#30 Curiosity in Arts & Lecture with Rebecca Hoogs
#30 Curiosity in Arts & Lecture with Rebecca Hoogs
What does curiosity look like in arts leadership?
In the Curiosity at Work podcast episode #30 Curiosity in Arts & Lecture with Rebecca Hoogs, Dr. Julie Pham speaks with Rebecca Hoogs, Executive Director of Seattle Arts & Lectures, about curiosity as a core leadership value.
Rebecca’s path through nonprofit management and poetry offers a powerful reminder: curiosity is not just a mindset. It is a practice.
In this conversation, Julie and Rebecca explore:
• Why listening and asking better questions are essential leadership skills • How curiosity shapes community and audience engagement • The tension between problem-solving and staying open • The role of moderation and active listening in public conversations • Why paying writers strengthens the local creative economy • How poetry and creative writing are rooted in curiosity
Leadership is not only about direction. It is about creating space for others to share their stories.
Rebecca reminds us how curiosity fuels arts leadership and helps leaders slow down, listen more deeply, and build stronger communities. What happens when you slow down?
What does curiosity look like inside a healthcare system?
In Episode 29 of the Curiosity at Work podcast, Curiosity in Healthcare IT with Bradd Busick, Dr. Julie Pham sits down with Bradd, Senior Vice President and CIO at MultiCare Health, to explore how curiosity shapes healthcare IT, patient care, and leadership during uncertainty.
From navigating COVID-19 to accelerating telehealth adoption, Bradd shares how technology is not just a support function — it’s part of the care team.
They discuss:
• Why psychological safety is essential for reporting failures • How a questioning mindset improves patient outcomes • The evolving role of the CIO in healthcare • Why investing in IT directly impacts care delivery
One of our favorite lines from the episode: “IT is part of the care team.”
Curiosity isn’t abstract. It changes how we lead, how we respond to uncertainty, and how we care for others.
We curated this list 2026 Women Authored Leadership Book List to promote women authored leadership books. This list is meant to be a resource, not an official endorsement and the books listed are in alphabetical order. Check out our other leadership book lists by authors who identify as LGBTQIA+, AANHPI, Native American, Black, and Hispanic/ Latino/ Latinx. View all of our leadership book lists here.
#KeepGoing: From 15-Year-Old Mom to Successful CEO & Entrepreneur – Mari Tautimes
#NotYourPrincess: Voices of Native American Women – Lisa Charleyboy & Mary Beth Leatherdale (eds)
[Un]framing the “Bad Woman” – Alicia Gaspar de Alba
10 New Rules for Women at Work – Deb Liu
101 Reasons to Get Out of Bed – Natasha Milne
12 Tools for Managing a Selfish Leader – Josefine Campbell
3HAG Way – Shannon Byrne Susko
50 Billion Dollar Boss – Kathey Porter
7 Deadly Sins of Women in Leadership – Kate Coleman
7 Forms of Respect – Julie Pham, PhD
A Body, Undone: Living On After Great Pain – Christina Crosby
A CEO for All Seasons – Carolyn Dewar
A Different Kind of Power: A Memoir – Jacinda Ardern
A Face for Picasso – Ariel Henley
A Good Cry, What we Learn from Tears and Laughter – Nikki Giovanni
A House of My Own: Stories From My Life – Sandra Cisneros
A Mind Spread Out on the Ground – Alicia Elliott
A Mythic Life: Learning to live our greater story – Jean Houston
A Passion for the Possible – Jean Houston
A Room of One’s Own – Virginia Woolf
A Writer’s Diary – Virginia Woolf
Abandon Me: Memoirs – Melissa Febos
Act Like a Leader, Think Like a Leader – Hermina Ibarra
Acting Up: Winning in Business and in Life – Janice Bryant Howroyd
After the Idea – Julia Austin
After the Rain – Alexandra Elle
Against White Feminism – Rafia Zakaria
Ain’t I a Woman: Black Women and Feminism – Bell Hooks
All About Love – Bell Hooks
All In: An Autobiography – Billie Jean King
All It Takes Is a Goal – Jon Acuff
All That She Carried – Tiya Miles
All the Leader You Can Be – Suzanne Bates
Ally Leadership – Stephanie Chung
Almost a Woman – Esmeralda Santiago
America for Americans – Erika Lee
American Indian Stories – Zitkala-Sa
An Indian Among Los Indígenas – Ursula Pike
An Overachiever’s Guide to Breaking the Rules – Heather Whelpley
An Unquiet Mind: A Memoir of Moods and Madness – Kay Redfield Jamison
Anchored, Aligned, Accountable – Aiko Bethea
And A Voice to Sing With: A Memoir – Joan Baez
And Now We Are Going to Have a Party – Nicola Griffith
Annapurna: A woman’s place – Arlene Blum
AOC: The Fearless Rise and Powerful Resonance of Alexandria Ocasio-Cortes – Lynda Lopez
Apocalyptic Best Practices – Elisebeth VanderWeil
Are You Mad at Me? – Meg Josephson
As Long As Grass Grows – Dina Gilio-Whitaker
As We Have Always Done – Leanne Betasamosake Simpson
Ask For It – Linda Babcock & Sara Laschever
ASL Saved My Life…Until it didn’t – Jenni Kleinman Berebitsky
Atlas of the Heart – Brene Brown
Audition – Katie Kitamura
Authenticity, Identity, and Being Yourself at Work – Susan David
#28 Curiosity in Community Action with Janice Deguchi
#28 Curiosity in Community Action with Janice Deguchi
In episode #28 of Curiosity at Work podcast: “Curiosity in Community Action with Janice Deguchi,” Dr. Julie Pham interviews Deguchi, executive director of Neighborhood House, a community action organization. They discuss the importance of curiosity in the social service sector, the structure and services of Neighborhood House, and the challenges of practicing curiosity as a leader.
Furthermore, Janice shares insights on the diverse workforce at Neighborhood House, the significance of culturally responsive behavioral health care, and the need for continuous learning in leadership roles.
Key takeaways include:
Curiosity is essential in the social service sector.
Community Action organizations are rooted in the civil rights movement.
Neighborhood House serves a diverse population from birth to end of life.
A significant portion of the workforce is involved in direct services.
Diversity in the workforce enhances community engagement.
Culturally responsive behavioral health care is crucial for immigrant communities.
Practicing curiosity can be challenging for leaders with busy schedules.
Slowing down can lead to better decision-making and understanding.
Peer support and thought partnership are vital for effective leadership.
Continuous learning through podcasts and peer interactions fuels curiosity.
We created this list to promote Black authored leadership books. This list is meant to be a resource, not an official endorsement and the books listed are in alphabetical order. Check out our other leadership book lists by authors who identify as LGBTQIA+, AANHPI, Native American, Women, and Hispanic/ Latino/ Latinx. View all of our leadership book lists here.
12 Notes: On Life and Creativity – Quincy Jones
50 Billion Dollar Boss: African American Women Sharing Stories of Success in Entrepreneurship and Leadership – Kathey Porter
9 Laws of Success: Attracting the Life, Love, Health & Success You Want! – Stormy Wellington
A Conscious Leadership Collective Volume I: Leading From Within: Ceasing and Desisting the Internal BS – Chantée L. Christian (editor)
A Good Cry, What we Learn from Tears and Laughter – Nikki Giovanni
A Lucky Man – Jamel Brinkley
A Promised Land – Barack Obama
A Seat at the C-Suite Table: Insights from the leadership Journeys of African American Executives – Chuck Wallington, PhD
A Way Out of No Way: A Memoir of Truth, Transformation, and the New American Story – Raphael Warnock
Acting Up: Winning in Business and in Life Using Down-Home Wisdom – Janice Bryant Howroyd
After the Rain: Gentle Reminders for Healing, Courage, and Self-Love – Alexandra Elle
Ain’t I a Woman: Black Women and Feminism – Bell Hooks
Air Traffic: A Memoir of Ambition and Manhood in America – Gregory Pardlo
All About Love – Bell Hooks
All That She Carried – Tiya Miles
Allow Me to Retort: A Black Guy’s Guide to the Constitution – Elie Mystal
American Imam: From Pop Stardom to Prison Abolition – Taymullah Abdur-Rahman
Anchored, Aligned, Accountable: A Framework for Transcending Bullsh*t and Transforming Our Lives and Work – Aiko Bethea
And Then We Rise: A Guide to Loving and Taking Care of Self – Common
Authentic: The Myth of Bringing Your Full Self to Work – Jodi-Ann Burey
Bad Feminist – Roxane Gay
Balancing Work and Life: The Nia Guide for Black Women – Sheryl Huggins & Cheryl Mayberry McKissack
Bamboozled: How God Tricked Me into the Life of My Dreams – Yvonne Orji
Barracoon: The Story of the Last “Black Cargo” – Zora Neale Hurston
Be a Revolution: How Everyday People Are Fighting Oppression and Changing the World – Ijeoma Oluo
Beating the Odds: Eddie Brown’s Investing and Life Strategies – Eddie Brown
Becoming – Michelle Obama
Becoming Kareem: Growing Up On and Off the Court – Kareem Abdul-Jabbar
Bee Fearless: Dream Like a Kid – Mikaila Ulmer
Believe Bigger: Discover the Path to Your Life Purpose – Marshawn Evans Daniels
Between the World and Me – Ta-Nehisi Coates
Biased: Uncovering the Hidden Prejudice That Shapes What We See, Think, and Do – Jennifer Eberhardt
Black AF History: The Un-whitewashed Story of America – Michael Harriot
Black and White: The Way I See It – Richard Williams
Black Business Secrets: 500 Tips, Strategies, and Resources for the African American Entrepreneur – Dante Lee
Black Earth Wisdom: Soulful Conversations with Black Environmentalists – Leah Penniman
Black Entrepreneur Survival Guide: The Complete Guide to Becoming a Successful African American Entrepreneur – Dunneille D. Anderson
Black Faces in White Places: 10 Game-Changing Strategies to Achieve Success and Find Greatness – Randal Pinkett & Jeffrey Robinson
Black Fatigue: How Racism Erodes the Mind, Body, and Spirit – Mary-Frances Winters
Black Fortunes: The Story of the First Six African Americans Who Escaped Slavery and Became Millionaires – Shomari Wills
Black Founder: The Hidden Power of Being an Outsider – Stacy Spikes
Black Futures – Kimberly Drew & Jenna Wortham
Black Girls Rock!: Owning Our Magic, Rocking Our Truth – Beverly Bond
Black Power Inc.: The New Voices of Success – Cora Daniels
Black Titan: A.G. Gaston and the Making of a Black American Millionaire – Carol Jenkins & Elizabeth Gardner Hines
Black Wall Street: From Riot to Renaissance in Tulsa’s Historic Greenwood District – Hannibal B. Johnson
Black Women Taught Us: An Intimate History of Black Feminism – Jenn M. Jackson, PhD
Black, White, and The Grey – Mashama Bailey & John O. Morisano
Blink: The Power of Thinking Without Thinking – Malcolm Gladwell
Born a Crime: Stories From a South African Childhood – Trevor Noah
Boss Bride: The Powerful Woman’s Playbook for Love and Success – Charreah Jackson
Bridges to Heal US: Stories and Strategies for Racial Healing – Erin Jones
Building Atlanta: How I Broke Through Segregation to Launch a Business Empire – Herman J. Russell
Burn the Blueprint: Reject the Lies, Embrace the In-Between, and Begin Again – Carlos Whittaker
Calling In: How to Start Making Change with Those You’d Rather Cancel – Loretta Ross
CEO of My Soul: The Self-Love Journey of a Small Business Owner – Nic Cober Esquire
Chasing Youth Culture and Getting it Right: How Your Business Can Profit by Tapping Today’s Most Powerful Trendsetters and Tastemakers – Tina Wells
Climb: Taking Every Step with Conviction, Courage, and Calculated Risk to Achieve a Thriving Career and a Successful Life – Michelle Gadsden-Williams & Carolyn M. Brown
Colorization: One Hundred Years of Black Films in A White World – Wil Haygood
Constructing a Nervous System – Margo Jefferson
Conversations in Black: On Power, Politics, and Leadership – Ed Gordon
Crazy as Hell: The Best Little Guide to Black History – Hoke S. Glover & V. Efua Prince
David and Goliath: Underdogs, Misfits, and the Art of Battling Giants – Malcolm Gladwell
Death of Innocence – Christopher Benson & Mamie Till-Mobley
Decoded – Jay-Z
DEI-ing: A Guide to Navigating the Gotdamn Mess They’ve Made of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion – Dr. Cheryl Ingram
Display of Power – Daymond John
Double Down: Bet on Yourself and Succeed on Your Own Terms – Antionette M. Clarke & Tricia Clarke-Stone
Driven by Intention: Own Your Purpose, Gain Power, and Pursue Your Passion as a Woman at Work – Michelle Gadsden-Williams
Drop the Ball: Achieving More by Doing Less – Tiffany Dufu
Eartha & Kitt: A Daughter’s Love Story in Black and White – Kitt Shapiro
Eloquent Rage: A Black Feminist Discovers Her Superpower – Brittney Cooper
Emergent Strategy: Shaping Change, Changing Worlds – adrienne maree brown
Everybody’s Got Something – Robin Roberts & Veronica Chambers
Everyday Millionaires: How Ordinary People Built Extraordinary Wealth – And How You Can Too – Chris Hogan
Expect to Win: Proven Strategies for Success From a Wall Street Vet – Carla A. Harris
Feeding the Soul – Tabitha Brown
Finding Me: A Memoir – Viola Davis
Finding My Voice: My Journey to the West Wing and the Path Forward – Valerie Jarrett
Fire Shut Up in My Bones – Charles Blow
First Things First: Hip-Hop Ladies Who Changed the Game – Nadirah Simmons
From the Hood to the Holler: A Story of Separate Worlds, Shared Dreams, and the Fight for America’s Future – Charles Booker
FutureProofed: How to Navigate Disruptive Change, Find Calm in Chaos, and Succeed in Work & Life – Natalia Peart
Get Good with Money: Ten Simple Steps to Becoming Financially Whole – Tiffany “The Budgetnista” Aliche
Get the F Out Your Own Way: A Guide to Letting Go of the Sh*t that’s Holding You Back* – MJ Harris
Get Up And Get On It: A Black Entrepreneur’s Lessons on Creating Legacy and Wealth – Dana Frank
Good Night Stories for Rebel Girls: 100 Real-Life Tales of Black Girl Magic – Sonja Thomas & Lilly Workneh
Gracism: The Art of Inclusion – Dr. David A. Anderson
Green Power: The Successful Way of A.G. Gaston – A.G. Gaston
Haben: The Deafblind Woman Who Conquered Harvard Law – Haben Girma
Heavy: An American Memoir – Kiese Laymon
Hidden Figures: The American Dream and the Untold Story of the Black Women Mathematicians Who Helped Win the Space Race – Margot Lee Shetterly
Hood Feminist: Notes from the Women that a Movement Forgot – Mikki Kendall
How Boards Work and How They Can Work Better in a Chaotic World – Dambisa Moyo
How to Be an Antiracist – Ibram X. Kendi
How to Get Stupid White Men Out of Office: The Anti-Politics, Un-Boring Guide to Power – adrienne maree brown (eds)
How to Live Free in a Dangerous World: A Decolonial Memoir – Shayla Lawson
How to Succeed in Business Without Being White: Straight Talk on Making It in America – Earl G. Graves
How We Show Up: Reclaiming Family, Friendship, and Community – Mia Birdsong
Hunger: A Memoir of (My) Body – Roxane Gay
I Did a New Thing: 30 Days to Living Free – Tabitha Brown
I Saw Death Coming: A History of Terror and Survival in the War Against Reconstruction – Kidada E. Williams
Ida B. Wells Marches for the Vote – Dinah Johnson
Illogical: Saying Yes to a Life Without Limits – Emmanuel Acho
I’m Judging You: The Do-Better Manual – Luvvie Ajayi
I’m Not Yelling – Elizabeth Leiba
I’m Still Here: Black Dignity in a World Made for Whiteness – Austin Channing Brown
I’m That Girl – Jordan Chiles
Impolite Conversations: On Race, Politics, Sex, Money, and Religion – Cora Daniels & John L. Jackson Jr.
In Search of Our Mothers’ Gardens: Womanist Prose – Alice Walker
Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl – Harriet Jacobs
Inside Out: The Equity Leader’s Guide to Undoing Institutional Racism – Caprice D. Hollins
Invisible Man, Got the Whole World Watching: A Young Black Man’s Education Book – Mychal Denzel Smith
It Worked for Me: In Life and Leadership – Colin Powell
It’s About Damn Time – Arlan Hamilton
It’s About Time: The Art of Choosing the Meaningful Over the Urgent – Valorie Burton
Just As I Am – Cicely Tyson
Just Mercy: A Story of Justice and Redemption – Bryan Stevenson
Know What Makes Them Tick: How to Successfully Negotiate Almost Any Situation – Shonda Rhimes
Lead from the Outside: How to Build Your Future and Make Real Change – Stacey Abrams
Leadership Unlocked: Harness the Power of Your Ambition – Jesse Rhodes
Leslie F*cking Jones: A Memoir – Leslie Jones
Let Love Rule – Lenny Kravitz
Life Coaching for Successful Women: Powerful Questions, Practical Answers – Valorie Burton
Life in Motion: An Unlikely Ballerina – Misty Copeland
Little Black Book: A Toolkit for Working Women – Otegha Uwagba
Locking Up Our Own: Crime and Punishment in Black America – James Forman, Jr.
Love and Rage – Lama Rod Owens
Love Leadership: The New Way to Lead in a Fear Based World – John Hope Bryant
Lovely One: A Memoir – Ketanji Brown Jackson
Lovesong: Becoming a Jew – Julius Lester
Madness: Race and Insanity in a Jim Crow Asylum – Antonia Hylton
Master of Me: The Secret to Controlling Your Narrative – Keke Palmer
Meaty: Essays – Samantha Irby
Men We Reaped – Jesmyn Ward
Mental Detox: The Power and Guidance to Implement Peace, Joy, Balance, and Financial Abundance in Your Life – Cheyenne Bryant
Miles: The Autobiography – Miles Davis
Miss Jessie’s: Creating a Successful Business From Scratch — Naturally – Miko Branch
Mom & Me & Mom – Maya Angelou
More Myself: A Journey – Alicia Keys
More than Enough: Claiming Space for Who You Are (No Matter What They Say) – Elaine Welteroth
More Than Pretty: Doing the Soul Work that Uncovers Your True Beauty – Erica Campbell
Mo’s Bows: A Young Person’s Guide to Start-up Success – Moziah Bridges & Tramica Morris
My Bondage and My Freedom – Frederick Douglass
My Grandmother’s Hands: Racialized Trauma and the Pathway to Mending Our Hearts and Bodies – Resmaa Menakem
My Life: Queen of the Court – Serena Williams
My Story of Embracing Purpose, Healing & Hope – Karamo Brown
Nothing is Missing: A Memoir of Living Boldly – Nicole Walters
Nothing Personal – James Baldwin
Octavia’s Brood: Science Fiction from Social Justice Movements – adrienne maree brown (eds)
Of Greed and Glory: In Pursuit of Freedom for All – Deborah G. Plant
On the Other Side of Freedom: The Case for Hope – DeRay Mckesson
On Thriving: Harnessing Joy Through Life’s Great Labors – Brandi Sellerz-Jackson
Our Brave Foremothers: Celebrating 100 Black, Brown, Asian & Indigenous Women Who Changed the Course of History – Rozella Kennedy
Outliers: The Story of Success – Malcolm Gladwell
Own Your Phenomenal Self: A Guide on Character, Success, & Leadership – Rita P. Mitchell
Playing the Game Without a Coach: How Courage, Resilience and Forgiveness Helped One Man Seize the American Dream – Benjamin Raymond
Please Don’t Sit On My Bed In Your Outside Clothes – Phoebe Robinson
Pleasure Activism: The Politics of Feeling Good – adrienne maree brown
Positive Obsession: The Life and Times of Octavia E. Butler – Susana M. Morris
Praisesong for the Kitchen Ghosts: Stories and Recipes from Five Generations of Black Country Cooks – Crystal Wilkinson
Produced by Faith: Enjoy Real Success Without Losing Your True Self – DeVon Franklin
Professional Troublemaker: The Fear Fighter Manual – Luvvie Ajayi Jones
Purple Harvest: Planting Goals, Growing Truths – Dr. Rashonda Harris
Purpose Driven Leadership: Building and Fostering Effective Teams – Brigette Tasha Hyacinth
Quantum Leaps: 10 Steps to Help You Soar – Gloria Mayfield Banks
Queer Eye: Love Yourself, Love Your Life – Antoni Porowski, Tan France, Jonathan Van Ness, Bobby Berk, & Karamo Brown
Radical Dharma: Talking Race, Love and Liberation – Rev Angel Kyodo Williams
Reach: 40 Black Men Speak on Living, Leading, and Succeeding – Ben Jealous & Trabian Shorters
Reimagine Equity: Leading Strategically to Fulfill the Promise of DEI – James Whitfield & Kristen Whitfield
Responsible Marketing – Lola Bakare
Revelations: The Autobiography of Alvin Ailey – Alvin Ailey & A. Peter Bailey
Right Within: How to Heal From Racial Trauma in the Workplace – Minda Harts
Rise and Grind: Outperform, Outwork, and Outhustle Your Way to a More Successful and Rewarding Life – Daymond John & Daniel Paisner
Self-Esteem is the New Black: How to become the confident woman you have always wanted to be! – Monique Mays
Set Boundaries, Find Peace: A Guide to Reclaiming Yourself – Nedra Glover Tawwab
Singing Away the Hunger – Mpho ‘M’atsepo Nthunya
Sister Outsider: Essays and Speeches – Audre Lorde
Small Doses: Potent Truths for Everyday Use – Amanda Seales
So You Want to Talk About Race – Ijeoma Oluo
Somebody’s Daughter: A Memoir – Ashley C. Ford
Speaking Truth to Power – Anita Hill
Stamped from the Beginning: The Definitive History of Racist Ideas in America – Ibram X. Kendi
Standing Above the Crowd – James Donaldson
Starting at Zero – Jimi Hendrix
Strategize to Win: The New Way to Start Out, Step Up, or Start Over in Your Career – Carla Harris
Strength to Love – Martin Luther King, Jr.
Success Is A Side Effect: Leadership, Relationships, and Selective Amnesia – Moe Anderson
Success Never Smelled So Sweet: How I Followed My Nose and Found My Passion – Lisa Price & Hilary Beard
Successful Women Think Differently: 9 Habits to Make You Happier, Healthier & More Resilient – Valorie Burton
Super Rich: A Guide to Having It All – Russell Simmons
Swimming with Sharks in Dark Waters – Athene Brinson
Talk it Up!: A Guide to Successful Public Speaking – David Suk Brown & Danny Suk Brown
Talk to Me Nice: The Seven Trust Languages for a Better Workplace – Minda Harts
The 1619 Project: A New Origin Story – Nikole Hannah-Jones
The Art of Ronin Leadership – Mike Howard
The Autobiography of Malcolm X – Malcolm X & Alex Haley
The Awkward Thoughts of W. Kamau Bell – W. Kamau Bell
The Beautiful Ones – Prince
The Black Girl’s Guide to Financial Freedom: Build Wealth, Retire Early, and Live the Life of Your Dreams – Paris Woods
The Black Woman Millionaire: A Revolutionary Act that DEFIES Impossible – Dr. Venus Opal Reese
The Body Is Not An Apology: The Power of Radical Self-Love – Sonya Renee Taylor
The Book of Awesome Black Americans – Monique Jones
The Color of Water: A Black Man’s Tribute to His White Mother – James McBride
The Complete Quincy Jones: My Journey & Passions – Quincy Jones
The Dead Don’t Need Reminding – Julian Randall
The Devil You Know: A Black Power Manifesto – Charles Blow
The Elevation Approach – Tina Wells
The Extraordinary Power of Leader Humility – Marilyn Gist
The Fire Next Time – James Baldwin
The Gatekeepers Are Gone: Hustle + Technology = Success – Lamar Tyler
The Hill We Climb – Amanda Gorman
The Last Black Unicorn – Tiffany Haddish
The Light We Carry – Michelle Obama
The Little Black Book of Success: Laws of Leadership for Black Women – Elaine Meryl Brown, Marsha Haygood, & Rhonda Joy McLean
The Memo: Five Rules for Your Economic Liberation – John Hope Bryant
The Memo: What Women of Color Need to Know to Secure a Seat at the Table – Minda Harts
The Mentor Leader – Tony Dungy
The Merchant Prince of Black Chicago: Anthony Overton and the Building of a Financial Empire – Robert E. Weems
The Mind of a Winner – Steve Canal
The Misadventures of Awkward Black Girl – Issa Rae
The One Week Budget – Tiffany Aliche
The Path Made Clear: Discovering Your Life’s Direction and Purpose – Oprah Winfrey
The Perfect Day to Boss Up – Rick Ross & Neil Martinez-Belkin
The Power of Broke – Daymond John
The Purpose of Power: How We Come Together When We Fall Apart – Alicia Garza
The Pursuit of Happyness – Chris Gardner
The Race Whisperer: Barack Obama and the Political Uses of Race – Melanye Price
The Rise: Creativity, the Gift of Failure, and the Search for Mastery – Sarah Lewis
The Road to Someplace Better: From the Segregated South to Harvard Business School and Beyond – Lillian Lincoln Lambert
The Secrets to Success: When You Want to Succeed as Bad as You Want to Breathe – Eric Thomas
The Souls of Queer Folk: How Understanding LGBTQ+ Culture Can Transform Your Leadership Practice – Dr. Joel A. Davis Brown
The Source of Self-Regard – Toni Morrison
The Tipping Point: How Little Things Can Make a Big Difference – Malcolm Gladwell
The Transformational Consumer – Tara-Nicholle Nelson
The Truths We Hold: An American Journey – Kamala Harris
The Urgent Life – Bozoma Saint John
The Wealth Choice: Secret Success of Black Millionaires – Dennis Kimbro
The Work: Searching for a Life that Matters – Wes Moore
These Wilds Beyond Our Fences: Letters to My Daughter on Humanity’s Search for Home – Bayo Akomolafe
Thick: And Other Essays – Tressie McMillan Cottom
This Is the Fire: What I Say to My Friends About Racism – Don Lemon
Transforming Ethnic and Race-Based Traumatic Stress with Yoga: Rest, Reflect, Renew – Gail Parker
Unapologetically Ambitious: Take Risks, Break Barriers, and Create Success on Your Own Terms – Shellye Archambeau
Unbowed – Wangari Maathai
Uncomfortable Conversations with a Black Man – Emmanuel Acho
Undrowned: Black Feminist Lessons from Marine Mammals – Alexis Pauline Gumbs
Unprecedented: The Masters and Me – Tiger Woods & Lorne Rubenstein
Up from Nothing: The Untold Story of How We (All) Succeed – John Hope Bryant
Upper Hand: The Future of Work for the Rest of Us – Sherrell Dorsey
We Are Bridges – Cassandra Lane
We Should All Be Feminists – Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
We Should All Be Millionaires: A Woman’s Guide to Earning More, Building Wealth, and Gaining Economic Power – Rachel Rodgers
We Will Not Cancel Us – adrienne maree brown
Werk 101: Get Your Life Together Guide – Koereyelle DuBose
What I Know for Sure – Oprah Winfrey
When Leadership Matters – Robert Britten
When the Miracle Drops: How Instagram Helped Turn a Quick Fix Into a Million-Dollar Product – Jessica Dupart
Where Do We Go from Here: Chaos or Community – Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
Where You Are is Not Who You Are – Ursula Burns
White Girls – Hilton Als
Why Should White Guys Have All the Fun? – Reginald Lewis & Blair S. Walker
Wildflower: A Memoir – Aurora James
Will – Will Smith
Women of Color in Tech: A Blueprint for Inspiring and Mentoring the Next Generation of Technology Innovators – Susanne Tedrick
Worthy – Jada Pinkett Smith
Writing My Wrongs: Life, Death and Redemption in an American Prison – Shaka Senghor
Writings on the Wall: Searching for a New Equality Beyond Black and White – Kareem Abdul-Jabbar
Year of Yes: How to Dance it Out, Stand in the Sun, and Be Your Own Person – Shonda Rhimes
You Are Before the World: Lessons on Doing Good without Being Undone – Tara Jaye Frank
You Got This!: Unleash Your Awesomeness, Find Your Path, and Change Your World – Maya Penn
You Owe You: Ignite Your Power, Your Purpose, and Your Why – Eric Thomas, PhD
Your Next Level Life: 7 Rules of Power, Confidence, and Opportunity for Black Women in America – Karen Arrington
You’ve Got to Be Hungry: The Greatness Within to Win – Les Brown
Zami: A New Spelling of My Name – Audre Lorde
We put a lot of work curating this list. If you appreciate it, please like it and share it with others.
We created this list to promote leadership books by disabled authors. This list is meant to be a resource, not an official endorsement. The books are not ranked or listed in any particular order.
1. A Body, Undone: Living On After Great Pain — Christina Crosby
2. A Face for Picasso: Coming of Age with Crouzon Syndrome — Ariel Henley
3. Adult ADHD: How to Succeed as a Hunter in a Farmer’s World — Thom Hartmann
4. An Unquiet Mind: A Memoir of Moods and Madness — Kay Redfield Jamison
5. And Now We Are Going to Have a Party: Liner Notes to a Writer’s Early Life — Nicola Griffith
6. Apocalyptic Best Practices: A unique approach to fear and change — Elisebeth VanderWeil
7. ASL Saved My Life…Until it didn’t — Jenni Kleinman Berebitsky
8. Authentic: The Myth of Bringing Your Full Self to Work — Jodi Ann Burey
9. Be Different — John Elder Robison
10. Being Heumann: an unrepentent memoir of a disability rights activist — Judith E. Heumann
11. Black, Blind, In Charge: A Story of Visionary Leadership and Overcoming Adversity — David A Paterson
12. Blind: A Memoir — Belo Cipriani
13. Body, Remember: A memoir — Kenny Fries
14. Brain on Fire: My Month of Madness — Susannah Cahalan
15. Brilliant Imperfection: Grappling With Cure — Eli Clare
16. Calling all Minds: How to Think and Create Like an Inventor — Temple Grandin
17. Care Work: Dreaming Disability Justice — Leah Lakshmi Piepzna-Samarasinha
18. Chef Interrupted — Trevis Gleason
19. Claiming Disability: Knowledge and Identity — Simi Linton
20. Count Us In: Growing Up with Down Syndrome — Jason Kingsley (Author), Mitchell Levitz (Author)
21. Crazy, Who Me?: My Journey as a Leader Overcoming Depression — John Panigas
22. Deaf in Japan: Signing and the Politics of Identity — Karen Nakamura
23. Deaf Utopia: A Memoir―and a Love Letter to a Way of Life — Coauthored by Nyle DiMarco
24. Defiant — Michael Scott Monje Jr.
25. Demystifying Disability: What to Know, What to Say, and How to Be an Ally — Emily Ladau
26. Disability Incarcerated: Imprisonment and Disability in the United States and Canada — Liat Ben-moshe (editor), Allison C. Carey (Editor), Chris Chapman (Editor), Angela Y. Davis (Foreword)
27. Disability Visibility: First-Person Stories from the Twenty-First Century — Alice Wong
28. Disabled Leadership — Dr. Tom A. Wiggins
29. Disarm Your Limits: The flight formula to lift you to success and propel you to the next horizon — Jessica Cox
30. Disfigured: On Fairy Tales, Disabiity and Making Space — Amanda Leduc
31. Dissonant Disabilities: Women With Chronic Illness Explore Their Lives — Michelle Owen, Diane Driedger (Editor)
32. Don’t Worry, He Won’t Get Far on Foot — John Callahan
33. Elegy for a Disease: A Personal and Cultural History of Polio — Anne Finger
34. Exile and Pride: Disability, Queerness, and Liberation — Eli Clare
35. Extraordinary Bodies: Figuring Physical Disability in American Culture and Literature — Rosemarie Garland-Thomson
36. Fading Scars: My Queer Disability History — Corbett O’Toole
37. Fall Down, Laughing: How Squiggy caught multiple sclerrosis and didn’t tell nobody — David Lander
38. Fearlessly Different: An Autistic Actor’s Journey to Broadway’s Biggest Stage — Mickey Rowe
39. Feminist Queer Crip — Alison Kafer
40. Find Another Dream — Maysoon Zayid
41. Gaby Brimmer: An Autobiography in Three Voices — Gaby Brimmer (Author), Elena Poniatowska
42. Goalkeeper: Memoir of Poet Peter Street — Peter Street, Lorraine Worsley-Carter (Foreword)
43. Golem Girl — Riva Lehrer
44. Haben: The deafblind woman who conquered Harvard Law — Haben Girma
45. Holding Change: The Way of Emergent Strategy Facilitation and Mediation — Adrienne Maree Brown
46. House of Prayer No. 2 — Mark Richard
47. How I Became a Human Being: A Disabled Man’s Quest for Independence — Mark O’Brien, Gillian Kendall (Contributor)
48. How I See It: A Personal and Historical View of Disability — H Penny Mishkin
49. How to Live Free in a Dangerous World: A Decolonial Memior — Shayla Lawson
50. I Am Not a Label — Cerrie Burnell
51. I Am Schizophrenic: Poetry from a beautiful brain — Kerenza Ryan
52. I Live a Life Like Yours: A Memoir — Jan Grue
53. I’ll Scream Later — Marlee Matlin
54. If at Birth You Don’t Succeed: My Adventures with Disaster and Destiny — Zach Anner
55. In the Province of Gods — Kenny Fries
56. Just Human: The Quest for Disability Wisdom, Respect, and Inclusion — Arielle Silverman, PhD
57. Laughing at My Nightmare — Shane Burcaw
58. Life in the Mind Interrupted: Essays on Mental Health and Disability in Higher Education — Katie Rose Guest Pryal
59. Limitless: The Power of Hope and Resilience to Overcome Circumstances — Mallory Weggemann
60. Look Me in the Eye: My Life with Asperger’s — John Elder Robison
61. Loud Hands: Autistic People, Speaking — Julia Bascom
62. Mad at School: Rhetorics of Mental Disability and Academic Life — Margaret Price
63. Madness: A Bipolar Life — Marya Hornbacher
64. Marbles: Mainia, Depession Michelangelo, and Me — Ellen Forney
65. Mean Baby: A Memoir of Growing Up — Selma Blair
66. Mean Little Deaf Queer: A Memoir — Terry Galloway
67. More the Same than Different: What I Wish People Knew About Respecting and Including People with Disabilities — Lorraine Cannistra
68. Moving Violations: Warzones, Wheelchairs, and Declarations of Independence — John Hockenberry
69. My Body is Not a Prayer Request: Disability Justice in the Church — Amy Kenny
70. Not a Poster Child: Living Well with a Disability – A Memoir — Francine Falk-Allen
71. Nothing about us without us: disability oppression and empowerment — James I. Charlton
72. On the Spectrum: Autism, Faith, and the Gifts of Neurodiversity — Daniel Bowman Jr.
73. Planet of the Blind — Stephen Kuusisto
74. Poster Child: A Memoir — Emily Rapp Black
75. Resistance and Hope: Essays by Disabled People — edited by Alice Wong
76. Rolling Warrior: The Incredible, Sometimes Awkward, True Sotry of a Rebel Girl on Wheels Who Helped Spark a Revolution — Judith Heumann
77. Rough Waters: From Surviving to Thriving with a Progressive Muscular Dystrophy — Heather C. Markham
78. Sick: A Memoir — Porochista Khakpour
79. Sitting Pretty: The View from My Oridinary Resilient Disabled Body — Rebekah Taussig
80. Songs of the Gorilla Nation: My Journey Through Autism — Dawn Prince-Hughes
81. Speedbumps: Florring it through Hollywood — Teri Garr
82. Staring: How We Look — Rosemarie Garland-Thomson
83. Still Me — Christopher Reeve
84. Strangers Assume My Girlfriend Is My Nurse — Shane Burcaw
85. Successfull to Burnt Out: Experiences of Women on the Autism Spectrum — Karletta Abianac
86. Switched On: A Memoir of Brain Change and Emotional Awakening — John Elder Robison
87. The ADHD Advantage: What You Thought Was a Diagnosis May Be Your Greatest Strength — Dale Archer, MD
88. The Body Silent: The Different World of the Disabled — Robert Francis Murphy
89. The Difference That Disability Makes — Rod Michalko
90. The Disability Experience: Working Toward Belonging — Hannalora Leavitt
91. The Essential Franklin Delano Roosevelt — Franklin Roosevelt
92. The Fully Recovered Mindset — Maddie Neibanck
93. The Ghost in My Brain: How a Concussion Stole My Life and How the New Science of Brain Plasticity Helped Me Get It Back — Clark Elliott
94. The History of My Shoes and the Evolution of Darwin’s Theory — Kenny Fries
95. The Obsessive Joy of Autism — Julia Bascom
96. The pretty one: on life, pop cultue, disability, and other reasons to fall in love with me — Keah Brown
97. The Story of My Life — Helen Keller
98. The Way I See It: A Personal Look at Autism and Asperger’s — Temple Grandin
99. The White Album — Joan Didion
100. The World I Live In — Helen Keller
101. Thinking in Pictures: My Life with Autism — Temple Grandin
102. To Know As We Are Known: Education as spiritual journey — Parker Palmer
103. Too Late to Die Young: Nearly True Tales from a Life — Harriet McBryde Johnson
104. Typed Words, Loud Voices — Various (Author), Amy Sequenzia (Editor), Elizabeth Grace (Editor)
105. Unleash Different: Achieving Business Success Through Disability — Rich Donovan
106. Unwritten Rules of Social Relationships: Decoding social mysteries theough autism’s unique perspectives — Temple Grandin
107. Waist-High in the World: A Life Among the Nondisabled — Nancy Mairs
108. Walking Papers: The Accident that Changed My Life, and the Business that Got Me Back on My Feet — Francesco Clark
109. We Are Never Meeting in Real Life — Smantha Irby
110. What Doesn’t Kill You: A Life with Chronic Illness – Lessons from a Body in Revolt — Tessa Miller
111. When the Chant Comes — Kay Ulanday Barrett
112. Why I Burned My Book and Other Essays on Disability — Paul K. Longmore
113. Wishful Drinking — Carrie Fisher
114. Year of the Tiger: An Activists Life — Alice Wong
115. You Don’t Have to Say You Love Me — Sherman Alexie
