Hey everybody!
We’re into week 3 of Dr Julie Smith’s Why Has Nobody Told Me This Before?
Hopefully you’re all ruminating and getting super meta-cognitive about your mental health like we are!
If you’re anything like Fiona then you’ve already finished the book, and if you’re anything like Tristan you’re a very respectable 58% of the way through (can you tell who’s written this intro today?)
We’re counting down the days until our end of month book call so, don’t forget to register to attend so we know how much chips and dip to buy (jokes - it’s BYO)
You can register here!
Also, keep an eye out for next week’s email because it will be time to vote for the April book! Man this year is flying past!
BTW - if you haven’t yet started on Why Has Nobody Told Me This Before - It’s not too late. The book is ~430 pages (but with big and generously spaced writing) and the audio version is 8 hours 40 minutes!
You’ve still got about 2 weeks! Heaps of time!
Tristan enjoying the rare U.K. sunshine with a walk and the audio book in his ears!
﹅ Community insights
Reflections and thoughts from members in our Discord Community
“I’m really resonating with the message around how our brains take information about how we’re feeling from all of our senses and from our body, including our heart rate, breathing rate and muscle tension. When I’m having a stressful day … I notice I’m generally tense, my heart rate feels elevated and my breathing is shallow. I often wonder whether the feeling of being stress was the cause or rather the result of the way my body was behaving.”
“One of the big takeaways for me was how motivation isn’t something we can rely on, but we can create systems and habits to keep ourselves on track. A few points that really stuck:
Reconnecting with goals regularly is key. If we don’t keep our bigger goal fresh in our minds, it’s easy to lose momentum. I liked the idea of a one-minute check-in at the start and end of the day. Setting an intention in the morning and reflecting in the evening.
Exercise and sleep come up again! This seems to be a recurring theme in the book. Movement and rest are foundational to motivation, resilience, and mental clarity. I’m really noticing this pattern.”
“I really liked the idea that emotions, like waves in the sea, will rise, peak, and pass and that resisting them just makes it harder. Instead of trying to fight or block emotions, it’s about letting them come, dealing with them, and even going with them a little bit.”
● Additional resources
Why Has Nobody Told Me This Before is all about practical psychology, emotional resilience, and mental well-being. If you enjoyed this theme and want to learn more, here are three other great books for you to check out.
The Tools – Phil Stutz & Barry Michels
Why you'll love it: This book provides five actionable psychological strategies to overcome fear, self-doubt, and procrastination. It’s all about building resilience and taking control of your mindset.
Daring Greatly – Brené Brown
Why you'll love it: A deep dive into vulnerability, courage, and how embracing discomfort leads to personal and professional growth. It’s inspiring, research-based, and packed with insights on building resilience.
Atomic Habits – James Clear
Why you'll love it: If you loved the practical, no-nonsense advice of Why Has Nobody Told Me This Before?, Atomic Habits offers an equally actionable approach—this time focused on building good habits and breaking bad ones for long-term success.
Which will you be adding to your reading list? Let us know what you think!
► Our burning questions
Last week we asked you…
Have you disagreed with anything in the book so far?
Here’s what you guys said:
“I honestly hate journaling and wouldn't do it daily. I prefer the other methods for getting to sleep.”
“Some of the advice seems quite basic e.g. go for a walk, exercise, socialise.”
This week we’re asking…
What has been your biggest Aha! moment from the book so far?
Let us know by dropping a reply to this email - or better yet - heading over to share these thoughts with the rest of the Bad Assess on Discord!
♦︎ Next book club call
We're so excited to host our next Bad Ass Bookshelf bookclub call to discuss Why Has Nobody Told Me This Before? at the end of March! Call details below:
Date: 27th of March
Time: 17:00 GMT (12:00 EST / 09:00 PST)
Register for the call here: https://us06web.zoom.us/meeting/register/PDV7Ef3qSeODT1NgwdMX2g?#/registration
Cannot wait to see you all there!
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