30 Best Self Help Audiobooks for Reaching Your Potential

30 Best Self-Help Audiobooks for Reaching Your Potential


November 23, 2019
It can be hard to find motivation when you’re caught up in the pace of everyday life. When you need to outsource a little inspiration, audiobooks make it possible to put the advice of the world’s personal development experts right into your ears. Here we’ve put together a list of power-packed selections that include both newcomers and time-tested selections from veterans of the genre. Read on for the 30 best self-help audiobooks, and try not to be inspired!
  • The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People Audiobook By Stephen R. Covey cover art

    • The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People

    • Powerful Lessons in Personal Change
    • By: Stephen R. Covey
    • Narrated by: Stephen R. Covey
    • Length: 13 hrs and 4 mins
    • Release date: 12-28-03
    • Language: English
    • 4.5 out of 5 stars 37,293 ratings
    • Both this best seller and its author are self-development staples. The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People has been reinvigorating the daily routines of successful people for decades, and Stephen Covey’s advice remains as relevant as ever. Focusing on improvement through the measured achievement of goals, 7 Habits instructs listeners on the specific steps to setting clearer, more achievable objectives. Most important, Covey’s writing and energetic performance infuse each lesson with enthusiasm and drive that will inspire you to put his guidance into practice as soon as the audiobook ends.
  • How to Win Friends & Influence People Audiobook By Dale Carnegie cover art

    • How to Win Friends & Influence People

    • By: Dale Carnegie
    • Narrated by: Andrew MacMillan
    • Length: 7 hrs and 15 mins
    • Release date: 09-16-04
    • Language: English
    • 4.5 out of 5 stars 92,175 ratings
    • Published more than 60 years ago, Dale Carnegie's How to Win Friends & Influence People still rides high atop best seller lists and easily ranks as one of the most influential self-development titles of all time. Carnegie focuses not on what a person plans to achieve, but how to achieve it—whatever "it" might be. Carnegie explains that, by developing and training your social skills and charisma, any goal can be made more achievable. When you start listening, you’ll be one step closer to joining the book’s legion of success stories (this is, after all, the book Warren Buffet credited with transforming his life) as you learn the secrets behind effectively networking your way to just about anything you want. Paired with authoritative, straightforward narration by the late Andrew MacMillan, How to Win Friends & Influence People opens a path to success that’s more accessible than ever.
  • The Power of Now Audiobook By Eckhart Tolle cover art

    • The Power of Now

    • A Guide to Spiritual Enlightenment
    • By: Eckhart Tolle
    • Narrated by: Eckhart Tolle
    • Length: 7 hrs and 37 mins
    • Release date: 12-31-00
    • Language: English
    • 4.5 out of 5 stars 35,467 ratings
    • In his 1999 best seller, Eckhart Tolle shares his method of living in the moment in order to create the most fulfilling life possible. He urges listeners to throw away the typical approach to problems, which generally involves introspective thoughts of the past and future, and to fully concentrate on the present. Narrated by the author, The Power of Now provides listeners with a simple, easy-to-follow question-and-answer format that offers guidance and support. With advice on positive thinking, as well as meditations and practices that listeners can employ to improve their mindfulness and start embracing the present, this listen is a surefire start to a more meditative, meaningful life.
  • Daring Greatly Audiobook By Brené Brown cover art

    • Daring Greatly

    • How the Courage to Be Vulnerable Transforms the Way We Live, Love, Parent, and Lead
    • By: Brené Brown
    • Narrated by: Brené Brown
    • Length: 6 hrs and 30 mins
    • Release date: 06-26-18
    • Language: English
    • 5 out of 5 stars 19,359 ratings
    • Brené Brown relays decades of her own research in her New York Times best seller, Daring Greatly. With a PhD in social work, Brown has spent most of her adult life questioning and analyzing the values of vulnerability. In her narration, she argues that welcoming vulnerability can be life-changing, because it forces us to become more courageous. This audiobook explains how this simple (albeit challenging) change can affect how we interact with and are perceived by others, how we approach parenting, and even how we love. As one of the most frequently watched TED speakers in the world, Brown is no stranger to conveying her message orally, and in Daring Greatly, her compelling delivery and strong voice are clearer than ever.
  • The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck Audiobook By Mark Manson cover art

    • The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck

    • A Counterintuitive Approach to Living a Good Life
    • By: Mark Manson
    • Narrated by: Roger Wayne
    • Length: 5 hrs and 17 mins
    • Release date: 09-13-16
    • Language: English
    • 4.5 out of 5 stars 160,611 ratings
    • Fans of straight talk are also likely to enjoy Mark Manson's guide to lightening up. The central theory of The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck revolves around the idea that sh*t is f*cked, and we have to live with it. It’s self-dev without the sugarcoating, making for a raw approach that cuts through the nonsense and gets to the point. Manson’s unconventional manifesto is designed to help listeners learn to take life’s unpleasant and even tragic events in stride. Narrator Roger Wayne’s attention-grabbing, wry delivery hits every mark, conveying Manson’s title with humor and a dash of profanity. From financial obstacles to family problems, stressful jobs, and more, Manson’s advice is to deal with the problems that matter, and not waste time on those that don't.
  • Big Magic Audiobook By Elizabeth Gilbert cover art

    • Big Magic

    • Creative Living Beyond Fear
    • By: Elizabeth Gilbert
    • Narrated by: Elizabeth Gilbert
    • Length: 5 hrs and 6 mins
    • Release date: 09-22-15
    • Language: English
    • 4.5 out of 5 stars 25,152 ratings
    • From Elizabeth Gilbert, the best selling author of Eat, Pray, Love, Big Magic is the self-dev audiobook that’s perfect for creative spirits. In a candid tone and inspiring voice, Gilbert digs into her own creative process and urges listeners to challenge themselves, find their own personal outlets, and, above all, constantly be curious.Even listeners who don’t consider themselves particularly imaginative or expressive will find an engaging path toward a freer and more forgiving relationship with their inner artist. With Gilbert’s poetic perspective as a guide, anyone can find a way to live each day with more passion, enthusiasm, and creative confidence.
  • The Four Agreements Audiobook By don Miguel Ruiz cover art

    • The Four Agreements

    • By: don Miguel Ruiz
    • Narrated by: Peter Coyote
    • Length: 2 hrs and 31 mins
    • Release date: 01-27-05
    • Language: English
    • 5 out of 5 stars 48,657 ratings
    • An Oprah Winfrey-endorsed book and a New York Times best seller, The Four Agreements by Don Miguel Ruiz is an assembly of ancient wisdom reimagined for a modern audience. Ruiz bases his advice on the teachings of the Toltecs, predecessors of the Aztecs, who lived with a deep understanding of personal freedom and contentment. Throughout this audiobook, listeners will learn that life revolves around the different agreements we make. Whether these agreements are made with ourselves, with others, or with a higher power, they all impact how much freedom we have and what we choose to do with it. Veteran actor Peter Coyote, who might sound familiar to fans of documentarian Ken Burns (for whom Coyote narrated eight films), guides listeners through each agreement, ensuring that the lessons of the Toltecs are instilled with wisdom, eloquence, and grace.
  • The Alchemist Audiobook By Paulo Coelho cover art

    • The Alchemist

    • A Fable About Following Your Dream
    • By: Paulo Coelho
    • Narrated by: Jeremy Irons
    • Length: 4 hrs
    • Release date: 12-26-04
    • Language: English
    • 4.5 out of 5 stars 73,684 ratings
    • Despite being a work of fiction, The Alchemist has been widely embraced as the perfect self-development book for telling a story rich in inspiration and encouragement. The story follows Santiago, a young shepherd from southern Spain, on his quest to see the Great Pyramids in Egypt. Along his journey, Santiago meets many fascinating characters, receiving varying advice from each—but the most helpful advice comes from a mysterious and wise alchemist he encounters near the end of his fateful trip. Narrated with reverence, vibrancy, and incredible range by Academy Award-winning actor Jeremy Irons, The Alchemist stands out as a refreshingly novel parable in a genre that tends toward the literal. Worthwhile for its entertainment value and gorgeous prose alone, it leaves listeners with a few lessons to ponder as well.
  • Man's Search for Meaning Audiobook By Viktor E. Frankl cover art

    • Man's Search for Meaning

    • By: Viktor E. Frankl
    • Narrated by: Simon Vance
    • Length: 4 hrs and 44 mins
    • Release date: 10-13-04
    • Language: English
    • 4.5 out of 5 stars 42,691 ratings
    • Viktor E. Frankl, a world-renowned psychiatrist, survived years in a Nazi concentration camp during World War II. These horrific experiences, paired with his years of scientific training, give him a uniquely intimate perspective on life’s most complicated questions. As a psychiatrist, Frankl used this theory to create a new kind of psychotherapy called logotherapy, which he himself used to come to terms with the trials and cruelties he experienced in his own life. In Man’s Search for Meaning, Frankl explains (through Hall of Fame narrator Simon Vance) how listeners can use questions of meaning to process their own lives and arrive at a greater understanding of existence. Vance effortlessly guides listeners through Frankl’s most complex musings, all of which are centered on the author’s main theory: the primary motivating force for human beings is their search for purpose and understanding.
  • The Magic of Thinking Big Audiobook By David J. Schwartz Ph.D. cover art

    • The Magic of Thinking Big

    • By: David J. Schwartz Ph.D.
    • Narrated by: David J. Schwartz Ph.D.
    • Length: 4 hrs and 8 mins
    • Release date: 06-05-19
    • Language: English
    • 4.5 out of 5 stars 5,053 ratings
    • David Schwartz's self-development guide has been influencing millions of people since 1959, and with Jason Culp’s warm, spirited narration, listeners can take advantage of its advice no matter where they are in their career or life. Schwartz’s philosophy is that extraordinary successes are not achieved through extraordinary talent, but rather on the strength of extraordinary thinking. The Magic of Thinking Big guides listeners to break out of traditional thinking surrounding ability and experience, which imposes limits on our expectations, and discover the incredible power of ambitious thinking. In the process, listeners will learn how to destroy fear, build confidence, believe in their potential, and, ultimately, accomplish the extraordinary.
  • Thinking, Fast and Slow Audiobook By Daniel Kahneman cover art

    • Thinking, Fast and Slow

    • By: Daniel Kahneman
    • Narrated by: Patrick Egan
    • Length: 20 hrs and 2 mins
    • Release date: 10-25-11
    • Language: English
    • 4.5 out of 5 stars 18,175 ratings
    • For years, psychologist Daniel Kahneman has been personally inspiring some of the most well-known authors in the world, including big thinkers such as Malcolm Gladwell and Steven Pinker. With Thinking Fast and Slow, Kahneman finally makes his expertise available for anyone who’s willing to listen. Narrator Patrick Egan wields a comfortable, easygoing delivery with shifting tones and inflections to keep you engaged and focused through every academic detail of this comprehensive work. Kahneman’s study breaks down, in easy-to-understand language, the human brain’s two primary systems of thinking: fast thinking and slow thinking. He goes on to explore how these two systems interact to influence our behavior, belief systems, relationships, intellect, and more into a masterful study of pop psychology and science.
  • Rich Dad Poor Dad Audiobook By Robert T. Kiyosaki cover art

    • Rich Dad Poor Dad

    • What the Rich Teach Their Kids About Money - That the Poor and Middle Class Do Not!
    • By: Robert T. Kiyosaki
    • Narrated by: Tim Wheeler
    • Series: Rich Dad Series
    • Length: 6 hrs and 9 mins
    • Release date: 06-15-12
    • Language: English
    • 5 out of 5 stars 74,181 ratings
    • Blending parental and financial tips, Rich Dad Poor Dad explores the differences in how parents in different economic classes educate their children—namely, that the middle class teaches kids to work for money, and the upper classes teach kids to make money work for them.This audiobook feels like free access to the financial winner’s circle, without the intimidation factor of actually standing in the room with some of the world’s richest individuals. Anyone with ambitions of becoming (or remaining) upwardly mobile will likely find powerful insight in Kiyosaki’s advice, especially when presented in the reliable, authentic style of narrator Tim Wheeler.
  • Girl, Stop Apologizing (Audible Exclusive Edition) Audiobook By Rachel Hollis cover art

    • Girl, Stop Apologizing (Audible Exclusive Edition)

    • A Shame-Free Plan for Embracing and Achieving Your Goals
    • By: Rachel Hollis
    • Narrated by: Rachel Hollis
    • Length: 8 hrs and 10 mins
    • Release date: 03-05-19
    • Language: English
    • 4.5 out of 5 stars 20,154 ratings
    • In her New York Times best seller Girl, Stop Apologizing, Rachel Hollis urges every woman to ditch feelings of shame and guilt over placing a priority on being successful. Narrating her own words with zeal, zip, and a bit of zest, Hollis encourages women to worry less about pleasing others and focus more on personal fulfillment, because we cannot be the best person for others until we are the best person for ourselves. Hollis impresses on listeners the idea that achieving our goals is not selfish, and, therefore, we should be more open about what we really want from life. Cleverly sprinkled with pop culture references and tough love, this listen is the perfect pick for any woman seeking the confidence to follow her dreams, no matter how wild they might seem.
  • Take Control of Your Life Audiobook By Mel Robbins cover art

    • Take Control of Your Life

    • How to Silence Fear and Win the Mental Game
    • By: Mel Robbins
    • Narrated by: Mel Robbins
    • Length: 10 hrs and 3 mins
    • Release date: 02-07-19
    • Language: English
    • 5 out of 5 stars 17,825 ratings
    • Mel Robbins is a world-renowned television host, best selling author, and motivational speaker, but in listening to Take Control of Your Life, you’ll feel like you’re getting advice from your best friend. Robbins is candid and fun as she delves into her expert advice on how to stop living in fear and start living life to the fullest. Robbins narrates this Audible Original, providing show-don’t-tell advice via real one-on-one coaching sessions. The audio is the perfect first step in learning how to combat your anxieties surrounding change and rejection and harness the abilities necessary to improve your relationships and achieve your goals.
  • The 4-Hour Workweek: Escape 9-5, Live Anywhere, and Join the New Rich (Expanded and Updated) Audiobook By Timothy Ferriss cov

    • The 4-Hour Workweek: Escape 9-5, Live Anywhere, and Join the New Rich (Expanded and Updated)

    • By: Timothy Ferriss
    • Narrated by: Ray Porter
    • Length: 13 hrs and 1 min
    • Release date: 12-28-08
    • Language: English
    • 4.5 out of 5 stars 20,287 ratings
    • The 4-Hour Work Week by Timothy Ferriss is a practical guide to making money and planning for your future efficiently. The New York Times best selling author encourages listeners to work smarter (not harder!) in order to lead fulfilling lives before retirement. Audible fan favorite and Audie-nominated narrator Ray Porter’s clear, energizing performance underscores step-by-step plans for earning and saving money intelligently, as well as motivational stories of those who have mastered the art of living life without worrying about their paychecks.
  • Think and Grow Rich Audiobook By Napoleon Hill cover art

    • Think and Grow Rich

    • By: Napoleon Hill
    • Narrated by: Erik Synnestvedt
    • Length: 9 hrs and 35 mins
    • Release date: 10-16-07
    • Language: English
    • 4.5 out of 5 stars 28,190 ratings
    • Originally published in 1937 during the Great Depression, Think and Grow Rich is the product of 20 years worth of interviews with more than 500 of the world's most successful people, including George Eastman, Henry Ford, and Frank Woolworth. Author Napoleon Hill used these interviews to study individual achievement and extrapolate larger lessons about what makes people successful—and what others can do to emulate that success. Combined with the clarity of Erik Synnestvedt’s narration, this makes a compelling listen for financial fans and history buffs alike. Hill’s interviews are not only instructional but also provide an intimate look at some of the most powerful figures in history.
  • The Seven Spiritual Laws of Success Audiobook By Deepak Chopra MD cover art

    • The Seven Spiritual Laws of Success

    • By: Deepak Chopra MD
    • Narrated by: Deepak Chopra
    • Length: 1 hr and 26 mins
    • Release date: 12-16-99
    • Language: English
    • 5 out of 5 stars 8,113 ratings
    • Deepak Chopra's Seven Spiritual Laws of Success is a breath of fresh air for listeners who feel bogged down by the constant pressure to work harder and plan better. This short and easy-to-digest set of instructions stresses the importance of understanding the basic nature of human beings, which Chopra argues is the key to success. Combining ancient Hindu teachings with a modern point of view, Chopra teaches listeners that goal-oriented lives are not necessarily the most successful. The result is an eye-opening, soothing listening experience that will motivate you to find peace and harmony within yourself.
  • Outliers Audiobook By Malcolm Gladwell cover art

    • Outliers

    • The Story of Success
    • By: Malcolm Gladwell
    • Narrated by: Malcolm Gladwell
    • Length: 7 hrs and 18 mins
    • Release date: 11-18-08
    • Language: English
    • 4.5 out of 5 stars 46,312 ratings
    • In this critically acclaimed work, best selling author Malcolm Gladwell applies his signature analytical approach to learning what it is that makes the most successful people...well, successful. Describing these people as social "outliers," separated from average folks by their extraordinary achievements, Gladwell argues that we can learn the secrets to their success by studying what makes them different. Narrated by the author, Outliers is a must-listen staple in the self-development genre. Covering topics such as "accumulative advantage" and the 10,000-Hour Rule with a healthy dose of cultural analysis, this audiobook is not only motivating but enlightening, offering research-based practices that can help listeners achieve their goals and fulfill their potential.
  • Grit Audiobook By Angela Duckworth cover art

    • Grit

    • The Power of Passion and Perseverance
    • By: Angela Duckworth
    • Narrated by: Angela Duckworth
    • Length: 9 hrs and 22 mins
    • Release date: 05-03-16
    • Language: English
    • 4.5 out of 5 stars 24,584 ratings
    • If anyone can be said to be an authority on pluck, it’s psychologist and professor Angela Duckworth, who has made the study of unrelenting perseverance her life’s work. Her audiobook, which she also narrates with bright, genuine command, gives listeners an intimate look into her research as well as her personal experiences in pursuing her research. In an enthralling combination of scientific findings, recounts of personal struggles, and fascinating historical insights, Duckworth explains why, after years of study, she has concluded that the one thing that’s far more important than talent, skill, or experience in determining success is grit.
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Inclusion in Audible’s “best audiobooks” series is based on a number of factors, including presence on Audible best seller lists,
listener ratings and reviews, Goodreads ratings, and input from the Audible Editors. All audiobooks featured here have a minimum
of 500 reviews averaging at least 4.5 stars, with some exceptions made for outstanding stories and performances.


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