New Reviews: Personal Growth

Nikolas Salmon's narration ensures that this exploration of Danish workplace culture is digestible as a listening experience. His delivery highlights the contrast between the Danish approach and stressful environments elsewhere. He captures the optimism behind practical solutions for reducing stress and increasing happiness. Salmon's voice remains consistent, making the... Read More

Jesse Lipscombe shares personal details of his life as an athlete, actor, and public speaker to help listeners overcome obstacles and achieve their goals. He is simple yet effective in delivering his well-organized tools and advice on how to address passions, pursue them, and conquer dreams. Lipscombe motivates through his stories and heartfelt tone, and he explains how the... Read More

Loretta J. Ross delivers her audiobook in an authentic-sounding voice. A longtime activist, Ross provides a detailed discussion on the practice of "calling in" people who need education and support on difficult issues. This is different from "calling out" someone, either in person or on social media, an approach Ross asserts may feel good in the moment but has limited positive... Read More

Tom Rosshirt, a former White House speechwriter, discusses his experience with pursuing a dream with passion, failing, breaking down, and building himself back up. His narration is conversational and informal--he sounds like an everyday person. With an Eastern accent, he describes his early ideas about spirituality, his search for an idealized self-image in the eyes of others,... Read More

In conversational tones, positivity expert Shola Richards shares his playbook on how each person can begin to lead the charge to bring kindness back in a society in which hate and indifference are often fueled by social media and 24/7 news. Richards candidly shares how being the recipient of hateful behavior for far too long led to a suicide attempt that started him on this... Read More

Poet Maggie Smith's newest audiobook expands her purview to offer all kinds of artists helpful advice about what she sees as the 10 essential elements of creativity: attention, wonder, vision, play, surprise, vulnerability, restlessness, tenacity, connection, and hope. Her light, sweet-sounding voice often assumes a poet's studied rhythmic cadence as she narrates with... Read More

Psychologist and therapist Ellen Hendriksen has a likable, easygoing narrating style that holds together the impressive amount of useful information in her latest audiobook. With her vocal clarity and strength, she sounds at once relaxed, assertive, and focused on connecting with her listeners. Her desire to help sounds authentic. This guide to recognizing perfectionism in... Read More

Narrating this exceptional audiobook with power and confidence, Alexis Fernandez-Preiksa, the host of a popular podcast, uses her training in neuroscience and her own personal growth adventures to explain the mindset and strategies needed for each of us to live our best life. The implicit message in her muscular voice and matter-of-fact tone is that all of us have the ability... Read More

Episcopal Bishop Mariann Budde narrates in a calm, well-modulated voice with a deliberate, sometimes halting cadence, evoking her delivery from the pulpit. The bishop explores six practices generating effective responses to "the decisive moments when we are called to act with courage." Using examples from her own life, as well as from luminaries including Justice Thurgood... Read More

The affection many listeners will feel for the Australian author during the opening passages of this audiobook will grow steadily as he describes overcoming personal challenges on his way to becoming a successful actor, husband, and father. With his humility and perspective, his stories from childhood to the present (he's 60 now) are captivating, and the lessons he shares are... Read More

Mel Robbins's superpower is transforming common-sense actions into powerful tools for change. She dives into background research, tests concepts in her own life, and shares them with relatable, actionable clarity. This time, Robbins focuses on the core principle of control: understanding what's beyond your grasp--others (them)--and what's within it--yourself (me). Robbins... Read More

Brian Nishii delivers a performance that could not be better suited to this touching, well-documented personal growth audiobook. The author, a psychology professor and native of Japan, explains through vivid personal stories and accessible research that meaning and purpose in life are not enough. We can stay busy working for something we believe in, something important, but... Read More

Writer Brad Meltzer is one of those rare people whose voice exudes sincerity, honesty, and a love of humanity. This brief work is largely based on the commencement speech he gave at his son's graduation from the University of Michigan. As anyone who's ever attended a speech by Meltzer knows, his words are always inspiring and real. Here, he talks about his own career and life,... Read More

Author and mortality expert Joanna Ebenstein sounds lovely in this sincere and well-organized reminder that death is coming, so live now as well as you can. Performing this audiobook (whose title is Latin for "remember you must die"), she is a gentle messenger, full of grace and charm as she explains how writers, thinkers, and people in ancient cultures embraced mortality to... Read More

The personal approach of the author's narration is perfect for this nonfiction title about the art of conversation. Jefferson Fisher promotes connection rather than division, and his country drawl ensures that his message is relatable and real. The three "c"s of communication-- control, confidence, and connection--will resonate with listeners because of Jefferson's... Read More

The author and narrator of this charming guide felt isolated and inferior earlier in life. Here she describes how being honest with herself and other women helped her find self-acceptance. While she doesn't perform with the polish of a voice pro, Johnston has a likable voice, conversational rhythm, and affecting vulnerability. Her vocal sweetness and the funny life episodes she... Read More

Author and narrator Gabrielle Bernstein offers tools for real change using Internal Family Systems Therapy (IFS). In a calm, even tone, she shares personal experiences and guides listeners on how to remove blockages and tap into self-energy. The strategy involves recognizing, identifying, and compassionately connecting with emotionally protective parts of oneself that may... Read More

Rachel Syme is delightful company. Upbeat, witty, informative, and persuasive, her guide to all things epistolary entertains while convincing listeners that letters (preferably hand-scrawled) are some of the best things in life. Narrating in a cheerful, perky, and crisply enunciated tone, and introduced by romantic music, Syme explores it all: letter-writing history, tales of... Read More

A likable teacher who lives with his wife and three daughters in a New York City apartment shares tips for organizing small spaces and complicated families. Tyler Moore's vocal clarity and charisma are wonderful vehicles for his excellent advice. While broad changes in managing one's space and family may be a tough sell for overly busy people, Moore's pleasing delivery gives... Read More