5 Books That Will Change Your Life

Dior Bediako - Founder of Pepper Your Talk

Without a doubt the book that changed my life would be A Return to Love by Marianne Williamson. I went through a break-up in 2019 and needed to reframe my thoughts about love. I thought I had no more tears left to cry but this book has me streaming with tears at 10am on the Central Line heading to White City. With each chapter, Marianna thoughtfully layers another lesson on love onto the other and left me wishing I could go back and appreciate all the ways I could have made moments with friends, family and myself more of a loving experience. I learnt about the ego and its terrorism against love in all forms and best of all my personal takeaway was that love simply exists. It's endlessly in us, around us, ahead of us and it's a buffet for all to enjoy.

Tabitha Goldstaub - Co-founder of CognitionX

Invisible Women: Exposing Data Bias in a World Designed for Men by Caroline Criado Perez: I’ve quoted Perez throughout my own book How to Talk to Robots because Invisible Women examines all the ways gender impacts data-based decisions and designs in our world. Looking at topics from health diagnostics to automotive engineering to bathroom design, Criado Perez asks over and over, where are the women in the data? And what are the consequences of our invisibility?

Tiwalola Ogunlesi - Founder of Confident and Killing It

The book that kick started my confidence journey was 15 Laws of Growth by John Maxwell. Before I read it, I always thought growth and confidence came with age but it doesn't. Growth is something you have to be intentional about and confidence is a practice. You need to have a compelling vision of your future self and look at what action steps you need to take to get there. It won't just happen, you've got to be strategic about it. Once I started getting strategic about my growth, it unlocked new levels of abundance, love, joy, confidence and freedom.

Olivia Simpson - Founder of Jamcan Juice

My pick is Beautylicious! The Black Girl’s Guide to the Fabulous Life. I bought this book when I was 14 years old and very unhappy at school. It was my roadmap to becoming a boujee and successful woman. I would recommend it to anyone looking to step into their power (also it has great playlist recommendations for cocktail parties).

Stefanie Sword-Williams - Founder of F Being Humble

I read Secrets of Six-Figure Women by Barbara Stanny during lockdown and she really helped me to reframe my mindset around asking for money. Throughout the book she continuously asks are you making your decisions based on what is easier in the moment or what will provide you with the best long term results? She says that the feeling of discomfort we experience is temporary, but if you push through that, the pay-off could be extraordinary. One of my favourite quotes from the book was "It makes no difference where in the game you begin, as long as you’re in it to win". A positive reminder that it's never too late to make the money you want in life providing you're willing to put in the hours to get it.