“What’s one inspirational memoir that helped you find meaning or purpose during a challenging time? How did the author’s journey resonate with your own search for significance?”
Here is what 10 thought leaders had to say.
Love Conquers All in Viktor Frankl’s Memoir
Holocaust survivor Viktor Frankl’s memoir Man’s Search for Meaning is one of the most powerful books I’ve ever read. I’ve not personally experienced anything approaching the trauma and loss he endured, but his wisdom and insight into human suffering and resilience have stayed with me in trying times I’ve faced.
In one particularly moving passage he writes,
“A thought transfixed me: for the first time in my life I saw the truth as it is set into song by so many poets, proclaimed as the final wisdom by so many thinkers. The truth—that love is the ultimate and the highest goal to which a man can aspire.
Then I grasped the meaning of the greatest secret that human poetry and human thought and belief have to impart: The salvation of human is through love and in love.
I understood how a man who has nothing left in this world still may know bliss, be it only for the brief moment, in the contemplation of his beloved. In a position of utter desolation, when a man cannot express himself in positive action, when his only achievement may consist in enduring his sufferings in the right way-an honorable way-in such a position man can, through loving contemplation of the image he carries of his beloved, achieve fulfillment.
For the first time in my life I was able to understand the meaning of the words, ‘The angels are lost in perpetual contemplation of an infinite glory.'”
This reflection on love and the power of the mind to turn inward and find solace, strength, and peace, even amidst great pain, changed and empowered me. With Frankl’s memoir as a teacher, and with daily meditation and prayer, I am learning in midlife to find a stillness within myself even when losses and chaos in the outside world threaten my peace and wellbeing.
As the president of a private publishing company that specializes in memoirs and family histories, I often work with writers who wish to provide encouragement and inspiration to their loved ones by sharing their own life stories. Sometimes this includes writing about loss and trauma they’ve endured, and they worry about overburdening their readers with too much sadness or pain. I often recommend that they read at least parts of Frankl’s memoir for inspiration, telling them that in sharing how we’ve navigated the most vulnerable and painful part of our lives, we reveal our very humanity.
Megan St. Marie, President, Modern Memoirs, Inc.
Terminal Diagnosis Forces Doctor to Confront Time
The memoir that hit me hardest — and I’ve never seen it recommended in business circles, which is a shame — was When Breath Becomes Air by Paul Kalanithi.
It’s not a “startup book.” It’s not about grit or hustle. It’s a neurosurgeon’s account of facing terminal lung cancer in the middle of what should have been the peak of his career. And what struck me wasn’t just the grief or the writing (though both are razor sharp). It was how aware he became — of time, of meaning, of what actually matters once the illusion of endless future is ripped away.
As a founder, it’s easy to become tunnel-visioned. There was a point where I was measuring my worth by how many features we shipped and how fast our MRR graph ticked up. But this book cracked that illusion wide open. Kalanithi didn’t preach about priorities. He just showed what it looks like to reconstruct purpose from inside the wreckage.
What stuck with me wasn’t a motivational quote or a framework. It was a simple question he raised without asking directly:
If your time was suddenly finite — would you still be doing this?
That question reset me. Not dramatically, not all at once. But enough to recalibrate how I make decisions — and why I build what I build.
Derek Pankaew, CEO & Founder, Listening.com
Goggins’ Raw Journey Transforms Founder’s Perspective
One memoir that stayed with me—especially during one of the more uncertain chapters of building Zapiy—was “Can’t Hurt Me” by David Goggins. It’s not your traditional business or founder story, but that’s exactly why it hit so hard. Goggins’ journey is raw, intense, and often uncomfortable to read—but it’s a masterclass in turning pain into purpose.
At the time, we were going through a rough period with the company. A major partnership had fallen through, funding conversations were stalling, and I felt this creeping sense of doubt—not just about the business, but about whether I was still the right person to lead it. Reading Goggins’ story pulled me out of that spiral, not because I related to his extreme physical challenges, but because I deeply connected with the emotional ones. His relentless self-honesty, his refusal to settle for excuses, and his way of confronting discomfort rather than running from it—all of it forced me to ask harder questions of myself.
One line that stuck with me was when he said, “You are in danger of living a life so comfortable and soft, that you will die without ever realizing your true potential.” That hit me. Because comfort doesn’t always look like ease—it can look like routine, like familiar doubts, like hiding behind systems instead of stepping into the hard conversations that leadership demands.
That book didn’t just inspire grit—it reminded me that struggle is often where clarity lives. It helped me reframe the situation we were in not as failure, but as a necessary shedding of what wasn’t working. It also reminded me that meaning doesn’t come from achievements alone—it comes from the willingness to keep going, even when no one’s clapping.
What I took from Goggins’ journey was this: your story doesn’t have to be perfect to be powerful. It just has to be honest. And in that honesty, there’s always room to rebuild, refocus, and rise stronger.
Westover’s Self-Education Inspires Professional Growth
During a particularly demanding period in my career, I read Educated by Tara Westover. Her account of growing up in isolation, without formal education, and then pushing herself to enter and thrive in academic spaces struck me deeply. It was not just the achievement that resonated but the persistence in redefining her identity despite obstacles that seemed immovable.
Her story mirrored my own need to challenge the limits I had accepted as fixed. It reminded me that structure and stability are valuable, but they should not prevent growth when opportunity requires change. That perspective encouraged me to take on new responsibilities that felt outside my comfort zone, trusting that discomfort often signals the start of real progress.
Ydette Florendo, Marketing coordinator, A-S Medical Solutions
Goggins Eliminates Excuses, Forces Mental Toughness
I read “Can’t Hurt Me” by David Goggins after back-to-back 80-hour weeks left me sleep-deprived and mentally checked out. I mean, this guy talks about running 100 miles with shattered legs and zero prep. In which case, suddenly my 12-slide deck felt like a joke. His whole message is pretty blunt: get over the excuses, own your time, and suffer on purpose. I dropped the pity party, slept 5 hours, hit the gym, crushed deadlines, then renegotiated a contract 48 hours later. No whining, no waiting.
The book does not coddle. It smacks you in the face… in a good way. His voice stayed in my head for months. Every chapter felt like a personal coach whispering “you are soft” until I leveled up. That is kind of it.
Patrick Beltran, Marketing Director, Ardoz Digital
Mandela’s Vision Guides Through Apartheid to Presidency
“The Long Walk to Freedom” by Nelson Mandela is an inspiring memoir that details his struggle against apartheid, imprisonment, and rise to presidency. It highlights Mandela’s resilience and commitment to his values, emphasizing that maintaining a vision can guide individuals through adversity. His story serves as a powerful reminder that overcoming challenges can lead to personal and professional growth, inspiring readers to pursue their own meaningful journeys.
Mohammed Kamal, Business Development Manager, Olavivo
Doctor Finds Purpose While Facing Terminal Cancer
One book that stuck with me during a tough time was “When Breath Becomes Air” by Paul Kalanithi. It’s the story of a neurosurgeon who is diagnosed with terminal lung cancer at the height of his career. Instead of giving up he faces his mortality head on, and thinks about the meaning of life, work and what it means to live fully when time is short.
What resonated with me was his honesty about uncertainty. He didn’t try to tie everything up with a bow—he wrestled with the same questions I was asking myself at the time: If the future is unknown, how do you live with purpose? His decision to keep operating, teaching and writing even when sick reminded me that meaning isn’t something you “find” in a big moment—it’s in the daily choices you make no matter what your circumstances.
It made me think less about the perfect life plan and more about showing up for what matters now—relationships, meaningful work and creating something that will outlast me. That was exactly what I needed when I felt lost.
Sovic Chakrabarti, Director, Icy Tales
Strayed’s Journey Shows Purpose Builds Step-by-Step
Cheryl Strayed’s ‘Wild’ was incredibly impactful for me during a period of intense professional reinvention. It wasn’t the physical journey of the hike that resonated most, but the raw, unfiltered process of dismantling an old life to make space for a new one. She didn’t have a perfect plan or all the answers when she started on the trail, which is a terrifying and liberating concept.
This mirrors the core of agility. We often wait for the perfect strategy, but real growth comes from taking the first committed step into uncertainty and adapting from there. Her journey showed that purpose isn’t something you find fully formed. It’s something you build, one step at a time, by putting yourself in motion and learning from the friction of the real world. You have to be willing to get a little lost to find a new direction.
Maria Matarelli, CEO, Formula Ink
Knight’s Messy Reality Validates Entrepreneur’s Struggle
During the early days of building Era Organics, when I was juggling product formulation, being a new mom, and my own skin issues, ‘Shoe Dog’ by Phil Knight was a lifeline. Most business stories are polished success narratives, but Knight’s memoir was raw, honest, and full of the doubt and chaos I was actually feeling. It was incredibly validating to read about the unglamorous reality of building something from nothing.
His journey resonated so deeply because it wasn’t about a perfect vision. It was about surviving day-to-day, dealing with constant setbacks, and pushing forward on belief alone. It reframed my own struggle. I realized that feeling lost wasn’t a sign I was failing, it was the actual process of creating something meaningful. Purpose isn’t a destination you arrive at, it’s something you forge in the middle of the mess.
Nikki Kay Chase, Owner, Era Organics
Walls Overcomes Chaos, Shapes Her Own Future
The Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls was an inspirational memoir that really resonated with me during a challenging period in my life. Walls’ ability to overcome her chaotic and unstable childhood, while finding her own path, helped me reframe my struggles. I was facing uncertainty in both my personal and professional life, and reading about her resilience and determination gave me the perspective I needed. What stood out to me was how Walls found purpose even in the midst of hardship, always pushing forward despite the odds. Her story reminded me that difficult circumstances don’t define our future—they shape us in ways that can ultimately lead to growth. It helped me see that finding meaning in life often comes from embracing both the challenges and the victories, no matter how small they seem.
Nikita Sherbina, Co-Founder & CEO, AIScreen