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179 | The 2025 Books That Shaped My Wild & Waking Journey

  • Emily Reuschel
  • Dec 25, 2025
  • 5 min read

header graphic for 179 | The 2025 Books That Shaped My Wild & Waking Journey

Listen to The 2025 Books That Shaped My Wild & Waking Journey on: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Your player of choice

This week, I’m taking you behind the scenes of my own evolution through one of my favorite portals: reading. In this end-of-year solo episode, I walk you through all 26 books I read in 2025. These are the ones that cracked me open, challenged my assumptions, expanded my worldview, and quietly shaped the way I’ve shown up on the podcast, in my work, and in my life this year. Rather than sharing a quick top-five list, I take you on the full chronological journey, because the order matters. When you hear these books in the sequence I read them, you’ll notice the threads of curiosity, deconstruction, healing, and spiritual expansion that guided me month by month.


From faith and deconstruction, to ancestral wisdom, to the divine feminine, to creativity, to the witch wound, to energy work, to nature, to body literacy, these books formed a kind of breadcrumb trail for me — each one helping me ask bigger questions, soften old assumptions, and step deeper into the Wild & Waking journey we’ve been walking together. Some I devoured. Some I wrestled with. A few I didn’t finish. And all of them, in one way or another, became teachers in my own unraveling, remembering, reclamation, and rise.


In this episode, I share what each book is about, why it spoke to me, where it met me in my own process, and how it shaped the conversations we’ve had on the podcast this year. I also highlight my personal top five, name a few books I wouldn’t necessarily recommend to everyone, and talk openly about how my reading shifted from personal development into a much wider exploration of spirituality, identity, intuition, and self-trust.


Whether you want to expand your 2026 reading list, reflect on your own year of inner growth, or simply follow along with the journey behind the journey, this episode is a deep, thoughtful companion. And if any book sparks something for you, trust that. Pick it up, explore it, and see where it leads. The books that call to us often arrive right on time.


The full list, with links, photos, descriptions, and author podcast episodes, is available HERE so you can revisit any title or conversation that catches your attention.


Meet Emily Reuschel:

Emily Reuschel is a Soul Expansion Coach for Wild & Waking Women, guiding leaders, dreamers, and changemakers—particularly in rural communities—through the powerful journey of reclaiming their truest selves. Known for challenging the status quo, Emily empowers women to break free from inherited limitations, embody their truth, and create lasting impact in their lives and communities.


As the host of the Wild and Waking podcast and the facilitator of transformative retreats, workshops, and virtual communities, Emily curates sacred spaces for connection, healing, and expansion. She inspires women to shed societal expectations, reconnect with their inner wisdom, and transform from the inside out.


Emily’s work is anchored in her signature Wild & Waking Framework—a soul reclamation process that moves women from performative survival to embodied leadership. Her approach honors the unraveling of old narratives, the remembering of true essence, and the reclamation of personal power—all leading to a rise marked by unapologetic expression and aligned action.


Through her work, Emily guides women home to themselves, helping them live with alignment, purpose, and intention. Whether speaking on stage, leading mastermind groups, or facilitating retreats, her warmth and authenticity create a ripple effect that inspires lasting change. Emily’s mission is clear: to help guide women in reclaiming their truth, step into their power, and rise boldly as forces of lasting change.


In this episode, The 2025 Books That Shaped My Wild & Waking Journey, I cover:

  • A full breakdown of all 26 books I read in 2025 and how each one shaped my personal growth, spiritual awakening, and inner transformation

  • The reading themes that defined my year: deconstruction, spiritual healing, feminine power, ancestral wisdom, and embodied self-trust

  • How books on Christian nationalism, faith deconstruction, and religious trauma supported my journey into a more authentic, expansive spirituality

  • Titles that introduced me to ancestral healing, Indigenous wisdom, earth-based spirituality, and reconnecting with the cycles of nature

  • Books exploring the divine feminine, goddess history, the witch wound, and women’s empowerment across history and mythology

  • My honest reviews of astrology books, lunar cycle guides, moon-phase practices, and beginner resources on energy healing, Reiki, chakras, and auras

  • Parenting and nervous system resources that helped me understand emotional regulation, generational patterns, and conscious parenting

  • Nature-focused books on ecological consciousness, reciprocity, forest science, and our spiritual connection to the land

  • Creativity and artistry titles that supported my writing process, mindset, and the shift from consumption to creation

  • The books I didn’t finish, why I stepped away, and how I decide what’s aligned for my season

  • My top five book recommendations of 2025 and who they’re ideal for (faith deconstruction, divine feminine, ancestral wisdom, midlife reinvention, spiritual identity work)

  • How my 2025 reading list influenced the Wild & Waking podcast, The Coven, my coaching, and the wider conversations we shared this year

  • An invitation to reflect on your own 2025 reading journey, personal evolution, and the topics you want to explore in 2026


If this episode sparked something for you, share it with a friend who loves to read or is walking through her own season of growth. You can also follow the show, leave a review, or reach out on social to tell me what book you’re adding to your list—I always want to know what’s on your radar.


Connect with Emily:

Stay connected and keep up with my latest updates, podcast episodes, and personal growth insights:


Resources & Links:

About Wild & Waking: 

Wild & Waking is more than a podcast—it’s a sacred return to who you’ve always been.


This space is for the woman standing at the edge of everything she’s outgrown. The one who’s checked all the boxes, followed all the rules, and still feels the quiet ache for something more honest. More alive. More hers.


She’s begun the unraveling—of roles, expectations, identities that no longer fit. She’s remembering the voice beneath the noise, the rhythm beneath the hustle, the truth beneath the performance. She’s reclaiming her joy, her intuition, her fire. And she’s rising—not as a version of who she was told to be, but as the truest expression of who she already is.


Hosted by soul expansion coach Emily Reuschel, Wild & Waking is for the spiritual entrepreneurs, coaches, rural changemakers, and conscious leaders dismantling old paradigms and creating new ways of living, leading, and becoming. Through raw conversations, deep reflections, and embodied wisdom, we explore what it means to awaken a life of abundance, authenticity, and purpose.


This is for the woman who holds both sacred rage and radical joy. Who moves with reverence for the seasons of her life. Who isn’t afraid to break cycles, speak truth, and dismantle what no longer serves—not to destroy, but to create. To rebuild a world rooted in the celebration of difference, the beauty of nuance, and the power of sovereign, embodied leadership.


If you’re ready to come home to yourself—fully, fiercely, and without apology—welcome.


We’ve been waiting for you.


Share the Love!

If this episode resonated with you, please subscribe, leave a review, and share it with someone who needs to hear it! Your support helps us reach more people who are ready to heal and grow.


For more transformative conversations, visit: EmilyReuschel.com


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