Nonfiction Picks of the Month: Award-Winning Books That Feed the Soul
The Satisfied Introvert by Benjamin Plumb
Published by River Grove Books
World Rights Available
Awards:
Winner, 2025 Global Book Awards Silver Medal
First Place, 2022 Chanticleer International Book Awards, Instructional & Insightful Non-Fiction
Winner, 2022 Global Book Awards Silver Medal, Motivational Self-Help
Winner, 2022 Reader’s Favorite Silver Medal, Non-Fiction—Inspirational
He wore a mask of certainty for decades—until it nearly cost him everything.
Author Benjamin Plumb's life reads like an introvert's worst nightmare: terror during US Army field training, fear during enemy night attacks in Vietnam, forced extroversion at the Harvard Business School, chaos during economic collapse in Chile, and shock from an extortion attempt by Manuel Noriega in Panama.
In The Satisfied Introvert—part gripping memoir, part practical self-help book—Plumb tells the story of how he tried and failed to endure these and other pressures by clinging to a carefully crafted persona.
Plumb recognized he was an introvert at age four, when he ran away from home to escape his talkative mother. By age ten, like most introvert children, he had devised a “winning recipe”—a protective mask built to succeed in an extroverted world. But like almost all such recipes, it brought anxiety and a life of performing instead of living.
Through raw personal storytelling and structured reflection, Plumb shows how “winning recipes” prevent introverts from being authentic. The mask of his own recipe—an obsession with process and certainty—brought him academic acclaim, yet eventually led to personal ruin.
What changed everything was learning to live without the mask.
Inside The Satisfied Introvert
You'll discover how to recognize and detach from the detrimental “winning recipe” you have likely been relying on since childhood.
If you're a family member or friend of an introvert, you'll learn how it feels for quiet people to navigate our extroverted society.
If you're a curious extrovert, you'll come to recognize the quiet strengths of introverts.
To his fellow introverts, Plumb invites you to live openly as the quiet person you truly are. Through stories, insights, and deeply humane guidance, this book will help you drop the mask, trust yourself fully, and live with clarity, connection, and joy.
⭐ Reviews
“An undeniably remarkable life...” —Kirkus Reviews
“Revealing, and refreshing read... Recommended.” —US Review of Books
“A page-turner which one moment would have me smiling and the next brushing away a tear.” —Reader’s Favorite
“A liberating book... a useful tool for both introverts and extroverts alike." —Book Viral
“People who identify as introverts will find this an excellent read... a clear insight to a personality trait that is often misunderstood and little discussed.” —Chanticleer Book Reviews
Benjamin Plumb was raised in Los Angeles as the only introvert in a family of five. At age ten, he decided he would be methodical in everything he did, a "winning recipe" he created to feel safe in an extroverted world. This strategy brought him honors at Stanford and a Harvard MBA, but it enticed him into unsatisfying careers as an entrepreneur and an executive. Those roles ultimately led to a divorce, a bankruptcy, and two job losses in a row.
At last he saw that what all these failures had in common was the recipe. He taught himself to detach from it, openly embraced his introversion, and thereafter worked quietly as a writer and researcher, finally attaining the success and safety he had always desired. Ben and Sandy, his wife of more than forty years, live in the Tampa Bay area. They have four children and ten grandchildren.
The Path of Least Regret by Parul Somani
Published by Forbes Books
World Rights Available
Clarity doesn't require certainty—just intention.
Life's most important decisions rarely come with clear answers. Whether you're navigating career changes, health challenges, difficult relationships, or shifting priorities, the weight of uncertainty can feel overwhelming—and the fear of making the “wrong” choice can leave you stuck.
In The Path of Least Regret, author Parul Somani shows you how to navigate change with intention and resilience. Drawing on her own journey through hardship, her work coaching high-achieving professionals, and research in psychology and neuroscience, she introduces the Path of Least Regret® framework—a practical, repeatable process that transforms regret from a backward-looking burden into a forward-looking compass for peace of mind.
Through relatable stories, reflective prompts, and actionable strategies, you'll learn how to:
Navigate setbacks and move past inertia
Overcome perfectionism and overthinking
Clarify your values and align choices with what matters most
Make grounded, confident decisions in both everyday life and defining moments
Build the confidence to trust your choices—even in uncertainty
Whether you are at a major crossroads or seeking more alignment in daily life, The Path of Least Regret gives you the tools to choose with clarity, act with confidence, and live with conviction.
⭐ Reviews
"The Path of Least Regret is a welcome guide. It offers what so many of us need: a way to move forward that honors our values, quiets the second-guessing, and brings peace."― Alia Crum, Director, Stanford University Mind and Body Lab
“Parul Somani is a clear-eyed guide to navigating life’s challenges. Interweaving her own life experiences and those of others with excellent summaries of psychological research, she helps us to settle deeply into sorting out our present concerns rather than focusing on an uncertain future. You will not regret reading this book.”― David Spiegel, MD, Professor and Associate Chair of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, and Director of the Center on Stress and Health, Stanford University School of Medicine
Parul Somani is a thought leader in the field of intentional living, empowering individuals and organizations to navigate change with clarity and confidence. Her mission was inspired by her own journey facing an aggressive cancer diagnosis at age thirty-one, days after the birth of her second child. Sharing her story through her blog “New Job. New Baby. New Cancer.” she reached readers in more than 85 countries and became a voice for resilience and hope. A graduate of MIT and Harvard Business School, Somani built her career at Bain & Company and in Silicon Valley startups before creating her signature Path of Least Regret® framework, now shared with Fortune 100 companies and high-achievers worldwide. Her work has been featured in Forbes, MIT Technology Review, and Thrive Global, and today she speaks globally on decision-making, mindset, and resilience.
The Yoga of Marketing by Jeanna Valenti
Published by Indigo River Publishing
World Rights Available
A much-needed guide to painless, holistic marketing practices that align with who you are.
Valenti gives readers her time-tested formula for success along with life-transforming principles and practices to improve energy, attitude, and efforts.
Whether you are a yoga fan or not, Valenti's step-by-step procedures and practices, embedded with the ancient wisdom of the chakras, show you how to approach effective marketing with ease. The Yoga of Marketing bridges consciousness, awareness, and mindfulness with the marketing and business world.
Readers will close the cover with inspiration, a basic understanding of yoga philosophy and the chakra system, some of the best practices in marketing, and a sense of peace for the process.
⭐ Reviews
"Ancient yoga philosophy meets modern marketing techniques - an inspiring guide."—Jack Canfield, Co-Creator of Chicken Soup for the Soul & The Success Principles (TM)
"From Jeanna's expertise as a Seven Spiritual Laws of Yoga teacher and insightful meditation and mindfulness instructor, this book offers a valuable perspective on the union of consciousness, mindfulness, and awareness and the business of marketing. Whether you are an experienced or beginning yogini, a novice, or an experienced businessperson simply seeking a deeper understanding of yoga and marketing, this book provides a compelling and well-researched exploration."—Mariel Hemingway, award-winning actress
"This is a great book on marketing-I highly recommend it. Beginners or seasoned yoginis-it's for everyone interested in transforming their business."—Colette Baron-Reid, bestselling author, intuitive medium, and speaker
"You've probably never viewed marketing through the lens of yoga... Jeanna is fearless in her marketing journey, and a bit magical probably due to her yoga practice! I think you'll enjoy this book!"—Sarah McLean, bestselling author, founder of McLean Meditation Institute
Jeanna Valenti is the principal of LightBox Media, a marketing and public relations firm based in Scottsdale, Arizona. Her clients appear on The TODAY Show, BBC, The New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Forbes, and Oprah Winfrey’s platform. She holds a Master of Arts degree in Corporate Communications. She is a certified mindfulness and meditation instructor, a Chopra-certified Seven Spiritual Laws of Yoga Instructor, a Reiki master, a TEDx Scottsdale Women Organizer, and the owner of Meditate Scottsdale.
