Reading to Lead: 5 Books That Changed the Way I Think About Work and Life

Introduction

If there’s one thing that’s shaped the way I lead, build, and grow—it's books.

Books have been my mentors when I didn’t have one. My mindset reset button. My fuel during transitions. Over the years, I’ve read dozens of titles across leadership, psychology, business, and life. But five of them stuck with me like no others.

Here’s how they changed the way I think about work, product, and life—and why I keep coming back to them.

1. Principles by Ray Dalio

This book made me fall in love with radical transparency and idea meritocracy. It showed me how systems thinking applies not just to investing, but to leadership, team dynamics, and decision-making.

Since reading it, I’ve started creating principles of my own—for how I lead teams, manage conflict, and approach hard calls.

Lesson: Don’t just react. Create a system for how you respond.

2. The Psychology of Money by Morgan Housel

This one changed how I think about risk, wealth, and freedom.

It reminded me that financial decisions are rarely about spreadsheets—they’re about emotions, upbringing, and context. That applies in business too: behind every strategy is a human mindset.

Lesson: Wealth is what you don’t see. Play long-term games.

3. Atomic Habits by James Clear

When I was juggling a full-time job, a startup, and a toddler—habits saved me.

This book taught me to shrink my goals into small, repeatable wins. It’s how I built my writing practice, my fitness routine, and even how I plan product sprints.

Lesson: You don’t rise to the level of your goals. You fall to the level of your systems.

4. The Lean Startup by Eric Ries

As a founder and product manager, this book is my foundation.

It gave me the confidence to test fast, learn early, and embrace uncertainty. Bellimar, my jewelry brand, wouldn’t have happened without MVP thinking and validated learning.

Lesson: Build-Measure-Learn isn’t just for startups—it’s a mindset.

5. Empowered by Marty Cagan

I wrote a whole post about this one, but it belongs here too.

This book reframed how I think about product leadership. It showed me that the best teams aren’t told what to build—they’re trusted to figure it out. It’s now the lens I use for coaching, hiring, and leading with purpose.

Lesson: Empowered teams build extraordinary products.

Closing Thought

Great books don’t just inform. They transform.

These five taught me how to think in systems, lead with purpose, and grow intentionally—in work and in life. Whether you're a founder, PM, or lifelong learner, I hope they do the same for you.

And if you have one that changed you? I’d love to hear it.