If you could share one lesson from your life with every woman, what would it be?

This was the question that took centre stage when Stylist launched its Life Lessons event series back in 2014. Our hugely popular seminars saw women from all walks of life gather together to motivate and entertain.

Speakers including Arianna Huffington and Nadiya Hussain shared nuggets of life advice, in vital conversations that meandered from recognising bad relationships to navigating career setbacks and finding inner fulfillment. 

With the Life Lessons workshops taking on a life of their own, we decided it was time to capture some of the brilliant wisdom each one gave rise to. 

Step forward Stylist’s very own collection of books. Each of our Life Lessons editions curates essays from our brilliant community of women: including poets, entrepreneurs, politicians, activists and more. And each new book tackles a different area of modern womanhood, from fear of failure to bullying and what it means to be beautiful.

Above all, though, each one of our three books is brimming with intimate and inspiring advice given for women, by women. Find out more below and grab a little inspirational fuel for your next reading list.

Life Lessons From Remarkable Women by Stylist

What’s it all about?

Published in 2018, Life Lessons From Remarkable Women is the first in the Life Lessons series from Stylist magazine. It comes packed with hard-earned wisdom from the leaders, writers and creators we admire the most. 

This uplifting collection explores every aspect of a modern woman’s life, whether that’s love, loss or building self-esteem.

Who contributes to it? 

A host of brilliant women await to share their insights in Stylist’s bookstore debut. Journalist Pandora Sykes explains how her sister’s cancer diagnosis inspired her to embrace life’s little pleasures and Reni Eddo-Lodge unpacks the importance of saying no. Meanwhile Bobbi Brown discusses the joy of starting over, and Katie Piper recalls how she taught herself to be confident – to name but a few. 

Key quote:

“When the clock next hits 17.01 and you really do have to leave, do it with pride. Don’t skulk to the door; tap dance, fanfare, own the life you’ve created. You can have a hell of a lot and do it amazingly. You just can’t have it all.”

- Lisa Smosarski, editor-in-chief of Stylist

Beauty Reimagined: Life Lessons On Loving Yourself Inside And Out by Stylist

What’s it all about?

Stylist’s second book in the Life Lessons archive turns the spotlight on womanhood and beauty. What does it mean to be beautiful, and what happens when women challenge the expectations that society places on their appearances? 

Via a series of witty and provocative essays, women we love examine so-called “flaws” including facial hair, acne, saggy boobs and beyond. A must-read to disrupt that ocean of negative chatter so many of us have internalised over the years. 

Who contributes to it?

Dig in for illuminating and personal stories from the likes of Mary Beard, Caitlin Moran and many other trailblazing women. Poet and model Yrsa Daley-Ward explains why her definition of beauty lies in honesty and transparency. Stella Creasy MP reveals the pressures she feels to dress “like a politician” and questions why it is that our looks are used instantly to judge who we are. And #MeToo campaigner Rose McGowan asks, when it comes to beauty rituals, who is really dictating your worth?

Key quote:

“I had tried so hard to remove my beard every day and I was still bullied so I decided to try embracing my natural body. I thought, well, if you’re going to bully me, I’m going to give you something to bully me about.” 

- Body positive activist and model Harnaam Kaur.

Life Lessons On Friendship By Stylist

What’s it all about?

Stylist’s latest Life Lessons offering is an ode to the life-changing force of friendship: the good, the bad and everything in-between. Join us on a frank, funny and moving journey to reflect on the relationships that matter the most in life. 

How can best friends navigate a business empire together? Does online friendship count as the real deal? And what happens when you fall in love with your closest buddy from school – with no idea how to tell them your feelings?

Each of the 13 lessons featured in the book examines a different facet of 21 century friendship, and the pain and pleasure it can bring, via a refreshingly honest lens.

Who contributes to it?

Essayists include former Woman’s Hour presenter Dame Jenni Murray, political activist Gina Martin (the woman who helped to make upskirting a crime) and comedian and author Shappi Khorsandi.

Make Motherhood Diverse founder Candice Brathwaite also shares her friendship experiences in the new book, along with illustrator Flo Perry and body positive activist Megan Jayne Crabbe of @bodyposipanda fame.

Key quote:

“A strong friendship is like magic. You can’t see it, but it can do incredible things. For us, it’s been like a superpower, amping up our courage and strength ever since we first met as freshers at the University of Warwick.”

- Yomi Adegoke and Elizabeth Uviebinené, co-authors of the multi-award-winning guide Slay In Your Lane: The Black Girl Bible.

Images: Penguin Random House