There seems to be an abundance of books on how to build wealth but not as many on how to bounce back from debt, so I was looking forward to the following book.

Bounce Back by Lynette Khalfani-Cox  is the ultimate guide to financial resilience and an interesting journey all about bouncing back from credit card debt and financial setback. It is always good to read finance books written by female authors, so I was excited to dive in and learn all about Lynnette’s story.

The book educates you on how to conquer the most common and difficult challenges that people face, including debt, divorce and disease. The 12 chapters cover a wide and comprehensive list of topics including.

• Resilience and Grit in the Face of Adversity
• Managing Stress
• Creating a Monthly Budget
• Practicing Self-Compassion
• Practice Your Interview Skills
• Disability Insurance
• Emergency Funds
• Emotional Spending
• Understanding Your Mortgage

Some of the topics covered are ones that I had already come across in previous finance books, but what stood out for me in Bounce Back was how the author focused on wellness practices alongside her tips, such as self-compassion and understanding emotional spending.

I love a story of bouncing back from rock bottom and Lynnette’s story is just that. In 2001, she had $100,000 in credit card debt and paid it all off in three years. Lynnette has gone on to write 15 finance books and built a seven-figure net worth. Her story and comeback is so inspiring to me as a woman.

An important topic which is covered in this book is how discrimination can damage your finances. As a black woman working in the wellness industry, this is something that I have single-handily faced, and I have been the victim of the so-called pink tax where we are charged more for products which are aimed at women. I love that this was covered as it is something that is often pushed aside in finance books written by men.

The first two chapters focus on emotional wellbeing, which, as a mindset and wellbeing coach, stood out for me. There is a section which has an exercise where you are encouraged to write a letter to yourself from the perspective of a compassionate friend. I found this exercise to be so helpful for my own self-discovery and it allowed me to make a list of action steps to support me through some personal challenges.

Building Your Resilience is a fantastic chapter, especially since so many of us blame ourselves when we are going through financial struggles. This is a must-read chapter. In fact I read some sections from it every other day.

This book covers so much information and I would describe it as a must-read financial manual for every woman who needs the emotional and compassionate support while in the middle of rising up. Much of it is tailored to US readers, but I found it easy to navigate as a British reader, and I found a lot of the advice to be useful. My next step is to read more of Lynnette’s work in order to be inspired more.