To celebrate International Women’s Day 2023, we’ve put together a short list of recommended reads from our Guidance Center staff. These books take a closer look at the lived experiences of women around the world and showcase some of the meaningful contributions women are making to create a more equitable future.

A Room Of One’s Own  – Virginia Woolf

In A Room of One’s Own, Virginia Woolf imagines that Shakespeare had a sister—a sister equal to Shakespeare in talent, and equal in genius, but whose legacy is radically different. In this classic novel, Woolf takes on the establishment, using her gift of language to dissect the world around her and give voice to those who are without. Her message is a simple one: women must have a steady income and a room of their own in order to have the freedom to create.

Big Magic – Elizabeth Gilbert

Gilbert encourages us to uncover the “strange jewels” that are hidden within each of us. Whether we are looking to write a book, make art, find new ways to address challenges in our work, embark on a dream long deferred, or simply infuse our everyday lives with more mindfulness and passion, Big Magic cracks open a world of wonder and joy.

Women Food And God – Geneen Roth

After three decades of studying, teaching, and writing about our compulsions with food, bestselling author Geneen Roth adds a powerful new dimension to her work in Women Food and God. She begins with her most basic concept: the way you eat is inseparable from your core beliefs about being alive. Your relationship with food is an exact mirror of your feelings about love, fear, anger, meaning, transformation and, yes, even God.

I Am Diosa – Christine Gutierrez

I Am Diosa will inspire women to give themselves permission to feel, to be seen, to be heard, and to return to their truest selves. From stories of resilience from both Gutierrez and members of her Diosa Tribe, to mantras, meditations, and guided journaling prompts, this book gives women the tools they need to honor their sacred feminine and become who they were always meant to be.

Atlas Of The Heart – Brené Brown

In Atlas of the Heart, Brown takes us on a journey through eighty-seven of the emotions and experiences that define what it means to be human. As she maps the necessary skills and an actionable framework for meaningful connection, she gives us the language and tools to access a universe of new choices and second chances—a universe where we can share and steward the stories of our bravest and most heartbreaking moments with one another in a way that builds connection.

Thank you so much to our staff contributors for compiling this list!

Happy Reading!