New Reviews: Personal Growth

Beloved "Good Morning America" host Robin Roberts's spirited personality shines as she narrates her personal development guide full of wisdom and advice for even the darkest days. Roberts began to share Bible verses and uplifting messages during the Covid-19 pandemic as an emotional salve for her fans and friends. Using those lessons, and others she's learned along the way,... Read More

Khristine Hvam brings great energy to her narration of this audiobook full of helpful hints and tricks for parents who are hoping to raise children with an insatiable appetite for reading. The authors move away from traditional methods of reading encouragement like flash cards and instead focus on how parents can build fun literacy activities into everyday moments such as going... Read More

In this excellent audiobook, storytelling expert Kindra Hall speaks to individuals whose inner stories or scripts are limiting how they live and what they strive for in their lives. She narrates with the energetic pacing of a confident business consultant who wants to be helpful. Her performance bonds listeners with her message that we can live more fulfilling lives once we... Read More

Popular and prolific mommy blogger Naomi Davis, better known to many as Taza, narrates her own work about parenting, social media, and developing your identity online. Davis began a parenting blog in 2007 and soon found herself in the social media spotlight as an influencer. An attempt to reveal more of herself to her followers, this audiobook allows Davis to be herself without... Read More

Michael Schur and the cast of "The Good Place" once again collaborate, this time to ponder today's toughest moral questions using philosophical views from the East and West. Schur delivers hilarious sarcasm as he tackles ethics and explains how to balance morality and achieve virtue. Friendly and inviting sounding, he is able to take the difficult, oftentimes dry topic of... Read More

Meghan O'Rourke narrates her harrowing account of spending years trying to find a diagnosis for her chronic illness. She takes listeners through a multitude of medical appointments, experimental procedures, and tests. The decades-long process sounds exhausting, and O'Rourke makes it clear to listeners that it was. By delivering her own memoir, she captures the emotional pain,... Read More

Listeners who blame themselves for failed health plans will love hearing these insights on why behavior-change plans are so hard to sustain. Voice pro, actor, and singer Jessica Rau's clarity and tone of delight combine to give this lesson notable impact. The author, a tireless habit researcher, teacher, and coach, finds four basic reasons that decisions to eat better and... Read More

Leadership coach and activist Karen Walrond gives listeners advice on where to direct their passion and how to manage advocacy without feeling overwhelmed. In a strong and steady voice, Walrond explains how to identify abilities, align them with beliefs, and ultimately take action to become an activist. By offering certain practices centered around journaling and mindfulness,... Read More

Practiced Yogi and narrator Eunice Wong uses her gentle voice to give listeners a sense of peace as they listen to this audiobook, which acts as an introduction to the teachings of compassion and fulfillment as originally taught by the Chinese philosopher Confucius. Describing the basic principle of these ancient beliefs, this audiobook encourages listeners to connect to others... Read More

This well-researched audiobook provides listeners with the facts behind the purported restorative power of spending time in natural spaces. The author dives right into explaining why nature is so healing physically and emotionally. Narrator Eileen Stevens reflects to listeners the peace and relaxation found in the natural world. However, she narrates slowly and deliberately,... Read More

In a direct, no-nonsense tone, author/narrator Nedra Glover Tawwab lays out the ground rules for making tough love work for you. Through a series of case studies of people overwhelmed due to their inability to say no or ask for help, Tawwab offers empowerment. Exercises include journaling that prompts listeners to think of a time when they reacted negatively to the word "no"... Read More

In this thoughtful essay on our shortening attention spans, British writer Johann Hari shares what he learned from interviewing tech and behavioral science experts around the world. He's a personable writer, vulnerable and humble, and this comes across in his appealing performance. Sounding like someone emerging from a natural disaster, he gently describes how a three-month... Read More

Consultant, speaker, and trainer Jeffrey Davis uses captivating stories and imagery to show how anyone can learn to reawaken their childhood openness to life's promise. His consistent vocal clarity and slow pacing make his ideas clear, and after performing the first few chapters a bit stiffly, he finds a rhythm and spontaneity that sound very much in sync with his message. He... Read More

Psychiatrist Daniel G. Amen is back with his latest audiobook about the human brain, this time focusing on how the brain connects with happiness. Jim Frangione narrates Amen's science-based findings in a journalistic tone that supports the data Amen provides, He also adds a hopeful and reassuring voice to all the strategies that promise to help listeners achieve more joy and... Read More