📚 Her Story. Her Books. 2025

The 2025 Guest Book List

Each year on WOMENdontDOthat, we invite our guests to share not only their stories, but also the books that have shaped how they think, lead, question, and grow. The 2025 guest book list brings together fiction and nonfiction, memoir and manifesto, with titles that explore power, identity, leadership, grief, confidence, systems change, and meaning. These are not must-reads because they are trendy, but because they mattered to the women who shared them.

2025 Guest Picks

The Stranger by Albert Camus

Episode 181 — An American in Canada: TikToker & Entrepreneur Amy Creyer

A philosophical novel exploring absurdism and the search for meaning through the emotionally detached life of Meursault, a man navigating society’s expectations after committing an unexamined crime.

Circe by Madeline Miller

Episode 182 — Hammering Through Barriers: Camryn Rogers’ Olympic Journey

A feminist retelling of Greek mythology that reclaims the voice of Circe, a powerful witch redefining strength, exile, and self-determination.

Who Says Elephants Can’t Dance? by Louis V. Gerstner Jr.

Episode 183 — Shattering Limits, Building Success: Insights from Invest Ottawa’s Sonya

Shorey

A leadership memoir detailing the corporate turnaround of IBM, focusing on culture change, strategic clarity, and decisive leadership.

I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou

Episode 187 — Fearless & Unfiltered: Redefining Power with Kathryn Marshall

Maya Angelou’s landmark autobiography recounting her early life, trauma, and resilience, and the formative experiences that shaped her voice and activism.

Last Lion: The Fall and Rise of Ted Kennedy edited by Peter S. Canellos

Episode 188 — Behind the Ballot: Empowering Women to Step Into Political Power with Kim Wright

A political biography examining the complex legacy of Senator Ted Kennedy, including power, failure, public service, and redemption.

Material World: A Substantial Story of Our Past and Future by Ed Conway

Episode 189 — Building a Business Between Naps: Entrepreneurship & Motherhood with Melanie Paradis

A deep dive into the raw materials that underpin modern life, revealing the invisible systems behind global supply chains, infrastructure, and innovation.

How to Win Friends & Influence People by Dale Carnegie

Episode 192 — Suzanne Grant: Investing in Possibility

A classic self-development book focused on communication, empathy, and relationship-building as tools for leadership and influence.

Overwhelmed: Work, Love, and Play When No One Has the Time by Brigid Schulte

Episode 194 — Juggling Glass and Rubber: Jordan Leichnitz’s Honest Take on Politics, Parenthood & Purpose

An exploration of modern busyness, particularly for women, examining how cultural expectations, workplace norms, and time pressure shape daily life.

Grief Is Love: Living with Loss by Marisa Renee Lee

Episode 196 — Leadership, Loss & the Courage to Keep Showing Up

A reflective memoir reframing grief as an expression of love, examining loss, leadership, and the long arc of healing.

The Untethered Soul by Michael A. Singer

Episode 197 — Power and Purpose: Nour Hachem on Opening Doors for Women in the Workforce

A spiritual guide focused on mindfulness, inner freedom, and separating the self from habitual thought patterns.

Rest Is ResistanceA Manifesto by Tricia Hersey

Episode 201 — Building Real Confidence with Selena Rezvani

A cultural manifesto positioning rest as a form of resistance against burnout, grind culture, and systemic oppression.

Quick Confidence by Selena Rezvani

Episode 201 — Building Real Confidence with Selena Rezvani

A practical guide to building confidence through communication, self-advocacy, and relational intelligence.

Call Me Ishmael: Memories of an Inuit Boy by Ishmael Alunik

Episode 202 — From the Arctic to the Runway: Willow Allen on Identity, Motherhood, and Mental Health

A memoir chronicling Inuit identity, fashion, and self-discovery, blending cultural history with personal narrative.

Tiny Beautiful Things by Cheryl Strayed

Episode 203 — Fixing Systems, Not People: Rethinking Homelessness with Kaite Burkholder Harris

A collection of advice columns offering candid, compassionate reflections on love, grief, courage, and human complexity.

In the Shelter: Finding a Home in the World by Pádraig Ó Tuama

Episode 203 — Fixing Systems, Not People: Rethinking Homelessness with Kaite Burkholder Harris

A poetic meditation on language, belonging, faith, and the spaces where people seek refuge.

The E-Myth Revisited by Michael E. Gerber

Episode 204 — From Kitchen Table to Queen Elizabeth: How Rachel Mielke Built Hillberg & Berk

A business classic that distinguishes between working in a business and working on it, emphasizing systems and scalability.

The Conscious Parent by Shefali Tsabary

Episode 205 — Make It Stick: Building Lasting Habits with Katie Faloon-Drew

A parenting philosophy focused on self-awareness, emotional growth, and conscious relationships between parents and children.

Thick Skin: Field Notes from a Sister in the Brotherhood by Hilary Peach

Episode 209 — Leading in Defence and Life with Meghan Spilka O’Keefe

A memoir examining leadership, gender, and resilience within male-dominated industries, particularly defence and skilled trades.

Building a StoryBrand by Donald Miller

Episode 210 — From Single Mum at 23 to CEO & Partner: Building a Brand That Gets You in the Room

A marketing and communication framework that applies storytelling principles to clarify messaging and connect with audiences.

Looking Ahead to 2026

This list reflects the conversations, challenges, and questions that shaped 2025, but the reading journey does not stop here. As WOMENdontDOthat moves into 2026, we look forward to adding new voices, new perspectives, and new books that challenge how we think, lead, parent, build, rest, and belong. Here’s to another year of reading with curiosity, learning with intention, and letting stories guide us forward.

What book would you add to this list?

Comment below. Your recommendation may be featured in an upcoming discussion and on our social channels.