Money & Mindset - Book of the Month December 2025
- meliaprojectsau
- Dec 23, 2025
- 3 min read
I’m a big believer that the best investors are lifelong learners. Each month, I’ll share a book that’s made me stop and think, whether it’s a new strategy, a fresh perspective, or just a better way to look at money and investing.
My goal? To help you learn from the wins (and mistakes) of others so you can invest smarter, with more confidence. Think of this as your shortcut to sharper thinking and better decision-making, one book at a time.
Now, this month's book is a bit different. I've come back to this book multiple times over the years. I've gifted it several times to family and friends. It's poignant, thought-provoking and is one that I can say has genuinely left a lasting effect. With Christmas around the corner (a time for family, reflection and a reset) and with the recent shocking events from Bondi front of mind, I picked up this book last week knowing that I needed a little help in terms of my perspective.
Phosphorescence: Finding Light in Dark Times
When life feels heavy, uncertain or overwhelming we often look for solutions, ways to fix, optimise or push through. Julia Baird's 'Phosphorescence' offers readers something different exploring how people endure, adapt and continue to glow quietly through the difficult seasons of life.
This book is less about how to change your life and more about sustaining it, finding joy and wonder in it, especially when things don’t go to plan.
What’s the book about?
Phosphorescence blends memoir, science, history and nature writing to explore how humans find hope and meaning during adversity. Author, Julia Baird, who is an Aussie journalist and broadcaster, wrote the book during an incredibly difficult period for her marked by serious illness, personal loss and global instability. The result is a thoughtful and grounded reflection on resilience that feels deeply human.
Rather than offering a step-by-step self-help framework, Baird draws on research into awe, kindness, connection and endurance, alongside stories from her own life and from people throughout history who found ways to persist during dark times.
The title, Phosphorescence, comes from the natural phenomenon where certain organisms emit light after absorbing it, glowing not in spite of darkness, but because of it.
Key Lessons from Phosphorescence
1. Awe Is Essential, Not Optional
Moments of wonder, whether through nature, art or beauty, help us step outside ourselves and gain perspective. Baird argues that awe supports emotional resilience and helps regulate stress and fear.
“Moments of wonder are our right.”
Even brief experiences of awe can restore calm and remind us that the world is larger than our immediate problems.
2. Kindness Has Real Power
Small acts of kindness are not insignificant they are stabilising forces especially during times of uncertainty.
“Kindness is not weak or sentimental. It is radical.”
Baird reframes kindness as something active and resilient, capable of sustaining both the giver and the receiver.
3. Resilience Is Quiet and Ongoing
Resilience isn’t dramatic or loud. It’s built through routines, rest, relationships and persistence over time.
“We are capable of so much more than we think.”
Endurance often looks like continuing to show up, even imperfectly, rather than overcoming challenges all at once.
4. Connection Matters More Than Answers
"Humans are not meant to endure alone."
Shared experience, community and presence help soften pain, even when solutions aren’t available. The book reinforces that asking for help is not a failure, it’s part of how resilience works.
How to Apply It
Create space for awe: Spend time in nature, notice beauty, slow down enough to observe the world around you.
Practise small kindnesses: Check in on someone, offer help, listen without fixing.
Redefine resilience: Allow rest and gentleness to be part of strength, not signs of weakness.
Stay connected: Share how you’re really going with trusted people and make space for others to do the same.
These are not grand gestures. They don't need to be. They are small, sustainable practices that support long-term wellbeing.
Final Thoughts
Phosphorescence isn’t about becoming better, faster or stronger. It’s about learning how to keep going, thoughtfully, gently and honestly, through seasons of uncertainty, sadness and shock.
This book is a reminder that hope doesn’t always arrive as motivation or clarity. Sometimes it appears as steadiness, kindness or quiet light. And sometimes, that’s exactly what we need.
If you’re feeling stretched, tired or overwhelmed, Phosphorescence offers reassurance without clichés and insight without pressure making it a powerfully meaningful read that I'll bet you’ll return to more than once just like me.
Have you read this one already? Tell me what you think!
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