Hey there, Welcome to Healthy Ish, your daily podcast from Body and Soul. Of course, I am the host of Felicity Harley. Now it'd be different for us today, but I thought it was well a great chat to inspire better health and well being. And don't worry, we're not turning into a book club. Author and founder of the Spiritual book Club just into Tyne and joins us in the studio to share a few books that has inspired her, that have changed her life for the better, and she
thought you might like them too. Now we do keep our Healthy sh episodes quite short, so if you want to hear today's full interview where we go into the importance of well thinking and can it really change your life, you can grab that wherever you get podcasts.
Welcome back to Healthy Shots like a second home. Great to feel you this might be your third time on.
I think it is not counting though, it's as a joy Felicity.
Oh likewise, and I'm actually excited to talk about this because you know you and I have both authors.
I just thought i'd dropped that in.
So we know the power of books.
The power of words, absolutely.
But talk to us about how they can be so impactful and helpful and powerful for our mental health and well being.
Yeah, you wouldn't necessarily think so. You don't think of books like that, do you. But I think we've all had that experience where you can pick up a book randomly off a shelf and open to a page at exactly the moment that you needed to see those words and they can cut right through. And I've certainly had that happen to me. That the right book at the right time can literally transform your life. And I love
spiritual slash inspirational books. I love those kind of books self help books they're also called, which is why I started a book club specifically for those kinds of books, the Spiritual Book Club, So I know that those kinds of books they can offer comfort and inspiration and shift your perspective and give you connection both to yourself, to your higher self and to others and really cut through and change your life.
Books are so powerful, Like they are so powerful.
I often when I read a good book, I find myself telling so many people about it, and then I think to myself, Oh, we need to shut up about that book.
You may as well be the pr for that book.
But it's amazing how particular ones can sink in at a particular time that you need.
Yeah, there's a saying.
I don't know who to attribute it to, but they say, when the teacher is ready, when the student is ready, the teacher appears. And I always think that teacher might be a book because someone will mention it just when you need to hear it, or you'll spot it on a bookshelf. And that's happened to me. And I've got a teasing pile by my bed. I'm sure many people do.
And also my kindle is packed with these books and you just pick it up, open at any page, particularly with a spiritual book, and just read a few words and it can completely transform.
The way you go about your day. What about book talk to BookTalk?
I don't use tiktop march, I have to say, but sometimes I go on and put actually key book top because I'm interested to see what people are recommending.
And there are pros and cons of this. You into this, No, I'm not. I probably should be right. I'm a bit behind.
I'm always a late adopted, but I do know what it is, of course, and I've seen a few clips.
I think it's a great thing.
Anything that encourages reading, and it's great for publishing as well to have this resurgence of books.
But I also think it's a big it's.
Noisy out there, and so if books are your thing, and if you're seeking niche, a particular niche of books, then of course I'm going to say this, but I think book clubs at the go, because you know, there are book clubs that are more specific for your kinds of books, which is why I started.
We'll talk us through some books that have changed your life, give us some inspiration of things that perhaps our listeners can well read and be inspired and potentially change their lives.
It's so hard to narrow it down, but I'm going to do it. I'm going to do the work for you all to just give you a few that change my life, and I pretty much guarante they will do the same for you because they have for millions of others.
I think number one and a lot.
Of people will hear this and go ah, yes, of course. The Alchemist by Paula Coelo, and this is iconic.
This book.
It's actually a fable, so it's fiction, and it's about following your dreams and finding your destiny and There's a whole lot of profound teachings in there, but the one that stands out that resonates with millions of people over the years is that we all have a destiny, and in the book it's called your personal legend, and the idea is that if we go through life knowing that and trying to realign with that destiny, then we're going
to be fulfilled in the end. There might be details along the way, as there are for the Shepherd Boy in this story, but we get there in the end.
What's your destiny?
Oh gosh, you are throwing that at me, do you know? Actually one of them creating the Spiritual Book Club is I feel very aligned with that at the moment. I think my destiny is probably, like you, to be a storyteller, and that's in many different ways to each people through words, and that's why I became a journalist and an author. But I actually have another one that I haven't yet fulfilled, if I ever will, which is the same idea of storytelling.
But I always wanted to be an actor, and yes, and whenever I read a book like The Alchemist and some of the others, I'm going to tell you about that stirs in me. And it's that when they say, what's that voice of your soul? What is it calling you to do? I had go shushush no. I don't have time for that. So I can't hear that one. So maybe one day.
Interesting watch this space.
I feel like The Alchemist is a book that you can revisit time, and I think I've actually read it twice in my life, and only twice inspired me to pick it up for a third time. What's another book that's impacted you? One that I've read recently. It's The Untethered Soul by Michael Singers. It is more it's newer than The Alchemist. But I think a lot of people are catching on to this. It's such an extraordinary book.
It's one of those books again that will absolutely change the way you view yourself and the world we're in. It's the idea that we have to become aware of the constant inner dialogue in our minds, and then by observing our thoughts, we can distance ourselves from them and then realize that they actually are true and they don't
define us. And so it's also about surrender that I found that really powerful, that idea Michael singer wrote another book called The Surrender Experiment, and it's the idea of just instead of trying to force everything, just get in flow with the universe and just trust the universe and hand it over when.
It all gets too hard.
Give us another one, The Artist's Way by Julia Cameron.
Do you know that one? No, So that's another one that I've.
Revisited many times over the years. It's like a guide, so it's kind of like a work book. But don't let that turn you off, because there's a lot you can just read it as well. But it's about rediscovering your creative self and your passions. And we're all creative. Many people hear that and they think, oh, I'm not a painter. Creativity is everything. It's motherhood, it's cooking, it's food,
it's writing, it's painting, it's what. There's so many expressions of creativity, and many of us lose sight of that as we get older and we separate ourselves from our true essence. So the Artist's Way is so powerful with these incredible exercises to help us get back in touch
with that essence. Say just saying for a friend, you know, if you're acting, was your passion and you'd hidden it, it would It helps get you back into alignment, and you do these things called the morning pages, So every morning you write stream of consciousness for three pages without lifting your pen and just let your inner voice come through.
That's from the Artist's.
Way, and many many creative, really successful creatives will say that they got their start from working with the Artist's Way, and it led me to write my first book to.
Yeah, there we go, give us a final book.
Gosh, where do I which one?
While I pick, well, I think I'll mention The Universe Has your Back by Gabby Earnstein, because that's really it's a simple introduction to the idea of manifestation. If that's to you and the universe. People hear us talk about the universe, what is that? Well, she describes it in a really spiritual concept, in a really relatable and reach reachable format. That's what Gabie Bernstein's famous for. So it's the idea that we can manifest the life we desire
through aligning our beliefs and thoughts and actions. And she just makes it all seem very accessible.
That is the word, isn't it accessible? Actually we had her on talking about that exact thing. So yeah, she's good.
Just int town.
Lovely having you back.
Thanks, great to be here. Thank you.
Do you have a favorite book, a book that's changed your life? I have one. It is called The Good Life, and I highly recommend it. It was written by the Harvard psychologists who are currently working on the longest study into human health and happiness. Now I've talked about this many times on the podcast, just sums it all up and basically dishes up all their findings. It is wonderful. If you do, you can tell us, join us on social media, join the conversation. If you did enjoy this chat, jump
on rate and review it. Or of course you can subscribe to this podcast, share it with a friend, anything else, head to body andsoul dot com dot you follow us on socials of course, tell us about your book or grab our print edition which is out in your local Sunday paper. And until tomorrow, stay healthy.