We love to read--here are a few books that have captured our attention and provided inspiration.
Darrin's picks:
Recently, I had a chance to revisit a title that he first read in 2019 when asked to co-facilitate a conversation with the author Antonia Malchik about her book, A Walking Life: Reclaiming our Health and Our Freedom One Step at a Time. The author takes the reader on a journey to understand why walking is important to physical, physiological, and mental health. It greatly impacted my thinking about the importance of designing our communities to facilitate walking for all its residents. I highly recommend spending some time between the pages if you have not already.
While on the topic of walking, next, I’d recommend Walk: SLOW DOWN, WAKE UP & CONNECT at 1-3 MILES PER HOUR by Jonathon Stalls. Like Malchik, Stalls shares the benefits of walking interlaced with poems penned along his cross-country walk and suggestions for activities. The author bills himself as a walking artist and, as a bonus, the book contains multiple examples of Jonathon’s pen and ink drawings.
My third book recommendation is Geoffrey West’s Scale: The Universal Laws of Life, Growth, and Death in Organisms, Cities, and Companies. Through the pages, the reader begins to understand the concept of scale that is found throughout nature and its impact on all living organisms, our communities, and the companies we build.
Nora's picks:
My favorite book is one that I come back to regularly for inspiration and to "connect to my higher self". Sarah Young, CEO of Zing Collaborative wrote the most fantastic resources I have ever read about leadership and how all of us can lead in everyday moments. Expansive Impact is a book that I devoured the moment that it arrived, and I continue to refer to it for tips on reclaiming precious time during a busy work week, how to create the best clear containers for transparency and how assumptions versus reality impact work. The tone and style of the book are unique and pleasant and most of all provide a playbook for leaders.
Another favorite that I refer to regularly is Your Second Life Begins When You Realize You Only Have One, by Raphaelle Giordano. The novel is about a woman, Camille, who is desperate to change her life and escape the day-to-day. While the book is a novel, the advice and the journey that she embarks on to achieve an ideal work/life/relationship and personal balance is inspiring and the end of the book provides a road map for a similar journey. I have a copy of the suggested steps that I keep in my work portfolio-so, suffice to say, I was inspired.
A Hard Kick in the Nuts: What I've Learned from A Lifetime of Terrible Decisions, by Steve O was not something I anticipated liking as much as I did. Of course, I have watched Jackass, like any other kid of the 1990s, so I knew that his book would provide some entertainment value when I was traveling for work. What I didn't expect was that the author's self-examination and analysis would be as profound as it was, or that Steve O would have as much insight about the world and life in general as he does. His book tackles aging, food addiction, sobriety, and good finding fulfillment in rescuing animals and a healthy lifestyle. Definitely worth the read. Steve O will surprise you.
What are you reading?
We would love to hear all about what is inspiring you in your work or in your life. Leave a comment and tell us about what you're reading. We hope you can join us for one of four free networking events in nature this year. Find more information on the website HERE.
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