28 Best Self-Help Books for Women to Read in 2025

I’ve been a lifelong reader, but my unquenchable thirst for self-help books started in college when I was trying to make a relationship work with a guy who was slipping through my fingers like running water.

I was a junior at Florida State University and desperate for answers, so when I walked into Chestnut’s Bookstore and saw the book, Women Who Love Too Much , I damn near died. I had no idea such inspirational books for women  existed!

Back then, I was so embarrassed about buying the book I left the store with hidden in a brown bag like a bottle of gin.

Girl, no more of that! I buy motivational books for women like on the regular. I’ve got so many, I’m about ready to start giving out library cards so other women can check them out! I buy all kinds of inspirational books, but here’s a list of my favorite ones for empowering women:

Here are my top choices for books that’ve had the most impact on helping me become my own person. They aren’t one-size-fits all, but right-sized when it mattered most.

There are so many more inspirational books for women that should have made the list, but here are some great motivational books about overcoming self doubt, leading a creative life, focusing on your own self care and focusing on your own happiness.

• Untamed by Glennon Doyle – A battle cry for women to embrace their truest selves.
• Girl, Wash Your Face by Rachel Hollis – A shake-you-by-the-shoulders kind of motivation.
• You Are a Badass   by Jen Sincero – Stop doubting your greatness and live an awesome life.
• The Gifts of Imperfection   by Brené Brown  – Because let’s face it, we’re all wonderfully imperfect.
• Eat, Pray, Love by Elizabeth Gilbert – A good book for finding your best life.

It’s hard to believe one day I was reading “Are you there God, It’s me Margaret” and now I’m suddenly talking about the best books for senior women!  WHAT??  I think my favorite of all these was Sheri Salata’s book. It hit me at a time when I really needed a self healing book, but they all seemed to have the right message at the time I read them.

1. The Third Chapter: Passion, Risk, and Adventure in the 25 Years After 50 by Sara Lawrence-Lightfoot – A vivid portrait of the transformative period that often starts in our 50s when we really begin living life, debunking the myth that aging is only about decline.
2. Women Rowing North: Navigating Life’s Currents and Flourishing As We Age by Mary Pipher-  A look into the unique challenges and joys women face as they age. A compassionate guide on resilience, navigating life’s currents, and thriving in later life.
3. It’s Never Too Late to Begin Again: Discovering Creativity and Meaning at Midlife and Beyond by Julia Cameron – Cameron offers tools and exercises to help reignite the creative spark, proving it’s never too late to start living very good lives.
4. Goddesses Never Age: The Secret Prescription for Radiance, Vitality, and Well-Being by Christiane Northrup, M.D .  – Dr. Northrup provides a comprehensive guide to physical, emotional, and spiritual health for mature women. She emphasizes the importance of a positive attitude towards aging and offers advice on how to feel vibrant at any age.
5. The Beautiful No: And Other Tales of Trial, Transcendence, and Transformation by Sheri Salata – Her memoir is a testament to the idea that it’s never too late to pursue your dreams and rewrite your epic story.
6. Present Over Perfect: Leaving Behind Frantic for a Simpler, More Soulful Way of Living by Shauna Niequest – Encouragement to leave behind the pressure to be perfect and begin the life-changing practice of being present, in the middle of messy and ordinary life.
7. Stillness is The Key by Ryan Holiday – A small manual to show why slowing down is the secret weapon for those charging ahead. A New York times bestseller, Holiday steers us away from positive thinking and more toward stillness as an absolute act of achieving success without the grind.
8. Essentialism: The Disciplined Pursuit of Less by Greg McKeown – Essentialism isn’t about getting more done in less time. It’s about getting only the right things done. This book by another bestselling author offers no nonsense advice about less of the right things to feel less overwhelmed.

6 Best Books On Creativity

1. Big Magic: Creative Living Beyond Fear by Elizabeth Gilbert – This book delves into the mysteries of the creative process and offers advice on how to face down what we most fear and embrace our own story and creativity.
2. The Artist’s Way: A Spiritual Path to Higher Creativity by Julia Cameron – A seminal work on creativity, this 12-week program helps release a creative spirit which is stifled by daily pressures and anxieties.
3. B i rd by Bird: Some Instructions on Writing and Life by Anne Lamott – A guide for writers addressing the challenges of the creative process, from getting started to dealing with perfectionism.
4. Playing Big: Practical Wisdom for Women Who Want to Speak Up, Create, and Lead by Tara Mohr – One of the best inspirational books for women who want to step into roles of greater influence, trust their instincts, identify their callings, and silence their inner critics.
5. The Creative Act: A Way of Being by Rick Rubin – A book about creativity that will get writers, creative entrepreneurs and artists working with a new sense of meaning and direction.
6. Still Writing by Dani Shapiro – A witty, heartfelt, and practical look at the exhilarating and challenging process of storytelling. (I got to meet author, Dani Shapiro. She was a peach!)

Each of these books have been bestsellers for years and are perfect self healing books for women. These picks are great companions to personal growth and self-improvement. If you are looking for an evergreen self help book, here you go:

1. The Four Agreements: A Practical Guide to Personal Freedom by Don Miguel Ruiz
2. Atomic Habits: An Easy & Proven Way to Build Good Habits & Break Bad Ones by James Clear
3. Can’t Hurt Me: Master Your Mind and Defy the Odds by David  Goggins
4. Make Your Bed: Little Things That Can Change Your Life…And Maybe the World by Admiral William H. McRaven 

Being a creative type, I’ve worn my copy of  Big Magic  ragged. Don Millers thoughtful book  Blue Like Jazz  helped me look at religion from a different angle. I love anything by Anne Lammot, but her book  Grace Eventually: Thoughts on Faith  kept me great company through some challenging times of questioning my experience with organized religion. That’s me and Anne in the picture below so we’re pretty much BFFs.

I’m such an avid reader, but I’ll confess, my favorite genre is mostly non-fiction, empowering books. My favorite book for professional women is Playing Big: Practical Wisdom for Women Who Want to Speak Up, Create, and Lead by Tara Mohr.

I’ve NOT read The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck: A Counterintuitive Approach to Living a Good Life by Mark Manson, but with over 10 million copies sold, I’m starting to wonder what I’m giving up on!

1. Year of Yes by Shonda Rhimes – Behind major TV hits, Rhimes reveals the transformative power of embracing challenges in her own way through her personal “yes” experiment.
2. We Should All Be Feminists  by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie – First time author’s compelling essay urges readers to reimagine and demand a world more just for women.
3. The Happiness Project by Gretchen Rubin – Rubin’s yearlong journey into happiness wisdoms offers a relatable guide on the art of joyful living.
4. Becoming by Michelle Obama – A deep dive into the life of the former First Lady, from childhood to the White House, illustrating the essence of resilience and voice.
5. The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up by Marie Kondo – Beyond a decluttering guide, Kondo’s KonMari method emphasizes surrounding oneself with joy.
6. The Moment of Lift by Melinda Gates – Gates highlights the importance and impact of empowering women, weaving in personal narratives and hard data.
7. I Am Malala by Malala Yousafzai – Malala’s brave journey from a near-death experience for advocating girls’ education to becoming a global voice for women’s rights.
8. Beloved by Toni Morrison  – A gripping tale of love and the haunting scars of slavery, Morrison’s novel is a masterpiece that addresses the complexities of human experiences.
9. Educated by Tara Westover – A memoir about a woman growing up in a strict and abusive household in rural Idaho, who escapes to learn about the broader world through education.
10. It’s Not Supposed to Be This Way by Lysa TerKeurst  – TerKeurst navigates the journey of finding unexpected strength in life’s disappointments.
11. I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou – This heartfelt autobiography is not just a coming-of-age tale but a testament to the human spirit’s resilience and the transformative power of words and love.

This post talks all about the best inspirational and best self-improvement books for women and includes suggestions for empowering books for women over 50! Hopefully you’ll find a great motivational book to read. I can’t promise they’re the best beach books, but they will leave you motivated and inspired.