If you’ve ever stared at a bookshelf or scrolled through Audible wondering, Where do I even start when it comes to changing my mindset?, you’re not alone. I’ve been there too. Over the years, I’ve listened to a wide range of books—some that grabbed me instantly, others that didn’t fully land until I circled back to them at just the right time. Funny how that works. Sometimes a book shows up exactly when you’re ready for it.
Looking back, I can see how these books have shaped not just my coaching, but the way I react to setbacks, stress, and hard seasons in life. I still struggle (who doesn’t?), but now I bounce back quicker, with tools I didn’t have before. Here’s what I’ve noticed, and how you might use the same approach to shape your own mindset.
Resilience Isn’t Just Grit
A lot of athletes think “mental toughness” means pushing harder until you break. Books like Do Hard Things by Steve Magness, Choose Strong by Sally McRae, and Relentless by Tim Grover taught me otherwise. True toughness is about adaptability—knowing when to press forward, when to pull back, and how to find grace in the process.
Takeaway: Mental toughness is a skill you can train. Just like strength training, it’s about progressive overload—small moments where you choose resilience over resignation.
Belief Systems Matter More Than You Think
Books like The Biology of Belief (Bruce Lipton), Breaking the Habit of Being Yourself (Joe Dispenza), and The Untethered Soul (Michael Singer) helped me realize how much our beliefs shape our performance. Whether you’re lining up for a marathon or trying to rebuild confidence after an injury, your subconscious wiring plays a bigger role than most training plans account for.
Takeaway: Pay attention to the stories you tell yourself. Sometimes the biggest PR isn’t shaving minutes off your race, but shifting the narrative in your head.
Healing Is Performance Work
I didn’t expect books like When the Body Says No (Gabor Maté) and The Body Keeps the Score (Bessel van der Kolk) to impact me as an athlete. But they did. They showed me how trauma and stress live in the body, influencing recovery, energy, and resilience. For me, it was a reminder that self-care isn’t “soft.” It’s strategy.
Takeaway: If your body is giving you signals—fatigue, recurring injury, burnout—listening is part of training. Healing work is performance work.
Small Habits, Big Shifts
Atomic Habits (James Clear), Tiny Experiments (Anne-Laure Le Cunff), and Peak Performance (Brad Stulberg & Steve Magness) reinforced something simple but powerful: consistency beats intensity. Big transformations don’t come from a single “aha” moment—they’re built brick by brick, habit by habit.
Takeaway: Start smaller than you think. Your future self will thank you.
Running Is More Than Miles
Some of my favorite books came straight from the running world: Born to Run, Choosing to Run (Des Linden), 26 Marathons (Meb Keflezighi), and Running with the Mind of Meditation (Sakyong Mipham). These reminded me that running is not just a sport; it’s a practice, a meditation, and sometimes a form of therapy.
Takeaway: Don’t limit yourself to chasing times and distances. Running has layers—let it work on you, not just for you.
Leadership, Coaching, and Meaning
Books like The Coaching Habit (Michael Bungay Stanier), Conscious Coaching (Brett Bartholomew), and Big Magic (Elizabeth Gilbert) reminded me that sport is bigger than performance. It’s about connection, creativity, and showing up for others. As a coach, that matters just as much as the science of training.
Takeaway: Find meaning beyond the stopwatch. Performance fades, but growth, creativity, and relationships last.
How I Actually Consume Books (and Why It Matters)
I’ll be honest — most of my reading happens on the run. Audiobooks fit my life so much better. I can listen while logging miles, walking the dog, or even driving, and it helps me take in new ideas without forcing myself to sit still. With physical books, my mind tends to wander.
That said, some books have still found their way onto my actual shelves. A few were gifts, a few I purchased because I wanted to revisit them more slowly, and some I never actually read in hard copy but did listen to on Audible. They all matter because they serve as reminders. Seeing them stacked together feels like visual proof of the mindset shifts I’ve gone through.
Books like Can’t Hurt Me by David Goggins and Breaking the Habit of Being Yourself by Joe Dispenza are both in my earbuds and on my shelf — the kind I keep close when I need a reset. Others, like Chi Running and Chi Walking by Danny Dreyer, are more like reference manuals for the way I move and coach. And then there are books like Protect Your Peace by Trent Shelton or The Comeback Quotient by Matt Fitzgerald, which remind me that bouncing back and protecting your energy are just as valuable as pushing through.
For me, it’s not really about the format. Whether I listen on a long run or flip through a gifted copy, all these books feed into the same mindset shift: building resilience, staying curious, and finding meaning in the process.
What’s Next on My Shelf
The truth is, I’m not done. Far from it. My Audible library and bookshelf keep growing, and I see that as a good thing. Right now, my wishlist includes books on everything from emotional healing (Mother Hunger by Kelly McDaniel, Break the Cycle by Dr. Mariel Buqué) to women’s health (The New Menopause by Mary Claire Haver, Unwell Women by Elinor Cleghorn), to creativity and courage (The War of Art by Steven Pressfield, Year of Yes by Shonda Rhimes).
Some of these will land with me right away, others might take time, and a few may not resonate at all. But that’s the point — mindset isn’t a box you check. It’s a lifelong practice. Just like running, you keep showing up, experimenting, and adjusting as you go.
Where to Start: 5 Books to Rewire Your Athlete Mindset
If you’re staring at this list thinking, Where do I even begin?, here are five books I’d recommend picking up first. Each one tackles mindset from a slightly different angle, so you’ll get both breadth and depth without drowning in options.
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Do Hard Things by Steve Magness
A modern take on mental toughness that’s less about “suck it up” and more about resilience, adaptability, and science-backed grit. -
Atomic Habits by James Clear
Simple, practical, and wildly effective. Perfect if you want to build better habits without overhauling your whole life. -
When the Body Says No by Gabor Maté
A powerful reminder that your body and mind are inseparable — and ignoring stress or trauma will eventually show up in performance. -
The Untethered Soul by Michael A. Singer
A more spiritual read, but one that can help you step back from the constant chatter in your head and run (and live) with more freedom. -
Choosing to Run by Des Linden
A runner’s memoir that blends grit, humor, and honesty. It’s inspiring without being sugar-coated, and perfect if you want to see how mindset shows up in the real world of sport.
Putting It Together
I didn’t absorb all these lessons overnight. And truthfully, not every book resonated. But when the right one landed at the right time, it shifted something in me. Those shifts have added up, and I can see the difference in how I move through hard seasons now.
If you’re not sure where to start, don’t overthink it. Pick one book that sparks your interest. Read (or listen) with curiosity, not pressure. Try one tool, test one habit, rewrite one thought. Change doesn’t need to be dramatic to be meaningful.
Want help applying these lessons in your own training? That’s what I do. As a running and strength coach, I help athletes take insights like these off the page (or audiobook) and into their daily practice.