The 20 Best Success Audiobooks for Reaching Your Potential

AudioFile Earphones Award-winner Mike Chamberlain flawlessly narrates this manifesto on habits by award-winning reporter Charles Duhigg. No matter how familiar listeners are with the main camps of psychology behind habit-forming, The Power of Habit is a powerful, science-based listen that provides concrete advice on how to replace bad habits with good ones. It’s accessible and effective in its structured outline and easily followed thesis. Chamberlain’s chipper narration is a perfect match for Duhigg’s engrossing content, and the combination makes for an especially motivating morning commute. At the end of this selection, listeners can expect to walk away with actionable advice to implement each time a make-or-break habit-forming moment arrives.

Ryan Holiday begins his best-selling audiobook by reflecting on how success can seem more nebulous and further away than ever in the modern age. The answer to pushing through, he says, lies in the wisdom of the past and not in the technology we rely on. In The Obstacle Is the Way, Holiday uses historical icons to demonstrate key tenets of Stoicism that listeners can apply to daily life. As a comprehensive guide to Stoicism in the digital age, Holiday’s title is exceptional. Animatedly performing his own persuasive words, he argues that it doesn’t take being naturally exceptional to be exceptionally successful, but rather that what these timeless figures have in common is their ability to work through obstacles.

Professor Cal Newport reframes the productivity narrative in Deep Work, encouraging listeners to pivot away from multitasking and toward the one-task-at-a-time model. His call for the reintroduction of focus into our professional lives is narrated by Jeff Bottoms, whose deep and soothing voice lends further gravitas to Newport’s already sound theories. Newport’s title allows listeners to reach the same conclusions he has through a clever balance of personal anecdotes, scientific research, and healthy doses of cultural criticism. He gives listeners the guidance needed to flip the script on achievement by introducing four pillars of deep concentration, then following through by delivering a training regimen that encapsulates each one.

Listeners may know the author, Navy SEAL and official Fittest Man in America David Goggins, from his appearance in Jesse Itzler’s best-selling motivational memoir Living with a SEAL. In that selection, he appears as a whirlwind, intensely motivating but ultimately enigmatic force. In Can’t Hurt Me, listeners are treated to his full life story from his grim childhood through to his success as one of the world’s top endurance athletes. Listeners learn how he developed his 40 percent rule—which states that most of us tap into only 40 percent of our capabilities while our threshold for achievement is actually much higher—through a lifetime of grit and determination. Hearing Goggins tell his own story, which is, in turn, harrowing and deeply moving, is a genuinely special experience that forces us to re-evaluate the phrase I can’t.

Historical masters of their crafts and fields have a lot to teach modern listeners about success, and in Mastery, Robert Greene distills those lessons, drawing from accounts of figures like Charles Darwin, Henry Ford, and Mozart. Well-researched yet thoroughly accessible, Mastery is narrated by Fred Sanders, whose prowess is evident in his ability to bring life and charm to the words without sacrificing the academic credibility of this selection with his tone. Greene’s message is simple: Human beings are actually hardwired for achievement, and the accounts he conveys all support his message. In illuminating passages about our cultural icons who were ordinary in all ways except the one they’re famous for, Greene convinces listeners that as long as we find and practice our passion, success is open to us as well. The result is galvanizing and surprisingly touching.

Contrary to some schools of thought, Dr. Carol S. Dweck believes that the key to success is not tricking the mind in order to gain momentum, but changing it altogether. This updated version of her title Mindset reveals new insights on how to move from a fixed mindset, where one views abilities as immutable, to a growth mindset, where one views abilities as malleable. Add to Dweck’s life-changing reframe of the mind a narrator as celebrated as Bernadette Dunne (whom listeners may recognize from her performance of the smash-hit memoir Wild), and this selection feels like a cleansing guided meditation.

New York Times best-selling author Simon Sinek’s magnetism is on full display in The Infinite Game. Using his warm, friendly voice to underscore the idealistic message he communicates, Sinek offers listeners a perspective on life as an infinite game. The only way we can compete, win, and make it in the infinite game that we all must play is by committing to a cause that is greater than ourselves, Sinek argues. Otherwise, we risk getting bogged down in the finite, fleeting games that we find around us every day. The Infinite Game is a brilliant and fresh perspective on why it matters to find one’s passion. This mind-set, Sinek says, is what separates the unforgettable, incredible leaders from just the good ones. For listeners who’ve experienced a calling to a profession—or listeners who are straining to hear one—Sinek’s inspiring message truly resonates.

In the early stages of The 10X Rule, Grant Cardone articulates a concept listeners likely know intrinsically but may be hesitant to address: In order to be extraordinary, it’s necessary to put in exceptional effort. Time management, he asserts, should be focused on how we can find more time to spend on whatever it is at which we want to succeed. Cardone emphasizes that in order to achieve the extreme success we all dream of, we can’t adhere to the status quo, and by the end of this selection, the message sticks. By outlining 31 distinct habits that listeners can practice at their own pace, Cardone offers usable tools for thinking bigger and performing better. His narration style matches the relentless way he communicates his message. Everything Cardone says feels like sound advice, and he’s excellent at pushing listeners to make the big changes he deems necessary.

Marie Forleo, admired, trusted life coach and web-television host of MarieTV, plants seeds of hope and motivation in Everything is Figureoutable. Using her trademark approachable style, Forleo narrates her audiobook with clear empathy for her listeners, something that makes the authenticity of her personal anecdotes (not only of her own life but also her mother’s) stand out. At just eight hours long, Forleo has crafted a title that can be consumed over the course of a week and contains many easily digestible nuggets of wisdom for listeners to revisit in the future. Her message is accessible and kind, and promises that flooring it toward the walls of our fear is not the only path to success.

The Seven Spiritual Laws of Success is a concise distillment of the teachings of Deepak Chopra, leading physician of the New Age movement and one of the most renowned voices in alternative medicine. Chopra first tells listeners the seven principles he covers in this spiritual guide, and then explains them with unwavering clarity and unerringly insightful attention. The Seven Spiritual Laws of Success is a meditative, non-denominational spiritual exploration that’s perfect for listeners looking to explore the mental pathways to success with an experienced teacher. Chopra’s relaxing voice is a balm to the harried soul, making this selection especially great when you find yourself needing a break from the daily grind.

Shawn Achor’s lecturing experience at Harvard University—where he researched and taught for over 10 years—makes him a dynamic and engaging audiobook narrator. The Happiness Advantage has the buzz of a lecture hall and sparks the same joy in listeners as in students learning something new. The basis of Achor’s manifesto on success is that the way society has conceived of it for so long is actually backwards. Instead of success leading to happiness, he contends that happiness actually leads to success. In order to help listeners achieve at a higher level professionally and personally, Achor meticulously details how we can use positivity to fuel our success and improve our standing (and overall experience) at work. It’s enlightening and uplifting, and great for listeners facing the work week ahead.

Author Jack Canfield is neither a stranger to success nor to inspiring others; his series Chicken Soup for the Soul enchants listeners of all ages, giving us small stories of hope to fall back on in trying times. In The Success Principles, Canfield illuminates 64 principles to live by that have been used by myriad successful people throughout history. Personalized stories about those people hearken back to Chicken Soup in their approachable, aphoristic style—something award-winning narrator Danny Campbell captures the essence of perfectly. With a new foreword and afterword in this edition to bring The Success Principles further into the digital age, this title has the warm feel of a storybook, where each principle is delivered couched in a fable.

It’s clear from the abundance of expressions the English language has about the concept of time—considering it, trying to perfect it, falling prey to it—that it has a huge influence on our lives, and in this best-selling title, Daniel H. Pink aims to demystify it. He asks, what if perfect timing were a code we could crack? How much easier would it make knowing when to switch careers, or even when it’s best to take breaks during the day? Using psychology, biology, and economics research in a multi-faceted combination of schools of thought, Pink carefully brings timing out of the realm of intuition and feeling and into a logical space, where listeners can knowingly and concretely apply his advice. Bolstered by Pink’s own energetic voice, When: The Scientific Secrets of Perfect Timing is a great help for listeners considering the timing of changes they’re making, big or small.

This title from immensely popular journalist Malcolm Gladwell more than lives up to the hype that precedes it. Outliers look at society’s statistical outliers: the extremely successful—the rich, the famous, the brilliant. Instead of looking at their individual habits, as is the case in many other great selections on this list, here listeners can enjoy Gladwell’s examination of the circumstances that make achievement possible. He looks at the families, cultures, and generational values of these outliers, making the argument that nurture, not nature, is what sets up the hyper-successful for their accomplishments. What the broad swath of these experiences brings to light for listeners is not that success is something we’re set up to attain or not, but rather that there is a unique part of each of our experiences that can put us on the path to high level achievement.

Jordan Belfort, perhaps better known as The Wolf of Wall Street, reveals his successful sales secrets in Way of the Wolf. These are the very same tricks of the trade that helped him amass the enormous personal wealth that made him so famous. While Belfort admittedly has experienced a very unusual life, there can be no doubt that his nearly unbelievable legacy as a salesperson is impeccable, and hearing Belfort explain his tactics in his own words is as entertaining as it is informative. In his section on the importance of vocal tonality, for example, listeners realize Belfort is not simply passing on his lessons, but performing them minute by minute. For listeners looking to improve their negotiation skills, Belfort’s title is the perfect cheat sheet.

Audie Award-winner Peak Performance is the result of a long collaboration between Brad Stulberg, consultant and journalist, and Steve Magness, performance scientist and Olympic coach. The pair look at peak performers in various fields, from the physical to the intellectual, and examine how each person not only reaches, but also sustains their peak performance and avoids burnout. By examining across disciplines, they uncover previously disregarded advice that listeners can use day-to-day to improve in any area and then sustain that improvement. The narration by award-winning Christopher Lane shines in this title; his easy optimism and uniquely charismatic vocal tones breathe life into not only the most naturally engaging parts of Stulberg and Magness’s storytelling, but also the research and statistics portion of the selection.

Women in the workplace have always been held to unreasonably high and often contradictory standards, making it difficult for them to know exactly how to get recognized and make progress in the office in a way that feels authentic. In this Audible Editor’s Pick, Fran Hauser and Jodi Lipper dismantle the idea that women must hide their true selves to get ahead. Instead, they focus on Fran’s own professional journey; listeners are encouraged to step into their power as Fran deals with sexist double standards and reclaims both her ambition and kindness outside of stereotypes. Narrated by Fran with a confidence and poise that speak to both her hard-earned authority and the "niceness" she struggled to conceal early in her career, The Myth of the Nice Girl is empowering and personal, part manifesto and part memoir.

Many listeners may know Daymond John as president and CEO of FUBU and a recurring investor on Shark Tank, but in his early years, he was a struggling entrepreneur selling T-shirts on the streets of Queens. The Power of Broke, narrated by The Wake Up Show host Sway Calloway with his distinctive, smooth voice, is the story of how John used the pressure of his finances to go all-in on what felt like a last chance, and how others have done the same. The combination of Sway Calloway’s signature confidence and vocal tone showcase John’s uplifting account. This audiobook is a fascinating look at how desperation can breed innovation, and what is possible to achieve once safety nets have been stripped from us.

Who says that life has to get in the way of the creative mind? In Big Magic, bestselling author Elizabeth Gilbert (Eat Pray Love, City of Girls) reflects on her own writing process, how to balance creative output with the rest of life, and general musings about the state of the world and how we operate in it. This is a true success blueprint for the creative mind. Rather than focusing on financial gain or other similar metrics, this title seeks to prioritize creativity with similar fervor.

With over one million copies sold, this New York Times bestseller comes from certified hit maker and thought leader Brené Brown. Daring Greatly seeks to teach listeners about the power of being vulnerable. Brown highlights the multiple ways that self honesty can help push us forward, even when it hurts. From forging deeper connections to recognizing negative patterns, this often maligned human aspect can actually be used to create much positive change in one's life. Brown focuses on these aspects and more as she navigates one of the most taboo subjects in motivational content.