The game-changing books female founders recommend
From the House of Commons to selling out our first club... Plus, a powerhouse reading list to inspire your next big move
It’s March! The sun is shining! It might be false spring but there is no false hope and the weather is a perfect excuse to grab a book and get outside. There’s is nothing quite like a book in your hand and grass between your toes to remind you that life can be pretty good. This is the beauty of reading a book, a way to ground yourself and slow down time.
This week at Verse
We were invited to the House of Commons to celebrate small businesses in the UK who are focusing on sustainability
We launched our Female Founders Reading List
You also sold out our first-ever Verse experience! Thank you!
The Ultimate Female Founders Reading List
This last month we set out to create something special, a reading list curated by female founders, for female founders.
The Female Founders Reading List is packed with books that have shaped businesses, sparked new ideas, and transformed mindsets. From leadership and resilience to creativity and strategy, these recommendations come straight from the founders who have lived it.
It’s been a privilege to read through the recommendations. There are familiar books, but what I am most struck by is how different they are from the bestselling business books. This list is a reflection of why we built Verse, to surface the books that truly make an impact, not just the ones on bestseller lists.
To everyone who contributed: thank you. Your insights are now part of a resource that will support and uplift fellow founders for years to come.
This isn’t just a reading list, it’s a collection of wisdom, experience, and game-changing insights from founders just like you.
We hope it inspires your next step, big idea, or breakthrough moment.
What we learned:
Mindset is everything - by far the biggest category, books like Let Them by Mel Robbins and Playing Big by Tara Mohr were highly recommended to support overcoming beliefs and embracing full potential
Practical wisdom wins - Start with Why by Simon Sinek and The Service Organisation by Katie Tarling offer clear frameworks for building purpose-driven businesses
Creativity & resilience matter - Big Magic by Elizabeth Gilbert and The Surrender Experiment by Michael Singer highlight the importance of letting go, taking risks, and trusting the journey
Building a better world - The Solutionary Way by Zoe Weil and Humankind by Rutger Bregman show how business and leadership can create meaningful impact
The Female Founders Reading List
View the collections:
Mindset & Personal Growth • Entrepreneurship & Start ups
Leadership & Management • Building a Better World
Productivity & Finances • Fiction & Biography
The Slow Down Book Club is a sell-out
Well, that was fast.
In just three days, the spots in our first Verse experience were taken.
The Slow Down Book Club is all about resetting and reawakening the mind, and the club is about to embark on 10 weeks of slow, intentional reading. The books will pass in secret from member to member before meeting in London to reveal the club and discuss the reads.
For those of you joining us in slowing down, expanding horizons and trying something new… thank you. It’s going to be good!
If you missed out this round, don’t worry. This is just the beginning.
In the meantime, slow down, pick up a book and enjoy the read.
Spotted around London this week: The chicest of women are reading Dream Count on the tube. Damian Lewis reading (and annotating) The Golden Throne, a follow up to The Lion House, on day of release. Lots of World Book Day £1 books with Pokemon very much still going strong. Blue Sisters getting a second wind in paperback release. Show Don’t Tell at the House of Commons (taken there by me).
Book Prize longlists have started coming out for 2025
Here’s your round up:
Booker International Prize. Some great (short!) titles on here and the focus for our Slow Down Book Club.
Women’s Prize for Fiction. This includes several big book titles from last year, including a few we covered.
Women’s Prize for Non-Fiction. Raising Hare is on my to read pile.
Carnegie prize for Children. This covers medals for both writing and illustration.
Support us through books 📖
With all these incredible books making waves, don’t forget you can support Verse by shopping through our links or via the store below. Every purchase helps fund our development. Thank you if you choose to do this! 💙
Say goodbye to bad recommendations and hello to a better reading experience 👇