10 Top-rated Self Improvement Books for Women in 2024

This is a carefully curated list of the most empowering self-improvement books for women. 

These books are best-sellers, have glowing Goodreads reviews, and have been trending in 2024. If you want to achieve your personal and professional growth, these are our top picks. They cover women’s greatest challenges and can help you cultivate a good mindset, build confidence, and form life-changing habits.

From creativity to confidence and being a badass – here are the best self improvement books for women.

10 Best Self Improvement Books for Women

1. Everything is Figureoutable by Marie Forleo

Goodreads rating: 3.98

Podcast host and founder of award-winning MarieTV, Marie Forleo wants to retrain your brain so that everything is “figureoutable.” From leaving a dead-end job, overcoming bad habits, or growing a business. This book will give you the mindset and conviction to change your life and overcome setbacks with positivity and creativity.

In this bestseller, you will learn about:

• The habit that makes it 42% more likely you’ll achieve your goals
• How to overcome a lack of time and money
• How to deal with self-doubt and criticism

2. The Confidence Code by Katty Kay and Claire Shipman

Goodreads rating: 3.72

Research has shown that women are much less confident than men in the workplace, and Claire Shipman and Katty Kay believe it is why men still dominate the corporate world. In their groundbreaking book, they give practical advice on how women at any age and stage of their career can build unbreakable confidence and succeed. 

Recommended Reading: 15 Effective Confidence-building Exercises for Women

3. The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People by Stephen R. Covey

Goodreads rating: 4.16

This book has been around for decades, but it is still one of the best self improvement books for women to read in 2024.

The 7 simple yet profound principles of Stephen R. Covey can help you overcome personal and professional problems. By reading this book, you can learn how to live with principles of fairness, integrity, and service.

This book will help you:

• Be proactive
• Work toward your goals
• Develop your own personal mission statement.

4. You Are a Badass: How to Stop Doubting Your Greatness and Start Living an Awesome Life by Jen Sincero

Goodreads rating: 3.95

This New York Times Bestseller is packed with laugh-out-loud moments, the occasional curse word, and many revolutionary insights. The 27 bite-sized chapters are filled with relatable stories and easy-to-implement exercises to change your life now. It is one of the best books for self confidence, is funny, and entertaining.

It can help you:

• Identify and change the self-sabotaging beliefs and behaviors that stop you from getting what you want.
• Shift your energy and attract what you desire.
• Make some damn money already.

5. Big Magic: Creative Living Beyond Fear by Elizabeth Gilbert 

Goodreads rating: 3.96

Elizabeth Gilbert offers her unconventional yet pragmatic take on creativity in this captivating book. Creativity is the cornerstone of any fulfilling life, business venture, or passion project. In her book, Gilbert guides us on how to treat and use creativity to live our most courageous lives and debunks myths about creativity that many people mistakenly hold onto.

In this book, you will learn how to:

• Embrace creativity
• Be more courageous
• Find your own creative path

Recommended Reading: The 15 Best Business Books For Women in Business

6. Mindset by Carol S. Dweck

Goodreads rating: 4.10

Renowned Psychologist Carol S. Dweck developed the popular concept, Growth Mindset. With this mindset, you believe that you can grow and develop your skills through application and experience, and your skills are not fixed. In the book, she challenges our fundamental assumptions about our capabilities and determines that we can succeed by developing a growth mindset.

In this self improvement book, you will learn about:

• What a growth mindset is
• How a growth mindset can help you when parenting, in business and school, and when developing relationships.
• How you can develop a Growth Mindset

Recommended Reading: How Can You Develop a Growth Mindset as a Woman in Business?

7. Atomic Habits by James Clear

Goodreads rating: 4.35

This book is a best-seller and has been recommended by many businesswomen, including Michele Ferron. It is an incredibly practical and easy-to-read guide to developing habits and behaviors that will help you succeed. It focuses on everyday and iterative improvement to reach those big, overarching goals.

Atomic habits will help you understand habits so you can change them.

You will learn about how to:

• Make it obvious
• Small habits make a big difference
• Focus on systems over goal-setting
• Build identity-based habits
• Build better habits in 4 simple steps

8. Daring Greatly by Brené Brown

Goodreads rating: 4.29

Every day we experience uncertainty and risk, from new relationships and important meetings to hard family conversations.

Leading thought leader, Brené Brown, shows us how to find our clearest path to connection, engagement, and fulfillment – through vulnerability and courage. Find out how to be vulnerable and watch your happiness levels skyrocket at work and at home.

Recommended Reading: 15 Dare to Lead Quotes That Will Change How You Lead

9. Girl, Stop Apologizing by Rachel Hollis

Goodreads rating: 3.78 

In this powerful book, Rachel Hollis points out what may be stopping you from reaching your goals. This is for any woman who is afraid of embarrassment, not being enough, or not being perfect. She will help you let go of excuses, outline new behaviors to adopt, and the skills you need for self-confidence and unapologetic growth. 

In this book, she explores:

• Excuses you may be holding onto
• Bheviors to adopt
• The skills you need for confidence and growth

Recommended Reading: 15 Effective Confidence-building Exercises for Women

10. How to Have a Good Day by Caroline Webb

Goodreads rating: 4.02

Former McKinsey partner Caroline Webb uses behavioral science to help us understand our brains and choices in the world of work. This book can help you to be more resilient, make every interaction count, and be your smartest self. The cumulative results of good days is an exceptional year, so grab this copy for an outstanding career.

In this book, you will learn how to:

• Navigate conflict with colleagues
• Make meetings less dull
• Deal with overflowing inboxes

Do you want to listen to inspiring conversations? Listen to these 20 Inspirational Podcasts for Women

How Did We Pick The Best Self Improvement Books for Women?

We surveyed public forums to see what books women were talking about and searched for books that inspiring women in business have read and recommended. The books in this list came up again and again – placing them firmly on our list of must-read books for women. 

These books are written by acclaimed authors and top thought leaders, and influence how people behave at work, and home, and how we interact with one another.

These books also all have excellent reviews on trustworthy platforms like Amazon and Goodreads.

Lastly and importantly, these books cover some of the top challenges for female entrepreneurs and women like confidence and self-doubt. Self improvement for women means having the confidence and tools to be true to yourself, and these books can help you on your journey.

What Is Self Improvement for Women?

Self improvement for women is ongoing. It is a process whereby you try and improve yourself through knowledge, action, and trying new things. Women face unique challenges like work-life balance and confidence. A lot of the best self improvement books for women cover these topics. Here are a few tips to make sure that you continue on your journey and give yourself the grace you deserve.

Here are a few things you can do to improve as a woman.

• Write down your goals (Use a work planner – we have some top recommendations)
• Surround yourself with people who support you
• Embrace failure
• Take risks
• Celebrate your success (Here are 25 Ideas for you to celebrate your success)
• Evaluate your journey and progress regularly

Recommended Reading: Goal Setting for The New Year (How to Do It Properly)

How to Know What to Read Next?

You now have a collection of books to choose from.

And remember, self improvement for women is an ongoing journey, and these books can offer incredible insights and tools to help you. From creating habits, and having a good day every day to overcoming fear – these books could change your life. When choosing what to read next, self-awareness is key. You should think about your strengths, weaknesses, and where you could improve in your life.

Take your reading experience to the next level with Custom Pens. Personalize your pen with a motto or engraved signature. Using this powerful pen, you can jot down notes to remember and bookmark the important chapters and ideas – making your self-improvement journey even more meaningful. This pen isn’t just a tool – it’s your companion for capturing insights, memorable quotes, and game-changing ideas.

What to read next? 19 Women in Business Podcasts That You Need to Download in 2024