I’ve curated a list of eight books and eighteen podcasts that resonated in 2021. Enjoy!
Books
Philosophy
The Things You Can See Only When You Slow Down by Haemin Sunim
Psychology
Range: Why Generalists Triumph in a Specialized World by David Epstein
What Happened to You?: Conversations on Trauma, Resilience, and Healing by Bruce D. Perry & Oprah Winfrey
Decision-Making & Creativity
Upstream: The Quest to Stop Problems Before They Happen by Dan Heath
Stealing Fire: How Silicon Valley, the Navy SEALs, and Maverick Scientists Are Revolutionizing the Way We Live and Work by Steven Kotler & Jamie Wheal
Memoir
Greenlights by Matthew McConaughey
Can't Hurt Me: Master Your Mind and Defy the Odds by David Goggins
The Art of Learning: An Inner Journey to Optimal Performance by Josh Waitzkin
Podcasts
About:
"Guy Raz dives into the stories behind some of the world’s best known companies. How I Built This weaves a narrative journey about innovators, entrepreneurs and idealists—and the movements they built."
Episodes:
Ben & Jerry’s: Ben Cohen and Jerry Greenfield
Whole Foods Market: John Mackey
Impossible Foods: Pat Brown
About:
"Retired Navy SEAL Commander Mark Divine and his SEALFIT Coaching team take on guests with subject matters that follow along with Mark’s 5 mountain training path of developing your Mental, Physical, Emotional, Intuitive, and Kokoro (Heart) self."
Episodes:
Tim Grover (ATTACK Athletics): Infinite Steps to Keep Winning
Brian Johnson (Optimize): Creating a Hero’s Journey
Psychology and Meditation with Dan Brown (Harvard Medical School)
Finding Mastery: High Performance Psychology with Michael Gervais
About:
"Finding Mastery takes you inside the minds of the world’s best athletes, business leaders, scientists, doctors, and artists pushing the perception of what’s possible."
Episodes:
#230 Pete Carroll and Michael Gervais on Living and Leading Authentically
#253 Sergey Young on Adding Healthy and Happier Years to Your Life
#265 Morgan Housel on the Psychology of Money
About:
"Eight tracks, a book and a luxury: what would you take to a desert island? Guests share the soundtrack of their lives."
Episodes:
Ian Wright, former Arsenal footballer and broadcaster
Alexei Sayle, comedian
Tim Peake, astronaut
About:
"Each episode, I deconstruct world-class performers from eclectic areas (investing, sports, business, art, etc.) to extract the tactics, tools, and routines you can use. This includes favorite books, morning routines, exercise habits, time-management tricks, and much more."
Episodes:
#214 How to Design a Life — Debbie Millman
#490 Dr. Jim Loehr on Mental Toughness, Energy Management, the Power of Journaling, and Olympic Gold Medals
#541 Eric Schmidt — The Promises and Perils of AI, the Future of Warfare, Profound Revolutions on the Horizon, and Exploring the Meaning of Life
The School of Greatness with Lewis Howes
About:
"The School of Greatness shares inspiring interviews from the most successful people on the planet—world-renowned leaders in business, entertainment, sports, science, health, and literature—to inspire YOU to unlock your inner greatness and live your best life."
Episodes:
#565 Novak Djokovic on Becoming #1 in the World and Overcoming the Odds
#1078 Finding Spiritual Truth, Understanding Identity & Managing Your Inner Mess with Tim Storey
#1217 How to Develop A Peaceful Heart & Warrior Spirit with Dan Millman
So... what's on your list?
Jamie Ramsden is a certified executive leadership coach and founder of Adastra Consulting (www.adastraleadership.com). A former Chief Executive, Jamie has been coaching C-Suite and Senior executives around the world for over fifteen years.