Once you’re out of college, it’s on you to keep learning. And boy, have I been busy learning this year.
Between starting a company I didn’t plan on to learning how to use Tinder, it’s been a hell of a growth curve.
Just a few of the things I’ve been learning about this year have included dating, leadership, instagram, my position in the world as a single American female, intersectional feminism, and breaking through mindset barriers.
This list reflects that and is a list of the books I’ve been engaging with repeatedly this year to grow personally and professionally.
Brene Brown’s newest book is by far my favorite. She managed to articulate something that has always pressed at me – that the people worth really listening to are the ones who are courageously in the arena trying to get back up after a fall.
It’s on everyone’s lists this year for a reason. It’s damn good. It’s a satisfying as Anne Lamott’s Bird by Bird without having quite the same level of preachiness. Best read by opening up to a random page for a bit of a creative burst.
The Coincidence of Coconut Cake
It mean seem a little odd to have some women’s lit on here, but it honestly gave me some hope as a writer. The language in it was simple. The scenes were real without being burdened by too many descriptors. I read the whole thing in two days. It broke down some of my preconceived notions of what a writing a “good book” entailed.
Steal Like An Artist + the journal
More than anything else I read this year, Steal like an artist forced me straight out of my creative comfort zone by inviting me to engage in ways I hadn’t considered before.
If there is a voice worth listening to when it comes to increasing power of the single woman and what it means for society and ourselves, it’s Kate Bolick. Her book Spinster gave me an entirely new lens to view my dating habits, what my future could look like, and why it matters.
Two questions I’ve considered a lot this year are, “What kind of woman am I?” and “What kind of woman will I become?” This book helped me realize I had a much bigger vision for this than I was letting myself pursue. From dating to career advice and more, Gala nails it with this book.
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Dusti Arab, Fractional CMO
And the founder of the reinvention co, a marketing consultancy specializing in working with personality-driven companies with small teams.
Intense, fun, and relentlessly practical, Dusti understands the lives of small business owners are deeply intertwined with their businesses, and if their marketing is going to be sustainable, it can't get in the way of why they do what they do. (And honestly? It should be fun so they actually want to do it.)
She is the host of Referral Worthy, a podcast for small business owners ready to go from "best kept secret" to the go-to name in their niche.