In Confidence

How can a single change on the outside unlock something far deeper on the inside?

In this episode, I sit down with James Benoit, senior stylist at George Northwood and one of the most sought-after hairdressers in the UK, to explore confidence from a perspective unlike any other: the salon chair. Over 30 years spent working with some of the world’s most recognised faces, James has had a front-row seat to the relationship between how we look, how we feel, and what we’re willing to believe about ourselves.

We explore why hair carries so much emotional weight, what shifts when someone looks in the mirror and something changes, and what 30 years of intimate conversations in the chair has taught James about human confidence. James shares stories from his own life and career — from the prom king who still doubted himself to the boy from Wolverhampton doing Alicia Vikander’s hair for Louis Vuitton in Paris — showing how confidence is both something we build through action and something we already carry inside us, waiting to be uncovered.

Key Takeaways

• How confidence works in two parts (the belief that gets the ball rolling, and the action that solidifies it) and why the doing is what makes it real and lasting.
• How the outside-in effect is real: changing something visible about how we look can trigger a genuine shift in how we feel, and the two don’t have to happen in that order.
• How hair is one of the most controllable and visible forms of self-expression we have and why alignment between how we look and who we are matters more than attractiveness or perfection.
• How the stories we tell ourselves about who we are can be so entrenched that even clear evidence to the contrary fails to shift them, and why we have to actively decide to update the story.
• How confidence built through experience is different from the deeper confidence that was always there and how protecting that second kind is the real work.
• How preparation is one of the most underrated confidence tools available to anyone, in any field, at any level.
• How helping someone else through a confidence knock — whether as a parent, a manager, or a friend — requires timing, multiple voices, and the courage to manage your own doubt without passing it on.

About James

James Benoit is a senior stylist at George Northwood, one of London’s most celebrated salons, where he is trained in the salon’s signature undone method and is sought after by model agencies and leading brands. Over a 30-year career he has worked at Daniel Galvin, John Frieda and Hershesons. His clients span royalty, including Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, actresses Rachel Weisz and Alicia Vikander, TV presenter Claudia Winkleman, designer Stella McCartney, and sporting legends Roger Federer and Lindsey Vonn. 

Resources Mentioned

• George Northwood Salon — James’s home salon in London. www.georgenorthwood.com
• Sandy Frederickson — Sandy is a coach supporting people recovering from breast cancer. Find her on Instagram at @thehealthyhabitscoach
• Amy Cuddy — social psychologist and author whose research on the body-mind connection and power posing is one of the most watched TED Talks of all time.
• Sylvia Ann Hewlett, Executive Presence — the research behind the three pillars of executive presence: gravitas, communication and appearance.
• Albert Bandura — Stanford psychologist whose four sources of self-efficacy (mastery experience, vicarious experience, verbal persuasion and physiological feedback) map directly onto the confidence conversation in this episode.

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How can knowing yourself and what you uniquely offer become the foundation of a confidence that carries you through any room?

In this episode, I sit down with Zahra Bahrololoumi CBE, President & CEO of Salesforce UK & Ireland, to explore confidence from multiple perspectives: the power of self-knowledge in a world being reshaped by AI, the courage to run toward the roles nobody else wants, and what it means to lead with both conviction and humility.

Zahra shares remarkable stories from her career and her life. We dive into how resilience, action and a deep understanding of your own strengths shape lasting confidence, whether in a boardroom, on a stage in front of thousands, or in the moment someone tells you to be more like someone you could never be. 

Key Takeaways

• How confidence is not a fixed state but a fluid one and how the ability to restore your own peace, without needing the approval of others, is one of the most powerful skills a leader can develop. 
• How action is the antithesis of anxiety and why engaging with AI now, however imperfectly, is the most effective antidote to the fear of being left behind.
• How being able to articulate what makes you uniquely you (to yourself first, and then to others) is more powerful than trying to be something you’re not, and how that clarity becomes your greatest professional asset.
• How the qualities that feel like disadvantages (not fitting the mould, coming from a different background, lacking a conventional path) can become your greatest professional superpower.
• How understanding the currency of success in any role (the one thing that matters most) allows you to focus your energy where it counts and make yourself genuinely indispensable.
• How attitude above skill level, combined with a willingness to take on the roles others avoid, creates a track record of resilience you can draw on when the next leap feels impossible.
• How writing down positive feedback, personal reflections and moments of resilience in the face of adversity, even if you never look at them again, is a powerful act of grounding yourself in your own evidence.

About Zahra

Zahra Bahrololoumi CBE is President & CEO of Salesforce UK & Ireland, leading one of the world’s most recognised technology companies through a defining moment in how we work. She also oversees Salesforce’s global private equity and venture capital practice. Before Salesforce, Zahra spent 22 years at Accenture, rising to lead their UK and Ireland technology business. She was awarded a CBE in the King’s Honours list and holds an honorary doctorate from Brunel University, among numerous other awards and recognitions. She chairs the Cancer Research UK corporate board and is a passionate advocate for digital skills, equality and the next generation of talent.

Resources Mentioned

• Trailhead — Salesforce’s free online learning platform with 32+ AI training modules, available for free. www.trailhead.com
• Agent Bobbi — Salesforce’s AI agent handling non-emergency police queries, now live across three UK forces.       https://www.salesforce.com/uk/news/stories/bobbi-agentforce-transforms-law-enforcement/
• My Love Is In There Hiding — Zahra’s remarkable project combining personal maxims from 22 years at Accenture with music. www.myloveisintherehiding.com[1] 
• Salesforce AI Centre, London — Part of Salesforce’s investment in people, skills and AI adoption in the UK. https://www.salesforce.com/uk/news/press-releases/2026/05/20/ai-centre-london-campus/

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How can knowing what you want, more than you fear the challenge, unlock a confidence that endures?

In this episode, I sit down with Kristina Kloberdanz, Chief Sustainability Officer at Macquarie Asset Management and former CSO at Mastercard, to explore confidence from multiple perspectives: the power of strategic self-awareness, the courage to say yes before you feel ready, and what it means to build a life on your own terms.

Kristina shares remarkable stories from childhood through career-defining moments, showing how confidence isn’t about having it all figured out, but about knowing what you want, playing to your strengths, and trusting that everything is building towards something even when you can’t yet see it.

Key Takeaways

• How confidence is not just an inner feeling but a strategic decision — choosing which room you walk into and engineering the environment to give yourself the best chance.
• How the greatest block to talented people isn’t lack of ability, but the voice of doubt and how quickly it can take hold, even after you’ve already proven yourself.
• How knowing your role in the room, rather than trying to be the smartest or most expert, is a form of confidence that opens doors and creates lasting impact.
• How imposter syndrome can strike even the most accomplished people, and how being vulnerable about it creates a ripple effect that helps others do the same.
• How preparation made years in advance allows you to say yes instantly when the right moment arrives, even when the timing looks impossible.
• How priming your mind and energy before high-stakes moments, the way an athlete warms up, is a daily practice that builds confidence from the inside out.
• How wanting something more than you fear the challenge is the clearest signal it’s worth pursuing.

About Kristina

Kristina Kloberdanz is Chief Sustainability Officer at Macquarie Asset Management, where she leads their global ESG commitments including managing its portfolio to meet net zero emissions. She previously served as Chief Sustainability Officer at Mastercard, and before that spent two decades at IBM leading global corporate responsibility strategy. She has spoken at Davos, the UN Climate Conference COP, and New York Climate Week, and chaired the World Economic Forum’s Trillion Trees US Stakeholder Council. Kristina began her career as a professional ballet dancer, has trekked to Everest Base Camp, summited Kilimanjaro three times, and recently became a mother on her own terms and her own timeline.

Resources Mentioned

• Superhuman app — guided meditations and affirmations for priming your mindset and energy.
• Peter Attia’s Outlive — the longevity philosophy Kristina references for health span and living vibrantly.
• Whoop — wearable health tracker. www.whoop.com
• Eight Sleep — smart sleep technology for optimising recovery. www.eightsleep.com
• Outward Bound International — the organisation that shaped Kristina’s early relationship with fear, resilience and possibility. www.outwardbound.net
• The Wave — Gabe Smilovic’s Substack post https://open.substack.com/pub/amysmilovic/p/to-break-is-to-arrive?r=2ubilh&utm_medium=ios

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How can respect and excellence shape a confidence that endures?

In this episode, I sit down with Anton Mosimann OBE, one of the most influential chefs of the modern era, to explore confidence from multiple perspectives: the power of building on solid ground, the courage to pioneer a new way of doing things, and achieving extraordinary things while remaining deeply human.

We dive into how optimism, curiosity and a commitment to excellence shape lasting confidence, whether in a Michelin starred kitchen, a royal palace or a bar in Lausanne. Anton shares remarkable stories from childhood through career-defining moments, showing how confidence isn't about ego or status, but about preparation, respect and showing up as exactly the same person in every room.

Key Takeaways

• How building confidence on solid ground (through experience, hard work and the right attitude) creates a foundation that lasts a lifetime, whatever your profession.
• How the courage to pioneer a new way of doing things, even in the face of resistance, requires conviction, vision and the confidence to back yourself before anyone else does.
• How leading people who are older, more experienced and initially resistant requires patience, consistency and the humility to listen.
• How true confidence is never fixed. It remains open. The willingness to keep learning, to adapt, and even to step back and hand over to the next generation, is itself a form of strength.
• How staying calm and prepared under the highest possible pressure (from royal weddings to Olympic celebrations) is a skill built through experience, not personality.
• How treating every single person with the same warmth and respect, whether they are sweeping the street or sitting in a palace, is not just good character but the foundation of real leadership.
• How generosity of spirit (being present, being warm, being of service without expectation) creates opportunities that no strategy ever could.

About Anton

Anton Mosimann OBE DL is one of the most celebrated chefs in the world, renowned for revolutionising British cuisine and earning two Michelin stars at The Dorchester — the first ever awarded to a Grand hotel restaurant outside France. He founded Mosimann's, his legendary private dining club in Belgravia, and has cooked for 15 sets of kings and queens, 4 generations of the British Royal Family, 8* British Prime Ministers (*correction the episode said 5), 6 French Presidents and 7 US Presidents. He is a Deputy Lieutenant (DL) and an Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) awarded in 2003 by Queen Elizabeth II. He also holds a Royal Warrant and honours from the French government. He has won more than 50 gold medals. Other achievements include an Honorary Professorship Thames University London 2x, Honorary Doctorate of Culinary Arts Johnson and Wales University USA and Honorary Degree, Doctor of Science Bournemouth University GB 1998. 

Through his museum in Switzerland he continues to inspire the next generation of chefs with one simple message: Go for it!

Resources Mentioned

• Anton's museum ‘The Mosimann Collection’ is home to a remarkable personal collection of over 6,000 cookery books and 30,000 menus spanning centuries of culinary history. https://www.swisseducation.com/en/mosimann-collection/
• Mosimann's private dining club, Belgravia, London. www.mosimann.com
• Anton's cookery books (including ‘Mosimann’s Fresh’ where you can find his world-famous risotto and bread and butter pudding recipes) are available via his website at www.mosimann.com

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

How can respect and excellence shape a confidence that endures?

In this episode, I sit down with Anton Mosimann OBE, one of the most influential chefs of the modern era, to explore confidence from multiple perspectives: the power of building on solid ground, the courage to pioneer a new way of doing things, and achieving extraordinary things while remaining deeply human.

We dive into how optimism, curiosity and a commitment to excellence shape lasting confidence, whether in a Michelin starred kitchen, a royal palace or a bar in Lausanne. Anton shares remarkable stories from childhood through career-defining moments, showing how confidence isn't about ego or status, but about preparation, respect and showing up as exactly the same person in every room.

Key Takeaways

• How building confidence on solid ground (through experience, hard work and the right attitude) creates a foundation that lasts a lifetime, whatever your profession.
• How the courage to pioneer a new way of doing things, even in the face of resistance, requires conviction, vision and the confidence to back yourself before anyone else does.
• How leading people who are older, more experienced and initially resistant requires patience, consistency and the humility to listen.
• How true confidence is never fixed. It remains open. The willingness to keep learning, to adapt, and even to step back and hand over to the next generation, is itself a form of strength.
• How staying calm and prepared under the highest possible pressure (from royal weddings to Olympic celebrations) is a skill built through experience, not personality.
• How treating every single person with the same warmth and respect, whether they are sweeping the street or sitting in a palace, is not just good character but the foundation of real leadership.
• How generosity of spirit (being present, being warm, being of service without expectation) creates opportunities that no strategy ever could.

About Anton

Anton Mosimann OBE DL is one of the most celebrated chefs in the world, renowned for revolutionising British cuisine and earning two Michelin stars at The Dorchester — the first ever awarded to a Grand hotel restaurant outside France. He founded Mosimann's, his legendary private dining club in Belgravia, and has cooked for 15 sets of kings and queens, 4 generations of the British Royal Family, 8* British Prime Ministers (*correction the episode said 5), 6 French Presidents and 7 US Presidents. He is a Deputy Lieutenant (DL) and an Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) awarded in 2003 by Queen Elizabeth II. He also holds a Royal Warrant and honours from the French government. He has won more than 50 gold medals. Other achievements include an Honorary Professorship Thames University London 2x, Honorary Doctorate of Culinary Arts Johnson and Wales University USA and Honorary Degree, Doctor of Science Bournemouth University GB 1998. 

Through his museum in Switzerland he continues to inspire the next generation of chefs with one simple message: Go for it!

Resources Mentioned

• Anton's museum ‘The Mosimann Collection’ is home to a remarkable personal collection of over 6,000 cookery books and 30,000 menus spanning centuries of culinary history. https://www.swisseducation.com/en/mosimann-collection/
• Mosimann's private dining club, Belgravia, London. www.mosimann.com
• Anton's cookery books (including ‘Mosimann’s Fresh’ where you can find his world-famous risotto and bread and butter pudding recipes) are available via his website at www.mosimann.com

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How can owning your expertise, and learning to tell its story, unlock confidence?

In this episode, I sit down with Ken Deeks, communications expert, former journalist, PR agency founder, and media trainer, to explore confidence from three angles: how you communicate it, how you spot it in others, and how you build it in yourself.

We explore how so many people undersell what they bring to the table, how to find and tell the stories that make your expertise stick, and why the most powerful communicators are often the best listeners in the room. Ken also shares his own experience of stepping well outside his comfort zone, including performing Shakespeare in his sixties, and what it taught him about confidence, teamwork, and doing things that scare you.

Key Takeaways

• Why so many people undersell what they bring and what believing in your own skill set has to do with confidence.
• The NICE framework (New, Important, Clever, told with Emphasis) a practical tool for communicating with clarity and impact in interviews, pitches, and presentations.
• Why the most memorable stories aren't about what you do, but about the people your work has helped and how to tell them that way.
• Why confidence isn't always loud and what personality profiling reveals about the different ways it shows up.
• The block and bridge technique: how to stay composed and credible under pressure, even when you don't have the answer.
• Why the most persuasive communicators lead with listening and what genuinely confident leadership actually looks like to the people being led.
• How taking action on one small idea (a poster on the tube, a phone call) led to 14 million pounds raised and an MBE from Queen Elizabeth II.

About Ken 

Ken Deeks is a communications expert who has spent decades on both sides of the microphone. He began his career as a journalist before moving into PR, where he founded and ran his own agency. He later co-founded The Amber Group, where he works with individuals and organisations to sharpen how they communicate, present, and tell their stories. He is also the founder of Boycott Your Bed, the UK’s largest corporate sleepout, which has raised over £14 million for Action for Children over the past 20 years—an organisation where he also serves as Vice President. In 2015, he was awarded an MBE by Queen Elizabeth II for services to children. Ken is also the author of The Little Black Book of Presentation Secrets.

Resources

• The Amber Group: www.ambergroup.co.uk
• Insights Discovery: The personality profiling tool that Ken uses in his coaching and training work. www.insights.com
• Book: The Little Black Book of Presentation Secrets by Ken Deeks.
• Boycott Your Bed: Ken's charity sleep out supporting Action for Children  www.actionforchildren.org.uk/support-us/boycott-your-bed/

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What happens when you ask four artificial intelligences to define something deeply human?

In this episode, I do something different. Instead of interviewing CEOs, creatives or coaches, I bring together four AI systems (ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini and Grok) and ask them about confidence.

Each system has processed more human writing on psychology, performance and self-doubt than any individual ever could. I wanted to know: where would they agree? Where would they diverge? And would they tell us anything we don’t already know?

What emerged was both reassuring and unsettling. Reassuring, because across their different “personalities,” there was striking agreement: confidence is self-trust built through action, not bravado or certainty. Unsettling, because they all surfaced the same modern risk — that in a world saturated with AI, we may quietly outsource the very judgement that real confidence depends on.

This conversation explores what confidence actually is, why so many capable people wait to feel ready, how judgement and vulnerability shape self-trust, and what will matter most for human confidence in the decade ahead.

Key Takeaways

• Confidence is self-trust under pressure. It isn’t loudness, certainty or bravado. It’s the belief that you can handle what happens, even when you don’t control it.
• The biggest misconception is that confident people don’t doubt themselves. In reality, they feel doubt. They simply don’t treat it as a stop sign.
• Confidence is embodied. It lives in the nervous system as much as the mind - shaped by repetition, physical cues, breath, posture and exposure to manageable discomfort.
• Judgement and vulnerability both shape confidence. Anchoring your self-worth internally while using feedback as information (and sharing vulnerability with discernment) strengthens trust rather than weakens it.
• In the age of AI, confidence is shifting. The skills that matter most now are discernment, adaptability, creativity, emotional intelligence and presence. The qualities technology cannot replicate.
• The greatest risk to human confidence is outsourcing judgement. Real confidence still has to be built through experience, failure and the discomfort of thinking for yourself before reaching for the fastest answer.
• Real confidence remains “old-fashioned.” It is still built through failure, reflection, discomfort and lived experience, something no algorithm can shortcut.

About the Panel

This episode features four AI systems trained on vast bodies of human language and research:

• ChatGPT developed by OpenAI, designed to engage in conversation and reflect patterns in human thinking and behaviour.
• Claude created by Anthropic, focused on helpful, honest and safety-oriented dialogue.
• Gemini built by Google, designed to process and synthesise information across domains.
• Grok developed by xAI, positioned as a more direct, irreverent voice in the AI landscape.

While none of them experience confidence, each analyses it through patterns in language, behaviour and research at scale offering a mirror to what humans repeatedly reveal about themselves.

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What can we learn about confidence from experienced executive coaches?

In this episode of In Confidence, I’m joined by my long-standing supervision group: a circle of experienced executive coaches and coaching supervisors from across Europe. We’ve been meeting regularly since 2020, and our conversations are shaped by years of shared reflection, practice, and learning together.

We explore confidence not as a performance or personality trait, but as a lived and relational experience that shifts depending on context. Drawing on our coaching work with clients at all levels, from early career professionals to C-suite leaders, we unpack what often sits beneath “confidence issues,” including fear, perfectionism, imposter syndrome, the need for acceptance, and early life experiences.

We also reflect on how societal and cultural ideas about confidence can do more harm than good, especially when confidence is equated with volume, speed, or dominance. Throughout the conversation, we return to the importance of self-awareness, compassion, embodiment, values, and psychological safety both in leadership and in our own lives.

Finally, we reflect on how supervision itself has shaped our confidence, offering a space where we can be honest, uncertain, and curious, and where confidence grows through both comfort and challenge. I close the episode by inviting listeners to move from insight to action with small, doable steps over the coming weeks.

About the Guests

Ciara Woods is a Master Certified Coach (ICF), accredited Coach Supervisor (CSA), and host of the In Confidence podcast. With over two decades of experience, she works internationally with leaders from emerging talent to C-suite across sectors including FTSE 100 and NASDAQ 100 companies, professional services, public sector organisations, and elite sports teams. [email protected]

Luciano Boccucci is a Master Certified Executive Coach and Coaching Supervisor who supports leaders to grow with authenticity and courage. His work invites people to explore new ways of thinking, embrace uncertainty, and translate awareness into purposeful action and meaningful impact. www.nostopevolution.com

Mark Dearnley is an Executive Coach and accredited Coach Supervisor with over a decade of experience in organisational change, leadership development, and talent management in multinational organisations. He works with senior leaders, emerging leaders, coaches, and professionals, and also coaches elite combat sports athletes, including world champions. https://www.coachingsupervisionacademy.com/accredited-supervisors-directory?cnSelected=ZI4j9QuaonrJWkYSyiT4

Nadine Hemmer is an EMCC Global Master Practitioner executive coach and accredited coach supervisor with over 25 years’ experience supporting executives and teams across European institutions and companies. A psychologist specialising in cognitive and behavioural therapy, she focuses on cultivating psychological flexibility to support sustainable performance, clarity, and strong relationships. www.nadine-hemmer.eu

Naina Oliver is a trainer, facilitator, and executive and team coach with around ten years’ experience, following an earlier career as a BBC journalist, presenter, and recruitment business owner. Her work centres on understanding and supporting people, with confidence as a recurring theme in both her professional practice and personal journey. [email protected]

Simona Cattabiani is a Professional Certified Coach working internationally with business executives and leadership coaching programmes. She works systemically and holistically with the whole person, integrating rational, behavioural, emotional, and embodied dimensions to support leaders navigating today’s emergent challenges with meaning and purpose. http://www.linkedin.com/in/simona-cattabiani

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What can we take from season one to grow our confidence in season two?

In this solo episode, I reflect on the first season of In Confidence and the key principles that emerged from conversations with world-renowned leaders, creative innovators, and expert practitioners. From senior executives to celebrated fashion designers, the season revealed that confidence is not innate — it is cultivated through self-awareness, self-acceptance, and purposeful action.

Through these conversations, season one uncovered three foundational principles of confidence: knowing yourself, accepting yourself, and taking responsibility for your actions. Across diverse experiences, guests highlighted that confidence is developed through repeated practice, reflection, and learning from real-world challenges — not through perfection or bravado.

In this episode, I also weave in reflections from younger voices, my family, and book club members, showing how these principles play out across generations and everyday life. Their experiences reinforce that confidence is built through experimentation, curiosity, and engagement with others.

Key Takeaways

• Know yourself: Understanding your strengths, triggers, and environment creates clarity and grounded confidence.
• Accept yourself: True confidence comes from embracing your authentic self and stopping the pursuit of perfection.
• Take responsibility: Growth requires owning your actions, managing your energy, and taking meaningful steps even when outcomes are uncertain.
• Confidence through action: You don’t need to feel fully ready — small, deliberate steps often generate confidence.
• Community and mentorship matter: Learning, reflection, and shared experiences accelerate confidence development.
• Learning and experimentation: Confidence thrives through curiosity, adaptability, and persistence, whether in leadership, creativity, or everyday challenges.

About This Episode

This solo episode reflects on the lessons from season one and previews the direction for season two. It draws on insights from senior leaders, renowned creatives, and expert guests, supplemented by examples from everyday life, demonstrating that confidence is a skill that can be cultivated by anyone, anywhere.

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What can reading and being truly heard teach us about confidence?

In this special bonus holiday episode, I’m joined by five remarkable women from my Transatlantic Book Club (TABC), a group that began during the COVID-19 pandemic and spans six cities (Brussels, Chicago, London, New York, Toronto, and Quito) across five countries (Belgium, USA, UK, Canada, and Ecuador).

What started as an imagined escape (audiobooks on commutes, one hour a month online) has become something far richer. Over five years and 50 books, this group has explored everything from literary classics to contemporary fiction, and memoirs to magical realism. Along the way, we’ve discovered not only new authors and genres, but new ways of thinking, speaking, listening, and trusting ourselves.

In this conversation, we reflect on how confidence shows up in the books we’ve read (often quietly, often indirectly) and how the simple, consistent practice of reading together and sharing our perspectives has shaped our confidence over time. From finding your voice, to challenging groupthink, to feeling seen and heard no matter what’s happening in your life, this episode is a celebration of curiosity, connection, and the confidence that grows when we give ourselves space to think.

Key Takeaways

• Confidence has many definitions, from quiet self-trust to stepping beyond your comfort zone, and is shaped by experience.

• Reading builds confidence over time by exposing you to different genres, ideas, cultures, and writing styles that expand perspective.

• Finding your voice matters: Having a safe space to articulate opinions builds confidence in how you think and speak.

• Discomfort is part of growth: Some of the richest insights come from books we don’t like or agree with.

• Confidence isn’t always loud: It can show up as resilience, curiosity, integrity, kindness, or staying true to yourself.

• Being seen and heard regularly is powerful: Consistent connection can create belonging, self-belief, and trust.

• Small commitments compound: Reading one book a month can have ripple effects across confidence, empathy, creativity, and life.

Books Discussed

1. 1984 – George Orwell
2. Anna Karenina – Leo Tolstoy
3. Aria – Nazanine Hozar
4. The Catcher in the Rye – J. D. Salinger
5. The Great Circle – Maggie Shipstead
6. If I Had Your Face – Frances Cha
7. The Island of Missing Trees – Elif Shafak
8. Klara and the Sun – Kazuo Ishiguro
9. Lessons in Chemistry – Bonnie Garmus
10. Manhattan Beach – Jennifer Egan
11. The Shadow of the Wind – Carlos Ruiz Zafón
12. This Is Going to Hurt – Adam Kay
13. Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow – Gabrielle Zevin
14. Where the Crawdads Sing – Delia Owens

Other Books Read

15. The Mothers — Brit Bennett

16.  The Aunt Who Would Not Die — Shirshedndu Mukhopadhayay

17.  Stranger City — Linda Grant

18.  Hamnet — Maggie O’Farrell

19.  The Sympathizer — Viet Thanh Nguyen

20.  Malibu Rising — Taylor Jenkins Reid

21.  The Dutch House — Ann Patchett

22.  The Nightingale — Kristin Hannah

23.  The Midnight Library — Matt Haig

24.  A Passage North — Anuk Arudpragasam

25.  Miss Benson’s Beetle — Rachel Joyce

26.  A Nearly Normal Family — M. T. Edvardsson

27.  The Paper Palace — Miranda Cowley-Heller

28.  Two Nights in Lisbon — Chris Pavone

29.  True Biz — Sara Novic

30.  Groundskeeping — Lee Cole

31.  The View from Castle Rock — Alice Munro

32.  Hello, Beautiful — Ann Napolitano

33.  Pineapple Street — Jenny Jackson

34.  The Marriage Portrait — Maggie O’Farrell

35.  Yellowface — R. F. Kuang

36.  Tender Is the Night — F. Scott Fitzgerald

37.  The Penelopiad — Margaret Atwood

38.  Love in the Time of Cholera — Gabriel García Márquez

39.  The Light Between Oceans — M. L. Stedman

40.  Long Petal of the Sea — Isabel Allende

41.  Happy Place — Emily Henry

42.  Roman Stories — Jhumpa Lahiri

43.  The Country Girls — Edna O’Brien

44.  Peggy — Rebecca Godfrey & Leslie Jamison

45.  Papyrus: The Invention of Books — Irene Vallejo

46.  The Life Cycle of the Common Octopus — Emma Knight

47.  All Fours — Miranda July

48.  Long Island — Colm Tóibín

49.  The Letter Carrier — Francesca Giannone

50.  The Year of Magical Thinking — Joan Didion

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