About the Book
NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER
USA TODAY #1 NONFICTION BESTSELLER
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY BESTSELLER
Your mind is your most powerful tool—but what happens when it’s working against you?
If you’ve ever thought:
“I’ll never be good enough.”
“I’m too old to find love.”
“I can’t ask for a raise—they’ll think I’m greedy,”
...then you’ve been hijacked by patriarchy’s greatest weapon: the inner critic it planted in your brain.
Enter Kara Loewentheil, Master Certified Coach, recovering lawyer, and host of the wildly popular UnF*ck Your Brain podcast. In Take Back Your Brain, she unpacks how society’s relentless messages about women’s worth—based on looks, productivity, and caregiving—worm their way into our thoughts, leaving us feeling anxious, unworthy, and stuck.
But here’s the thing: your thoughts aren’t facts. Loewentheil shows you how to identify the sexist programming running your brain, hit "delete," and replace it with beliefs that actually serve you.
Loewentheil unveils the insidious ways sexism infiltrates women's thoughts, leading to self-doubt and anxiety. Using tools from cognitive psychology, feminist theory, and her neuroplasticity-based coaching practice, she makes rewiring your brain accessible, actionable, and even fun. Through practical exercises and profound insights, readers will learn to:
Identify and challenge self-critical thoughts rooted in patriarchal conditioning.
Develop resilience and confidence by reshaping mental habits.
Enhance personal and professional relationships through improved self-perception.
Achieve greater fulfillment and joy by aligning thoughts with true potential.
Build confidence that actually lasts.
Loewentheil has been where you are—burned out, self-critical, and stuck in an endless loop of “not enough”—and she knows the way out.
This book is for you if:
You’re ready to stop overthinking every decision and start living with purpose.
You want confidence that doesn’t crumble at the first sign of criticism.
You’re tired of playing small and know you’re meant for more.
Loewentheil doesn’t just teach you how to think differently—she shows you how to feel differently, make bold moves, and create a life that feels as good as it looks. Discover why Mel Robbins, Tori Dunlap, and more love this book!
About the Author :
After graduating Harvard Law School, Kara Loewentheil did what every Ivy League feminist lawyer should do: quit a prestigious academic career to become a life coach! Less than a decade after leaving the law, Kara has taught millions of of women how to close the “Brain Gap” that keeps them feeling anxious and disempowered. Her work enables women to identify the ways that sexist social messages impact their brains and how to rewire their thought patterns to create true, authentic confidence from within.
Kara is the founder of The New School of Feminist Thought. Her internationally top-ranked podcast UnF*ck Your Brain: Feminist Self-Help for Everyone, with 48 million downloads, has been recommended everywhere from The New York Times to Glennon Doyle's podcast We Can Do Hard Things. This is her first book.
Review :
“I freakin' love Kara Loewentheil. If you're a woman, there's a reason why you're not speaking up when you deserve to, why you're picking apart everything you think is wrong with your body, and why you're not in control of your money. You've internalized age-old messaging, and it's time to interrupt that sh*t once and for all. In your hands is a playbook that teaches you how. Do not put it down.” –Mel Robbins, author of the New York Times bestseller The High 5 Habit and host of The Mel Robbins Podcast
“Loewentheil’s galvanizing debut urges readers to close the gap between “feminist beliefs about our worth” and the “patriarchal social conditioning” that constrains them…Women will be motivated to tackle the invisible barriers holding them back.” –Publishers Weekly
“Brilliant and revelatory, and one of those rare books that will change the way you understand yourself and the world.” —Elise Loehnen, author of the New York Times bestseller On Our Best Behavior
"Loewentheil’s literary debut examines how sexist and patriarchal messages impact women’s thoughts and emotions and undermine our self-esteem and self-confidence. What’s more, she offers practical advice for living well despite those long-standing messages... the feminist framework is a welcome approach for our still-evolving 21st-century society. And Loewentheil is an engaging, straightforward guide." —BookPage
“Take Back Your Brain is the perfect book for someone who believes their brain is their own worst enemy. Kara does an incredible job in illuminating how the patriarchy’s bullsh*t impacts you, then backs it up with concrete actionable steps to overcome the shame and imposter syndrome.” —Tori Dunlap, author of the New York Times bestseller Financial Feminist
“This isn’t just a book about knowing your worth, it’s a hands-on guide to leaving your limiting beliefs behind so you can think bigger and step into your power like never before.” —Amy Porterfield, author of the New York Times bestseller Two Weeks Notice
“[An] insightful, actionable, and funny deep dive into the way women are taught to think.” —Farnoosh Torabi, author of A Healthy State of Panic and host of the So Money podcast
“No one is inherently unworthy, Kara Loewentheil argues, while offering us exercises to finally convince our brains this is true. If the advice to ‘love yourself’ had a manual, this would be it.” —Marisa G. Franco, PhD, author of the New York Times bestseller Platonic
“Kara Loewentheil is a genius. It’s not often you can read someone else’s words and understand yourself more, but Kara’s words do just that. Kara takes us on a tour of our brain, our feelings, and our history in a way that introduces us to a new way to be alive. It’s not an exaggeration to say that this book will change thousands of women’s lives. Let it change yours.” —Brooke Castillo, founder of The Life Coach School
“Kara Loewentheil has a unique gift for making you feel like she’s speaking directly to you, and her book Take Back Your Brain expands upon that in an insightful, actionable, and often funny manual for how to live a fuller life. This is the must have book for questioning the stories we’ve been told and writing our own futures to be far better than fiction!” —Damona Hoffman, author of F the Fairy Tale and The Drew Barrymore Show love expert
“Take Back Your Brain is a refreshing and resonant take on changing your life starting with your own brain, especially in an imperfect world. Kara takes readers on a bullshit-free journey beyond platitudes and positive thinking to action and true freedom.” —Rae McDaniel, MEd, LCPC, CST, author of Gender Magic
“[A] compassionate and comprehensive guidebook for moving from mental clutter to clarity. Readers will feel empowered to claim control over their lives, and gain emotional resilience, fortitude, and freedom along the way.” —Shira Gill, author of Minimalista
“Kara shows us that the possibilities are endless when we, as women, step into our power. Take Back Your Brain isn’t just a read; it’s a movement.” —Rebecca Minkoff, award-winning fashion designer, cofounder of Female Founder Collective, and author of Fearless
“Believe me when I say that Take Back Your Brain is different. It’s smart, it’s feminist, it’s actionable, and it made me snort with laughter more than once. Kara has created a book that has rewired my brain in a way that makes me feel powerful and unstoppable. It’s changed the way I show up in my relationship, my business, and my life. It’s a must-read, and I’m going to be recommending it to all my clients!” —Lily Womble, author of Thank You, More Please
“Finally, there is a self-help book that contextualizes the voices in our head with the impossible social pressures and the outdated cultural norms that have feasted on our confidence for way too long. It’s not you, it’s them. But it’s also a little bit of you too . . . because of them! Kara Loewentheil unpacks us and unpacks them, all in an effort to help us get out of our own heads and into our best selves.” —Laura Gassner Otting, author of Wonderhell
“Unlike mainstream messages on body positivity and confidence which often sound nice yet don’t do much, Take Back Your Brain teaches you how to actually bridge the gap between knowing and believing. This book is both a feminist hot take and a practical guide to self-empowerment.” —Mary Jelkovsky, author of The Gift of Self-Love
“Ever feel like the world’s always judging your body? Kara breaks down why we struggle so much with how we look and offers clear, doable steps to quiet that relentless inner critic women suffer with. It’s time we learn how to embrace ourselves, so we can focus on bigger things in life beyond just dieting.” —Corinne Crabtree, host of the Losing 100 Pounds with Corinne podcast and creator of the No BS Weightloss Program
“You are more than your programming, but it takes perspective, skill, and genuinely helpful guidance to effectively change it. Kara has been precisely that voice for years, and my excitement for women holding her work in their hands (and putting it into practice) is immeasurable. This book is a wildly necessary addition to the world of productive change.” —Shani Silver, author of A Single Revolution
“Take Back Your Brain is full of brilliant insight and effective tools you can start using to feel better immediately. This isn’t recycled self-help. It’s the patriarchy smashing coaching approach we all need. Buy two copies, because you’re going to want to share this book! —Susan Hyatt, author of Bare and host of the You’ve Got Nerve podcast
