Handpicked Resources: Books, Websites, & More
I've always loved collecting and reading books (okay—sometimes just skimming, if I’m being honest!). Whether a book deepens my clinical work or simply sparks curiosity, reading is one of the ways I learn, reflect, and recharge. I try to be mindful of each client’s preferences and avoid overwhelming anyone with recommendations during sessions. Instead, I hope this can be a space to share thoughts on the books in my current reading list—and I’d love to hear what’s on your bookshelf, too. Feel free to share your favorites with me!
Listening to the Body: How We Heal Trauma and Build Racial Awareness: My Grandmother’s Hands by Resma Menakem
My Grandmother’s Hands by Resmaa Menakem is a powerful and necessary exploration of how racialized trauma lives in the body—and how healing must begin there. While deeply rooted in the Black American experience, this book transcends racial and cultural lines, offering an urgent call for all of us to examine the ways trauma is inherited, internalized, and perpetuated across generations. Menakem does not shame or indict; instead, he invites readers into a posture of cultural humility and self-examination, encouraging us to confront our own blindspots and conditioned responses, especially when we believe ourselves to be “the good ones.”
What sets My Grandmother’s Hands apart is its practical, body-based approach. As a clinician, I have yet to come across a more accessible and effective set of polyvagal-informed practices. The simple yet powerful prompts that the author offer’s help readers begin to notice, settle, and shift what is happening in their nervous systems—an essential foundation for sustainable healing and change. I encourage curious readers to consider the audiobook, as it offers the unique experience of the author guiding listeners through each prompt and body-based mindfulness practice in his own voice.
Menakem's writing is clear, grounded, and compassionate. He holds space for discomfort without overwhelming the reader, modeling what it means to face difficult truths with both courage and care. While the book speaks directly to Black, white, and police bodies, its central message—that we must heal our collective and individual trauma from the inside out—is universal.
My Grandmother’s Hands is not an easy read, but it is a deeply important one. It offers a blueprint for embodied change that is as radical as it is human. I will be returning to it often.
Parents Start Here First: The Whole-Brain Child by Daniel J. Siegel and Tina Payne Bryson
Before I became a therapist, I was a mom—doing my best with the parenting skills that had been modeled to me, exhausted and sometimes overwhelmed by the big emotions that came with parenting small children. Like many new parents, I was handed What to Expect When You’re Expecting as my parenting roadmap. But looking back, I wish someone had handed me The Whole-Brain Child instead.
Written by Dr. Daniel Siegel, a neuroscientist and psychiatrist, and Dr. Tina Payne Bryson, a parenting expert, this book is a compassionate, accessible guide to understanding how children’s brains develop—and how that development shapes their behavior, emotions, and needs. It explains why kids can’t always “just calm down” or “make a better choice,” and offers tools that help parents respond with empathy and connection instead of frustration or shame.
What sets this book apart is its blend of neuroscience, real-life examples, and practical strategies. Siegel and Bryson introduce 12 key principles—like “Connect and Redirect” and “Name It to Tame It”—that help parents support their child’s emotional regulation, build stronger relationships, and foster lifelong resilience. And they do so in a way that feels doable, not daunting.
As a therapist, I now recommend this book regularly to parents in my practice. As a mom, I can say it helped me become more attuned to my own reactions, more patient with my kids’ needs, and more confident in navigating those everyday moments that once felt like parenting failures.
The Whole-Brain Child is not about perfection—it’s about connection. It teaches us that the goal isn’t to control our children, but to understand and support them as they grow. I truly wish it were required reading for every new parent.
Book Review: After the Ecstasy, the Laundry by Jack Kornfield
Reading After the Ecstasy, the Laundry by Jack Kornfield was a life-changing experience for me. I picked it up during a season of deep reflection—a time when I was re-evaluating my priorities, my purpose, and the kind of life I wanted to live. This book didn’t offer quick answers or spiritual clichés. Instead, it offered something much more valuable: honest, compassionate insight into the lifelong process of integrating spiritual growth into ordinary life.
Kornfield, a renowned Buddhist teacher and psychotherapist, weaves together stories from spiritual seekers, monks, and teachers across traditions. He explores what happens after awakening—the return to everyday responsibilities, relationships, and routines. What moved me most was the core message: that enlightenment isn’t a destination but a deepening process, and that the most sacred moments often arise not in silence or retreat, but in the mess and beauty of daily life.
His writing is gentle and poetic, filled with both reverence and humor. He normalizes doubt, grief, and longing, making space for the very human struggles that persist even after profound insight. For me, this book was both a comfort and a call—to live with greater authenticity, humility, and presence. It’s core message reminds me to release striving and burdensome expectations and to reconnect with the sacredness of small, everyday acts: folding laundry, offering kindness, showing up again and again.
I return to After the Ecstasy, the Laundry often, especially when I feel disconnected or discouraged. It reminds me that real transformation doesn’t take us out of life—it brings us more fully into it. I recommend it to anyone navigating change, seeking meaning, or longing to live with greater depth.
What I'm (Mostly) Reading: Untangled by Lisa Damour, PhD
I recently revisited Untangled by Lisa Damour, and it’s quickly become a go-to recommendation for the parents I work with—regardless of whether they're raising girls, boys, or anyone in between. As both a parent and a therapist, I find Damour’s writing to be incredibly insightful and grounding. Hearing Dr. Damour’s voice as she narrates the audiobook brought an extra sense of reassurance and clarity that I think many parents will find comforting.
She offers a compassionate, research-based look at the stages of adolescent development, helping parents better understand the “why” behind the behaviors that can sometimes feel confusing or overwhelming. What I appreciate most is her ability to balance clinical wisdom with real-world practicality—making the book both informative and deeply validating.
If you’ve read Untangled, I’d love to hear your thoughts—or if you have a favorite parenting or adolescent development book to recommend, send it my way!