Self-Improvement audiobooks

Self-Mastery

By: Grandmaster Tae Yun Kim, Ph.D.

Narrated by: Michael Toms

Length: 55 minutes

Abridged: No

A boy born at 1:00 a.m. on New Year's Day in Korea is considered to be incredible good fortune, but Tae Yun Kim turned out to be a girl, thereby cursing her family with bad luck.  This 4'11", 90-pound martial arts Grandmaster overcame multiple challenges, to become one of the highest-ranking martial artists in the world. Read more

Starting In Your Own Backyard

By: Melody Ermachild Chavis

Narrated by: Michael Toms

Length: 56 minutes

Abridged: No

A private investigator who works on trials and appeals for death-row inmates, Chavis knows firsthand that, with help, people can change.  It was on death-row that she met Jarvis Masters, who wrote a prize-winning book about his experience.  "Jarvis has shown that a reactive, violent young man in a rage from having been separated from his mother... Read more

Ideas That Matter:  The Life and Legacy of Thomas Merton

By: Lawrence Cunningham & Brother Patrick Hart

Narrated by: Mark Walstrom

Length: 59 minutes

Abridged: No

A gifted and complex man, the late Thomas Merton is considered by many to be a pivotal figure in 20th-century writing and spirituality. A Trappist monk, Merton was a voracious reader, prolific writer, great music lover (especially of jazz), and a social activist who believed there was more to the contemplative life than "simply denying oneself." Read more

Awakening America

By: Marianne Williamson

Narrated by: Michael Toms

Length: 55 minutes

Abridged: No

"Within the next ten years, America will experience a renaissance or a catastrophe.  Something is going to happen to take us back to who we are," says author Marianne Williamson.  Her energy is contagious.  She tells us we can face life from two positions--simply reacting to our circumstances or becoming proactive in the service of a vision. Read more

The Mystical Side Of Life

By: Michael Murphy

Narrated by: Michael Toms

Length: 55 minutes

Abridged: No

The “metanormal” abilities and experiences of saints and yogis are accessible to all of us, says Michael Murphy--and the first step is a simple one. Any activity that requires sustained vigilance, such as running, piloting or golf, causes a subtle sensory deprivation that appears to evoke mystical states of mind. Read more

No Limits: The Zen of Creativity

By: Natalie Goldberg

Narrated by: Michael Toms

Length: 55 minutes

Abridged: No

With no formal instruction in either writing or painting, Goldberg credits Zen with teaching her “how to paint, how to write and how to be in the world.” Being present, paying attention, with no good or bad, creates the "freedom to paint the worst painting in America." Discover that there are no limits to your creativity with a woman who... Read more

Scrooge Transformed

By: Joe Cusumano

Narrated by: Michael Toms

Length: 54 minutes

Abridged: No

Through a series of synchronistic experiences, Joseph Cusumano was compelled to read, re-read and ultimately re-interpret Charles Dickens' classic, A Christmas Carol. Cusumano sees the story as much more than a heartwarming Christmas fable, and believes it offers keys to a spiritual rebirth. Read more

May The Farce Be With You

By: Swami Beyondananda

Narrated by: Michael Toms

Length: 55 minutes

Abridged: No

Meet Swami Beyondananda, the brainchild and alter ego of writer/humorist Steve Bhaerman, who has been characterized as a cross between Ram Dass and Haägen-Dasz.  Bhaerman's brand of humor is transformational, breaking cultural and individual "trances" to awaken us from old patterns of separation, victimhood, violence and greed. Read more

Ancient Oracle For Modern Times

By: Paul O'Brien

Narrated by: Michael Toms

Length: 54 minutes

Abridged: No

You may know that the I Ching, or Book of Changes is one of the world's oldest texts, written four to five thousand years ago and used by emperors and sages of advanced civilizations.  What you may not know is that this ancient divination system uses an intricate, numerically based concept of changing dual states that assisted in the development... Read more

Rescuing Christ

By: Andrew Harvey

Narrated by: Michael Toms

Length: 55 minutes

Abridged: No

Andrew Harvey believes we are undergoing a revelation of consciousness about who Christ really was and what his message truly meant.  Harvey makes an important distinction between Christ and other prophets. Jesus came right down into the terrible suffering and agony of the real world, to work there with ever greater intensity and ever more... Read more

Rumi: The Supreme Mystical Guide

By: Andrew Harvey

Narrated by: Michael Toms

Length: 55 minutes

Abridged: No

There is probably no one more qualified to illuminate the life and work of Jalaluddin Rumi, the great thirteenth-century Sufi mystic and poet, than Andrew Harvey, who possesses the very eloquence and passion he admires in Rumi's work.  Harvey likens Rumi to Buddha, Ramakrishna, Shakespeare and Jesus Christ. Read more

Recovering The Divine Feminine

By: Andrew Harvey

Narrated by: Michael Toms

Length: 56 minutes

Abridged: No

Andrew Harvey, a renowned writer and modern mystic, speaks of the re-emergence in our patriarchal society of sacred feminine values for people of all faiths throughout the world.  Drawing from his penetrating studies of religion and spirituality as well as his own profound mystical experiences, Harvey believes that until we acknowledge the full... Read more

Meditations

By: Shakti Gawain

Narrated by: Shakti Gawain

Length: 2 hours 36 minutes

Abridged: No

A fantastic voyage awaits. In this audio, Shakti Gawain gently leads us through four exceptional guided meditations. All are carefully designed to help us make positive changes in our lives and to cultivate creativity, intuition, and self-healing. Shakti guides us through each of the following meditations: * Contacting Your Inner Guide ... Read more

Way of the Peaceful Warrior

By: Dan Millman

Narrated by: Dan Millman

Length: 6 hours 2 minutes

Abridged: No

Despite his success, college student and world-champion athlete Dan Millman is haunted by a feeling that something is missing from his life. Awakened one night by dark dreams, he wanders into an all-night gas station where a chance encounter with the enigmatic Socrates starts Dan on a spiritual odyssey, which throws his perfect but shallow life... Read more

Creative Visualization Meditations

By: Shakti Gawain

Narrated by: Shakti Gawain

Length: 59 minutes

Abridged: No

The meditations on this one-hour compact disc detail the practical techniques of using mental imagery and affirmation to produce positive change in one's life. In each meditation, Shakti Gawain describes specific images and directs listeners as they go through the meditation process. Meditations include Meditation Journey; Deep Relaxation;... Read more

You Can Be Happy No Matter What - Abridged

By: Richard Carlson

Narrated by: Richard Carlson

Length: 3 hours 27 minutes

Abridged: Yes

In this revised edition, #1 New York Times bestselling author and nationally known stress-management consultant Dr. Richard Carlson reveals a profound breakthrough in human psychology. Most of us believe that our happiness depends on outside circumstances, that by solving our problems, improving our relationships, or achieving success we will... Read more

American-Style Buddhism

By: Lama Suyra Das

Narrated by: Michael Toms

Length: 55 minutes

Abridged: No

An ancient Tibetan prophecy says:  "When the iron bird flies and horses run on wheels, the dharma will spread to the land of the red-faced people."  For the past decades, the emergence of a distinctly American brand of Buddhism has, indeed, become established.  Lama Surya Das, who has spent almost thirty years studying Zen and Tibetan Buddhism... Read more

Protect Your Achilles Heel - Abridged

By: Wess Roberts

Narrated by: Wess Roberts

Length: 1 hour 59 minutes

Abridged: Yes

Protect Your Achilles Heel mirrors the immensely successful model created by Roberts in his two previous bestsellers Leadership Secrets of Attila the Hun and Victory Secrets of Attila the Hun. In that series, Roberts applied Attila's cunning leadership secrets to the modern business world.

Now, he uses the story of Achilles to illustrate how... Read more

Confronting Your Demons

By: Theresa Sheppard Alexander

Narrated by: Jacqui Dunne

Length: 55 minutes

Abridged: No

Theresa Sheppard Alexander became a therapist after her own experiences undergoing Primal Therapy helped to liberate her from her scarred past.  Her experience from both sides of the fence, as patient and therapist, gives us a unique understanding of the entire healing process of Deep Feeling Therapy, an offshoot of Primal Therapy. Read more

Make Peace, Not War: Day Two

By: Dalai Lama, Michael Meade, Jack Kornfield & Sha...

Narrated by: Michael Toms

Length: 56 minutes

Abridged: No

High-level inspiration and practical means for change catalyze each other in an incredible confluence of voices here in this second day of the conference. Read more

Power of Nonviolence, The:  Compassion In Action (Part 3)

By: His Holiness The Dalai Lama, Jose Ramos Horta, ...

Narrated by: Jeff Wessman

Length: 57 minutes

Abridged: No

In part three of "Peacemaking: The Power of Non-Violence", we explore the value of multi-culturalism and how the principles and tools of peacemaking apply to the complex relationships between nations. Through the words and example of many courageous individuals, we are reminded that the personal and the planetary are connected, and that each of... Read more

Peacemaking as a Way of Life

By: His Holiness The Dalai Lama

Narrated by: Jeff Wessman

Length: 55 minutes

Abridged: No

This is from the historic 1997 conference in San Francisco, "Peacemaking: The Power of Nonviolence," which brought together the voices of those at the forefront of peacemaking in our time, including Nobel Laureates the Dalai Lama of Tibet and Jose Ramos-Horta of East Timor. Read more

Make Peace, Not War: Day One

By: Dalai Lama, Alice Walker, Angeles Arrien, Edwar...

Narrated by: Michael Toms

Length: 56 minutes

Abridged: No

In this first day of the conference, we also hear H.H. the Dalai Lama of Tibet, Alice Walker, Angeles Arrien, Gay Luce and Edward James Olmos, speaking of the causes and deeper cures of violent behavior. "There’s no reason for hopelessness or despair," says Thurman. "We can solve these problems." Read more

Gardening the Soul

By: Alice Walker

Narrated by: Justine Willis Toms & Michael Toms

Length: 56 minutes

Abridged: No

It’s no secret that a rich and happy life has little to do with material wealth. So how can we make the best of what we do have? Alice Walker offers a fresh look at how to live well in a complex culture. Her unique depth of perception is a gift that shows us new angles on everything from cocaine to Aunt Jemima to painting murals on the White House. Read more