Others' Books
Recommended Reading
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Struggle Well
Thriving in the Aftermath of Trauma
By Ken Falke and Josh Goldberg
Your struggle may come in different forms, and be given one of many different names, such as anxiety, depression, addiction, and/or PTSD. No matter how much you or a loved one is struggling, or what it is called, one thing is almost certainly clear: you aren’t living the life you desire or deserve.
Still, there is hope. By embracing the struggle, rather than fighting it, you can stop surviving and start thriving. Ken Falke and Josh Goldberg train combat veterans battling PTSD to understand and achieve Posttraumatic Growth (PTG). PTG helps you discover opportunities from times of struggle, and this book provides actionable strategies for making peace with past experiences, living in the present, and planning for a great future.
Through Ken and Josh’s work, thousands have transformed struggle into profound strength and lifelong growth. Now it is your turn. It’s time to learn to Struggle Well.
For readers of Journey to Himself, this book walks a parallel path; one that embraces struggle, confronts the shadow, and finds meaning on the other side. If you’ve lived through something hard and are ready to grow because of it, Struggle Well is essential reading.
Transformed by Trauma
Stories of Posttraumatic Growth
By Dr. Rich Tedeschi and Dr. Bret Moore
With Ken Falke and Josh Goldberg
All of our lives are filled with ups and downs, triumphs and tragedy, success and stress. The question is not whether we will experience difficulty, challenge, or trauma; it is what we will do in response to such events and experiences. While the dominant narrative of cultures around the world suggests that trauma diminishes our prospects for a great life, Richard Tedeschi, Bret Moore, Ken Falke, and Josh Goldberg know differently.
Rich, Bret, Ken, and Josh have dedicated their lives to ensuring that people can grow in the aftermath of trauma, and live great lives — filled with Posttraumatic Growth. This remarkable book harnesses the power of all their experience, and the incredible true stories of combat veterans and military and veteran family members who have transformed loss into gain and pain into purpose.
For readers of Journey to Himself, this book provides the scientific and narrative backbone for much of Rhett’s journey. It affirms that we don’t grow in spite of trauma—we grow because we engage with it. If you’re seeking real-life proof that the fire can forge something beautiful, Transformed by Trauma is a must-read.
Man's Search for Meaning
By Viktor Frankl
This seminal book, which has been called “one of the outstanding contributions to psychological thought” by Carl Rogers and “one of the great books of our time” by Harold Kushner, has been translated into more than fifty languages and sold over sixteen million copies. “An enduring work of survival literature,” according to the New York Times, Viktor Frankl’s riveting account of his time in the Nazi concentration camps, and his insightful exploration of the human will to find meaning in spite of the worst adversity, has offered solace and guidance to generations of readers since it was first published in 1946.
At the heart of Frankl’s theory of logotherapy (from the Greek word for “meaning”) is a conviction that the primary human drive is not pleasure, as Freud maintained, but rather the discovery and pursuit of what the individual finds meaningful. Today, as new generations face new challenges and an ever more complex and uncertain world, Frankl’s classic work continues to inspire us all to find significance in the very act of living, in spite of all obstacles.
For readers of Journey to Himself, this book is foundational. Frankl’s message mirrors the very heart of Rhett’s transformation: that meaning isn’t handed to us; it’s forged through choice, struggle, and perspective. If you've ever questioned the purpose behind your pain, this book offers not just answers, but a direction forward.
Lead Well
10 Steps to Successful and Sustainable Leadership
By Ken Falke
Whether you’ve led for years or are new to the role, being a leader is a responsibility that doesn’t come with instructions. Many leadership books focus strictly on tips for the business world. Others offer analysis but lack strategy, while most are confounding and complicated. To be a leader in today’s world, whether in your personal or professional life, you need a simple philosophy—one with proven results.
In Lead Well, leadership consultant and serial entrepreneur Ken Falke introduces you to the ten principles you need to become an impactful leader. With tactics that are easy to understand and even easier to implement, this book is packed with Ken’s insight from more than four decades in business, nonprofit, and military leadership. You’ll learn how to be the best version of yourself before inspiring others to contribute ideas and accomplish goals. Good leaders know that character and morals matter as much as profit and loss. Lead Well is your practical guide for understanding the leader within and becoming the person you need and want to be.
For readers of Journey to Himself, this book provides a natural extension of the inner work Rhett undertakes in the story. Once we’ve wrestled with our shadows and made peace with our past, we’re called to serve others. Lead Well is a manual for that next chapter—where healing becomes leadership, and self-discovery becomes service.
The Alchemist
By Paulo Coelho
The Alchemist is a modern classic—a poetic fable about purpose, intuition, and the courage it takes to follow one’s Personal Legend. Written by Brazilian author Paulo Coelho, this international bestseller tells the story of Santiago, a young Andalusian shepherd who sets out on a quest to find treasure buried near the Egyptian pyramids. But what he discovers instead is far more valuable: the treasure within.
As Santiago encounters wise mentors, omens, obstacles, and revelations, Coelho weaves a timeless message: when you truly desire something, the universe conspires in your favor. The journey itself becomes the path to self-discovery, spiritual awakening, and alignment with one’s soul.
Written in simple, lyrical prose, The Alchemist offers profound insights into faith, fear, destiny, and the art of listening to one’s heart. It’s both a story and a compass—a guide for those standing at the edge of uncertainty, wondering whether to leap.
For readers of Journey to Himself, The Alchemist feels like a spiritual sibling. Both books are deeply rooted in metaphor, myth, and meaning. Rhett’s desert path, much like Santiago’s, is less about finding gold and more about uncovering truth. If you’re seeking something more from life—something just out of reach but deeply familiar—The Alchemist is the perfect companion for the road ahead.
The Dark Side of the Light Chasers
Reclaiming Your Power, Creativity, Brilliance, and Dreams
By Debbie Ford
In The Dark Side of the Light Chasers, Debbie Ford invites readers to stop running from the parts of themselves they’ve learned to deny, suppress, or shame. Drawing from Jungian shadow work and her own transformative journey, Ford explores how the qualities we reject—anger, fear, selfishness, even ambition—are not flaws to be fixed, but hidden gold to be reclaimed.
This powerful book reveals that healing doesn’t come from being “good” all the time—it comes from being whole. Ford shows how to bring light to the shadow, how to own every part of yourself with compassion, and how to discover that the traits you’ve disowned may hold the very strengths you need to thrive.
With practical exercises, emotional insight, and soulful truth-telling, The Dark Side of the Light Chasers is a guide to self-acceptance, inner peace, and authentic power.
For readers of Journey to Himself, this book is a cornerstone. Rhett’s peace accord with the dragon—and his eventual reconciliation with the wolf—mirror Ford’s core truth: we cannot become whole by cutting ourselves in half. If you are ready to stop hiding from your past, your pain, or your potential, this book will walk beside you into the dark—and help you come out brighter than before.
The Choice
By Dr. Edith Eger
The Choice is a stunning memoir and guide to healing, written by Dr. Edith Eva Eger—a Holocaust survivor, psychologist, and human spirit in motion. At sixteen, Edith was sent to Auschwitz, where she endured unimaginable trauma. But what makes her story extraordinary is not only her survival—but her transformation. Decades after liberation, she realized that while she was no longer in a camp, she was still trapped in a mental prison of guilt, grief, and silence.
Through deeply personal storytelling and psychological insight, Dr. Eger shares how she broke free from victimhood—not by forgetting the past, but by facing it with courage and choosing how to live. The central message of The Choice is both simple and revolutionary: we cannot always choose what happens to us, but we can always choose how we respond.
The Choice is more than a memoir. It’s a masterclass in healing, forgiveness, and the power of personal agency. Dr. Eger invites readers not just to witness her journey—but to begin their own.
For readers of Journey to Himself, The Choice echoes a familiar truth: pain does not define us—our choices do. Rhett’s path through darkness into clarity reflects the same idea that freedom begins not outside us, but within. If you are learning to make peace with your past or seeking a way forward after deep wounds, this book will meet you right where you are—and walk beside you.
The Hero with a Thousand Faces
The Collective Works of Joseph Campbell
By Joseph Campbell
In The Hero with a Thousand Faces, mythologist Joseph Campbell uncovers a profound truth shared by cultures across the world: every hero’s journey follows a similar path. Drawing on stories from ancient myths, religious traditions, and modern epics, Campbell reveals what he called the monomyth—a universal structure that begins with a call to adventure, descends into trial and transformation, and returns with a gift for the world.
This book introduced the world to the "Hero’s Journey" as we now know it—a narrative arc that has influenced everything from Star Wars and The Matrix to the personal healing journeys of warriors, seekers, and survivors. Campbell’s insights are both intellectual and spiritual, offering a roadmap for any human being wrestling with purpose, fear, and change.
Though rich with mythology and academic rigor, The Hero with a Thousand Faces is ultimately about you. It invites readers to see their own life as a myth in motion—a sacred journey unfolding in real time.
For readers of Journey to Himself, this is a foundational text. Rhett’s path through pain, isolation, growth, and return echoes the very structure Campbell made visible. If you're seeking to understand where you are on your own path—or how your story might serve others—this book is a guide for the soul.
The War of Art
Break Through the Blocks and Win Your Inner Creative Battles
By Steven Pressfield
The War of Art is a wake-up call for creators, dreamers, and anyone standing at the edge of becoming. With sharp prose and unflinching truth, Steven Pressfield names the invisible force that keeps us stuck—Resistance. Whether you’re writing a book, rebuilding your life, launching a business, or simply trying to show up fully each day, this book will meet you right where you hesitate.
Pressfield breaks the book into three movements: defining Resistance, understanding the mindset of the “professional” who pushes through it, and connecting creative discipline with spiritual purpose. It’s part creative manifesto, part soul-level challenge—and every word counts.
This is not a feel-good book. It’s a do-the-work book. But somehow, in calling us to courage, it becomes deeply compassionate.
For readers of Journey to Himself, The War of Art reflects the same reckoning Rhett faces: the war isn’t out there—it’s within. And showing up for the work is how we begin to win.
The Untethered Soul
The Journey Beyond Yourself
By Michael Singer
The Untethered Soul is a quiet, powerful invitation to step back from your thoughts, your emotions, and your story—and remember who you really are. Michael A. Singer offers a clear and deeply spiritual guide to inner freedom, one that transcends religion and instead points to direct experience. Through mindfulness, surrender, and observation, Singer teaches how to unhook from the noisy mind and rest in the awareness beneath it.
The book flows between simple explanation and profound spiritual insight, helping readers notice how much energy is spent resisting life—and how peace begins when we stop clinging. Whether you're dealing with trauma, anxiety, or the daily pressures of modern life, this book is a compass pointing inward.
For readers of Journey to Himself, The Untethered Soul echoes Rhett’s slow shift from survival to surrender. It's not about fixing what's broken—it's about recognizing you were never broken to begin with. If you long for inner stillness, this book is a path worth walking.
The Way of the Superior Man
A Spiritual Guide to Mastering the Challenges of Women, Work, and Sexual Desire
By David Deida
The Way of the Superior Man is a bold, challenging guide to masculine purpose, love, and spiritual depth. David Deida speaks directly to men who want to live, lead, and love with full integrity—without losing their strength, their heart, or their soul. This book confronts fear, avoidance, and emotional immaturity head-on, urging men to lean into discomfort, embrace vulnerability, and live from their deepest truth.
Blending Eastern philosophy, Western psychology, and spiritual insight, Deida explores the masculine-feminine dynamic, sexual polarity, and what it means to bring presence into every part of life. His tone is often provocative, but his intent is clear: to call men toward growth, depth, and purpose beyond ego or performance.
For readers of Journey to Himself, this book feels like Rhett’s next evolution. Once the survival ends, the real work of relationship, presence, and purpose begins. If you're asking what kind of man you’re becoming—and who you want to be for others—this book offers a powerful lens.
Wild at Heart
Discovering the Secret of a Man's Soul
By John Eldredge
Wild at Heart is a call for men to rediscover their God-given masculine soul—not the domesticated version handed down by culture, but the wild, brave, and deeply alive version buried underneath fear, failure, and false expectations. Drawing from scripture, myth, and his own story, John Eldredge invites men to reconnect with the core desires of their heart: a battle to fight, a beauty to rescue, and an adventure to live.
This book explores how many men have been wounded—by their fathers, by religion, or by a world that taught them to suppress their strength and avoid their hearts. Eldredge doesn’t just name the wound—he charts a path toward healing. Through risk, solitude, vulnerability, and faith, men can reclaim the life they were made for.
For readers of Journey to Himself, Wild at Heart strikes a deep chord. Like Rhett, it calls men out of isolation and into the wild terrain of inner transformation. If you’ve ever felt numb, caged, or unsure of what it means to be a man—you’re not broken. You’re just being called home.
Loving What Is
Four Questions that Can Change Your Life
By Byron Katie
In Loving What Is, Byron Katie offers a radically simple method for ending suffering: question your thoughts. With just four questions, known as “The Work,” Katie shows how much of our pain comes not from what happens, but from what we believe about what happens. Her approach isn’t about toxic positivity or denial—it’s about truth. Real, clear truth that emerges when we stop arguing with reality.
The process is deceptively simple: Is it true? Can you absolutely know it’s true? How do you react when you believe that thought? Who would you be without it? These questions gently unravel the stories we’ve been telling ourselves—stories that often keep us stuck in blame, shame, fear, or resentment.
For readers of Journey to Himself, Loving What Is aligns deeply with Rhett’s awakening. As he learns to see things clearly and release old narratives, he moves closer to peace. If you're ready to make peace with your past—and your mind—this book is a quiet revolution.
No Bad Parts
Healing Trauma and Restoring Wholeness with the Internal Family Systems Model
By Dr. Richard C. Schwartz
In No Bad Parts, Dr. Richard Schwartz introduces the Internal Family Systems (IFS) model—a groundbreaking and compassionate approach to healing trauma. At its core is a simple but revolutionary idea: we are not a single self, but a system of “parts,” each with its own voice, story, and role. Some parts protect. Some react. Some carry pain. And none of them are bad.
Rather than silencing or exiling parts of ourselves, Schwartz invites us to turn toward them with curiosity and compassion. Through this internal dialogue, we begin to understand that the parts we’ve long judged—our anger, fear, or shame—are actually trying to help us survive.
No Bad Parts is both therapeutic and spiritual. It’s a guide to becoming whole—not by eliminating your inner complexity, but by integrating it.
For readers of Journey to Himself, this book mirrors the peace accord Rhett makes with the wolf. Healing isn’t about slaying the parts within—it’s about listening to them, honoring them, and learning to lead from the self with clarity and calm.
Healing the Shame that Binds You
By John Bradshaw
Healing the Shame That Binds You is a foundational work on understanding and transforming toxic shame—the kind of shame that doesn’t just make us feel bad, but makes us believe we are bad. John Bradshaw, a pioneer in the field of inner child work and emotional healing, explains how shame often begins in childhood, grows in silence, and weaves itself into every area of life: relationships, addiction, achievement, and self-worth.
Bradshaw differentiates between healthy shame (the kind that keeps us human and humble) and toxic shame (which disconnects us from ourselves). Through stories, reflection, and powerful exercises, he guides readers to trace the roots of their shame and begin the lifelong work of self-reclamation.
This book is honest and sometimes heavy—but for many, it’s the first step toward true liberation.
For readers of Journey to Himself, this book speaks directly to the silent weight Rhett carries. If you’ve ever felt unworthy of love, healing, or a second chance—Healing the Shame That Binds You will remind you that you were never the problem. The shame was.
On Killing
The Psychological Cost of Learning to Kill in War and Society
By Dave Grossman
On Killing is a sobering and essential exploration of what it means to take life—and to live with that reality afterward. Written by Lt. Col. Dave Grossman, a former Army Ranger and psychology professor, this groundbreaking book examines the mental, emotional, and spiritual toll of killing in combat, policing, and even modern media. Drawing from military history, psychology, and firsthand accounts, Grossman uncovers how deeply human beings are wired not to kill—and what happens when they must.
This is not a glorification of violence. It’s a compassionate, unflinching look at the moral and psychological aftermath of doing what society often demands but rarely understands. For veterans, law enforcement officers, and anyone touched by war or violence, this book names the invisible cost.
For readers of Journey to Himself, On Killing offers important context for the unseen wounds men like Rhett carry. It speaks to the soul fractures that come not only from trauma—but from the choices made in survival. If you’ve borne witness to violence—or been part of it—this book is a mirror, a reckoning, and a path to begin making peace.
Thank You for Your Service
By David Finkel
Thank You for Your Service is a raw and unflinching portrait of what happens after war—when the battlefield is behind you, but the war within is just beginning. Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist David Finkel follows a group of U.S. soldiers returning from Iraq as they try to rebuild their lives, relationships, and sense of self in the wake of trauma, guilt, and invisible wounds.
Finkel doesn’t look away. He shows the painful realities of PTSD, depression, brain injury, and moral injury—not through statistics, but through people: warriors, spouses, children, and clinicians doing their best to hold it all together. The result is both heartbreaking and deeply humanizing.
This is not a story about combat. It’s about consequence—and the courage required to keep going when the war is over and you’re still not home.
For readers of Journey to Himself, Thank You for Your Service echoes Rhett’s return from the brink. It’s a powerful reminder that healing isn’t linear, and that no one comes back unchanged. If you want to understand what true reintegration looks like—painful, messy, and brave—this book is essential.
Falling Upward
A Spirituality for the Two Halves of Life
By Richard Rohr
Falling Upward is a quiet, soul-deep exploration of how life’s deepest meaning often doesn’t arrive until something breaks. In this modern spiritual classic, Franciscan priest Richard Rohr shares the wisdom that the “second half” of life—whether that begins at 30 or 70—isn’t about success or accumulation. It’s about surrender, depth, and becoming who we truly are beneath our roles and wounds.
Rohr writes that the first half of life is for building the container—identity, security, achievement. The second half is about filling it—with grace, truth, purpose, and mystery. Often, it takes a fall—failure, loss, disillusionment—to shake us loose from the illusion of control and open us to transformation.
This isn’t a self-help book. It’s a spiritual roadmap for those who’ve lived long enough to know that wholeness comes through descent, not ascent.
For readers of Journey to Himself, Falling Upward captures the heart of Rhett’s journey. His “fall” into the desert wasn’t the end—it was the beginning of something richer, more grounded, and more real. This book reminds us: what feels like falling may actually be the path to rising.