The best books that’ll set you up for success in a civilian life after the military

Why am I passionate about this?

I’m an executive coach, personal branding consultant, and reputation management expert helping global executives, entrepreneurs, and thought leaders manage how they’re perceived and drive towards ideal opportunities. A long-time passionate supporter of the military, I volunteer to help veterans transitioning to civilian careers. My work with veterans comes from gratitude for their sacrifice. I regularly speak at military installations, podcasts, and events on veteran transition and hiring, teach in the TAP program at the US Air Force Academy, and serve on the Board of Directors at Project Sanctuary, which focuses on healing military families. Since 2012, I’ve also been a writer for Military.com.


I wrote...

Success After Service: How to Take Control of Your Job Search and Career After Military Duty

By Lida Citroën,

Book cover of Success After Service: How to Take Control of Your Job Search and Career After Military Duty

What is my book about?

Success After Service provides the tools, resources, and strategies to help you adapt to the civilian workplace and evaluate post-military career options. Whether you become an entrepreneur, move into the corporate world, or pursue higher education, you will learn how to develop a portfolio of career assets, including your résumé, elevator pitch, online profiles, interview acumen, and professional network, empowering you to begin your new career with confidence and clarity.

Success After Service is the perfect guide for veterans who seek a coherent set of strategies, resources, and steps for building a meaningful, deliberate, and rewarding post-military career.

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The books I picked & why

Book cover of Breaking Busy: How to Find Peace and Purpose in a World of Crazy

Lida Citroën Why did I love this book?

I loved this book! It’s easy to get stuck on being busy with many tasks and responsibilities, and not move forward in our lives and careers.

This book helped me learn systems to become more efficient (in life and work), identify what was holding me back from being more empowered with my choices, and recognize when to say yes, and when to say no. Leaving the military – where “no” isn’t as much of an option, this is a good skill for veterans to embrace.

By Alli Worthington,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Breaking Busy as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Do you feel like you're living busily but not abundantly? Are you struggling to find balance in life? Have you ever felt like you've reached your capacity and just need a break?

Bestselling author Alli Worthington dismantles common happiness myths and empowers you to rediscover your God-given purpose. In ten succinct chapters, Alli breaks apart the sources of our stress and tackles major topics like relationships, calling, traditions, and decisions. With her trademark candor, practicality, and uproarious true stories, she will help you:

Find your peace in a world of worry. Find your rhythm in a world that's constantly overwhelmed.…


Book cover of The Cathedral Within: Transforming Your Life by Giving Something Back

Lida Citroën Why did I love this book?

If you’ve watched my TEDx Talk, you know that my core values are gratitude and generosity, and I live these by giving back to those who've served.

This book showed me through real-life examples how to live a life of service and purpose. In Cathedral, Shore illustrates the importance of vision-setting and long-term planning – after all, he says, cathedrals take decades to complete, and having one vision that transcends all who work on the construction is an art and commitment.

By Bill Shore,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked The Cathedral Within as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Bill Shore has written a wise and inspiring book that shows us how to make the most of life and do something that counts.

Like the cathedral builders of an earlier time, the visionaries described in this memoir share a single desire: to create something that endures. The great cathedrals did not soar skyward because their builders discovered new materials or financial resources; rather, the builders had a unique understanding of the human spirit that enabled them to use those materials in a new way. So, too, have the extraordinary people Bill Shore has met in his travels as one…


Book cover of Building a Storybrand: Clarify Your Message So Customers Will Listen

Lida Citroën Why did I love this book?

Crafting a message and communicating it effectively so others will listen requires finesse and practice.

In this book Donald Miller offers a proven framework to refine your message so you can communicate effectively and impact your target audience. As a speaker and executive coach, I always stay relevant by learning effective communication strategies, this book helped me when I was working on my new website.

As I coach military veterans and military spouses, often one of the first stumbling blocks they experience is telling their own story. This book helps!

By Donald Miller,

Why should I read it?

8 authors picked Building a Storybrand as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

More than half-a-million business leaders have discovered the power of the StoryBrand Framework, created by New York Times bestselling author and marketing expert Donald Miller. And they are making millions.

If you use the wrong words to talk about your product, nobody will buy it. Marketers and business owners struggle to effectively connect with their customers, costing them and their companies millions in lost revenue.

In a world filled with constant, on-demand distractions, it has become near-impossible for business owners to effectively cut through the noise to reach their customers, something Donald Miller knows first-hand. In this book, he shares…


Book cover of I Hear You: The Surprisingly Simple Skill Behind Extraordinary Relationships

Lida Citroën Why did I love this book?

There are so many books written about active listening and communications, but not many that focus on what the other person really needs: Validation.

As veterans re-integrate into the civilian workforce and lifestyle, the way they communicate is different from when they were serving in the military, and becoming mindful of how they communicate with others is important. This book will guide them through a key skill (validation) that will help them not only in their career, but also in their personal life. 

By Michael S. Sorensen,

Why should I read it?

2 authors picked I Hear You as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

What if making one tweak to your day-to-day conversations could immediately improve every relationship in your life?

In this 3-hour, conversational read, you’ll discover the whats, whys, and hows of one of the most valuable (yet surprisingly little-known) communication skills available—validation. 

Whether you’re looking to improve your relationship with your spouse, navigate difficult conversations at work, or connect on a deeper level with friends and family, this book delivers simple, practical, proven techniques for improving any relationship in your life.

Mastery of this simple skill will enable you to:

Calm (and sometimes even eliminate) the concerns, fears, and uncertainties of…


Book cover of Leaders Eat Last: Why Some Teams Pull Together and Others Don't

Lida Citroën Why did I love this book?

Veterans understand the military practice of “officers eat last”.

While some of the concepts in this book will match up with a military mindset of being other-focused and seeking to serve not pursue recognition (“service before self”), in this book, Sinek shows you how to translate that concept into your professional career and bring a service mindset into the workplace. 

By Simon Sinek,

Why should I read it?

4 authors picked Leaders Eat Last as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Leadership is not a rank, it is a responsibility. Leadership is not about being in charge, it is about taking care of those in your charge.

When we take care of our people, our people will take care of us. They will help see that our cause becomes a reality.

In Leaders Eat Last, Simon Sinek, internationally bestselling author of Start With Why, investigates these great leaders from Marine Corps Officers, who don't just sacrifice their place at the table but often their own comfort and even their lives for those in their care, to the heads of big business…


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Kanazawa

By David Joiner,

Book cover of Kanazawa

David Joiner Author Of Kanazawa

New book alert!

Why am I passionate about this?

My book recommendations reflect an abiding passion for Japanese literature, which has unquestionably influenced my own writing. My latest literary interest involves Japanese poetry—I’ve recently started a project that combines haiku and prose narration to describe my experiences as a part-time resident in a 1300-year-old Japanese hot spring town that Bashō helped make famous in The Narrow Road to the Deep North. But as a writer, my main focus remains novels. In late 2023 the second in a planned series of novels set in Ishikawa prefecture will be published. I currently live in Kanazawa, but have also been lucky to call Sapporo, Akita, Tokyo, and Fukui home at different times.

David's book list on Japanese settings not named Tokyo or Kyoto

What is my book about?

Emmitt’s plans collapse when his wife, Mirai, suddenly backs out of purchasing their dream home. Disappointed, he’s surprised to discover her subtle pursuit of a life and career in Tokyo.

In his search for a meaningful life in Japan, and after quitting his job, he finds himself helping his mother-in-law translate Kanazawa’s most famous author, Izumi Kyoka, into English. He becomes drawn into the mysterious death of a friend of Mirai’s parents, leading him and his father-in-law to climb the mountain where the man died. There, he learns the somber truth and discovers what the future holds for him and his wife.

Packed with subtle literary allusion and closely observed nuance, Kanazawa reflects the mood of Japanese fiction in a fresh, modern incarnation.

Kanazawa

By David Joiner,

What is this book about?

In Kanazawa, the first literary novel in English to be set in this storied Japanese city, Emmitt's future plans collapse when his wife, Mirai, suddenly backs out of negotiations to purchase their dream home. Disappointed, he's surprised to discover Mirai's subtle pursuit of a life and career in Tokyo, a city he dislikes.

Harmony is further disrupted when Emmitt's search for a more meaningful life in Japan leads him to quit an unsatisfying job at a local university. In the fallout, he finds himself helping his mother-in-law translate Kanazawa's most famous author, Izumi Kyoka, into English.

While continually resisting Mirai's…


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