The Soul Solution

August 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.