Women Who Run with the Wolves was a book recommendation from my friend Sky who recently passed away. There's something special that happens when you read a book that feels like it's been written specifically for you. This was that book for me! If you've ever felt that nagging sense that you're living a watered-down version of yourself - too polite, too accommodating, too afraid to take up proper space - then this book might just be the wake-up call you've been needing.
Don't let the mystical title put you off. This isn't some fluffy self-help crap wrapped in crystals and good intentions. The writer, a psychoanalyst and cantadora (keeper of stories), uses ancient myths and fairy tales to excavate what she calls the "Wild Woman" - an instinctual, creative force that society has spent generations trying to domesticate out of us women. Through stories you thought you knew (but definitely didn't), she reveals the uncomfortable truths about how women have been conditioned to distrust their own judgment, apologise for their ambitions, and prioritise everyone else's comfort over their own authenticity. These stories changed how I see everything!
Bluebeard's Wife
Remember being told that curiosity killed the cat? This book flips this narrative entirely. The woman who opens the forbidden door and discovers her husband's murderous secret doesn't die from nosiness, in fact the opposite, she saves herself through it. How many times have you swallowed your questions to keep the peace? This story is permission to be inconveniently curious about your own life.
La Loba, the Wolf Woman
She who gathers bones and sings them back to life. Your intuition isn't hysteria or overthinking - it's an ancient navigation system that knows which relationships, jobs, and situations deserve your energy and which are slowly killing your spirit.
The Red Shoes
Sometimes the very thing that once brought you joy can become a trap. That career path, that relationship, that version of yourself that served you brilliantly five years ago might now be the thing holding you back from who you're becoming.
Reading this book felt like uncovering parts of myself that I'd buried under years of being "sensible" and "agreeable." I can't promise that awakening your wild woman will make life easier (quite the opposite, actually), but it will become something far more valuable, authenticity.
My biggest insight... You belong to yourself first. Not in a selfish way, but in the recognition that you cannot pour from an empty cup. The woman who honours her own needs, creativity, and instincts doesn't become less caring, she becomes someone worth caring about. In an Instagram-perfect world where women are still expected to be everything to everyone whilst looking effortlessly put-together, this message feels more apt than ever,
Your anger isn't ugly - it's information. Your creative projects aren't selfish hobbies - they're essential nourishment for your soul.
Your gut feelings about people and situations aren't paranoia - they're wisdom.
This book isn't a quick fix or a gentle pat on the head, reclaiming your wildness will likely complicate your life. People who benefited from a diminished version of you might not appreciate the upgrade. Some friendships may not survive your newfound boundaries, others may become stronger because of them. So, if you've ever felt like you're living someone else's idea of your life, if you've ever silenced yourself to keep others comfortable, if you've ever sensed you're capable of more than you're allowing yourself to express, then this book is absolutely for you. It won't teach you to be wilder in some rebellious way. It will teach you to trust yourself as deeply as you trust others, to stop apologising for taking up space in a world that belongs to you too. The wild woman within you has been remarkably patient, but she won't wait forever. The question isn't whether you're brave enough to answer her call... it's how much longer you'll make her wait.
Worth every penny and every uncomfortable truth.
