The Soul Solution: A Guide for Brilliant, Overwhelmed Women to Quiet the Noise, Find Their Superpower, and (Finally) Feel Satisfied

by Vanessa Loder

Overview

“Vanessa is to women and power what Brené Brown is to vulnerability.”
—Andy Dunn, author of Burn Rate, cofounder of Bonobos

Are you so busy fulfilling everyone else’s expectations that you’ve lost touch with yourself? Do you find yourself filling up your “free” hours with mundane tasks, soaking up podcasts to improve yourself, and rushing around, never getting it all done? For many women, it’s the same kind of story—we hustle to overachieve at work and at home, all in the hopes that we can “crush it” until we finally feel fulfilled.

Vanessa Loder invites you to consider this question: “What if the point isn't to crush it in life, but to savor it?”

With The Soul Solution, this sought-after women’s leadership expert shares a powerful and practical guide to help women who feel overwhelmed and exhausted to recover our true selves—and our joy in living. Here she presents a road map for coming home to yourself, including:

• The Whispers of Your Soul—the three key steps for tuning out the noise and accessing authenticity
• Your Energetic Bread Crumbs—how the universe signals to you when you’re on the right path
• Discover Your Superpower—why you’ve been ignoring your most valuable gifts, and how to reclaim them
• From Tunnel Vision to Visionary—ways to break out of the “shame cycle” of patriarchal culture and own your destiny
• Quieting the Inner Critic—how to retrain your inner voices to encourage and support you
• The Upward Spiral—using the SAT method (Surrender, Allow, Trust) to get more of what you want with ease

Filled with practical guidance and inspiring personal stories, The Soul Solution is a nonstrategic, nonlinear—but entirely effective—guide to help you reclaim your feminine, intuitive soul power to fulfill your most meaningful and satisfying desires.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781683649298
Publisher:	Sounds True, Incorporated
Publication date:	10/04/2022
Pages:	240
Sales rank:	620,153
Product dimensions:	9.20(w) x 6.10(h) x 1.00(d)

About the Author

Vanessa Loder is an international keynote speaker and sought-after expert on women’s leadership, mindfulness, stress management, and sustainable success. She's been featured in Forbes, Fast Company, Glamour, and the Huffington Post, among others. She received her MBA from Stanford University, is a certified Executive Coach, and is trained in neurolinguistic programming, past-life regression, and vipassana meditation. For more, visit vanessaloder.com.

Table of Contents

Introduction 1

Chapter 1 But I Followed the Rules 11

Chapter 2 The Whispers of Your Soul 21

Chapter 3 Your Energetic Bread Crumbs 33

Chapter 4 Discover Your Superpower 45

Chapter 5 Chasing Gold Standards versus Your True North Star 59

Chapter 6 From Tunnel Vision to Visionary 77

Chapter 7 Radical Responsibility 93

Chapter 8 Quieting Your Inner Critic 109

Chapter 9 What Limits You? 125

Chapter 10 The Success Myth 143

Chapter 11 Permission to Be a Slacker 167

Chapter 12 The Upward Spiral 183

Conclusion 199

Acknowledgments 203

Additional Resources 209

Notes 213

About the Author 223

Editorial Reviews

08/15/2022

This cheerful if conventional guide by executive coach Loder (Soul Planner) provides women with advice on how to lead more fulfilling lives. “Rather than accumulating stuff, money, job titles, or accolades, what if the new metric for success was how good you feel?” Loder asks. She notes five signs that indicate discontent: mental strain, burnout, procrastination, stress symptoms such as migraines, and a feeling that “something is missing.” The “soul solution” is to “learn to hear, trust, and act on your innate wisdom,” as when Loder “followed my own soul whispers” by quitting her career in finance to become an executive coach. She advocates for readers to prioritize downtime, stop “people-pleasing,” and pursue such goals as applying for a job or looking for a romantic partner, even when one doesn’t feel ready. “Flip the switch” exercises aim to reconnect readers with their desires and include making a “soul board” collage of images and quotes that one enjoys. Loder’s entreaties for readers to focus on their dreams rather than what they think others want of them is, like most of the advice, sensible yet standard, resulting in a predictable volume kept afloat by the author’s upbeat outlook. There’s little to separate this one from the pack. (Oct.)

Publishers Weekly

This cheerful...guide by executive coach Loder provides women with advice on how to lead more fulfilling lives .” —Publishers Weekly

“The Soul Solution is the answer for women who want to have it all but are tired of how society has defined what ‘all’ really is. This book gives women permission to trust themselves, access their inner authority, and expand their lives beyond what they thought possible.” —Shefali Tsabary, PhD, bestselling author of A Radical Awakening

“In this thought-provoking, witty, wise, and warm book, Vanessa invites readers to resist the pressure to do it all, and start redefining success, on their terms. This is a must-read for any woman looking to have a more fulfilling, creative, and joyful life.” —Gay Hendricks, PhD & Kathlyn Hendricks, PhD, bestselling authors and transformational leaders

“The Soul Solution has a satisfying mix of psychology, spirituality, and practices. It offers invaluable tools for women who want to wake up to their true nature and find a stable source of happiness within. Highly recommended.” —Kristin Neff, PhD, bestselling author of Self-Compassion

“Vanessa is to women and power what Brené Brown is to vulnerability.” —Andy Dunn, author of Burn Rate, cofounder of Bonobos

“As someone who teaches and writes extensively about the soul and past lives, I can say from direct experience that Vanessa’s wisdom and playful ability to help others find ways to connect with their soul will have a lasting impact.” —Ainslie MacLeod, past-life psychic, bestselling author of The Instruction, and spiritual teacher

“The Soul Solution is like a PhD in mindfulness aimed at helping women of all levels to find their unique purpose. This is a book I will pick up again and again to use as a guide for my own growth and development.” —Anne Robie, former Head of People at StubHub

“Vanessa Loder’s book is an honest and enjoyable read about an issue that affects millions of women: exhaustion. If you are overwhelmed and frustrated, this book will make you feel seen and offer some practical, simple steps for saying goodbye to hustle culture.” —Celeste Headlee, author of Do Nothing

“Vanessa has written an inspiring and courageous book for any woman who feels conflicted when what she thinks she ‘should’ want is not what her heart compels her to pursue. Reading this book is like having Vanessa constantly at your side—as a cheerleader, a fellow traveler, and a coach/thought partner. If you are a high-achieving professional woman who yearns for a more meaningful and fulfilling life regardless of the success you have achieved, The Soul Solution is for you.” —Carole Robin, PhD, coauthor of Connect, former director of the Arbuckle Leadership Fellows program at the Stanford Graduate School of Business

“The Soul Solution is the perfect book for all of us feeling weary, time-starved, struggling and stuck in busyness to constantly prove ourselves. Vanessa Loder packs this book with research and evidence, stories and helpful ‘soul tips’ that can help us all begin to see beyond the myths we’ve all bought into and the negative stories that run through our heads and begin to slow down, listen to and follow our own intuition, find our own path and connect to joy. It’s such a lovely, helpful, and timely book!” —Brigid Schulte, journalist, author of the New York Times bestseller Overwhelmed and director of the Better Life Lab at New America

From the Publisher

10/01/2022

This is DIY coaching packaged for the 21st-century woman. Describing herself as an ego-driven overachiever who had checked all the boxes of traditional Westernized success, Loder, a leadership and mindfulness expert, wondered why she didn't feel fulfilled. Years of research, coaching, therapy, and innerworkings led her to develop this book, which is presented as a workbook that attempts to strike a right-brain/left-brain balance by mixing exercises (writing prompts, guided meditations, introspection toolkits, and visioning projects) with real-world anecdotes; and lessons synthesized from other wellness practitioners, all with a dash of spirituality and mysticism. Exercises often start with a prompt for self-analysis (make a list, envision a goal, write a script), which then lead readers to intuition and to asking questions such as: What feels energizing? What does the heart say? A list of resources and chapter notes are included. VERDICT While not a standout in a sea of similar soul-searching self-help, this could be useful for readers who are unaccustomed to or just sheepish about listening to their inner voice and following their heart.—Rita Baladad

Library Journal