'Just A Foreign Black Girl!'

First Aid and CPR (for adult, child, and infant)

This is especially good if you plan to live out in the country away from most modern conveniences! We want to make sure we’re well equipped to care for our family if something really bad happens. My personal goal is to get First Aid and CPR certifications within the next couple of years.

Foraging

Learn your local wild flora and get to finding wild, nutritious, tasty treats for your family. This is a really fun one too and there’s tons of apps to help you identify plants. I personally use Picture This as well as the numerous articles online to help me.

Cheesemaking

This is sort of in the cooking realm, but highly overlooked. People tend to find it intimidating, but a lot of cheeses are simple with the right equipment. This is especially good if you want a dairy cow in the future. Start out with a simple mozzarella recipe and you’ll be on your way!

Water purification

This one I’m still in the process of learning about, but if worst came to worst, water is the most important resource to have. There are all sorts of different water purification systems to look into and you can kind of drag yourself down a rabbit hole.

Canning

A very common one, but still very important. There’s tons of resources on it! Your grandma might even know a thing or two.

Gardening

Whether it’s pretty flowers or an entire vegetable garden you want to grow, homemakers should know the basics of growing our little green friends.

Conversational/social graces

My husband works in a job where he needs to impress powerful people. Part of that is bringing me along to lunches and dinners where I get all dolled up. By smiling, being polite, and reflecting well on my husband, these men gain a major respect for him. And speaking as a naturally very shy person, most people love to hear themselves talk, so most the time a good smile and nod is all you need in a conversation.

Home decor

Learn what you like in a home. Make your home a place you actually want to be. Be idealistic and plan your home out to be a beautiful, warm safe space for all who come in.

Manners

There’s a time and a place for messiness, but there is also a time for calm. Learn some old style manners. It gives off a level of charm rarely seen today.

Business and Leadership:

"Good to Great" by Jim Collins

"The Lean Startup" by Eric Ries

"Zero to One" by Peter Thiel

"Leaders Eat Last" by Simon Sinek

"Outliers: The Story of Success" by Malcolm Gladwell

Success and Personal Development:

"The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People" by Stephen R. Covey

"Mindset: The New Psychology of Success" by Carol S. Dweck

"Atomic Habits" by James Clear

"Grit: The Power of Passion and Perseverance" by Angela Duckworth

"The Power of Habit" by Charles Duhigg

Mental Health and Well-being:

"The Power of Now" by Eckhart Tolle

"Feeling Good: The New Mood Therapy" by David D. Burns

"The Gifts of Imperfection" by Brené Brown

"The Anxiety and Phobia Workbook" by Edmund J. Bourne

"The Dialectical Behavior Therapy Skills Workbook" by Matthew McKay, Jeffrey C. Wood, and Jeffrey Brantley

Goal Setting and Achievement:

"Goals!: How to Get Everything You Want—Faster Than You Ever Thought Possible" by Brian Tracy

"The 12 Week Year" by Brian P. Moran and Michael Lennington

"Drive: The Surprising Truth About What Motivates Us" by Daniel H. Pink

"The One Thing" by Gary Keller and Jay Papasan

"Smarter Faster Better" by Charles Duhigg

Relationships and Communication:

"How to Win Friends and Influence People" by Dale Carnegie

"The 5 Love Languages" by Gary Chapman

"Crucial Conversations: Tools for Talking When Stakes Are High" by Al Switzler, Joseph Grenny, and Ron McMillan

"Nonviolent Communication: A Language of Life" by Marshall B. Rosenberg

"Men Are from Mars, Women Are from Venus" by John Gray

Self-Help and Personal Growth:

"The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck" by Mark Manson

"Daring Greatly" by Brené Brown

"Awaken the Giant Within" by Tony Robbins

"The Miracle Morning" by Hal Elrod

"You Are a Badass" by Jen Sincero

Science and Popular Science:

"Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind" by Yuval Noah Harari

"The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks" by Rebecca Skloot

"Cosmos" by Carl Sagan

"A Short History of Nearly Everything" by Bill Bryson

"The Selfish Gene" by Richard Dawkins

Health and Nutrition:

"The China Study" by T. Colin Campbell and Thomas M. Campbell II

"In Defense of Food" by Michael Pollan

"Why We Sleep" by Matthew Walker

"Born to Run" by Christopher McDougall

"The Omnivore's Dilemma" by Michael Pollan

Fiction and Literature:

"To Kill a Mockingbird" by Harper Lee

"1984" by George Orwell

"The Great Gatsby" by F. Scott Fitzgerald

"The Catcher in the Rye" by J.D. Salinger