One of the things that was on my summer 2022 bucket list - read more books & have all of us as a family put our phones down a little more often. My daughter loves reading - and will read a book each day, but we notice that if they are on their devices - their moods shift and they get a little angrier. The good news is - Kins loves to head to libraries, Indigo or Chapters - so getting her to read over the summer months was not a problem. Rhetts a big fan of Curious George and I don't stray too far away from personal development, business development and entreprener books. Reading - has always been something I love, it always helps me shift into creative mode and feel more inspired to "do better". I’m sharing my Summer Reading List for 2022 below. If you are an Amazon Prime member then I highly recommend joining the Kindle Unlimited 30-Day Free Trial.
PIN or print the list so you can circle back (although its my summer 2022 reading list, you can use it forever;))
Summer Reading List 2022
Hybrid Workplace: The Insights You Need from Harvard Business Review (HBR Insights Series)
Pre-pandemic I would travel 1-2x a month for our sister company Hello Life Academy. Every trip I committed as an act of self-care to buying ONE book at the airport. It would be something to look forward to, and keep my head out of WORK mode 24/7. However - I always gravitate towards the work books anyways. Harvard Business Review books are absolutely amazing, living in the tiny I haven’t been able to keep them - I pass them on, but if I could keep books on my shelves - it would be these.
I’m a big fan of Chapter 11 - “When do we actually need to meet in person” by Rae Ringel. He focuses energy on reminding us what are we trying to achieve rather than where we’ll be SITTING to achieve it.
How often have you asked yourself while in a meeting “did this have to be a meeting”? As i was reading through this book, I regognized some opportunities for big shifts in our own company - do we have to be meeting with the clients every two weeks, can we make it monthly and have the same impact? Can we implement a dfiferent way to show them our marketing strategies instead of talking about them while they’re on the call?
Anyways - hybrid workspace - read it whether you’re an employee, an entrepreneur or work from home mom - it has some amazing points.
How Are You, Really? By Jenna Kutcher
I’ll answer honestly: the book is just OKAY. I feel bad about writing that because - writing a book is not easy, putting yourself out there is not easy, but I'm also working on being a little bit more honest with ya'll.
I wanted to be positive polly about this book because I appreciate the marketing efforts and energy that went into this book launch - BUT it’s a little bit of a washed down version of Girl, Wash your face by Rachel Hollis. A book that so many people couldn’t put down because they wanted to BE her….that's not motivation. It was a weird phase.
If you recall, Rachel discusses her amazing (but now ex) spouse, her artificial nails, the fake boobs that revolutionized her life. The hair extensions that each of us "should get because, hey, it's self-care!". The continual exercise and motivating speeches that made us feel like we weren't doing enough! Combined with ----> 5 a.m. wake-ups, adopting, baking, cooking, decorating, starting a clothing line....holy Hannah: girl — DO MORE! Okay, and you'll open up Jenna Kutcher's book and likely feel the same way I did: is this real life, am I sure I can do this all-wait, I can't do it all, then you fall into a I'm not delegating enough, assuming that there is something wrong with me, moments.
What happened to the STRUGGLE? Where are the "who's preparing dinner?" and "this business didn't go as planned?" moments?
I feel empathy and compassion for her miscarriage - I understand how difficult it is - and I do not dismiss that chapter.
Why is it on my list for Summer 2022? Because, when it comes to business and babies, women do not write as many books as males. That's why I like the book so much: she speaks about transitioning from hustle to flow...about allowing ourselves to say no to things that would overburden our plates. I want the messy middles, the spaghetti that didn't stick, the moments when you want to GIVE UP on personal progress (and if you haven't been there, congratulations!).
Somehow (and I don’t deny she worked her ass off) in the book all of her businesses “worked out” - she talks about her successful career in HR, to wedding photography, to her painting business…to her blogging…to her book writing. I have no doubt that there’s chapters that were left out that were ‘negative’ because of marketing. But I think since the days of Rachel Hollis' toxic positivity we are open to the reality of what happens.
If Rachel Hollis wrote a book today, I'd read it all the way through because I believe she'd open up the genuine narrative of post-divorce / post-pandemic / post-shitstorm business decisions.
Personally - I love learning about the FAILURES in a book about business. This book is telling us to slow down, but there's a ton of irony in that: a perfect IG grid, perfect photoshoots, perfect dream home being built, a 18+ month book launch. Slowing down is different for all of us - but I can't seem to look past the hustle that still exists while she's reminding YOU AND I to slow down.
I believe in empowering others by showing them what you have - we have to be aware that Jenna Kutcher is an 'actor' in our world. She's not like you and I -- it's just really great marketing that makes you FEEL that way. Can we please start talking about the messy middles, without #nofilterthisisreallife - it's not real life if you snapped a pic and edited it and crafted a caption that has a strong CTA to buy your book. (I'm passionate about this ya'll).
If you’re in a season of trying and things aren’t working - this book will either make you feel like you just can’t get it right and that things work out for everyone else but you……or that you want to start a blog because it will guarantee success (...sacarsm). Tell me your thoughts k once you’ve read it?
We Make Clocks, Not Time: My Lived Experience with Psychosis, Creativity, and the Ideas That Have Helped Me by John Gerrard
Real, open, honest conversations are things I crave - even when I read a book. I want to be sitting there — with a glass of wine in my hand and feel like you’re in my living room. And with this book — John is here! The author is brilliant - he opens up our eyes to mental illness DIRECTLY from his narratives & living with psychosis. If you crave understanding how someone else sees, thinks and experiences things read this book. I love a book that takes me a day to finish - it was fast, it was emotional and it was real!
You can buy the book HERE.
Chasing Likes: The Unflattering Reality of Being an Influencer
OH the words I want to say about this book. Carlee fully peels back the layers of influence marketing. I picked this book up the moment it was available on Kindle. Carlee and I became friends - and through our relationship both working together and as moms, and humans - I became fascinated with the world of influence marketing. I wanted to know the ins, the outs, the messy middle and she GAVE IT TO me. She talks about over-sharing, wannabe reality stars, behind the scenes at events, public relations…and tons more.
No one writes books about the politics that happen beyond high school, but Carlee did! I think the contrast between Jenna Kutcher's book and Carlee’s book – is an important note. Read them in the same week and you’ll totally pick up what I’m throwing down.
You can buy Carlee's book HERE.
Make sure you pick up ALL of these books, or get them on a waitlist at the library and let me know what you think.
- Megan xo
Our family of four lives in a 400sqft tiny home, while running a Marketing Agency.
