Wellness

A dazzling tour through 2,000 years of audacious utopian thinking and experiments, exploring better ways to arrange our daily lives, plus a globetrotting jaunt to the communities already putting these seemingly fanciful visions into practice today. In the 6th century BCE, the Greek philosopher Pythagoras—a man remembered today more for his theorem about right-angled triangles than for his progressive politics—founded a commune in a seaside village in what’s now southern Italy. The men and women there shared their property, lived as equals, and dedicated themselves to the study of mathematics and the mysteries of the universe. Ever since, humans have been dreaming up better ways to organize how we live together, share our property, raise our children, and determine who’s part of our families. Some of these experiments burned brightly for only a brief while—but others carry on today. In Everyday Utopia, fascinatingly feminist thinker Kristen R. Ghodsee whisks you away on a tour through history and around the world to explore those places that have boldly dared to reimagine how we might live our daily lives: from the Danish cohousing communities that share chores and deepen neighborly bonds to matriarchal Colombian ecovillages where residents grow all their own food; and from Connecticut, where new laws make it easier for extra “alloparents” to help raise children not their own, to China, where planned microdistricts ensure everything a busy household might need is nearby. One of those startlingly rare books that upends what you think is possible, Everyday Utopia offers a radically hopeful vision for how to build more contented and connected societies, alongside a practical guide to what we all can do in the meantime to live the good life each and every day.

This program is read by the author and includes off-the-cuff commentary that is exclusive to the audiobook. New York Times bestselling author Andy Cohen goes from bottle service to baby bottles in a hilarious, heartwarming, and name-dropping account of the most important year of his life. Andy Cohen has taken on the most important job of his life—father— and boy (and girl!) does he have a lot to say about it! One of Andy Cohen’s most momentous years starts off with a hangover the morning after an epic New Year’s Eve broadcast. But Andy doesn’t have time to dwell on the drama, as his role as media mogul is now matched with the responsibilities, joys, and growing pains of parenthood. This fast-paced, mile-a-minute look behind the scenes of living the so-called glamorous life in Manhattan now takes firm aim at life at home. With a three-year-old son, Ben, and a daughter, Lucy, born in May, stories of late-night parties are replaced by early mornings with Ben, drama at the play-ground, and the musings of a single dad trying to navigate having it all. All this is set against the backdrop of constant Housewives drama, hijinks behind the scenes at Watch What Happens Live, a revolving door of famous faces, and a worried mother (and newly minted grandmother) in St. Louis. Buckle up, bottle up, and get ready for a laugh-out-loud and surprisingly poignant look at the ways in which family changes everything and the superficial gets very real. Watch what happens! A Macmillan Audio production from Henry Holt & Company.

A Silent Spring for the human body, this wide-ranging, genre-crossing literary mystery interweaves the author’s quest to understand the source of her own condition with her telling of the story of the chronically ill 19th-century diarist Alice James—ultimately uncovering the many hidden health hazards of life in America. When Jennifer Lunden became chronically ill after moving from Canada to Maine, her case was a medical mystery. Just 21, unable to hold a book or stand for a shower, she lost her job and consigned herself to her bed. The doctor she went to for help told her she was “just depressed.” After suffering from this enigmatic illness for five years, she discovered an unlikely source of hope and healing: a biography of Alice James, the bright, witty, and often bedridden sibling of brothers Henry James, the novelist, and William James, the father of psychology. Alice suffered from a life-shattering illness known as neurasthenia, now often dismissed as a “fashionable illness.” In this meticulously researched and illuminating debut, Lunden interweaves her own experience with Alice’s, exploring the history of medicine and the effects of the industrial revolution and late-stage capitalism to tell a riveting story of how we are a nation struggling—and failing—to be healthy. Although science—and the politics behind its funding—has in many ways let Lunden and millions like her down, in the end science offers a revelation that will change how readers think about the ecosystems of their bodies, their communities, the country, and the planet.

A meditation on in vitro fertilization that expands and complicates the stories we tell about pregnancy.  Medical interventions become an exercise in patience, desire, and delirium in this intimate account of bodily transformation and disruption. In candid, graceful prose, Isabel Zapata gives voice to the strangeness and complexities of conception and motherhood that are rarely discussed publicly. Zapata frankly addresses the misogyny she experienced during fertility treatments, explores the force of grief in imagining possible futures, and confronts the societal expectations around maternity. In the tradition of Rivka Galchen’s Little Labors and Sarah Manguso’s Ongoingness, In Vitro draws from diary and essay forms to create a new kind of literary companion and open up space for nuanced conversations about pregnancy.

Read by the author. The real talk you want about pregnancy, birth, body image, and the newborn days from Meghan Trainor, the chart-topping singer-songwriter behind "All About That Bass" and "Dear Future Husband," and, more importantly, Riley's mom. Meghan Trainor has wanted to be a mom since before she even knew how babies were made. From the moment she discovered she was pregnant with her first child--her son, Riley--she was fascinated by the entire experience. Yes, pregnancy and motherhood are miracles--but even a miracle can freak you out sometimes. Everyone has an opinion on what an expectant mother should feel, think, or do during her pregnancy, and it's hard not to feel overwhelmed with app notifications, well-meaning questions, and unsolicited advice that comes from friends, family, and perfect strangers. Dear Future Mama is a heartfelt and humorous guide for expectant mamas inspired by Meghan's own journey into motherhood and expert insights from Meghan's own personal trainer, registered dietitian, husband, and ob-gyn. No shame, no judgment--just straight talk (and laughs) from a bestie who's been there, including a TMI guide to the good, bad, and WTF of conception, pregnancy, and childbirth advice about everything from ovulation apps to random hair growth Meghan's personal stories about body image, mental health, and navigating her career path as a new mother permission to find the right path for you--ignoring the judgment of others and freeing yourself from the shifting standards of motherhood   Dear Future Mama offers future mamas a place to relax, laugh out loud, and get the pep talk they need to know that they are absolutely not alone. Exercises, recipes, and reference tables are included in the audiobook companion PDF download.

In Look for Me There, Luke Russert traverses terrain both physical and deeply personal. On his journey to some of the world’s most stunning destinations, he visits the internal places of grief, family, faith, ambition, and purpose—with intense self-reflection, honesty, and courage."—Savannah Guthrie, coanchor of Today Read by the author. “Look for me there,” news legend Tim Russert would tell his son, Luke, when confirming a pickup spot at an airport, sporting event, or rock concert. After Tim died unexpectedly, Luke kept looking for his father, following in Tim’s footsteps and carving out a highly successful career at NBC News. After eight years covering politics on television, Luke realized he had no good answer as to why he was chasing his father’s legacy. As the son of two accomplished parents—his mother is journalist Maureen Orth of Vanity Fair—Luke felt the pressure of high expectations but suddenly decided to leave the familiar path behind. Instead, Luke set out on his own to find answers. What began as several open-ended months of travel to decompress and reassess morphed into a three-plus-year odyssey across six continents to discover the world and, ultimately, to find himself. Chronicling the important lessons and historical understandings Luke discovered from his travels, Look for Me There is both the vivid narrative of that journey and the emotional story of a young man taking charge of his life, reexamining his relationship with his parents, and finally grieving his larger-than-life father, who died too young.  For anyone uncertain about the direction of their life or unsure of how to move forward after a loss, Look for Me There is a poignant reflection that offers encouragement to examine our choices, take risks, and discover our truest selves.

This program is read by the author. In this illuminating narrative on the daily onslaught of body shame that kids face from peers, school, diet culture, and parents themselves, journalist Virginia Sole-Smith offers a compelling, reported look at how families can change the conversation around weight, health, and self-worth. By the time they reach kindergarten, most kids have learned that “fat” is bad. As they get older, kids learn to pursue thinness in order to survive in a world that ties our body size to our value. Multibillion-dollar industries thrive on consumers believing that we don’t want to be fat. Our weight-centric medical system pushes “weight loss” as a prescription, while ignoring social determinants of health and reinforcing negative stereotypes about the motives and morals of people in larger bodies. And parents today, having themselves grown up in the confusion of modern diet culture, worry equally about the risks of our kids caring too much about being “thin” and about what happens if our kids are fat. Sole-Smith shows how the reverberations of this messaging and social pressures on young bodies continue well into adulthood—and what we can do to fight them. Fat Talk argues for a reclaiming of “fat,” which is not synonymous with “unhealthy,” “inactive,” or “lazy.” Talking to researchers and activists, as well as parents and kids across a broad swath of the country, Sole-Smith lays bare how America’s focus on solving the “childhood obesity epidemic” has perpetuated a second crisis of disordered eating and body hatred for kids of all sizes. She exposes our society’s internalized fatphobia and elucidates how and why we need to stop “preventing obesity” and start supporting kids in the bodies they have. Continuing conversations started by works like Girls & Sex, Under Pressure, and Essential Labor, Fat Talk is a stirring, deeply researched, and groundbreaking audiobook that will help parents learn to reckon with their own body biases, identify diet culture messaging, and ultimately empower their kids to navigate this challenging landscape. Sole-Smith offers an alternative framework for parenting around food and bodies, and a way for us all to work toward a more weight-inclusive world—because it’s not our kids, or their bodies, who need fixing. A Macmillan Audio production from Henry Holt & Company.

INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER “This book is extraordinary.” —Ann Patchett Named a Most Anticipated Book of 2023 by Good Housekeeping, Goodreads, Zibby Mag, Newsweek, BookPage, and LitHub The bestselling poet and author of the “powerful” (People) and “luminous” (Newsweek) Keep Moving offers a lush and heartrending memoir exploring coming of age in your middle age. “Life, like a poem, is a series of choices.” In her memoir You Could Make This Place Beautiful, poet Maggie Smith explores the disintegration of her marriage and her renewed commitment to herself in lyrical vignettes that shine, hard and clear as jewels. The book begins with one woman’s personal, particular heartbreak, but its circles widen into a reckoning with contemporary womanhood, traditional gender roles, and the power dynamics that persist even in many progressive homes. With the spirit of self-inquiry and empathy she’s known for, Smith interweaves snapshots of a life with meditations on secrets, anger, forgiveness, and narrative itself. The power of these pieces is cumulative: page after page, they build into a larger interrogation of family, work, and patriarchy. You Could Make This Place Beautiful, like the work of Deborah Levy, Rachel Cusk, and Gina Frangello, is an unflinching look at what it means to live and write our own lives. It is a story about a mother’s fierce and constant love for her children, and a woman’s love and regard for herself. Above all, this memoir is an argument for possibility. With a poet’s attention to language and an innovative approach to the genre, Smith reveals how, in the aftermath of loss, we can discover our power and make something new. Something beautiful.

This program is read by the author. Operating Instructions meets Glennon Doyle in this new book by famed NPR reporter Mary Louise Kelly that is destined to become a classic—about the year before her son goes to college—and the joys, losses and surprises that happen along the way. The time for do-overs is over. Ever since she became a parent, Mary Louise Kelly has said “next year.” Next year will be the year she makes it to her son James’s soccer games (which are on weekdays at 4 p.m., right when she is on the air on NPR’s All Things Considered, talking to millions of listeners). Drive carpool for her son Alexander? Not if she wants to do that story about Ukraine and interview the secretary of state. Like millions of parents who wrestle with raising children while pursuing a career, she has never been cavalier about these decisions. The bargain she has always made with herself is this: this time I’ll get on the plane, and next year I’ll find a way to be there for the mom stuff. Well, James and Alexander are now seventeen and fifteen, and a realization has overtaken Mary Louise: her older son will be leaving soon for college. There used to be years to make good on her promises; now, there are months, weeks, minutes. And with the devastating death of her beloved father, Mary Louise is facing act three of her life head-on. Mary Louise is coming to grips with the reality every parent faces. Childhood has a definite expiration date. You have only so many years with your kids before they leave your house to build their own lives. It’s what every parent is supposed to want, what they raise their children to do. But it is bittersweet. Mary Louise is also dealing with the realities of having aging parents. This pivotal time brings with it the enormous questions of what you did right and what you did wrong. This chronicle of her eldest child’s final year at home, of losing her father, as well as other curve balls thrown at her, is not a definitive answer―not for herself and certainly not for any other parent. But her questions, her issues, will resonate with every parent. And, yes, especially with mothers, who are judged more harshly by society and, more important, judge themselves more harshly. What would she do if she had to decide all over again? Mary Louise’s thoughts as she faces the coming year will speak to anyone who has ever cared about a child or a parent. It. Goes. So. Fast. is honest, funny, poignant, revelatory, and immensely relatable. A Macmillan Audio production from Henry Holt & Company.

Comedian and actor Chris Gethard sits down with some of his closest comrades for no-holds-barred conversations about transitioning to dad life. It’s no secret that parenting isn’t easy. The way life changes when two people decide to raise a child together can be unexpectedly… different. A rollercoaster of emotions — ranging from excitement to surprise to inspiration to sadness and even loneliness — ensues as the everyday shifts from what once was to what now is. When it comes to being a new dad — as Chris Gethard explores in his latest Scribd Original, The Lonely Dad Conversations — there is definitely a lot to be said about seeking comfort with those who share in these newfound and sometimes overwhelming feelings of change. Featuring interviews with twelve of Gethard’s closest dad friends (and one mom because — as Gethard notes — she is “one of the smartest people” he knows and “might have some insight into presenting masculinity that no one else could offer”), The Lonely Dad Conversations looks at how social interactions, relationships, and friendships can change upon becoming a dad. As the long nights of partying turn into long nights of diaper duty or constant worries about their child’s future (especially in a post-pandemic world), each dad — and one mom — offers insight into how they managed a complete lifestyle pivot. And while being a mom is “actually more difficult,” as one interviewee points out, dads “are allowed to complain too.” Following up on his deeply personal book Dad on Pills: Fatherhood and Mental Illness, Gethard “airs out the conversations that dads often feel too nervous to have” in The Lonely Dad Conversations by tapping into the thoughts and emotions of those around him as they reflect on their own childhoods and learned family values.

Read by the author. Offering a path for a new way to think about friendships, The Life Council will inspire and equip you to be a better friend, make new friends, and appreciate how different types of friendships can bring a richness to your life like never before. You'd love to have a "ride or die" posse like you see on social media, but instead you have a host of really good . . . acquaintances. After all, trying to find a soul friend in the midst of dirty dishes, deadlines, and, oh, a crazy busy life can be overwhelming. But what if developing great friendships was actually easier than we thought? And what if finding a "soul friend" wasn't necessarily our highest goal? In The Life Council, Laura Tremaine--the writer and podcaster behind 10 Things to Tell You--tells us what we've been hoping was true all along: making, keeping, and even releasing friends doesn't need to be as hard as we make it. This fun and practical guide gives you what you need to: Create your own "life council" with the friends you already have Understand the ten kinds of friends every woman needs--and how to find them Learn how to evaluate your friendship circle for what's working and what might need to change Navigate tough conversations with friends Get excited again about the possibility of new friendships   The Life Council will give every woman the help she needs to think about friendships in a new way and find true connection, freedom, and joy in her relationships. A discussion guide is included in the accompanying audiobook companion PDF download.

The Art of the Straight Line captures the energy of Lou Reed’s worlds of Tai Chi, music, and meditation. It was edited by his wife, the artist Laurie Anderson, with Stephan Berwick, Bob Currie, and Scott Richman. Lou Reed was a musician, singer, songwriter, poet, and founding member of the legendary rock band the Velvet Underground. He collaborated with many artists, from Andy Warhol and John Cale to Robert Wilson and Metallica. Reed had a groundbreaking solo career that spanned five decades until his death in 2013. Reed was also an accomplished martial artist whose practice began in the 1980s. He studied with Chen Tai Chi pioneer Master Ren GuangYi. This book is a comprehensive collection of Reed’s writings on Tai Chi. It includes conversations with Reed’s fellow musicians, artists, friends, and Tai Chi practitioners, including Julian Schnabel, A. M. Homes, Hal Willner, Mingyur Rinpoche, Eddie Stern, Tony Visconti, and Iggy Pop. Including over 150 photos, ephemera, and a color photo insert, The Art of the Straight Line features Reed’s unpublished writings on the technique, practice, and purpose of martial arts, as well as essays, observations, and riffs on meditation and life.

“Page for page, I may not have ever learned more from a book.... Womb is a history book as well as a biology book but it’s also an adventure and a celebration.” —Rob Delaney, actor and author of A Heart That Works A groundbreaking, triumphant investigation of the uterus—from birth to death, in sickness and in health, throughout history and into our possible future—from midwife and acclaimed writer Leah Hazard The size of a clenched fist and the shape of a light bulb—with no less power and potential. Every person on Earth began inside a uterus, but how much do we really understand about the womb? Bringing together medical history, scientific discoveries, and journalistic exploration, Leah Hazard embarks on a journey in search of answers about the body’s most miraculous and contentious organ. We meet the people who have shaped our relationship with the uterus: doctors and doulas, yoni steamers and fibroid-tea hawkers, legislators who would regulate the organ’s very existence, and boundary-breaking researchers on the frontiers of the field. With a midwife’s warmth and humor, Hazard tackles pressing questions: Is the womb connected to the brain? Can cervical crypts store sperm? Do hysterectomies affect sexual pleasure? How can smart tampons help health care? Why does endometriosis take so long to be diagnosed? Will external gestation be possible in our lifetime? How does gender-affirming hormone therapy affect the uterus? Why does medical racism impact reproductive healthcare? A clear-eyed and inclusive examination of the cultural prejudices and assumptions that have made the uterus so poorly understood for centuries, Womb takes a fresh look at an organ that brings us pain and pleasure—a small part of our bodies that has a larger impact than we ever thought possible.  

A soulful collection of illuminating essays and interviews that explore Black people’s spiritual and scientific connection to the land, waters, and climate, curated by the acclaimed author of Farming While Black Author of Farming While Black and co-founder of Soul Fire Farm, Leah Penniman reminds us that ecological humility is an intrinsic part of Black cultural heritage. While racial capitalism has attempted to sever our connection to the sacred earth for 400 years, Black people have long seen the land and water as family and understood the intrinsic value of nature. This thought-provoking anthology brings together today’s most respected and influential Black environmentalist voices —leaders who have cultivated the skill of listening to the Earth —to share the lessons they have learned. These varied and distinguished experts include Pulitzer Prize and National Book Award-winning author Alice Walker; the first Queen Mother and official spokesperson for the Gullah/Geechee Nation, Queen Quet; marine biologist, policy expert, and founder and president of Ocean Collectiv, Dr. Ayana Elizabeth Johnson; and the Executive Director of the North Carolina Association of Black Lawyers, Land Loss Prevention Project, Savi Horne. In Black Earth Wisdom, they address the essential connection between nature and our survival and how runaway consumption and corporate insatiability are harming the earth and every facet of American society, engendering racial violence, food apartheid, and climate injustice. Those whose skin is the color of soil are reviving their ancestral and ancient practice of listening to the earth for guidance. Penniman makes clear that the fight for racial and environmental justice demands that people put our planet first and defer to nature as our ultimate teacher. Contributors include: Alice Walker • adrienne maree brown • Dr. Ross Gay • Dr. Ayana Elizabeth Johnson • Rue Mapp • Dr. Carolyn Finney • Audrey Peterman • Awise Agbaye Wande Abimbola • Ibrahim Abdul-Matin • Kendra Pierre-Louis • Latria Graham • Dr. Lauret Savoy •Ira Wallace • Savi Horne • Dr. Claudia Ford • Dr. J. Drew Lanham • Dr. Leni Sorensen • Queen Quet • Toshi Reagon • Yeye Luisah Teish • Yonnette Fleming • Naima Penniman • Angelou Ezeilo • James Edward Mills • Teresa Baker • Pandora Thomas • Toi Scott • Aleya Fraser • Chris Bolden-Newsome • Dr. Joshua Bennett • B. Anderson • Chris Hill • Greg Watson • T. Morgan Dixon • Dr. Dorceta Taylor • Colette Pichon Battle • Dillon Bernard • Sharon Lavigne • Steve Curwood • and Babalawo Enroue Halfkenny Supplemental enhancement PDF accompanies the audiobook.

The New York Times bestselling author and human performance expert tests his knowledge and theories on his own aging body in a quest to become an expert skier at age fifty-three. Gnar: adjective, short for “gnarly,” def: any environment or situation that is high in perceived risk and high in actual risk. Country: noun, def: any defined territory, landscape or terrain, fictitious or real. Cutting-edge discoveries in embodied cognition, flow science, and network neuroscience have revolutionized how we think about peak performance aging. On paper, these discoveries should allow older athletes to progress in supposedly “impossible” activities like park skiing (think: jumps and tricks.) To see if theory worked in practice, Kotler conducted his own ass-on-the-line experiment in applied neuroscience and later-in-life skill acquisition: He tried to teach an old dog some new tricks. Recently, top pros have been performing well past a previously considered prime: World-class athletes such as Kelly Slater, the greatest surfer of all time, is winning competitions in his fifties; Tom Brady can beat players half his age. But what about the rest of us? Steven Kotler has been studying human performance for thirty years, and taught hundreds of thousands of people at all skill levels, age groups, and walks of life, how to achieve peak performance. Could his own advice work for him? Gnar Country is the chronicle of his experience pushing his own aging body past preconceived limits. It’s a book about goals and grit and progression. It’s an antidote for weariness that is inspiring, practical, and, often hilarious. It is about growing old and staying rad. It’s a feverish reading experience that makes you put down the book, get out there, and move. Whether hurtling down a mountain side, running your first 10K race, or taking your career to new heights, Kotler challenges us to test ourselves, surpass our limits, and achieve our own impossible, whatever it might be. Part personal journey, part science experiment, part how-to guide, Kotler takes us on his punk rock, high-velocity joy-ride for a better life in spite—and often in defiance of—the perceived limitations of the aging human body. Supplemental enhancement PDF accompanies the audiobook.

Trust Your Heart: Lead Your Journey to Self-Discovery From Within is a deep dive into self-awareness, self-trust, and self-empowerment from Lebanese-Canadian activist, author, poet, educator, and speaker Najwa Zebian. On this powerful new journey, Zebian provides the necessary tools to help you begin to heal old wounds, embrace your intrinsic value and worth, let go of outdated notions about traditional gender roles, and get clear about what you really want in an intimate relationship with another human being. She also guides you toward finding the right connection, one built on an unshakable foundation of genuine love, caring, and mutual respect.  Zebian begins by gently walking you through meditative inner reflections on the pain and heartbreak of subconscious childhood trauma and past failed relationships, using fascinating and illuminating examples from her own experience growing up in a reserved, patriarchal family in Lebanon. Encouraging you to let go of the trap of “comparative pain,” she helps you to understand how, when, and why certain choices were made and empowers you to make very different ones in the future that will truly reflect who you fundamentally are.  Through a series of simple questions, she supports you every step of the way in gaining valuable insight into how to rebuild yourself after someone else broke you. As you discover your often detrimental and self-sabotaging conditioning about relationships, you'll learn to forgive yourself for past failures and reframe them as opportunities to grow. Slowly, you’ll begin to trust your body and leave your safety blanket behind, while setting clear boundaries as you redefine your ideal relationship from a newly fortified place of self-trust, self-understanding, and self-love.

From the author of Group, a New York Times bestseller and Reese’s Book Club Pick, comes a moving, heartwarming, and powerful memoir about Christie Tate’s lifelong struggle to sustain female friendship, and the friend who helps her find the human connection she seeks. After more than a decade of dead-end dates and dysfunctional relationships, Christie Tate has reclaimed her voice and settled down. Her days of agonizing in group therapy over guys who won’t commit are over, the grueling emotional work required to attach to another person tucked neatly into the past. Or so she thought. Weeks after giddily sharing stories of her new boyfriend at Saturday morning recovery meetings, Christie receives a gift from a friend. Meredith, twenty years older and always impeccably accessorized, gives Christie a box of holiday-themed scarves as well as a gentle suggestion: maybe now is the perfect time to examine why friendships give her trouble. “The work never ends, right?” she says with a wink. Christie isn’t so sure, but she soon realizes that the feeling of “apartness” that has plagued her since childhood isn’t magically going away now that she’s in a healthy romantic relationship. With Meredith by her side, she embarks on a brutally honest exploration of her friendships past and present, sorting through the ways that debilitating shame and jealousy have kept the lasting bonds she craves out of reach—and how she can overcome a history of letting go too soon. But when Meredith becomes ill and Christie’s baggage threatens to muddy their final days, she’s forced to face her deepest fears in honor of the woman who finally showed her how to be a friend. Poignant, laugh-out-loud funny, and emotionally satisfying, BFF explores what happens when we finally break the habits that impair our ability to connect with others, and the ways that one life—however messy and imperfect—can change another.

The author of the #1 New York Times bestseller Think Like a Monk offers a revelatory guide to every stage of romance, drawing on ancient wisdom and new science. Nobody sits us down and teaches us how to love. So we’re often thrown into relationships with nothing but romance movies and pop culture to help us muddle through. Until now. Instead of presenting love as an ethereal concept or a collection of cliches, Jay Shetty lays out specific, actionable steps to help you develop the skills to practice and nurture love better than ever before. He shares insights on how to win or lose together, how to define love, and why you don’t break in a break-up. Inspired by Vedic wisdom and modern science, he tackles the entire relationship cycle, from first dates to moving in together to breaking up and starting over. And he shows us how to avoid falling for false promises and unfulfilling partners. By living Jay Shetty’s eight rules, we can all love ourselves, our partner, and the world better than we ever thought possible.

New York Times Bestseller What makes for a happy life, a fulfilling life? A good life? According to the directors of the Harvard Study of Adult Development, the longest scientific study of happiness ever conducted, the answer to these questions may be closer than you realize. What makes a life fulfilling and meaningful? The simple but surprising answer is: relationships. The stronger our relationships, the more likely we are to live happy, satisfying, and overall healthier lives. In fact, the Harvard Study of Adult Development reveals that the strength of our connections with others can predict the health of both our bodies and our brains as we go through life. The invaluable insights in this book emerge from the revealing personal stories of hundreds of participants in the Harvard Study as they were followed year after year for their entire adult lives, and this wisdom is bolstered by research findings from this and many other studies. Relationships in all their forms—friendships, romantic partnerships, families, coworkers, tennis partners, book club members, Bible study groups—all contribute to a happier, healthier life. And as The Good Life shows us, it’s never too late to strengthen the relationships you have, and never too late to build new ones. Dr. Waldinger’s TED Talk about the Harvard Study, “What Makes a Good Life,” has been viewed more than 42 million times and is one of the ten most-watched TED talks ever. The Good Life has been praised by bestselling authors Jay Shetty (“Robert Waldinger and Marc Schulz lead us on an empowering quest towards our greatest need: meaningful human connection”), Angela Duckworth (“In a crowded field of life advice and even life advice based on scientific research, Schulz and Waldinger stand apart”), and happiness expert Laurie Santos (“Waldinger and Schulz are world experts on the counterintuitive things that make life meaningful”). With warmth, wisdom, and compelling life stories, The Good Life shows us how we can make our lives happier and more meaningful through our connections to others.

Euphoric is your 8-week plan for an alcohol-free lifestyle that can lead to more happiness, well-being, and self-love. It’s the modern woman’s guide to relax without alcohol, find freedom from cravings and fitting in, and create the life you want--along with the audacity to go after it.  Imagine a program that makes the benefits of “Dry January” last all year. That’s Euphoric! Alcohol is everywhere in our society, and it’s hard to resist. The pressures to fit in and have “just one drink”--that turns into several--whether at a party or on a casual Friday night, can lead to an imbalanced life that’s plagued with unhealthy habits, low self-esteem, and decreased productivity. How can you change your relationship with alcohol without feeling deprived or like a social outcast? First, decide you want a change and then pick up Euphoric,from certified alcohol-free life coach Karolina Rzadkowolska. Karolina has helped thousands of casual drinkers transform their relationship with alcohol, including herself. In Euphoric, she shares a proven strategy to make alcohol insignificant in your life. In just eight weeks, you can ditch alcohol and learn how to: Create a natural buzz that alcohol can only mimic Be fully present with your kids, partner, and friends Feel more energized, look better, and live healthier Enjoy the best sleep of your life Have fun in any social situation, without drinking Accomplish goals with your newfound drive Become confident to chase your biggest dreams Euphoric presents an 8-week, easy-to-customize plan for anyone who wants to transform their relationship with alcohol and experience the life-changing benefits that happen when you take a break from booze to focus the health of your mind, body, and soul. Here’s the plan! Week 1: Examine and Dismantle Limiting Beliefs Week 2: Let Go of Shame Week 3: Step into Your Best Health Week 4: Navigate Your Social Life Week 5: Get Mindful and Embody Self-Love Week 6: Find Pure and Utter Happiness Week 7: Create Your Dream Life Week 8: Step into Your Purpose Reclaim yourself and rejuvenate your life, as you make alcohol irrelevant and get motivated to claim a new lifestyle clearly focused on your goals, priority, and values.

Combining a mindful approach to exercise with delicious, nutritious recipes, global superstar Ellie Goulding will help you kick-start healthy habits, develop a positive mindset, and establish clear, achievable goals. Ellie Goulding has amassed multiple UK #1 singles, Brit Awards, and Grammy nominations over the span of her career. Now, after years of inspiring fans with her love of fitness and wellness, Fitter. Calmer. Stronger. shares her favorite recipes, workouts, and training principles. Ellie's much sought-after fitness and health philosophy is based on becoming the brightest, strongest version of yourself. In this book, the pop powerhouse provides advice and regimens to improve your health and fitness, such as: a holistic approach to feeling and being your best learning to listen to your body establishing permanent rituals that work for you Going far beyond just diet and exercise, Fitter. Calmer. Stronger. encompasses all that improves your relationship with your physical and mental health. This means prioritizing self-care and flexibility and approaching wellness from a perspective that is sustainable—one that doesn’t allow anxiety to win or leaves you feeling like you’ve failed and, most importantly, allows for fun and creativity. Drawing on Ellie’s experiences, as well as the advice of friends and experts like Ant Middleton, Fearne Cotton, and Katie Taylor, you can use these tools and techniques every day to build a fitter, calmer, stronger you.

In this timely and necessary book, New York Times opinion writer Jessica Grose dismantles two hundred years of unrealistic parenting expectations and empowers today’s mothers to make choices that actually serve themselves, their children, and their communities Close your eyes and picture the perfect mother. She is usually blonde and thin. Her roots are never showing and she installed that gleaming kitchen backsplash herself (watch her TikTok for DIY tips). She seamlessly melds work, wellness and home; and during the depths of the pandemic, she also ran remote school and woke up at 5 a.m. to meditate. You may read this and think it’s bananas; you have probably internalized much of it. Journalist Jessica Grose sure had. After she failed to meet every one of her own expectations for her first pregnancy, she devoted her career to revealing how morally bankrupt so many of these ideas and pressures are. Now, in Screaming on the Inside, Grose weaves together her personal journey with scientific, historical, and contemporary reporting to be the voice for American parents she wishes she’d had a decade ago. The truth is that parenting cannot follow a recipe; there’s no foolproof set of rules that will result in a perfectly adjusted child. Every parent has different values, and we will have different ideas about how to pass those values along to our children. What successful parenting has in common, regardless of culture or community, is close observation of the kind of unique humans our children are. In thoughtful and revelatory chapters about pregnancy, identity, work, social media, and the crisis of the Covid-19 pandemic, Grose explains how we got to this moment, why the current state of expectations on mothers is wholly unsustainable, and how we can move towards something better. Supplemental enhancement PDF accompanies the audiobook.

New York Times bestseller * The New Yorker Best Books of 2022 * Entertainment Weekly Best Books of 2022 * USA Today Best Books of 2022 * Time 100 Must-Read Books of 2022 * Mother Jones Books We Needed in 2022 * People Fall Must Read * 2022 BuzzFeed Fall Reading pick  In 2016, Rob Delaney’s one-year-old son, Henry, was diagnosed with a brain tumor. The family had moved from Los Angeles to London with their two young boys when Rob’s wife was pregnant with Henry, their third. The move was an adventure and a challenge that would bind them even more tightly together as they navigated the novelty of London, the culture clashes, and the funhouse experience of Rob’s fame—thanks to his role as co-creator and co-star of the hit series Catastrophe. Henry’s illness was a cataclysm that changed everything about their lives. Amid the hospital routine, surgeries, and brutal treatments, they found a newfound community of nurses, aides, caregivers, and fellow parents contending with the unthinkable. Two years later, Henry died, and his family watched their world fall away to reveal the things that matter most.   A Heart That Works is Delaney’s intimate, unflinching, and fiercely funny exploration of what happened – from the harrowing illness to the vivid, bodily impact of grief and the blind, furious rage that followed through to the forceful, unstoppable love that remains. In the madness of his grief, Delaney grapples with the fragile miracle of life, the mysteries of death, and the question of purpose for those left behind.   Delaney’s memoir—profound, painful, full of emotion, and bracingly honest—offers solace to those who have faced devastation and shows us how grace may appear even in the darkest times. 

A “deeply, darkly funny” (Ali Wong, comedian and New York Times bestselling author) collection of insightful and razor-sharp essays on motherhood in our post-apocalyptic world from comedian Natasha Leggero. When Natasha Leggero got pregnant at forty-two after embarking on the grueling IVF process, she was over the moon. But once her feelings of bliss dissipated, she couldn’t help but shake the lingering question: Am I doing this right? And then, Should I be doing this if the world is about to end? In “by far the funniest book” (Chelsea Handler, New York Times bestselling author) about parenting, Natasha explores themes like “geriatric” pregnancy, parenting in an environmental panic, fear and love, discipline (and conflicting schools of thought on how not to raise a brat), and more. Ultimately, Natasha determines that motherhood is worth it. After all, where do you think the next five generations of humans will be if the only people who are having kids don’t believe in science? The world deserves my children.

Written by renowned surgeon and expert on the art of aging, Dr. M.E. Hecht, with her friend Whoopi Goldberg lending her unique point of view, Two Old Broads is laugh out loud funny and?tells it like it is for all of us who left middle age in the dust and want to be present, positive, and as extraordinary as ever in our golden years. Whoopi joins Dr. Hecht in a lively conversation about growing older with no apologies. Dr. Hecht, who passed away a few short months prior to publication, shares her 93 years of wisdom with Whoopi and their fellow “broads.” Together, these two kindred spirits will help you: stay active physically and mentally make finalizing your will more rewarding than it sounds navigate tricky subjects, such as whether you need a home aide win friends and influence people or take a nap, depending on the day discover joy in relationships even when your excretions outweigh your secretions get up financially, physically, and emotionally after a fall keep a sense of humor about getting older (of course!) Imminently practical and?rooted firmly in the adage that getting older is not for sissies, Two Old Broads is the aging book for the ages. You've survived the past; why not embrace the present and prepare for the future so you thrive and find more time to laugh along the way?

In this revolutionary self-help guide, including audiobook exclusive exercises, two beloved Native American wellness activists offer wisdom for achieving spiritual, physical, and emotional wellbeing rooted in Indigenous ancestral knowledge. When wellness teachers and husband-wife duo Chelsey Luger and Thosh Collins founded their Indigenous wellness initiative, Well for Culture, they extended an invitation to all to honor their whole self through Native wellness philosophies and practices. In reclaiming this ancient wisdom for health and wellbeing—drawing from traditions spanning multiple tribes—they developed the Seven Circles, a holistic model for modern living rooted in timeless teachings from their ancestors. Luger and Collins have introduced this universally adaptable template for living well to Ivy league universities and corporations like Nike, Adidas, and Google, and now make it available to everyone in this wise guide. The Seven Circles model comprises interconnected circles that keep all aspects of our lives in balance, functioning in harmony with one another. They are:  Food Movement Sleep Ceremony Sacred Space Land Community In The Seven Circles, Luger and Collins share intimate stories from their life journeys growing up in tribal communities, from the Indigenous tradition of staying active and spiritually centered through running and dance, to the universal Indigenous emphasis on a light-filled, minimalist home to create sacred space. Along the way, Luger and Collins invite readers to both adapt these teachings to their lives as well as do so without appropriating and erasing the original context, representing a critical new ethos for the wellness space. Each chapter closes with practical advice on how to engage with the teachings, as well as wisdom for keeping that particular circle in harmony with the others. With warmth and generosity, The Seven Circles teaches us how to connect with nature, with our community, and with ourselves, and to integrate ancient Indigenous philosophies of health and wellbeing into our own lives to find healing and balance. Supplemental enhancement PDF accompanies the audiobook.

Life is hard. But it gets a whole lot easier when you start to talk it out. In How Am I Doing?, you're invited into a series of conversations with yourself to improve your mental health as you discover your purpose, honor your story, and explore who you want to be. Dr. Corey Yeager, psychotherapist for the NBA’s Detroit Pistons and most recently featured on Oprah and Prince Harry's The Me You Can't See on Apple TV+, offers you 40 questions to help you raise awareness of your thoughts and emotions and reconnect with who you want to be. Over the course of these 40 conversations with yourself, you're invited to: Build trust with yourself Consider how past traumas affect your life today Grow a practice of positive self-talk Let go of guilt and regret from your past Develop mental health strategies for what to for moments when you're depressed or anxious Increase your confidence and embrace your emotions   Each of the 40 questions is paired with a short, thoughtful reflection from Dr. Yeager, along with prompts and self-care strategies to help you look at yourself in the mirror and come into alignment with who you want to be. So join the conversation; nothing is off-limits here. Come check in with yourself and take these small, simple steps to journey toward a more honest and harmonious way of living.

From beloved entertainer Omarion comes a profound redefinition of what it means to live a good life—revealing The King of Unbothered’s secrets to wholeness, love, and the power of choosing joy. As a boy band superstar, Omarion lived the classic life of fame and success in the spotlight. Yet today he is a grounded, spiritually engaged father and artist whose popularity continues to grow. In his stunning debut, he offers an intimate lens into his spiritual journey that has inspired so many to also nurture themselves.  Organized by three pillars—Spiritual, Mental, and Physical—Unbothered shows how Omarion has centered his life around holistic wellness, detailing the practices he uses including breathing exercises, meditation, yoga, dancing, ancient mantras, and an overall embrace of positivity. Omarion reveals never before shared stories alongside the practices that keep him centered, even through public setbacks that have made headlines. Omarion is not interested in settling scores: these poignant stories are about grace and forgiveness—and about exercising emotional intelligence.  Bringing together anecdotes, journal prompts, motivational quotes, mantras, breathing exercises, and black-and-white images that inspire him (like the enso circle from Zen Buddhism), this keepsake guide—in the vein of bestsellers such as It’s All in Your Head, Hustle Harder, Hustle Smarter, and Good Vibes, Good Life—offers a new perspective and greater understanding of what it means to have a good life. Supplemental enhancement PDF accompanies the audiobook.

INSTANT #1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER An Instant Wall Street Journal, USA Today, and Indie Bestseller “This book is for any parent who has ever struggled under the substantial weight of caregiving—which is to say, all of us. Good Inside is not only a wise and practical guide to raising resilient, emotionally healthy kids, it’s also a supportive resource for overwhelmed parents who need more compassion and less stress. Dr. Becky is the smart, thoughtful, in-the-trenches parenting expert we’ve been waiting for!”—Eve Rodsky, New York Times bestselling author of Fair Play and Find Your Unicorn Space Dr. Becky Kennedy, wildly popular parenting expert and creator of @drbeckyatgoodinside, shares her groundbreaking approach to raising kids and offers practical strategies for parenting in a way that feels good. Over the past several years, Dr. Becky Kennedy—known to her followers as “Dr. Becky”—has been sparking a parenting revolution. Millions of parents, tired of following advice that either doesn’t work or simply doesn’t feel good, have embraced Dr. Becky’s empowering and effective approach, a model that prioritizes connecting with our kids over correcting them. Parents have long been sold a model of childrearing that simply doesn’t work. From reward charts to time outs, many popular parenting approaches are based on shaping behavior, not raising humans. These techniques don’t build the skills kids need for life, or account for their complex emotional needs. Add to that parents’ complicated relationships with their own upbringings, and it’s easy to see why so many caretakers feel lost, burned out, and worried they’re failing their kids. In Good Inside, Dr. Becky shares her parenting philosophy, complete with actionable strategies, that will help parents move from uncertainty and self-blame to confidence and sturdy leadership. Offering perspective-shifting parenting principles and troubleshooting for specific scenarios—including sibling rivalry, separation anxiety, tantrums, and more—Good Inside is a comprehensive resource for a generation of parents looking for a new way to raise their kids while still setting them up for a lifetime of self-regulation, confidence, and resilience.

Futureproof your body and relieve chronic pain resulting from sitting, slouching, and other bad lifestyle habits with this easy-to-perform set of daily stretching and movement routines—from an innovative physical therapist and social media star who coaches dozens of celebrity clients. What if we could easily acquire long-lasting protection for our bodies and escape the chronic pain caused by our sit-all-the-time, slouch-too-much lifestyles? Vinh Pham is a world-class physical therapist who has worked with a broad range of clients—from Olympians to NBA stars to MMA fighters to Golden Globe and Grammy Award–winning artists. Early in his career, he discovered a disappointing truth: most of his patients came to him already in pain. They had lifestyle habits that misaligned their joints and tightened their muscles. And the recent epidemic of prolonged sitting—which represents an all-day assault on the body—has only made things worse. If you’re sitting for more than thirty minutes at a time without getting up, you may be heading toward a world of hurt. Vinh’s answer to the host of muscle maladies that ails us has been a revolutionary concept: why not futureproof? Instead of reacting to chronic pain after it flares up, what if we focused on a “movement discipline” that not only prevents injuries but leads to longer lives, healthier bodies, and a clearer mind? A precise and simple toolkit for tweaking the way we move (or refuse to move), Sit Up Straight outlines a process that starts with a daily posture regimen. Performed correctly, Vinh’s twelve simple movements, which can be done in twenty minutes, will lock in protection for the rest of the day. But Vinh goes further. He provides stretching and exercise routines for many of the specific ailments that affect us—from hamstring pulls to sciatica to rotator cuff problems—and, best of all, he offers a series of customized movements based on age, gender, and the kind of work we perform. “No fancy equipment required...full of good and clear tips and wisdom” (Booklist), Sit Up Straight shows that the solution to becoming pain-free is easier than we think.