Reading List 2024!
These are the books/research topics I'll be reading and sharing with my clients. Grab a copy and work along
with me! Click on the titles to order.
And in all things, if you have input on the topics below, other sources to consider, please let me know.
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New Clients
Two Must Reads
1. The Gap And The Gain, Dan Sullivan and Dr. Benjamin Hardy, 2021.
This a high-achievers guide to true happiness, constant confidence and self-determined success. There is no way you can read this book and not be transformed for the better. EVERYONE should read this book!
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2. Atomic Habits, James Clear, 2018.
Main Topics include how the brain is designed to form habits, how to move from unconscious to conscious
thinking patterns, how to build your "process week" based on your goals and concentrating on "Winnning the Week", week in and week out, as the formula for success. This is a must read. Must.
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Four Should Reads
1. The Art of Impossible: A Peak Performance Primer, Steven Kotler, 2021.
You have to read this book if you really want to move forward into a more unique existance. Best book I've read in two years to help you move out of ruts and low output into daily creativity and high performance. You have to use your curiosities to find your passions and then your purpose in life. Everyting flows from there.
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2. Transcend - The New Science of Self-Actualization, Scott Barry Kaufman, 2020.
Whether you are familiar with Abraham Maslow's work via hierarchy of needs or not, this book will help you explore and probably reframe how you look at yourself - and how you live in the world. I would create a class and make it mandatory for every incoming HS freshman to read this book over the first semester of their HS careers. It is literally that life changing.
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3. Finding Flow - The Pyschology of Engagement with Everyday Life, Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi, 1997.
A shorter read of the 1990 book below. I would start here then move to the 1990 book if your want a deeper dive. I hope this will move you towards considering very deeply and honestly about when you are experiencing flow in your life - when you are engaged in optimal experiences.
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4. The Obstacle is The Way: The Timeless Art of Turning Trials into Triumph, Ryan Holiday, 2014.
From time to time, we all need to step back and do a full review and reset - of just about everything. This book, and the wisdom of the Stoics, can provide a solid framework from which to do that. I wish someone had given me this book 30 years ago. If you want an oppotrunity to think differently, more clearly, this book is a good stepping stone. I would make it part of the curriculum in every middle school in the world.
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Newsletters/Podcasts
The Marginalian by Maria Popova: newsletter@brainpickings.org
Twice weekly and one of my favorites. Art, music, psychology, philosophy. Maria has introduced me to authors and topics, places and people that captured my interest and curiosity so that I might delve deeper in my own time. Curiosity, imagination, engagement and flow states. We all need them, often, every day.
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Mondays of Meaning w/ Dr. Jordan Peterson, newsletter, podcast, author, https://www.jordanbpeterson.com/
Dr. Peterson is a psychologist and his newsletter covers lots of topics and also links to his podcasts. He's on the conservative side for the most part but is intelligent enough to work through concepts from all sides, giving you a chance to form your own opinion (we should all do the same, should we not?) His book, Maps of Meaning, was a mind-blower and difficult read for me, but well worth it.
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Scott Barry Kaufman, podcast, author: https://scottbarrykaufman.com/podcast/
Positive psychologist, Univ of Penn, has written a few books as well. Love this guy. If you haven't delved into the positive psychology side of the world, you really should - growth vs deficiency - it's all about your personal paradigms and the contexts you use to process the universe that sets the tone and creates what is uniquely you. My summary and notes on his book, Transcend, are above.
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Dr. Peter Attia: podcast, author: peterattiamd.com
Doctor who has devoted his practice and research to the subject of human longevity. He has a new book out this year, Outlive: The Science and Art of Longevity, which I have purchased but not read yet. Devloping a longevity program for clients will be a project focus for me in 2024.
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James Clear, newsletter, author: james@jamesclear.com
Author of the book, Atomic Habits, above. Awesome stuff to help get you out of left brain hyper-focus and over to the left brain side of holistic thought.
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Ryan Holiday, newsletter, author: ryan@ryanholiday
His book, The Obstacle is the Way, is a great read, especially if you are unfamiliar with the stoics and that flavor of philosphy. My summary and notes on this book are above. He also sends out a monthly reading list, lots of topics. He owns a bookstore with his wife. I've never not enjoyed a book he suggested, myriad of topics. You will find a curiosity somewhere in the books he suggests, almost guaranteed.
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Books
Health and Nutrition
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The Circadian Diabetes Code, Satchin Panda, Ph.D, 2021
Age Later: Age Span, Life Span and the New Science of Longevity, Nir Barzilai, M.D., 2020
From the study of centenarians - those that live to be 100 years old - comes interesting research into nature and nurture. Truly eye-opening read.
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The Hungry Brain: Outsmarting the Instincts That Make Us Overeat, Spephan J Guyenet, Ph.D, 2017
This is a decently deep dive into brain physiology and behavior/habits, cultures of food intake and is well researched. Well worth your time to dig into and as an ongoing reference book.
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The Longevity Diet: Slow Aging, Fight Disease, Optimize Weight, Valter Longo, 2018.
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Becoming More Personally Unique
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On the Shortness of Life, Seneca the Younger (4 BC - 65 AD)
There is nothing new under the sun. This wisdom reads as if it was reflected from present day.
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Resilience Factor: Seven Keys to Finding Your Inner Strength and Overcoming Life's Hurdles,
(2003), Karen Reivich and Andrew Shatte.
When you're ready to take a breathe and really work through how you actually THINK and PROCESS the universe, this is your book. This should be a mandatory course in every HS in America.
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Flow: The Psychology of Ultimate Experience, Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi, 1990
This is apparently one of the first researchers to study the concept of "flow". I have studied this in depth multiple times.
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Extreme Ownership (2015) and The Dichotomy of Leadership (2018), Jocko Willink and Leif Babin.
Some of the best leadership principles from Navy Seals. You'll be glad you read these two books. The world sorely lacks wise leaders.​
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A History of Modern Psychology, Duane P. Schultz, Sydney Ellen Shultz, 10th edition, 2011 (11th edition in 2015).
A 400 page text book condensed with care to 120 pages. If you or anyone you know is interested in psychology it would be a great place to start your learning tree. The full text is available for free online:
https://www.uv.mx/rmipe/files/2017/05/A-history-of-modern-psychology.pdf
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The Master and His Emissary: The Divided Brain and the Making of the Western World,
Iain McGilchrist, 2019.
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The Future is Faster Than You Think: How Converging Technologies Are Transforming Business, Industries and Our Lives, Peter H. Diamandis, Steven Kotler, 2020.
This book was a mind blower for me. Definitely worth the time.
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Exercise and Athletics
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HIIT: High Intensity Interval Training Explained, James Driver, 2017.
This is almost a "must read". Continuous training or long-slow distance training - unless you are specifically training to do something athletically that is long in length - is inefficient and not as effective as HIIT. Be advised, interval training, of which HIIT is a subset, can be used by anyone. The concepts are simply, easy to use, scale, and overload over time and can be used with any mode of training. Quit wasting your TIME and LIFE using treadmills and ellipticals for long periods of time unless your specific goal is to get really good at using treadmills and ellipticals. That isn't your goal, is it? See my point?
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Developing the Core, NSCA, Jeffrey M. Willardson, Editor, 2014.
From the Sport Performance Series from my certificiation organization - National Strength and Conditioning Association (NSCA). So much misinformation and quandry about the core, what it is, how you train it, etc. It would be a disservice to try to say much more but you REALLY need to understand how the lower and upper body connect, stabilize each other and transmit forces back and forth. Take the time, learn your body.
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Movement: Functional Movement Systems, Gray Cook, 2011.
This is the man to listen to and book to read to understand how the body works as unit and how to assess it and correct movement when necessary. I use his principles in my screening process for new clients and his work is in my brain as I watch clients train and move in space.
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Rise of Superman, Steven Kotler, 2015
This is a fun and interesting book that introduces the concept of "flow" as it relates to athletes and is a good
primer in understanding fast brain/slow brain concepts and flow that I'm personally diving into deep with research this year. People that find "flow" can do truly amazing things.
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Articles
Article: Pathophysiological Mechanisms Explaining the Association Between Low Skeletal Mass and Cognitive Function, Susanne Janette Oudbier, MD, et al., 2021
Regardless of your age, if you do not understand the mechanisms that exist between exercise and chronic disease, you will surely develop some type of chronic disease eventually. You HAVE to understand how your physiology functions! This will help you understand the "why" of exercise and health.
If you haven't read much if any research design this will be a hard read. Check through my summary and notes to help you weed through if needed. I'm big on sourcing information, which is why the research design is included.
Article: Metabolical Profile of Reciprocal Supersets in Young, Recreationally Active Women and Men, Rogelio A. Realzola, et al., 2021.
Evidence via research that the type of training style I teach and use personally is the most effective and efficient mode of strength training and conditioning. You have to know your souces of information, you have to find people who truly know what they are talking about. They are few.
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Creativity and Aging: What We Can Make With What We Have Left, Martin Seligman, Marie Forgeard, Scott Barry Kaufman, 2016.
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What Good Are Positive Emotions?, Barbara L. Fredrickson, 1998.
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Associations of Muscle Mass and Strength with All-Cause Mortality Among US Older Adults,
Ran Li, et al, American College of Sports Medicine, 2018.
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Emmanuel Stamatakis, et al., American Journal of Epidemiology, 2018.
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A Validation of Six Wearable Devices for Estimating Sleep, Heart Rate, and Heart Rate Variability in Healthy Adults, Dean J. Miller, et al., MDPI, 2022.
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First Few Seconds of Flow: A comprehensve proposal of the neurobiology and neurodynamics of state onset, Steven Kotler, et al., Neuroscient and Biobehavioral Reviews, 2022.
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Behaviors and Actions of the Strength and Conditioning Coach in Fostering a Positive Coach-Athlete Relationship, Fraser Carson, et al., The Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research, 2022.​
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