A question I get all the time is: “How did you get started?”

I went from being chronically ill, struggling with PTSD and panic attacks, to starting an online business and doubling my income in one year. Naturally, people always want to know how I did it.

The truth is, my entire journey started with something incredibly simple: reading.

Why Reading Changed My Life

Most of us spend our free time scrolling social media, binge-watching TV, or numbing ourselves out in one way or another. We live life on autopilot, and when we do that, nothing really changes.

But when you choose to replace mindless consumption with intentional learning, everything shifts. That’s what reading did for me.

Instead of wasting hours scrolling, I picked up books that expanded my mindset, taught me practical skills, and gave me the confidence to start my business and change my life.

Ideas started to flow.
Opportunities began to open.
And now, a year later, I’m living a life better than my wildest dreams.

If you're ready to change your life too, start by picking up these 9 books that helped me go from broke and unemployed to six figures in under a year!

1. Live, Laugh, Find True Love

Your 20s are full of relationships—romantic, friendships, and even business partnerships. The people you surround yourself with can either fuel your growth or drain your energy.

This book taught me:
✔ How to choose the right people in life—whether in relationships, friendships, or business.
✔ How to identify my core values, making decisions easier in every area of my life.
✔ How to communicate clearly and set boundaries so I could confidently go after what I wanted.

2. Unshakeable by Tony Robbins

Money used to stress me out. But this book helped me shift my mindset and understand that financial freedom is about strategy, not luck.

Tony Robbins breaks down:
✔ How to protect and grow your money even if you’re starting with very little.
✔ Why fear-based money decisions keep you broke—and what to do instead.
✔ The simple investing principles that can help anyone build wealth over time.

3. Attached

Your attachment style affects every relationship you have, including how you interact with clients, business partners, and even money.

This book helped me:
✔ Understand my own attachment style and how it influenced my decisions.
✔ Build stronger, healthier connections with people who aligned with my values.
✔ Set better boundaries in both personal and business relationships.

4. How to Win Friends and Influence People by Dale Carnegie

If you’re in business, you’re in the people business.

This book gave me the tools to:
✔ Communicate effectively and build genuine connections.
✔ Be more relatable and create a strong personal brand.
✔ Navigate business networking with ease, even as an introvert.

5. Rich Dad, Poor Dad by Robert Kiyosaki

This book changed the way I think about money forever.

Biggest takeaways:
✔ Ideas create wealth—it’s not about how much you earn, but how you think about money.
✔ Mind your own business—build assets that work for you instead of trading time for money.
✔ Schools teach you how to be an employee. This book teaches you how to be financially free.

6. Rich Dad’s Cashflow Quadrant

This book takes the concepts from Rich Dad, Poor Dad to the next level.

Lessons that shifted my mindset:
✔ Assets don’t retire you—consistent cash flow does.
✔ The four quadrants of income: Employee, Self-Employed, Business Owner, Investor.
✔ The goal isn’t just to make money. The goal is to make money work for you.

7. The Millionaire Mind by Thomas J. Stanley

Millionaires don’t always look like what you think.

This book showed me that:
✔ Wealthy people don’t splurge—they’re strategic with their spending.
✔ Habits matter more than luck—small daily actions lead to long-term success.
✔ Leverage is key—use money and resources wisely to create financial freedom.

8. Buy Back Your Time by Dan Martell

When I first started my business, I was overwhelmed trying to do everything myself.

This book taught me:
✔ How to stop trading time for money and start scaling smarter.
✔ Why outsourcing and automation are essential for growth.
✔ How to create a business that gives you freedom instead of burnout.

9. The Personal MBA by Josh Kaufman

Most people think you need a degree to start a successful business. You don’t.

This book gave me a crash course in:
✔ Marketing, sales, and business strategy—without spending $100K on an MBA.
✔ How to think like an entrepreneur and spot opportunities others miss.
✔ The mindset shifts that separate struggling entrepreneurs from successful ones.

Final Thoughts: The One Thing You Must Do

Reading these books changed my life.

But reading alone won’t change your life—you have to take action.

The biggest difference between successful people and those who stay stuck?
👉 They apply what they learn.

So here’s my challenge to you: Pick ONE book from this list, read it, and take action on what you learn.

Your future self will thank you.

Which book are you starting with?