Women in higher education leadership roles face complicated challenges in their professional roles, and struggle to maintain work-life balance, yet they make time to read for professional development and for pleasure. Utilizing grounded theory methodology, focus group methods, and grounded theory coding, this study examines the reading choices and habits of women in higher education leadership roles, delving into how they balance their reading between material tied to their professional interests and leisure reading material, and to what extent reading for pleasure contributes to their work-life balance. The study explores what reading materials women academic leaders consume, and where they acquire reading recommendations. The study also examines whether women had an early love of reading and when that began, and follows their reading choices and habits through K-12, college, graduate school, and their present lives. In addition, the study explores how reading has impacted women throughout their personal and professional lives, and how it has contributed to their current higher education leadership roles. Suggestions will be made regarding changes that can be implemented in curricula to better support and prepare young women to attain leadership positions and lead balanced lives once in these roles
