The Integrated Mom LIBRARY
Books We’re Reading
Neha Ruch's "The Power Pause: How to Plan a Career Break After Kids—and Come Back Stronger Than Ever" challenges and reframes the traditional narrative around mothers who choose to take a break or step back from their careers after having children.
Jessica Turner's "Stretched Too Thin" is a compassionate and practical guide for working mothers who feel overwhelmed and constantly pulled in too many directions. Turner acknowledges the immense pressures and "mental load" that often leave working moms exhausted and feeling inadequate.
Dr. Ivy Ge's "The Art of Good Enough" offers a refreshing perspective for mothers, particularly working mothers, who often feel overwhelmed by the pressure to be perfect. The core message is that you don't have to be perfect to be happy and fulfilled.
3 reasons why you should read these T.I.M. suggested books
“Step into Your Moxie” by Alexia Vernon
"Step into Your Moxie" by Alexia Vernon is about empowering you to find and use your authentic voice to communicate confidently and make an impact. It helps you overcome self-doubt to speak up for yourself and your ideas in all aspects of life.
3 Reasons Why to Read It as a Working Mom:
Reclaim Your Voice: Learn to articulate your needs and set boundaries, crucial for managing the demands of work and family.
Boost Career Confidence: Gain tools to speak up in meetings, negotiate effectively, and pursue professional growth.
Model Empowerment: Show your children the importance of self-advocacy and confident communication by living it yourself.
“The Highly Sensitive Child” by Elaine N. Aron
"The Highly Sensitive Child" by Elaine N. Aron introduces the concept of the Highly Sensitive Person (HSP) trait as it applies to children. It explains that highly sensitive children (HSCs) are more aware of subtleties, process information deeply, and are easily overstimulated by their environment. The book helps parents understand and nurture their HSCs, offering strategies to support their unique temperament.
3 Reasons Why to Read It as a Working Mom:
Understand Your Child's Unique Needs: Helps you identify if your child is highly sensitive and provides a framework for understanding their intense reactions, deep emotions, and need for quiet or downtime amidst a busy family schedule.
Navigate Overwhelm and Meltdowns: Offers practical strategies for managing sensory overload and emotional intensity in HSCs, which can be particularly challenging when balancing work and home life.
Optimize Parenting Strategies: Provides guidance on how to create a supportive environment for your HSC, helping them thrive in a world that often feels overwhelming, leading to a more harmonious home for everyone.
“I Didn't Do the Thing Today” by Madeleine Dore
Madeleine Dore's "I Didn't Do the Thing Today" is a gentle guide that challenges traditional productivity. It encourages embracing imperfection and flexibility, rather than rigid to-do lists, to find a kinder way to live daily.
3 Reasons Why to Read It as a Working Mom:
Escape Guilt: Release the pressure to "do it all" and find peace when plans go awry.
Embrace Flexibility: Adapt better to unpredictable days, a must for working moms.
Redefine Success: Learn to value self-compassion over just checking tasks, reducing burnout.
"The Art of Gathering" by Priya Parker
"The Art of Gathering" by Priya Parker offers a fresh perspective on how to create meaningful and transformative gatherings, from business meetings to family dinners. It emphasizes starting with a clear purpose, embracing exclusion, and facilitating genuine connection and interaction, moving beyond generic default patterns to craft memorable experiences.
3 Reasons Why to Read It as a Working Mom:
Optimize Your Time: Learn to design more purposeful and efficient gatherings, whether it's a family meeting, a school event, or a playdate, making the most of your limited free time.
Strengthen Connections: Discover how to facilitate deeper, more meaningful interactions in your personal life, helping you feel more connected to friends, family, and community despite your busy schedule.
Elevate Family Rituals: Gain tools to intentionally craft family meals, celebrations, or even daily routines into more engaging and memorable experiences, fostering stronger bonds and a sense of shared purpose.
"The Crossroads of Should and Must" by Elle Luna is a beautifully illustrated, short book that explores the tension between what we feel we should do (expectations, obligations) and what we feel we must do (our true calling, deep desires). It's a guide to recognizing and committing to that "must," urging readers to pursue their authentic creative path and live a life aligned with their deepest self.
3 Reasons Why to Read It as a Working Mom:
Identify Your "Must": Helps working moms, often caught in a whirlwind of "shoulds," pause and reconnect with their own passions and what truly fulfills them beyond daily demands.
Combat Burnout: Encourages prioritizing personal "musts," which can be essential for mental well-being and preventing burnout when juggling career, family, and home.
Find Purpose in the Chaos: Offers a framework for intentionally carving out space and time for creative or personal pursuits, even in a busy life, leading to greater satisfaction and a sense of purpose.
“The Crossroads of Should and Must” by Elle Luna
"Being You: A Journal" by Elena Brower is an interactive guide designed to help you connect deeply with yourselfthrough prompts, reflections, and practices. It encourages self-exploration, self-acceptance, and cultivating a more compassionate relationship with your inner world, fostering personal growth and well-being.
3 Reasons Why to Read It as a Working Mom:
Prioritize Self-Connection: Offers a structured way to carve out essential moments for self-reflection and introspection, crucial for maintaining your well-being amidst constant demands.
Manage Overwhelm: Provides tools and prompts to process emotions, reduce stress, and develop self-awareness, helping you navigate the unique pressures of work and family life.
Foster Personal Growth: Guides you in understanding your needs and desires, empowering you to make intentional choices that align with your authentic self, leading to a more fulfilling life.
“Being You: A Journal” by Elena Brower
"The Care and Keeping of You"
by American Girl® Wellbeing
"The Care and Keeping of You" is a series of age-appropriate guides for young girls, published by American Girl. These books explain physical and emotional changes during puberty, covering topics like body hygiene, periods, emotions, and self-care in a gentle, informative, and empowering way. They aim to help girls understand and feel comfortable with their changing bodies and feelings.
3 Reasons Why to Read It as a Working Mom:
Essential Resource for Your Daughter: This is a vital tool to help your daughter understand her changing body and emotions, providing a reliable and accessible source of information she can refer to independently.
Facilitates Difficult Conversations: It offers a great starting point for you to have important, sensitive conversations with your daughter about puberty, acting as a shared reference point to ease discussions.
Saves You Time and Stress: By providing clear, kid-friendly explanations, it can answer many of your daughter's questions, freeing up some of your precious time and reducing the pressure on you to explain everything from scratch.
"The Care and Keeping of You 2"
by American Girl® Wellbeing
"The Care and Keeping of You 2" by American Girl Wellbeing is the sequel guide for older girls navigating their tween and early teen years. It delves deeper into physical and emotional changes, covering topics like self-esteem, body image, friendships, social media, dating, and more complex health questions. It aims to empower girls with knowledge and confidence as they mature.
3 Reasons Why to Read It as a Working Mom:
Understand Your Tween/Teen Daughter's World: This book provides insight into the more complex challenges and questions older girls face, helping you better understand her emotional and social landscape.
Supports Ongoing Conversations: It serves as an excellent resource to continue vital discussions with your daughter about her evolving identity, relationships, and well-being, building on the foundation of the first book.
Addresses New Challenges: It tackles contemporary issues like social media and peer pressure, equipping both you and your daughter with tools to navigate these common modern-day stressors for young people.
"The anxious generation" by Jonathan haidt
"The Anxious Generation" by Jonathan Haidt argues that a "great rewiring" of childhood, primarily driven by smartphones and social media combined with overprotective parenting, has led to a dramatic increase in mental illness among young people. Haidt details how the decline of play-based childhoods and the rise of phone-based childhoods have interfered with children's social and neurological development, offering solutions for parents, schools, and policymakers.
3 Reasons Why to Read It as a Working Mom:
Understand Your Child's Mental Health Landscape: Gain critical insight into the complex factors contributing to rising anxiety and depression in children and teens, helping you recognize potential impacts on your own children.
Navigate Screen Time Battles: The book offers a strong, research-backed argument for setting firm boundaries around smartphones and social media, empowering you to make informed decisions and implement strategies for healthier digital habits in your home.
Rethink Childhood Independence: It encourages a re-evaluation of structured activities versus free play, prompting you to consider how to foster resilience and independent exploration in your children's lives, which can benefit their long-term well-being.