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In this week’s episode Baggage Reclaim SessionsI chat with Toni Jones, founder of Shelf Help, the world’s first self-help book club. Toni has read more than 1,000 self-help books in the last ten years after being burned out by tabloid journalism and a life of too much drinking and partying. We explore the stories of shame we carry from childhood, why we blame our younger selves for things that aren’t our fault, learning to be quiet enough to hear our inner wisdom, and her new limited edition book, You: A Beginner’s Guide, published with the Pound Project, about connecting with our past, present and future selves. If you’ve ever felt like you’re carrying old stories that need rewriting, or wonder how to get exactly what you need to hear, this conversation is for you.
IN THIS EPISODE…
- Toni found self-help at a crisis point after being burned out by tabloid journalism and cheerleaders.starting with Paul McKenna Change your life in seven daysthat revolutionary thinking showed how one can actually change one’s thoughts and feelings rather than adopting a fixed mindset. The first book took her a year to read because everything was new, but she embarked on a decade-long journey of reading over 1,000 self-help books and eventually founded Shelf Help, a global self-help book club, because doing this in community is more powerful than doing it alone.
- The stories of shame we tell ourselves from childhood shape our adult identity until we consciously step in and question them. We are often very unkind to our younger versions, blaming them for things that were never their fault.
- Changing our relationship with alcohol (or anything else that is a compulsive and strong withdrawal on our identity) sometimes requires building self-confidence and self-esteem first.. Toni stopped drinking for five years on her self-help journey, even as she worked on her mental and emotional health, because it was a core part of her identity. But her changed relationship with herself allowed her to finally confront (and change) her relationship with alcohol.
- Slowing down and doing things that feel counterintuitive or even “crazy” to people they’ve learned, such as changing, pushing, working or pleasing others. However, it creates the quiet space for your inner wisdom to be heard. but you don’t have to wait for a crisis point to support yourself.
- You: A Beginner’s Guide. Toni’s limited edition book (only available until May 26, 2026) connects you with your former self to understand what has shaped and given compassion to younger versions of you; your future self with the intention of becoming who you are; and your current self with life support (habits, routines, self-care, boundaries). Change starts with your relationship with yourself.
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