Must-Read Books to Inspire and Empower Women Over 50

Finding the right books at the right time can feel like you’ve won a prize, especially when you’re on a healing journey.

As women over 50, we deserve books that reflect where we’ve been and support where we’re headed next.

Whether you love to read or prefer to listen, there’s something here for you. Many of the books I recommend are available through Kindle Unlimited Books, a monthly subscription that lets you explore an ever-growing library of empowering reads.

If you enjoy listening while walking, resting, or simply need a moment of calm, Audible Books offers unlimited access to thousands of audiobooks and wellness programs.

The best part? You can often bundle both memberships at a reduced rate, making it easier and more affordable to invite inspiration into your daily life, however it fits best.

In this post, I’ve created a collection of books that uplift, empower, and inspire women like us to reconnect with our bodies, strengthen our confidence, and build more meaningful relationships.

I’ve also included a few of my favorite podcasts for when you’re too exhausted and need extra encouragement in your earbuds.

Women Over 50: Rebuilding Confidence and Embracing Self-Empowerment

If you’re anything like me, reaching your 50s came with clarity and questions: Who am I now, and what do I want moving forward?

After years of prioritizing others, stepping into your own power might feel strange, or even a little scary. But midlife can also be incredibly exciting.

I created this list of books with you in mind. They will support your confidence, remind you how strong you are, and help you reconnect with the woman you’ve always been beneath the pain.

These books offer guidance, comfort, and lead you toward the empowered, authentic life you deserve.

Badass Affirmations by Becca Anderson

This little book is packed with powerful reminders that I’m capable, strong, and worthy, especially when I need to hear them most.

The affirmations are bold, uplifting, and easy to refer to for a needed boost, reminding me that yes, I am a badass.

Daring Greatly by Brené Brown

Reading this felt like being seen everywhere I used to hide. This book helped me realize that vulnerability isn’t something to fear; it’s the foundation of real courage and connection.

The Confidence Code by Katty Kay and Claire Shipman

This book is part research and part real-life encouragement. It helped me understand that confidence isn’t just a feeling; it’s something we can build, one step at a time.

You Are Not a Before Picture by Alex Light

A great reminder that your worth has nothing to do with your weight, wrinkles, or reflection. It helped me really think about how I speak to myself.

The Happiness Project by Gretchen Rubin

This book inspired me to notice happiness in the small, everyday moments. It’s practical and thoughtful.

Good Vibes, Good Life by Vex King

This book showed me how mindset and self-love go hand in hand. It’s an easy, uplifting read when you need a reset or a little motivation.

The Mountain is You by Brianna Wiest

I come back to this book again and again. It explains how self-sabotage often comes from pain, and how healing helps us get out of our own way.

A Gentle Reminder by Bianca Sparacino

Some days, you just need an uplifting voice. This book is that voice, calm, kind, and exactly what you didn’t know you needed to hear.

So Much To Unlearn by Amirah Morris

This book will challenge old beliefs you may be carrying for too long and allow you to redefine what feels right for you.

Don’t Believe Everything You Think by Joseph Nguyen

This book is great if you feel as though you need to get out of your own head. It helped me stop spiraling thoughts and reconnect with who I truly am.

Worthy by Jamie Kern-Lima

This one spoke straight to the parts of me that still doubt I’m enough. Jamie Kerm-Limas’ story reminds you that you don’t have to prove your worth; you just have to believe in it.

Protect Your Peace by Trent Shelton

I underlined so much in this book. It’s real, practical wisdom about guarding your energy and learning to choose peace without guilt.

What A Time To Be Alone by Chidera Eggerue

This bold, empowering guide reminds us that solitude isn’t something to fear; it’s a space where self-love and clarity can grow.

The Practical Art Of Letting Go, How to Say No, Stop Overthinking, Master Self-Discipline & Find Your Ikigai by Andrew C. Hinkelberg

This helped me when I would spiral out of control due to overthinking everything. Andrew C. Hinkelberg’s story reminds you that you don’t have to control your thoughts perfectly; you just have to let go enough to live.

The Let Them Book by Mel Robbins

Two words, “Let Them,” have never felt more freeing. The Let Them Theory is a powerful reminder to stop managing others and start reclaiming your peace, energy, and purpose. Simple, transformative, and exactly what I didn’t know I needed.

Enhancing Relationships As Women Over 50

As women over 50, especially those of us healing from emotional abuse, our relationships start to look different.

We begin craving depth over obligation, clarity over confusion, and connection that feels safe and mutual.

Whether you’re rebuilding intimacy, navigating long-term partnerships, or rediscovering what it means to feel desired and emotionally connected, you deserve relationships that support your healing and wholeness.

I chose the books below because each one has insight, wisdom, and practical tools to help you explore love, sex, trust, and emotional connection in this powerful next chapter of your life.

The Five Love Languages by Gary Chapman

This classic helped me understand how love is given and received and why it often gets lost in translation. It’s a great place to start if you want to strengthen emotional closeness in any relationship.

Want Me by Tracy Clark-Flory

This candid memoir explores what it means to want, as a woman, without shame or apology. Tracy’s story gave me the space to look at my desires with more honesty, compassion, and a sense of permission I didn’t know I needed.

Getting The Sex You Want by Tammy Nelson, PhD

If intimacy has been complicated or confusing, this book guides you toward sexual healing and reconnection, especially in long-term relationships.

Urban Tantra by Barbara Carellas and Annie Sprinkle

I love how this book makes sacred sexuality feel approachable. It’s playful, powerful, and encourages deep connection with yourself and your partner.

The Seven Principles for Making Marriage Work by Jon Gottman and Nan Silver

This book, grounded in research and full of practical strategies, helped me understand emotional safety in partnership and what makes love last.

Hold Me Tight by Sue Johnson

This one helped me see how attachment needs shape our relationships and how healing begins when we learn to reach for each other with empathy and care.

Getting Past The Affair by  Douglas Snyder, Donald Baucom, and Kristina Coop Gordon

If betrayal has been part of your story, this book offers a compassionate, step-by-step path toward rebuilding trust or finding peace in letting go.

The Inner Work of Relationships by Mathew Micheletti

This book is a gentle guide to becoming more conscious of your connections. It helped me reflect on patterns, triggers, and the emotional roots of how I show up with others.

Attached by Amir Levine and Rachel Heller

Learning about attachment styles completely shifted how I understood myself in relationships. This book helped me recognize old emotional patterns and start choosing connection that feels safe, balanced, and true to who I am now.

The Shadow Work Journal by Keila Shaheen

Healing relationships often starts with healing yourself. This journal helped me explore my wounds, fears, and hidden beliefs so I could begin to show up more fully for myself and others.

Supporting You Through Life’s Transitions

Life after 50 can feel like a tender mix of letting go and beginning again.

Whether navigating an empty nest, shifting relationships, changing careers, or simply rediscovering who you are, this season can be beautiful and deeply vulnerable.

I’ve handpicked this book list to walk alongside you through those changes.

These books offer wisdom, encouragement, and practical tools to help you embrace this chapter with clarity, confidence, and compassion, for yourself most of all.

Goddesses Never Age by Christiane Northrup, M.D.

This empowering read helped me reframe what it means to age; it’s not about decline but about fully embracing your wisdom, joy, and vitality.

The Wisdom of Menopause by Christiane Northrup, M.D.

When I needed guidance through the emotional and physical shifts of menopause, this resource offered both reassurance and practical insight I could actually use.

Feeding Your Demons by Tsultrim Allione

Rather than pushing difficult emotions away, this perspective showed me how to face them compassionately and transform them into something healing and powerful.

Transitions: Making Sense of Life’s Changes by William Bridges

Navigating change can feel like losing your footing. This guide helped me understand the emotional stages of transition and how to move through them gracefully.

Life Reimagined: The Science, Art, and Opportunity of Midlife by Barbara Bradley Hagerty

Through personal stories and research, this book opened my eyes to the possibilities that still lie ahead and reminded me that midlife can be a beginning, not an ending.

When Things Fall Apart: Heart Advice for Difficult Times by Pema Chodron

These words grounded me during one of the most uncertain times in my life. They offered perspective, calm, and a reminder that peace can be found even in the middle of chaos.

The Gift of Imperfection: Let Go of Who You Think You’re Supposed to Be and Embrace Who You Are by Brené Brown

Letting go of who I thought I had to be allowed me to embrace who I am. These reflections helped me soften toward myself and show up more authentically in every area of life.

Reclaiming Your Sexuality as Women Over 50

If no one’s told you lately, you’re allowed to want pleasure, connection, and intimacy, even (and especially) now.

As women over 50, many of us are learning to unlearn the shame, silence, or conditioning we carried for years around our bodies and our desires.

This book list is for the woman ready to explore her sexuality, not from a place of performance, but from a place of curiosity, healing, and self-love.

These reads offer compassionate guidance, real stories, and expert insights to help you reconnect with your body, deepen intimacy, and embrace this part of yourself with confidence and joy.

The Ethical Slut by Janet W. Hardy and Dossie Easton

An eye-opener in the best way. It offers profound wisdom around consent, freedom, and communication, whether in a monogamous relationship or simply rethinking what a healthy connection means for you.

Better Sex Through Mindfulness by Lori A. Brotto, PhD

Helped me slow down and truly tune into my body. The mindfulness practices are gentle and accessible, perfect for reconnecting with your senses after trauma or emotional distance.

Sex for One by Betty Dodson, PhD

It is a liberating reminder that your relationship with yourself matters as much as any other. It reframes solo pleasure as a source of empowerment, not secrecy.

Tongue Tied by Stella Harris

So many of us were never taught how to talk about sex. This guide offers real-world tools to communicate openly and clearly, without shame or fear.

Becoming Cliterate by Laurie Mintz, PhD

I appreciated how direct and smart this one is. It challenges outdated ideas about women’s pleasure and empowers us to claim our sexual satisfaction without apology.

Come As You Are by Emily Nagoski, PhD

A compassionate, science-backed deep dive into how women experience desire. It helped me better understand my body and be more patient and kind with myself.

Shameless by Nadia Bolz-Weber

Raw, honest, and freeing. If you’ve ever carried religious shame around your body or sexuality, this one will feel like a breath of fresh air.

The Complete Illustrated Kama Sutra by Lance Dane

This thoughtful blend of ancient tradition and modern insight invites you to see intimacy as sacred, soulful, and deeply connected, not just physical.

Sex Matters by Mona Charen

Thought-provoking and unapologetic. It raised important questions for me about how feminism, values, and sexuality intersect, especially in the context of long-term emotional well-being.

“Sexuality is part of the soul and it calls for self-discovery, recognition, and above all, acceptance.”

Esther Perel

Great Podcasts For Women Over 50

I get it, some days, sitting down with a book just isn’t realistic. Finding quiet reading time can feel like a luxury when balancing responsibilities, emotions, and healing.

That’s where podcasts (and Audible Books) have been a lifesaver for me.

Whether on a walk, folding laundry, or just needing a little boost between moments, tuning into the right voices helps me feel seen, grounded, and inspired.

These podcasts are like gentle check-ins—reminders that you’re not alone, and that there’s still space for growth, joy, and possibility, even in the everyday.

Rock Your Midlife

Hosted by Dr. Ellen Albertson, also known as The Midlife Whisperer, this podcast feels like a trusted conversation with a wise friend.

With thoughtful interviews and empowering insights, it’s designed to help women in midlife reconnect with their health, self-worth, and purpose in this next chapter of life.

Listen Here

The Confidence Chronicles

Hosted by the bold and inspiring Erika Cramer, this podcast dives into honest conversations about self-love, confidence, and rising after life knocks you down.

It’s honest, empowering, and the kind of encouragement every woman over 50 deserves as she steps into her strength.

Listen Here

Midlife Matters

Midlife Matters is like sitting down for a heart-to-heart with women who truly get it. From relationships and health to personal growth and everything in between, this podcast speaks to the real-life joys and challenges we face in this season of life.

Listen Here

The Pleasure Podcast

The Pleasure Podcast is an open, honest space where hosts Naomi Sheldon and Dr. Anand Patel explore intimacy, sexual health, and pleasure without shame.

It’s a beautiful reminder that feeling connected to your body and desires is not only normal, it’s something you’re worthy of at every stage of life.

Listen Here

Sex with Emily

Sex with Emily is an honest and empowering listen for women ready to reclaim intimacy on their terms. Dr. Emily Morse offers down-to-earth, relatable conversations around pleasure, relationships, and sexual wellness, reminding us that confidence and connection are always within reach, regardless of age or history.

Listen Here

P.S. Looking for an easy way to explore some of these titles?

Whether you love to read or prefer to read books on Kindle, you are in luck; many of the books I recommend are available through Kindle Unlimited Books, a monthly subscription that lets you explore an ever-growing library of empowering reads.

If you enjoy listening while walking, resting, or simply need a moment of calm, Audible Books offers unlimited access to thousands of audiobooks and wellness programs.

The best part? You can often bundle both memberships at a reduced rate, making it easier and more affordable to invite inspiration into your daily life, however it fits best.

Your Next Chapter Awaits

Whether exploring your sexuality, rebuilding your confidence, strengthening your relationships, or simply finding your way through a new season, these books and podcasts were handpicked with you in mind.

They’ve offered comfort, clarity, and that little nudge forward when I needed it most. I hope they do the same for you.

Don’t let the inspiration stop here if this list speaks to you. Subscribe to my newsletter for more soulful book recs, heart-centered podcast picks, and gentle guidance designed for women over 50 navigating healing, growth, and the next beautiful chapter.

And I’d love to hear from you. What book or resource has helped you feel more seen, supported, or empowered?

Drop it in the comments, and let’s continue building a community of women who uplift, share, and heal together. You’re not alone on this journey, and never have to be.

Looking for even more inspiration?

Don’t miss my list of 15 Motivating Books That Will Change Your Life, which is filled with powerful reads to help you reconnect with your purpose, rebuild confidence, and keep growing in every season of life.