These celebrity memoirs will make your ‘new me’ era seem less intimidating
The pep talk you need to stay on top of your reinvention plans
You woke up on January 1st, determined to fulfil your new year’s resolutions to be healthier, happier and just not the same old cribbing-about-work-and-life-24/7 you. Your new routine: wake up at 5 am, drink warm lemon water, work out for 45 minutes, journal, read 50 pages of a novel, cook healthy food, further your dream career, follow a skincare routine, and somehow, also find time to catch up with friends or keep your Duolingo streak.
But barely a week in, reality has hit. You missed a workout, or ate some cake, and you’re thinking, “Well, I guess I’ve failed 2026 already.” Then everyone starts circling back on email and now you’re also overwhelmed, trying to get back on top of your goals, and asking why your life doesn’t look anything like your Pinterest vision board. If only real growth was as simple as that two-minute movie montage where life magically improves.
The truth, however, is that a ‘new you’ can’t be built instantly; it quietly takes shape over a period of time. And the journey is often slow, messy, and un-aesthetic. Want proof? You just need to look to the real life of public figures you admire. The ones you believe have built lives that you still dream of. Did they always ace their goals on the first try? Do they have some superhuman qualities that let them conquer their fears? Short answer: no way.
When you peek behind the curtains, you’ll see that their reality was as chaotic and non-linear as yours. The only real difference is, they didn’t give up. So just know that you can get there too. And to give you a loving push to keep chipping at your new year’s resolutions, here’s a list of celebrity memoirs chronicling the struggles and hard-won triumphs of famous people who make it look easy.
7 celebrity memoirs to help you hold on to your New Year’s resolutions
If you made a vision board on 1st January to manifest your dream life
Matriarch by Tina Knowles
People know her as the mother of superstars Beyoncé and Solange Knowles, but Tina Knowles’ memoir Matriarch (2025) proves she is no less of a legend.
Long before she shepherded her daughters towards a once-in-a-generation music legacy, Knowles first brought herself out of poverty. In the book, co-written with journalist and author Kevin Carr O’Leary, she delves into her family background, and the opportunities she created for herself as an entrepreneur, despite having no formal business experience. These included starting a hair salon for professional women in Houston and being the creative force behind some of her daughters’ iconic stage costumes.
The book gives an honest, endearing look into her audacious and spirited life, and is full of wisdom that it’s plain to see Beyoncé has lived her life by. “I taught my girls that other girls are not your competition; you are your own competition,” is just one of the many gems you’ll find here.
Reading this one will both, make you want to hug your mom, and remind you to take action to build your dream life without waiting for the perfect circumstances.
If you are aiming to get a promotion this year, and build a startup on the side
Unfinished by Priyanka Chopra Jonas
If you have grown up grooving to the beats of Desi Girl or keep returning to movies like Fashion and Barfi, Priyanka Chopra Jonas’ memoir will hit close to home. We have all witnessed the global superstar’s journey from the Miss World title in 2000 to her remarkable work in Hollywood, and at some point, wanted a career arc just like hers.
But in Unfinished (2021), Chopra lets you in on the struggles behind that soaring trajectory and how she bounced back with a stronger will to accomplish her dreams. While she has publicly spoken about some aspects covered in the book, she gets more vulnerable here, especially while talking about navigating her father’s illness and death, and facing racism in the US. “I swallowed my pride and reminded myself constantly that just because I’d received recognition in one part of the world, was no reason that I should automatically receive it elsewhere,” Chopra writes about starting from scratch in Hollywood.
If you are a goal-oriented person and want 2026 to be the year your career ambitions start taking shape, Chopra’s frank and forceful perspective will serve as inspiration for you to stay the course while pushing forward. Bonus: You will get to see unseen pictures from her shoots, award ceremonies, performances, and even her private family life.
If you are searching for the courage to pursue your passion
Be Ready When the Luck Happens by Ina Garten
You picked a career path that felt appealing to you once. But now, 10 or 20 years down the line, you feel stuck, afraid you’ve missed your chance to find your true calling. After all, it is difficult to walk away from something you’ve poured your time and energy into, and built your identity around (rethinking her career aspirations was tough for this woman).
Ina Garten knows a bit about how you’re feeling. She details how she changed professional lanes dramatically in Be Ready When The Luck Happens (2024), from being a former White House staff member to becoming the ‘Barefoot Contessa’—a renowned television cook and author.
Garten sowed the seeds of a new dream at 30, when most people are comfortably settled in their careers. She had no formal training, but her passion for food—especially French food—had been growing for years. So when she heard of a specialty food store called Barefoot Contessa going on sale, she took the leap and put in an offer despite having no prior food-business experience. The rest is history.
This memoir charts her journey from that moment, to ascending the ranks of the American culinary world. And it might just be the motivation you need to take a punt on that dream you’ve been secretly nursing.
If you bought a gym membership this month
Made in India by Milind Soman
Each new year, gym memberships multiply and everyone suddenly becomes a morning workout person. For a few days, people religiously count their steps, and flaunt post-workout soreness like a badge of honour. The popularity of fitness-related activities and content in the beginning of the year is proof of the universal aspiration to be the best physical version of ourselves. But how do you really sustain this mindset beyond the shiny (and helpfully uneventful) first month of the new year?
Take a cue from actor, athlete and fitness icon Milind Soman. His memoir Made in India (2020), written alongside author Roopa Pai, traces his quest for self-improvement, from ace swimmer to athlete, model, actor and fitness advocate. The book takes you behind the scenes of the defining moments of Soman’s career, including the Pinkathon movement and origins of his now-signature barefoot running (watch Milind Soman and family spill their fitness secrets). Throughout, he reiterates how long-distance running, preparing for marathons (and really any other goal you may have) is realised more through the strength of the mind than anything else.
And who better to get fitness inspiration from than the man who makes his fans do pushups before he takes a selfie with them?
If you want to live more in the moment
Dear Girls by Ali Wong
Have you ever sat down with your mom for a heart-to-heart about her life, her struggles, that is peppered with her most memorable anecdotes? Comedian and actor Ali Wong’s memoir Dear Girls (2019) is built on that concept. Told in the form of letters to her two young daughters, it answers questions they may someday have for their mom about her life before they were born.
Written in her signature raunchy style (and including some explicit tales that her daughters—and anyone under 21—should probably not read anytime soon), it is a lesson in enjoying life and embracing everything it throws your way. She tells of her time navigating life as a female comic in NYC, her dating misadventures, and her raw and real take on motherhood. This is not a literary masterpiece, but Wong isn’t aiming for that (she sets clear expectations for readers from the first page with her self-deprecating humour). She’s aiming for something more truthful, and of course, hilarious.
If you’re prone to taking yourself too seriously, and really want to lighten up and enjoy the ride this year brings, this should be the year’s first read for you.
If you want to become an ace work-life juggler
A Different Kind of Power by Jacinda Ardern
Jacinda Ardern claimed a powerful space in the male-dominated field of politics, when at 37, she became New Zealand’s youngest Prime Minister in 150 years. In her memoir A Different Kind of Power (2024), she recounts how she managed to strike a balance between her professional and personal life, both of which stood at crucial junctures just as she came into power.
A week before being elected to office, Ardern found out she was pregnant (and later became the first woman in the country’s history to give birth while in office.) Did she face self-doubt as she straddled motherhood and leading the nation? Absolutely, she says in the book, and describes how she learnt to do justice to both roles, with support from her family. During her tenure from 2017 to 2023, Ardern came to be known for her courageous, empathetic leadership style even while she modelled what it meant to be a working mom (Prime Minister notwithstanding, she took a six-week maternity break after giving birth).
Politics aside, the book is a heartfelt account of self-belief and an homage to the support of loved ones that makes managing everything easier. If you are struggling to make time to sit and talk to your parents, or schedule that long-delayed catch-up with your friends because you can’t get out from under your pile of work, Ardern’s memoir might help you reassess and strike a better balance.
If you want to make peace with the past
Close to the Bone by Lisa Ray
“How fortunate it is when life alters you without warning.” This sentence not only marks the beginning of model and actor Lisa Ray’s memoir Close to the Bone (2019) but also encapsulates her story in the best way possible.
In the book, Ray is heartwarmingly honest about the not-so-positive moments in her life, including developing an eating disorder in her early years as a supermodel in the 90s. And later, at the age of 37, being diagnosed with multiple myeloma, a rare form of blood cancer. Throughout her battle with the disease, she found solace in sharing her experiences of self-awareness and healing through her blog The Yellow Diaries, which the book draws from but expands beyond.
It’s the story of a woman you cannot put in a mould, a woman who knows how to fight her battles and live life on her own terms. By confronting her own truth, including her past failures and shortcomings, Ray provides a lesson in acceptance and resilience—traits that many of us wish to embody this year.
