A curated collection for the journey
Books that have shaped my thinking, strengthened my faith, expanded my perspective, and inspired my leadership journey.
Explore the LibraryI believe that every great leader remains a lifelong learner.
Throughout every season of my life, books have challenged me to think differently, grow intentionally, strengthen my faith, and lead with greater wisdom, compassion, and purpose.
The collection below reflects many of the authors and ideas that continue to inspire my personal life, leadership philosophy, and commitment to serving others.
My hope is that something within these pages encourages you to continue learning, growing, and becoming all that you were created to be.
A faith-centered invitation to release the weight of the past, embrace growth, and move forward with courage and spiritual confidence.
It reminds me that purpose continues to unfold when we give ourselves permission to heal, learn, and become.
A reflective exploration of meaning, spiritual direction, and the ways our lives can be aligned with a purpose greater than ourselves.
It reinforces my belief that leadership begins with understanding who we are called to serve and why our work matters.
A candid guide to navigating workplace barriers, building professional confidence, and creating more equitable pathways for women of color.
It speaks to the importance of access, advocacy, trusted relationships, and making room for other women to lead.
A practical look at the habits, influence, priorities, and character that help leadership grow from the inside out.
It affirms that leadership is developed through daily discipline, self-awareness, and a consistent commitment to growth.
A joyful and honest account of choosing courage, visibility, and new experiences in place of fear and familiar limitations.
It inspires me to remain open to the opportunities that can transform a life when we are willing to say yes.
A clear framework for understanding how small, repeatable choices can shape identity and create meaningful long-term change.
It reflects my belief that excellence is rarely one grand moment; it is built through consistency and thoughtful daily action.
A deeply human examination of justice, compassion, inequity, and the responsibility to recognize dignity in every person.
It challenges me to remember that service requires both courage and compassion, especially when standing beside those whose voices are overlooked.
A personal journey through family, education, public service, identity, and the continuous process of growing into one’s own voice.
It reminds me that becoming is lifelong and that our stories can encourage others to see greater possibilities for themselves.
A principle-centered approach to effectiveness that connects personal responsibility, purposeful priorities, collaboration, and renewal.
It encourages me to build from enduring values, keep the larger vision in view, and seek solutions where people can grow together.
A research-based study of the disciplined leadership, people, decisions, and systems associated with sustained organizational excellence.
It reinforces the value of strong foundations, careful stewardship, and creating organizations that can serve well beyond one moment.
A thoughtful collection of practices and perspectives for remaining grounded, connected, and hopeful during uncertain seasons.
It reminds me that steady inner practices can help us carry light for ourselves while encouraging those around us.
An energetic call to confront fear, speak with conviction, and use one’s voice to challenge what no longer serves people well.
It inspires me to lead honestly, ask necessary questions, and trust that courageous voices can help create meaningful change.
A layered story of friendship, secrecy, and the women whose intelligence and persistence helped shape the codebreaking work at Bletchley Park during World War II.
I value stories that bring women’s often-overlooked contributions to history into clearer view and show how courage can take many forms.
A historical novel inspired by a Ukrainian scholar and mother whose wartime service transformed her into one of the Soviet Union’s most recognized snipers.
This story reflects the resilience, discipline, and unexpected strength women have carried through some of history’s most difficult seasons.
A novel inspired by the remarkable wartime service of Nancy Wake and the courage required to resist injustice under extraordinary pressure.
I am drawn to accounts of women who answered uncertainty with conviction, resourcefulness, and a willingness to serve something larger than themselves.
A moving wartime story centered on friendship, loyalty, sacrifice, and two young women whose lives are shaped by aviation and intelligence work.
Its focus on loyalty and courage reminds me that history is also the record of relationships that sustained people through seemingly impossible circumstances.
A family saga shaped by inheritance, migration, identity, and the secrets a mother leaves behind for her children to uncover.
I appreciate stories that reveal how family history, cultural memory, and untold truths continue to shape the generations that follow.
A historical novel inspired by a remarkable Paris apartment and the women whose lives, choices, and secrets connect two generations.
This is the kind of intimate history I enjoy: a story where beauty, memory, and resilience illuminate the lives behind a larger historical moment.
A multigenerational story of family, loss, belonging, and a treasured heirloom that carries both history and meaning across time.
I am drawn to the way family sagas connect personal identity to the people, places, and objects that preserve a family’s story.
A story spanning two world wars, centered on a network of women spies and the courage, loyalty, and sacrifice their work demanded.
It reflects my interest in women whose intelligence and service changed history, even when their contributions were not fully recognized at the time.
A World War II novel about two women connected through resistance work, coded messages, and the quiet power of information.
I value stories that show courage expressed through knowledge, communication, and the determination to protect truth in dangerous times.
A wartime mystery featuring a gifted young secretary whose intelligence draws her into the danger and intrigue surrounding Britain’s leadership.
This story brings together history, service, and a capable woman stepping into work that asks her to trust both her intellect and her courage.
An intergenerational story tracing two branches of a Ghanaian family across centuries and illuminating the enduring reach of history, inheritance, displacement, and identity.
I appreciate the way this novel reveals how history lives within families and how the choices, losses, and resilience of one generation continue to shape those who follow.
From Pia's reading life
A multigenerational family story exploring identity, race, belonging, choices, and the lasting ways one generation shapes the next.
“If there is no struggle, there is no progress.
Frederick Douglass
“Nothing will work unless you do.
Maya Angelou
“Alone we can do so little; together we can do so much.
Helen Keller
“Leadership is a series of behaviors rather than a role for heroes.
Margaret Wheatley
A practice of curiosity
Reading has never been about collecting books. It has always been about collecting wisdom.
Every book offers an opportunity to learn, grow, challenge assumptions, deepen compassion, and better serve others.
I believe leaders should remain curious, teachable, humble, and committed to lifelong learning throughout every season of life.
History That Draws Me In
I especially enjoy historical fiction and family sagas, including multigenerational and intergenerational stories that reveal how history lives within families.
I am also drawn to European history, Tudor and Elizabethan England, the Renaissance, and the women whose courage, intellect, service, and resilience helped shape their times. These stories let me enter history through relationships, inheritance, identity, and the lived experiences behind the larger record.
Reading Resources
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Explore hoopla ↗Whether I’m reading a printed book, listening to an audiobook while traveling, or borrowing a title through my local library, I believe learning should be accessible, enjoyable, and a lifelong pursuit.
Education is not preparation for life; education is life itself.John Dewey
I hope these books encourage you to continue learning, growing, serving, and leading with purpose.
Never stop becoming the person you were created to be.
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