When I reached the end of my business reading list a few weeks ago, I asked my fellow coaches on LinkedIn for their great coaching book recommendations.
Suggestions started popping up right away. Now I’ve got my summer reading list. Yay! (Coaches Rock!) They shared with me, so in the spirit of collegiality, I am sharing with you!
Here are 44 coaching books recommended for coaches, by coaches. I’ve included links so you can find them quickly. Enjoy!
- The Insightful Body: Healing With SomaCentric Dialoguing by Julie McKay
- Coaching with Spirit: Allowing Success to Emerge by Teri-E Belf
- Transformational Life Coaching: Creating Limitless Opportunities for Yourself and Others by Cherie Carter-Scott
- The Prosperous Coach: Increase Impact and Income for You and Your Clients by Steve Chandler and Rich Litvin
- The Coach’s Casebook: Mastering the Twelve Traits That Trap Us by Geoff Watts and Kim Morgan
- Challenging Coaching; Going Beyond Traditional Coaching to Face the FACTS by Ian Day and John Blakey
- I Think ‘Not’ Therefore I am Unlimited by Daniel Wilson
- Positive Intelligence: Why Only 20% of Teams and Individuals Achieve Their True Potential AND HOW YOU CAN ACHIEVE YOURS – Shirzad Chamine
- Integration: The Power of Being Co-Active in Work and Life by Ann Betz and Karen Kimsey-House
- Executive Coaching: The Essential Guide for Mental Health Professionals by Len Sperry
- The Best Kept Secret is “You” A Journey Into the Rabbit Hole With Autism and Love by Daniel Wilson
- Helping: How to Offer, Give and Receive Help by Edgar H. Schein
- Savoir tre coach : Un art, une posture, une thique by Reine-Marie Halbout
- Co-Active Coaching: Changing Business, Transforming Lives by Karen Kimsey-House
- The Chimp Paradox: The Mind Management Program to Help You Achieve Success, Confidence, and Happiness by Steve Peters
- Winning From Within: A Breakthrough Method for Leading, Living, and Lasting Change by Erica Ariel Fox
- On Becoming A Person: A Therapist’s View of Psychotherapy by Carl Rogers and Peter D. Kramer
- Executive EQ: Emotional Intelligence in Business by Robert K. Cooper, Ph.D. and Ayman Sawaf
- The Eureka Factor: Aha Moments, Creative Insight and the Brain by John Kounios and Mark Beeman
- Body-Centered Coaching by Marlena Field
- Narrative Coaching: Bringing Our New Stories to Life by David Drake
- The Psychology of Executive Coaching: Theory and Application by Bruce Peltier
- The Speed of Trust: The One Thing That Changes Everything by Stephen M.R. Covey
- Coaching Plain and Simple: Solution-Focused Brief Coaching Essentials by Peter Szabo and Daniel Meier
- The Leadership Coaching Alligator Handbook by Kevin Oubridge and Sue Bernell
- Book Yourself Solid: The Fastest, Easiest and Most Reliable System for Getting More Clients Than You Can Handle by Michael Port
- The Success Principles: How to Get From Where You Are to Where You Want to Be by Jack Canfield
- Quantum Coaching Questions by Marilena Minucci
- A More Beautiful Question: The Power of Inquiry to Spark Breakthrough Ideas by Warren Berger
- Embracing Ourselves: The Voice Dialogue Manual by Hal Stone and Sidra Stone
- The Leader Who Had No Title: A Modern Fable on Real Success in Business and in Life by Robin Sharma
- Breakthrough: The Are and Science of Creating Magical Change by Using the Example of Theory U by Sabine Reppert
- Daring Greatly: How the Courage to be Vulnerable Transforms the Way We Live, Love, Parent and Lead by Dr. Bren Brown
- Ontologia del Lenguaje by Rafael Echeverria
- Quiet Leadership: Six Steps to Transforming Performance at Work by David Rock
- Sourcebook of Coaching History by Vikki G. Brock PhD
- The Coach’s Chronicles: A Journey Through Life’s Trials and Triumphs by Gary Gasaway
- Conversational Intelligence: How Great Leaders Build Trust and Get Extraordinary Results by Judith E. Glaser
- The Art of Coaching by Jenny Bird and Sarah Gornall
- The Big Leap: Conquer Your Hidden Fear and Take Life to the Next Level by Guy Hendricks
- The 5 Love Languages: The Secret to Love That Lasts by Gary D. Chapman
- Busy: How to Thrive in a World of Too Much by Tony Crabbe
- Big Magic: Creative Living Beyond Fear by Elizabeth Gilbert
- The Handbook of Knowledge-Based Coaching: From Theory to Practice by Lenni Wildflower and Diane Brennan
There you have it. 44 places to start your next adventure in learning. Dust off that hammock. You’ve got some reading to do!
Oh, and before you go take a minute to add your fave coaching book suggestions in the comment box below!

Cathy Shaughnessy, MCC, is an active ICF Assessor and ICF Mentor Coach Specialist for ACC, PCC and MCC. A graduate of the Royal Roads University Graduate Certificate in Executive Coaching, Cathy has been coaching since 2008 and brings extensive experience as an executive coach, mentor coach, coach educator and assessor to her work with coaches.
Through Perspective In Action, Cathy provides mentor coaching and creates practical resources for coaches preparing for ICF credentials, credentialing exams, renewal and ongoing professional development. Her courses, exam preparation resources and learning tools help coaches deepen their understanding of the ICF Core Competencies, PCC Markers, Code of Ethics and Core Values, and apply that knowledge thoughtfully in their coaching.
Explore Cathy’s mentor coaching, ICF learning and credentialing resources, or subscribe to Cathy’s emails for practical coaching insights, resources and updates.


The Fertile Void: Gestalt Coaching at Work by John Leary-Joyce.
Coaching Questions: A Coach’s Guide to Powerful Asking Skills by Tony Stoltzfus.
Coaching Models: A cultural Perspective by Diane Lennard.
Time To Think by Nancy Kline (and More Time To Think by the same author.)
Change Your Questions, Change Your Life by Marilee Adams
Triggers, by Marshall Goldsmith