2021 Sport Psychology and Mindset Book List

My annual reading list! As your resident bibliophile, I read an absurd amount of books throughout the year and then let you know which were my favorite. If you click the name of the book, you'll be redirected to my Amazon storefront where you can directly buy the book. I do get a tiny kickback if you purchase a book through my link but please don't feel obligated to do so. I try to shop at local bookstores as often as I can and I recommend you do the same.

How to Change by Katy Milkman

I've already recommended this book to quite a few people, including those of you that get the Coaches Corner monthly emails. I've read it twice now this year and every time end up taking more notes. It's a great read with plenty of actionable tips to make actual changes. It's not a sport-specific book but you can definitely draw a lot of parallels and use this book to improve your own training and racing.

Atomic Habits by James Clear

If you haven't read this one yet, put it at the top of your reading list. The hype is real. It's another book that's very easy to read and full of great strategies to implement what you're reading about in the book. I read Atomic Habits and How to Change about a month apart and found they complimented each other really nicely.

The Practice of Groundedness by Brad Stulberg

This might be my top read for 2021, perhaps because I needed to work on being grounded the most over the last year. Every time I picked up this book, I felt my mind slow down. I've read some books about being grounded and slowing down that didn't feel realistic as an athlete and entrepreneur. This book wasn't one of those. It felt like someone finally wrote a book about burnout and chaos for someone like me.

Silver Linings by Elizabeth Beisel

Elizabeth Beisel has been one of my favorite swimmers since she qualified for the Olympics at age 15. We are close in age so it was really cool for me growing up as a swimmer to watch her compete at such a high level. Elizabeth is now retired from swimming but is still one of my favorite athletes to follow. Silver Linings is her memoir of her career in swimming and provides a lot of insight and behind the scenes of what it's like to be an elite level swimmer.

Bravey by Alexi Pappas

Bravey is my other top contender for book of the year. I wasn't expecting to connect with this book as much as I did but once I started reading it, I could barely put it down. There are some very heavy chapters that are both beautifully written but also hard to read. There's one chapter in particular where she's describing the depression she experienced and I found myself crying and nodding along as I read because it was the first time someone had described even parts of what I've felt dealing with depression. It's not your typical running book but trust me, it's worth a read.

Think Again by Adam Grant

I've read Adam Grant's other books but Think Again is a masterpiece. In a year of everyone insisting they're right and seemingly refusing to consider a differing opinion, this book was a breath a fresh air. One of the main principles woven throughout the book is the idea that we don't have to believe everything we think. When applied to sports and performance, that's huge. How often do you think you're not ready to hit a PR or that you're bad at mountain biking?

The Comeback Quotient by Matt Fitzgerald

I'm going to share an unpopular opinion here and say that I didn't like How Bad Do You Want It. I really didn't like it. I was nervous to read this one as I'm not a big fan of writers claiming to be mindset experts and telling people how to build mental toughness. Despite all that, I did enjoy reading this book. I was annoyed at various points, but I did enjoy the stories provided.

Fear Less by Pippa Grange

I picked up this book earlier this year as I started working with a few athletes on navigating fear and it has become one of my favorite reads. Pushing through my own fear descending in aero or mountain biking has been tricky. It was really refreshing to read a book about fear by a sport psychologist that included more than “just do it.”

Digital Body Language by Erica Dhawan

Okay this isn't necessarily a mindset or psychology or even athletic book but it is a very practical read given how digital all of our lives have become over the last few years.

Dedicated by Pete Davis

Last year I read Range and explored the benefits to not specializing too much in anything. This is pretty much the opposite. I certainly have a hard time committing to only 1-2 things for years on end so needless to say this book pushed me out of my comfort zone. I still found it tremendously interesting and complimented the other books I read this year nicely.

What books did you read in 2021 that you would add to this list? I'll be putting a list of books on my website in 2022 and would love to include some of your favorites as well!