Dopamine Nation – Dr. Anna Lembke

Dr. Anna Lembke’s Dopamine Nation: Finding Balance in the Age of Indulgence is an essential and eye-opening read for our modern world.

Far from a dry medical textbook, it’s a deeply compassionate and engaging look at why so many of us feel hooked on our habits, whether it’s scrolling social media, binge-watching TV, or using more serious substances.

Cover of the book, Dopamine Nation by Dr, Anna Lembke

The central idea is explained through a simple and powerful metaphor: the pain-pleasure balance. Lembke, a Stanford addiction psychiatrist, explains that our brains have a seesaw. Every time we seek pleasure—from a delicious meal to a like on social media—our brain releases dopamine. This feels great, but the seesaw then tips to the side of pain to restore balance. In a world of constant stimulation, we’re continuously chasing the next hit of pleasure, which keeps our seesaw tipped firmly on the side of pain, leaving us feeling anxious, irritable, and craving more.

Lessons on The Balance

The key lesson from the book is that we can’t honestly find lasting contentment by relentlessly pursuing pleasure. The more we indulge, the more we push our brain’s seesaw towards pain, a phenomenon Lembke calls the paradox of indulgence. The way back to a state of balance isn’t to find an even bigger source of pleasure, but to deliberately step back. This might mean practising dopamine fasting or intentionally exposing ourselves to healthy doses of discomfort. By embracing things like cold showers, strenuous exercise, or even the simple act of sitting with boredom, we give our brain’s pleasure-pain balance a chance to reset, ultimately allowing us to find joy and fulfilment in the everyday moments.

The book isn’t just about the problem; it’s also about the solution. Lembke advocates for a period of dopamine fasting—taking a break from your chosen indulgence to allow the brain’s seesaw to reset. She also stresses the importance of embracing discomfort and pain as a means to find a more genuine and lasting sense of wellbeing. This includes activities such as cold-water immersion, strenuous exercise, or simply being present in the face of boredom. (Mindfulness!)

What makes Dopamine Nation so impactful is its blend of science, compelling patient stories, and actionable advice. Lembke’s tone is non-judgmental and empathetic, making the reader feel understood rather than lectured. It’s a powerful guide for anyone who feels overwhelmed by the constant pursuit of pleasure and is looking for a path to greater contentment and a more balanced life.

Find it on Amazon.

Book Review – Kaizen: The Japanese Method of Transforming Habits One Small Step at a Time

Feeling Overwhelmed by Big Goals? “Kaizen” Has a Tiny, Powerful Secret!

A cartoon image of Kaizen as a person hugging a man

I recently got my hands on Sarah Harvey’s “Kaizen: The Japanese Method of Transforming Habits One Small Step at a Time,” and let me tell you, if you’ve ever felt like your big dreams or new habits are just… too big to start, this book is basically a warm hug and a friendly nudge in the right direction.

Harvey introduces us to the ancient Japanese philosophy of Kaizen, which, at its heart, is all about continuous improvement through tiny, almost imperceptible steps.

Think about it: how many times have we decided we’re going to completely overhaul our diet, run a marathon next month, or write a novel in a week? And then, boom, we get overwhelmed, give up, and feel a bit rubbish about it. Sound familiar? Yep, me too!

The genius of Kaizen, as Harvey beautifully explains, is that it completely flips that script.

Instead of massive leaps, you focus on super small, manageable changes that feel almost ridiculously easy. We’re talking about things like:

  • Asking tiny questions: Instead of “How do I become a millionaire?”, try “What’s one tiny thing I can do today to learn more about saving money?”
  • Taking tiny actions: Want to exercise more? Don’t plan an hour-long gym session; do one push-up or walk to the end of your driveway and back.
  • Solving tiny problems: Got a messy desk? Don’t clean the whole thing; pick up one piece of paper.

The magic happens because these tiny steps don’t trigger our brain’s fear response. Our brain is designed to resist significant, uncomfortable changes. But a tiny change? It just shrugs and says, “Yeah, whatever, we can do that!” And that’s where momentum builds.

Harvey shows how this gentle, consistent approach leads to sustainable, long-lasting change without all the stress and self-sabotage. It’s about being kind to yourself, building confidence with small wins, and letting those little improvements snowball into significant transformations over time.

Honestly, after reading “Kaizen,” I’ve begun to look at my own goals in a completely different light. It’s incredibly freeing to realise you don’t have to be perfect or make huge sacrifices right away. Just one tiny step, then another, then another. It’s a truly empowering way to approach life, work, and personal growth.

Ready to Put Kaizen into Action?

If the power of small steps truly inspires you and you want to deeply embed the Kaizen method into your life, you’re in luck! We explore Sarah Harvey’s fantastic book in much more detail and help you put it into everyday action as part of our YOU Programme. It’s the perfect opportunity to turn these insights into tangible progress with guidance and support.

So, if you’re tired of the all-or-nothing approach and want a more gentle, effective, and sustainable way to build better habits and achieve your dreams, seriously consider picking up Sarah Harvey’s “Kaizen.” It’s a little book with a massive impact!

Book review – Lolly Willowes by Sylvia Townsend Warner

A spinster who makes a pact with the devil, becomes a witch and finds herself in the Chiltern Hills. Sounds intriguing – Right?

This novel came highly recommended and has undoubtedly settled itself in my top 10 most favourite books.

It was written in 1926, between the wars by a British lesbian author who was quite revolutionary for her time.

My soul was stirred whilst the book unfolded – very much like the heroine of the story, an Edwardian spinster (we don’t like this term!) called Laura Willowes. Laura, an unmarried Aunt, was adopted by her sister’s family after the death of her father and was moved from the countryside to London. She was absorbed into the household “like a piece of family property forgotten in the will”. They even changed her name affectionately to the childish Aunt Lolly.

It was taken for granted that she was not whole without a husband. This attitude appears to have changed little in the last 100 years. I have been party to discussions with women who may find themselves single at a certain age, that have experienced all sorts of assumptions and prejudgements, often dropped from the mouths of the “well meaning”.

Basically, still reminding us that society does not think women can be happy, fulfilled or even capable on our own outside of a relationship.

Aunt Lolly sleepwalks through her London existence doing what was expected of her with a mere hint at witchiness – filling her rooms with extravagant purchases of exotic flowers. Slowly but surely the erotic and powerful forces of nature start to stir within her and she suddenly decides to move to the village of Great Mop much to the disapproval of her suffocating family. Here in the beautiful and wild Chiltern Hills she gradually, with the help of the gentle Huntsman (aka the Devil), discovers her strength of character and her vocation to be a henwife or a witch. The author skilfully evokes the beauty and secret mysteries of the English countryside. I am reminded of the healing power of nature as Laura takes her wild walks and begins to uncover her real self, the self that has been buried alive by the accumulating dust of societal expectations.

Why make a pact with the Devil though, another man, when the patriarchy has suppressed you so much? The Devil for me represents the dark side of ourselves, the part that is sometimes a little wicked but also the side that speaks up rather than pleases and settles for a quiet life. The Devil was not interested in controlling her, he just wanted to set her free.

I took away a lot from this book and it will be one that I will revisit frequently to remind myself of the lessons that spoke to me. Specifically…

Maybe we all need to make peace with the darkness within us in order to become liberated. That a deep connection with nature can heal us and guide us towards our true selves.

That so much joy and beauty can be found in throwing off a bit of unwanted conditioning and convention and becoming undomesticated. Which, in sense, is living by others and society’s common expectations.

Jackie Bean

Lolly Willowes by Sylvia Townsend Warner