As the year finishes, many lawyers finally reach a quiet moment. The holiday break can be a useful reset, especially for those who have spent the past twelve months juggling deadlines, clients and competing demands. Sometimes a single book or idea is enough to shift our perspective or remind us of what helps us stay grounded.
Members of the QLS Wellbeing Working Group have shared the books and habits that supported them this year. These suggestions are a gentle inspiration for anyone wanting a calmer or more intentional start to 2026.
These recommendations remind us that wellbeing does not always require large commitments. Sometimes it begins with a single book that makes you think differently or a small ritual that helps remind you of what is important. As the holiday season approaches, it can be helpful to notice what supported you this year and what you might like to carry with you into the next.
Wherever you spend the break, we hope these suggestions offer a moment of reflection or spark a conversation worth sharing with the people around you. The Wellbeing Working Group wishes everyone a restful holiday period and a refreshed, grounded start to 2026.
Building a stronger self-story
Amy Soong, Legal Practice Director, Ashworth Lawyers Criminal Law
The Diary of a CEO – The 33 Laws of Business & Life
(Steven Bartlett) (2025 Edition)
This is an excellent book. Steven hosts the very popular podcast ‘The Diary of a CEO’ and interviews some of the most interesting people in the world including leaders in business, science, and entertainment.
From his own entrepreneurial journey and interviews, he has come up with a set of laws which can be applied in business but life in general as well. The principles would also be highly applicable to legal practice.
It is a very easy, entertaining, thoughtful, and practical read. Some of the laws he goes through include Fill your 5 buckets in the right order, You must piss people off, Don’t be an ostrich and Ask who not how.
One of my favourites is Never compromise your self-story which is basically what you believe about yourself affects your mental toughness or resilience.
He goes through the example of when he was 8 years old, another kid told him black people can’t swim (he is English/African heritage). He held that belief for 18 years until after a lot of credible convincing, he finally believed it was not true and then learnt how to swim.
To create a stronger self-story, he talks about changing your actions so that you can create new evidence about what you believe about yourself, which then changes your thoughts and feelings. He says:
Choose to do the tenth rep when it would be easier to stop at nine. Choose to have the difficult conversation when it would be easier to avoid it. Choose to ask the extra question when it would be easier to stay silence. Prove to yourself – in a thousand tiny ways, at every opportunity you get, that you have what it takes to overcome the challenges of life. And if you do – only then will you actually have what it takes to over the challenges of life – a robust, positive, evidence based self-story’.
This book would make an excellent holiday read. I hope it will inspire a few fresh ideas for 2026 and some interesting conversations over Christmas dinner to share with family and friends. Wishing everyone a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!
Wellness as a professional skill
Belinda Winter, Founder, Winter Consulting
Lawyer Wellness is NOT an Oxymoron
(Andy Clark)
Clark argues that the idea of lawyer wellness is not an oxymoron. Even though the legal profession is challenging, high-pressure and often unhealthy by traditional metrics, this book shows that a wellness-oriented lifestyle is both possible and advantageous for lawyers.
It offers practical, actionable guidance on what a wellness lifestyle entails and how to implement it as a legal professional. It demonstrates lawyers are in fact well-positioned to adopt wellness because they already possess many of the skills needed (analysis, discipline, ethics) and can become leaders of wellness culture in the profession.
Curious Habits
(Luke Mathers)
Mathers explores the idea that many of our unhelpful behaviours started out as useful coping strategies. These “curious habits” – like procrastination, overthinking, perfectionism, people-pleasing, or conflict avoidance – once served a purpose (to keep us safe, help us fit in, or manage stress), but over time they become roadblocks to growth, performance, and wellbeing.
The book invites us to get curious about why our habits exist and how to change the relationship we have with them.
Finding joy in small rituals
Emma Cameron, Special Counsel, Martello Law
I thought I would start with a recommendation, not from myself, but from my thirteen-year-old son who loves all things anime and Japanese.
He has been devouring Ikigai: The Japanese Secret to a Long and Happy Life by Hector Garcia and Francesc Miralles and regaling us with tips at the dinner table about the things he has learned to help promote wellbeing and a happier life.
It has led to some interesting conversations about the idea of finding things that you love and things that make you feel useful as a pathway to finding peace and contentment. I was mildly horrified by the revelation though that Japanese people have no word for ‘retirement’, according to my second-hand account.
For my own part, I have been a happy member of the online book club, Birds of a Feather, presented by Books with Bec and Jane, which is run entirely online by Rebecca Sparrow and Jane Sullivan for the last few years (although there is also a linked Facebook community for those who would also like to meet in person, including in regional communities).
Birds of a Feather has as an official motto ‘more reading, less scrolling’. As a busy professional and mother of two, a no pressure online format and someone to make book suggestions to me and map out my reading for the year has been a fantastic way to find some quiet mindfulness in my own life. Now I sit down to read every night and am transported a world away from doom scrolling and screentime and I love every minute of it.
Often the author joins the monthly online meetings, and I love tuning in from the comfort of home after a day in the office for the life affirming, broad ranging chats – and if I miss a meeting, I can always listen to the podcast in the car on my way back into work.
The Importance of Habits and Building Resilience
Karen Short, General Manager, Hillhouse
One of my favourite authors is Robin Sharma, a globally recognized leadership expert whose work focuses on personal mastery and professional excellence.
Formerly a litigation lawyer, Sharma transitioned into writing and coaching, bringing a unique perspective that resonates strongly with professionals in high-pressure fields. His portfolio includes bestsellers such as The Leader Who Had No Title, Who Will Cry When You Die? and The 5 AM Club, all of which emphasise discipline, purpose, and resilience – qualities essential for success in law and leadership.
My recommended read is The Monk Who Sold His Ferrari. This bestselling book is a modern fable about a successful lawyer who, after a health scare, embarks on a journey of self-discovery in the Himalayas.
Through this narrative, Sharma explores themes of balance, mindfulness, and intentional living.
Key takeaways include the value of daily rituals for mental clarity, the power of setting audacious goals, and the importance of aligning professional success with personal fulfillment. For lawyers navigating demanding careers, the book offers practical strategies to cultivate resilience and maintain well-being without sacrificing ambition.
A true classic in the self-improvement genre, this legendary bestseller is a must-read for anyone seeking lasting success and a more meaningful life.
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