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Blog, Health & Wellness, Reading
Health and Wellness Books By Black Women That Will Improve Your Life
- January 10, 2023
- by Mommy R+R
*This post was originally published in February 2020 and has been updated to include additional titles.

Here is a list of health and wellness books by Black women that are designed to uplift and restore you. In this listing, you’ll find titles related to overall health, spirituality, wellness, healthy eating, fitness, and self-care.

Vibrate Higher Daily: Live Your Power – By Lalah Delia

Every day, by making choices that help us feel good, we raise our vibration. This book is a guide to help us live our lives in a way that helps us grow and be happy. It has poems, chants, and affirmations that will help us feel more confident and powerful.

Own Your Glow: A Soulful Guide to Luminous Living and Crowning the Queen Within – By Latham Thomas

Own Your Glow is an inspiring and helpful guide to living a healthy and successful life. Celebrity wellness and lifestyle guru, Latham Thomas provides soulful advice on how to examine life’s challenges and find your path to greatness while embracing your feminine qualities. This guide is perfect for anyone who wants to see their own life change for the better and contribute to the good in the world.

Rachel Ama’s Vegan Eats: Tasty Plant-Based Recipes for Every Day – By Rachel Ama

Vegan Eats is a book that offers amazing plant-based dishes that make cooking and eating vegan food a breeze—and definitely fun! No boring or bland dishes here, and forget all-day cooking! Rachel takes inspiration from naturally vegan dishes and cuisines as well as her Caribbean and West African roots to create great full-flavor recipes that are easy to make and will inspire you to make vegan food part of your daily routine. Rachel’s recipes are quick and easy to follow, and often one-pot. Ingredients lists are short and supermarket-friendly, and dishes can be prepped ahead. Most importantly, Vegan Eats includes a song with each recipe so you can have a banging playlist to go alongside every plate of delicious food!

Every Body Yoga: Let Go of Fear, Get On the Mat, Love Your Body – By Jessamyn Stanley

This book is a great source of inspiration for beginners of all shapes and sizes. If Jessamyn could achieve the same level of success as she does, so can you. This book is designed as a guide for readers who are already practicing yoga, who want to refresh their practice, or find new ways to stay motivated. This book is also a how-to book, with easy-to-follow directions to 50 basic yoga poses and 10 sequences that can be practiced at home. Finally, this book challenges the larger issues of body acceptance and the meaning of beauty, by illustrating that yoga isn’t limited to how one looks.

Self-Care for Black Women: 150 Ways to Radically Accept & Prioritize Your Mind, Body, & Soul – By Oludara Adeeyo

Between physical and mental health problems at school, at work, and everywhere else, it can be tough to prioritize your own well-being as a Black woman. With The Self-Care for Black Women, you’ll find more than 150 exercises that will help you radically put yourself first. Whether you need a quick boost in the middle of the day, you’re struggling with feelings of burnout, or you’re dealing with a microaggression, this book has everything you need to feel more at peace.

Microjoys: Finding Hope (Especially) When Life Is Not Okay – By Cyndie Spiegel

Microjoys are little joys that can be found anywhere. They’re small, but they mean a lot. By training our eyes to look for them, we can always find joy. There are many different kinds of microjoys, including things like pretty things, kind gestures, happy memories, and simple pleasures. They’re all around us, waiting to be discovered.

Black Women’s Mental Health: Balancing Strength and Vulnerability – By Stephanie Y. Evans

This book looks at the difficulties and strengths of Black women’s mental health, and how it has been studied in a variety of different fields. It brings together different authors to examine topics like stress, parenthood, sexual assault, self-care, and contemplative practice. The book creates a new paradigm for understanding Black women’s mental health and offers practical solutions by combining theory and practice with personal stories and public policy. Health professionals can use this book to recognize and care for Black women.

Blessed Health: The African-American Woman’s Guide to Physical and Spiritual Well-being – By Angela T. Ebron

Blessed Health is a personal health and spirituality manual for Black women at every stage of life, written by renowned OB/GYN and respected journalist Melody T. McCloud M.D. Important details about how your body functions and how to prevent or treat common health issues, including pelvic infections and fibroid tumors. How to deal with illness successfully from a religious standpoint. How to take care of your breasts and reproductive systems to lower your chance of cancer, diabetes, heart disease, and a host of other diseases.

Emotional Self-Care for Black Women: Discover How to Raise Your Self-Esteem, Eliminate Negative Thinking and Heal from Past Traumas Even if Your Life is Chaotic Right Now – By Alicia Magoro

This book is about understanding and using your emotions. It will teach you how to use them to create a life you love, and the reasons why we sometimes feel the way we do. It will also show you how your body and brain create your emotions, and how to use this information to improve your mood. Finally, it will discuss some common thought distortions that can negatively affect your life, and how to stop them.

The Unapologetic Guide to Black Mental Health: Navigate an Unequal System, Learn Tools for Emotional Wellness, and Get the Help you Deserve – By Rheeda Walker PhD

There is a Black mental health crisis happening in the world today, and it’s been made worse by racism and other problems. If you’re feeling bad, there’s a lot you can do to get help. In this guide, psychologist Rheeda Walker teaches you everything you need to know about Black mental health and how to get the mental health care you need. This book will help you understand your condition, find helpful resources, and fight for your rights. If you or someone you love is struggling with mental health, this book is a valuable resource.

She’s Still There: Rescuing the Girl in You – By Chrystal Evans Hurst

If you find yourself feeling like your life is different from how you wanted it to be, She’s Still There can help. Chrystal Evans Hurst shares practical advice on how to connect with God and renew your promises to yourself. She teaches you how to adjust your dreams and goals to match your current situation, and how to let go of things that no longer work for you. You can start living the life you want right now, no matter how bumpy it may be.

The Strong Black Woman: How a Myth Endangers the Physical and Mental Health of Black Women – By Marita Golden

In this book, you’ll learn about the myth of the “Strong Black Woman” and how this type of thinking can have negative health impacts. It also discusses how a skewed culture can make it difficult for Black women to express their emotions and be themselves.
Blog, Health & Wellness, Reading
Health and Wellness Books I’m Looking Forward To In 2021
- January 3, 2021
- by Mommy R+R
At the start of every year, I always look forward to new book releases, specifically health and wellness books. These are the books that will carry us through the year and beyond as they deep dive into how we can keep our minds, bodies, and spirits healthy.

That Sounds Fun – Annie F. Downs

We know there are certain things we must have to survive–food, shelter, and safety to name a few. But there are also aspects of life that truly allow us to be joyful and fulfilled. For popular podcaster and bestselling author Annie F. Downs, fun is close to the top of that list. Few would argue that having fun doesn’t enrich our lives, but so much gets in the way of prioritizing it. Tough days, busyness, and feelings that are hard to talk about keep us from the fun that’s out there waiting to be found.
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Cosmic Health – Jennifer Racioppi

There’s much more to astrology than weekly horoscopes, personality types, and predictions for the future. For astrologer and transformational coach Jennifer Racioppi and her clients, it is a guide to living in sync with the natural rhythms of the universe to achieve optimal health and astonishing success. Cosmic Health provides a groundbreaking cross-disciplinary approach to cultivating physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual well-being. By honoring your individuality, your role in the universe, nature, and the seasonality of life, you will be armed with the knowledge—and magic—you need to cultivate uncompromising health.
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The Book of Light: Illuminate Your Life with Self-Love – Nia the Light

In this inspiring, illustrated book, Nia explores a range of emotions, from pain to joy, insecurity to confidence, to help you find your own individuality and power. The journaling activities give free rein to your inner queen to document your experiences of self-love, your flaws, and life lessons. Nia shares her own path towards accepting her whole self – acne, stretch marks, and all!
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A Rhythm of Prayer – Sarah Bessey

This book, curated by acclaimed author Sarah Bessey, celebrates and honors that prayerful tradition in a literary form. A companion for all who feel the immense joys and challenges of the journey of faith, this collection of prayers says it all aloud, giving readers permission to recognize the weight of all they carry. These writings also offer a broadened imagination of hope—of what can be restored and made new. Each prayer is an original piece of writing, with new essays by Sarah Bessey throughout.
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Set Boundaries, Find Peace – Nedra Glover Tawwab

Licensed counselor, sought-after relationship expert, and one of the most influential therapists on Instagram Nedra Glover Tawwab demystifies this complex topic for today’s world. In a relatable and inclusive tone, Set Boundaries, Find Peace presents simple-yet-powerful ways to establish healthy boundaries in all aspects of life. Rooted in the latest research and best practices used in cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), these techniques help us identify and express our needs clearly and without apology–and unravel a root problem behind codependency, power struggles, anxiety, depression, burnout, and more.
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Your Time to Thrive: End Burnout, Increase Well-being, and Unlock Your Full Potential with the New Science of Microsteps – Marina Khidekel

This book is a Microstep bible. With chapters dedicated to sleep, nutrition, movement, focus and prioritization, communication and relationships, unplugging and recharging, creativity and inspiration, and purpose/meaning, Your Time to Thrive shares practical, usable, research-supported mini-habits that will yield huge benefits and empower people to truly thrive in all parts of their lives.
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Every Body – Julia Rothman & Shaina Feinberg

Ever had a question about sex—whether out of curiosity, desire, or the sneaking suspicion you’re, somehow, different? Every Body will help you feel less alone. It’s a huge collection of anonymous stories, essays, artwork, and expert tell-alls on myriad subjects, all rolled into one. It’s the conversations most of us are too scared to start.

The stories, essays, and interviews they’ve compiled touch on a wide array of topics, including first times, open relationships, body acceptance, accidental pregnancies, sex toys, pleasure, fear and trauma, sexual discovery, and more.
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I’m So Effing Tired – Amy Shah, MD

Does it feel like your life is too busy, your days are too short, and you’re feeling overworked, overstressed, and overtired? Chances are you’ve asked your doctor for help, only to be told that it’s because of your age, or your workload, or, worse, that it’s just “normal.”

If so, you’re not alone. Women of all ages are suffering from an epidemic of fatigue and burnout. But exhaustion doesn’t have to be your new normal. Inspired by her personal wellness journey, integrative medical doctor Amy Shah has created this program so that you can regain your energy and reclaim your life.
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The Gift of Self-Love: A Workbook to Help You Build Confidence, Recognize Your Worth, and Learn to Finally Love Yourself – Mary Jelkovsky

The Gift of Self-Love is an honest, heartfelt, and relatable book that will guide you on your journey to self-love, self-care, and body positivity. Author Mary Jelkovsky, better known on Instagram as @maryscupofteaa, shares her story of conquering her insecurities (after years of an eating disorder and intense, self-sabotaging work as a bikini fitness model) and finally learning to love herself exactly as she is. Written like a letter to a close friend, this self-improvement book provides practical advice and exercises that will help you finally give yourself the gift of self-love.
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What Doesn’t Kill You – Tessa Miller

Tessa Miller was an ambitious twentysomething writer in New York City when, on a random fall day, her stomach began to seize up. At first, she toughed it out through searing pain, taking sick days from work, unable to leave the bathroom or her bed. But when it became undeniable that something was seriously wrong, Miller gave in to family pressure and went to the hospital―beginning a yearslong nightmare of procedures, misdiagnoses, and life-threatening infections. Once she was finally correctly diagnosed with Crohn’s disease, Miller faced another battle: accepting that she will never get better.
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Skin Care For Your Soul – Jude Chao

The skincare journey. As much as we’d like it to, glowing, clear skin doesn’t happen overnight. But there is beauty in the process―not just the results. Author Jude Chao links skincare to self-care culture, giving readers a practical guide to developing their ideal skincare routine and using it to help manage stress, anxiety, and depression. The Korean skincare routine invites us to look at our skincare not only as a way to reduce lines and wrinkles or clear up breakouts but as a tool for developing our self-care habits.
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You Don’t Owe Anyone – Caroline Garnet McGraw

Inspired by the author’s viral essay “You Don’t Owe Anyone An Interaction,” this book invites us to make surprising choices that can help us get unstuck. Rather than offering more ways to effect change through sheer effort, these personal stories serve as a compassionate witness, a reflection of our own perfectionistic tendencies. They also are a wake-up call jolting us out of our martyr mentality and inspiring us to move in new, positive directions.
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The Scandinavian Guide To Happiness – The Editors of Whalen Book Works

There’s a reason Finland, Denmark, Norway, Iceland, and The Netherlands consistently rank as the top 5 happiest countries on earth! Find out the secrets to their happiness and fulfillment in The Scandinavian Guide to Happiness, which shares centuries of Nordic wisdom. These basic principles will help you see how to have a happy life without buying anything, changing yourself, or making any other crazy drastic changes! Topics include Simplicity, Happiness, Health & Wellness, Relationships, Nature-Inspired Living, and more. Full of inspiring, encouraging ideas—and charming illustrations!—this thoughtful Scandinavian guide is sure to put a happy glow on your life.
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Laziness Does Not Exist – Devon Price, Ph.D.

Laziness Does Not Exist explores the psychological underpinnings of the “laziness lie,” including its origins from the Puritans and how it has continued to proliferate as digital work tools have blurred the boundaries between work and life.

Dr. Price offers science-based reassurances that productivity does not determine a person’s worth and suggests that the solution to problems of overwork and stress lie in resisting the pressure to do more and instead learn to embrace doing enough.
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Fitness for Every Body: Strong, Confident, and Empowered at Any Size – Meg Boggs

In Fitness for Every Body, Meg shares her personal story and inspires you to celebrate your own body for all its capabilities. Featuring a dozen step-by-step, full-body workouts, this book is more than a workout guide or a training manual. It’s a reminder that you’re more than just your weight, that you are stronger than you believe, and that just because you might not be thin, doesn’t mean that you can’t be an athlete. Your body is capable of doing incredible things—you just have to let it.
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Are there any health and wellness books being released this year that you’re looking forward to?
Blog, Health & Wellness, Reading
I Was Stretched Too Thin and These Are the Steps I Took to Overcome It
- October 25, 2018
- by Mommy R+R
*I received a copy of Stretched Too Thin for the purpose of this post. All thoughts and opinions are my own. In addition, this post contains Amazon affiliate links which earn this site a small commission.

Last year this time I was having a difficult time mentally and physically. I had a lot going on between work, the kids, my husband, and our home life. I was constantly aggravated and snappy, stressed to the point where I couldn’t think straight and tired beyond measure. Looking back, I now realize I was stretched too thin and didn’t even realize it.

What made this time in my life particularly frustrating was no matter how changed my eating and drinking habits and tweaked my night time routine I was still tired. Every day after I dropped the kids off at school I would come home and sleep all day. Mind you, this was supposed to be the time I should have been working uninterrupted. After all, I had waited two years after my first kid started school for my second to begin kindergarten. This should have been an exciting and fruitful time for my business. But instead of it flourishing, it floundered. Shit was bad and I was a minute from snapping.

In hindsight, I can see how my actions got me in a predicament where I would become stretched beyond my limits. If I hadn’t tried to do too much which ultimately left little time for family, friends or myself I could have avoided feeling like I was on the cusp of having a nervous breakdown.

What does it mean to be stretched too thin?

The meaning is simple, you have too much going on but not enough time to accommodate any of it. You know what this looks like, you and your family’s schedule is packed from sunrise to sunset. Most days you don’t know if you’re coming or going. You end up at one place thinking it’s Tuesday when it’s really Thursday and you should be across town. And as a result, you’re in a constant state of frustration and fatigue.

Now the easy thing to say is, well stop piling on so much shit. And that’s true. But you see, I didn’t realize I had taken on so much. I didn’t stretch myself thin overnight. Nah, son. I was doing it without realizing it. One too many extra projects here, taking the kids there, on top of keeping my house in order as a stay at home mom and trying to be a halfway decent wife. By the time I realized what was happening to me it was too late. Shit had already spiraled out of my control.

How I regained control of my life

The first thing I did was say no to every request in my inbox. This was not something that I was used to doing cause if I thought I could do it I would. Which was my number one problem. I needed to realize just because I could it didn’t mean I should. After that, I went into my inbox at all my pending things and told folks it was gonna take longer than promised due to overextending myself. Thankfully, I work with nice people who understood and sympathized with me as they too have been in my shoes.

With projects completed and my whole schedule clear going forward I needed to make sure that I prioritized my family and myself above all else. Instead of working 7 days a week I cut it down to three – four tops. Friday, Saturday and Sunday were my personal days. Monday too if I could swing it. The impact of this new schedule was a game changer. I no longer felt overwhelmed or exhausted and I had more time for me. It also made my family happy cause I was fully present. Things were looking up and I couldn’t be more excited for lay ahead for me.

How do you avoid finding yourself in a similar situation?

I’m telling you right now you don’t wanna end up like me and how I was last year. You don’t want to walk around in a state of heightened stress all the time yelling at your family for every little thing cause you’re tired and can’t think straight. It’s no way to live. So when I knew I had to make a change this is what I did to pull myself back together:

Plan shit out

I have never been a planner but over the last year, I’ve come to realize how important planning is. I used to think it was silly, now I don’t make a move without checking my calendar. This is a great way to keep yourself from having too much going on at once. You can look ahead to see if it makes sense for you to add on another activity or project, and it also shows if you need to remove things. Simply put, planning keeps you balanced.

It’s okay to say no

There is no rule that states you have to do everything. You don’t, and you shouldn’t, because you can’t. Don’t put your mental, emotional and physical health on the back-burner for nothing and no one.

Make time for you and your loved ones

When you’re being pulled in so many different directions it leaves very little time to enjoy being around those whom you love and care about. Now that you’re planning out your schedule and learning to say no you’ll see how much free time you have. Use that time to reconnect with family and friends, and most importantly, yourself. You’ll notice those around you will appreciate that you’ve not only have taken the initiative to spend time together but that you’re also present enjoying the moment creating meaningful long-lasting memories.

Get Jessica Turner’s newest book Stretched Too Thin

I’ve been a fan of Jessica’s since her first book release Fringe Hours. I considered it my favorite self-care book, that is until I read her newest release, Stretched Too Thin. Reading this book following one of the most stressful year’s of my life helped me fully understand the depths of what I put myself through, the negative impact it had on those around me and to see how far I’ve come since then.

What makes this book special is the fact that it doesn’t read like a book at all. It’s more of a manual and in it, Jessica gives you the tools to: work and parent guilt-free, invest in your marriage and friendships, establish home and work boundaries, and home management solutions – just to name a few.

What separates this book from other self-care books is that Jessica isn’t suggesting or sharing shit that she hasn’t done or gone through. You can tell as you read or listen along that she knows and understands the struggle a lot of us moms face and is committed to helping us find solutions that will not only be beneficial to us but to our families as well.

But my favorite aspect is the journal like reflection section at the end of each chapter. This allows you to dig deep to identify areas of your life that may be stressful or problematic and improve those areas using the tips laid out within the chapter.

While it took me less than a week to read it’s a book that I will keep handy to refer back to as often as necessary to ensure I don’t end up back in the space I was a year ago. For this reason alone it makes Stretched Too Thin worth the read.

Stretched Too Thin along with Jessica’s previous titles, The Fringe Hours and My Fringe Hours are available at your local bookstore, Amazon, and on Audible.

Have you ever felt stretched too thin? How did you go about putting yourself back together again?
Blog, Fashion, Product Reviews, Reading
‘In Intimate Detail’ Is the Only Lingerie Guide You’ll Ever Need
- September 6, 2018
- by Mommy R+R
*This post contains Amazon affiliate links which earn this blog a small commission. That commission goes towards the maintenance of this website.

A little background

There was a time I didn’t know shit about lingerie. My knowledge didn’t extend beyond knowing my bra size and attaching thigh highs to garter belts. I’m talking basic, that is until the innanets introduced me to Cora Harrington, founder, and Editor in Chief of the world’s largest lingerie blog, The Lingerie Addict.

Finding her blog was mindblowing for me. Cora and her writers opened my mind to a wealth of information regarding underwear and the lingerie industry as a whole. What did I learn you ask? I learned about different types of lace and how it’s used (cause not all lace is the same), to discovering new indie brands from her in-depth reviews, as well as general history about lingerie as a whole.

Aside from everything I’ve learned these last couple of years, the thing I’ve come to love most about her blog is the idea that: lingerie is for everyone regardless of shape, size or sexuality, and lingerie is for you. Meaning, you don’t have to have a partner to buy or wear lingerie. Lingerie is and should be for your personal enjoyment. That’s not saying you shouldn’t wear it for your partner but it shouldn’t be the only reason why it’s worn.

The book

Over the last year, Cora has taken all of her knowledge and poured it into her debut book, In Intimate Detail. Y’all, this book – perfection! Cora teaches you everything you need to know about underthings and how to care for them. Its masterful breakdown, pretty watercolored pages, and beautiful illustrations by Sandy Wirt instantly make this the only lingerie guide you’ll need, in life.

“Beautiful lingerie… is a signal that you love yourself enough to take out the good stuff and feel special even on the most mundane of days.”
—Dita Von Teese, from the foreword

See what I mean. The details. It’s going to change the way you view and purchase your intimates. It’s changed mine. In Intimate Detail is out now so do yourself a favor and get it.

Do you read and/or follow The Lingerie Addict? Have you purchased In Intimate Detail? Share your thoughts in the comment section.

Photo Credit: The Lingerie Addict