind. These aren't motivational books. They're strategic ones.
This is the book I wish I had in my 20s. Shellye is a Black woman who became a tech CEO at a time when that was nearly unthinkable — and she is unflinchingly honest about how she did it. The strategies are practical, not inspirational fluff. For desi...
Unapologetically Ambitious: Take Risks & Break Barriers
This one felt like getting real talk from a senior woman who has actually been in the room not a polished keynote, but honest advice about how to navigate corporate spaces that weren't designed for us. The chapter on relationships and building your n...
Expect-Win: Strategies for Thriving at Work
A bold, uncomfortable read — especially if you've built your leadership style around being liked. Patty McCord built the Netflix culture and her perspective on candor, accountability, and treating people like adults is very different from what most m...
Powerful Building Culture: Freedom & Responsibility
Practical, direct, and genuinely useful. I used this book to prepare for my next career move after 23 years and it helped me land there. The frameworks for structuring your answers clearly and confidently are ones you'll use long after the interview....
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