March 12, 2025 • 12 mins
Looking back at the books I've read while finalizing The Reset Button, I realized (most of) my content consumption has been a roadmap of personal growth. The media we choose—books, podcasts, even social media—reflects our evolution and can be intentionally aligned with where we want to go.
In this episode, I'm sharing personal anecdotes that explore:
- How personal development content provides permission and direction in times of uncertainty
- Why spiritual exploration helped me develop my inner voice during major life changes
- The role of business and entrepreneurship content in fueling new ventures
- How shifting to health and longevity research mirrors my focus on sustainable wellness
- Why being selective about what you consume is more valuable than finishing content that doesn’t resonate
What does your content say about your past—and your future?
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
Hello and welcome to the Cameo Show.
I'm your host, cameo, and todayI'm going to take you on a
quick self-reflective journeywith me.
I've discovered something aboutmyself in a project that I'm
working on that I want to sharewith you because I think it's a
thought-provoking idea for youto explore about yourself.
If you're new here, thanks somuch for joining, and if you're
(00:20):
not new, welcome back.
I'm so grateful that you'rehere.
And if you're not new, welcomeback.
I'm so grateful that you'rehere.
As you may or may not know, I amcurrently finishing my book
project that I've been workingon for the last four years,
called the Reset Button.
I am finished with themanuscript.
It's fully proofread, edited.
It's actually off in interiorformatting.
Right now I've been finalizingthe cover design, working on the
(00:42):
marketing and launch plan andthe interior format, of course,
and as a part of that process,I've been digging out all of my
books, going through all of mybooks on the bookshelf.
If you're watching the video,you can see the mess behind me.
They're stacked up everywhere.
I'm using them as referencepoints for cover design, for
about the author, bio ideas forinterior format and content
(01:06):
ideas all of the things you know.
Something to use as a roadmap.
I don't have to reinvent thewheel but, of course, add my own
personal flair.
So, but that's not the point.
The point is, in looking at allof these books, what I've
discovered is that I've usedbooks over the last decade as a
way to seek growth andinspiration.
(01:27):
In fact, in my own book Ireferenced the women's books,
the personal development books Iread when I was first hitting
the reset button for myself andhow they were my girls' night in
crew.
And what I've discovered inlooking at this journey is that
each different phase over thelast decade that I've been in my
books reflect where I am inthat journey.
(01:47):
Now I realize that learning andpersonal development come in
many forms, not just books.
So this is where thethought-provoking piece for you
comes in.
I want you to take just asecond and think about the last
piece of content you consumed.
So, whether it was a book or apodcast, perhaps it was a
YouTube video or even aconversation that shifted your
(02:09):
perspective and sparked growth,that challenged maybe what you
knew or thought you knew andplanted some curiosity for you
to try something new or toembark on a new journey.
Because, as I mentioned, mylife has been mirrored in these
different phases by the contentI've consumed over the last 10
(02:30):
years, my actions, my mindset.
I can kind of tell where I wasif I go back through and see
what I was reading and at whattime in my life, and I think
that you'll possibly find thesame to be true for yourself.
Initially, I started reading alot of personal development
books, self-help books andlistening to podcasts of the
same genre.
(02:51):
I was on a true mission to findideas and proof from other
people, experiences from otherpeople that would help me
navigate my own challenges.
They're lessons that I couldgain some knowledge from.
One of the books that Iremember from the very earliest
days was called the MiracleMorning, and it talked about the
(03:12):
power of getting up at 5 am.
Now I'm not saying that that issomething that I still do
consistently or something thatyou should do, but what I am
saying is that it provided a newperspective for me about the
importance of taking back timein your day, and that was an
important thing that Iimplemented for many years after
reading that book on aconsistent basis.
(03:32):
That helped me steal time backwhen I was a little bit busier,
when I was in a different phaseof life and I needed that time
source of information.
I needed that inspiration, Ineeded that reasoning.
It's a great book, by the way.
It's also still a great concept.
Even though I may not do itconsistently right now, I highly
recommend it.
But reading books like that,listening to podcasts like the
(03:56):
Tim Ferriss Show, helped me feelmore in control.
It helped me dig into mycuriosity so that I could see
things from a different vantagepoint for longer term growth.
Now, I may not have always beencomfortable Usually I wasn't
because a lot of times thesebooks would reveal to me where
some of my deficiencies were,where some of the things that I
(04:18):
needed to do to maybe next levelmy life were missing in my
current situation and it wasdifficult to implement them.
Life were missing in my currentsituation and it was difficult
to implement them.
But the point is, during thatphase, reading those gave me
permission, it gave meinspiration, it gave me
motivation and it challenged meto do things differently that I
may not have otherwise knownabout, or how to do or where to
(04:39):
start.
Interestingly enough for me, asI go on my personal development
journey in reading books fromBrene Brown and Glennon Doyle.
I then started to dabble intosome spiritual books, some books
about being open-minded,because I was now becoming used
to challenging myself to thinkdifferently than I ever had.
(05:00):
And the truth is is that myknowledge, my investment in
myself and my own spiritualityat that point was very, very low
, and so through books, throughpodcasts, through even social
media, I was able to consumecontent about my inner self and
learn about differentphilosophies like Stoicism and
(05:23):
Buddhism.
It was then that I wasintroduced to meditation and
apps like the insight timer thathave a ton of guided
meditations or you can get themon Spotify or YouTube or
wherever.
Now there's all kinds ofmindfulness apps.
Again, not the point, but partof my evolution.
I went from learning how to pushmyself in personal growth to
(05:43):
really getting to know myselfinside and taught myself to slow
down and find balance in whatwas a really busy life with two
younger kids at the time, ahusband, a new setting we had
recently moved from Ohio toFlorida, a new business that we
were trying to figure out, amongother things.
So it was at that time when Ireally needed to find my inner
(06:07):
guide, and on my journey, yousee that in the books, which
then shifts to business andhustle.
So funny that I go from slowingdown and finding myself and
exploring spirituality and otherconcepts to this hustle mode.
But at that phase I was divinginto entrepreneurship, so the
shift focused, my contentfocused on business and
(06:29):
productivity and success, andlistening to podcasts like
mortgage marketing animals.
My husband and I own a mortgagecompany, so those types of
podcasts and books aboutbusiness and entrepreneurship in
general were high on mypriority list.
A huge impact book was called10X.
It's by Grant Cardone.
The concept of that book isthat if you have a goal, why not
(06:52):
make it 10 times as big?
Because you're already shootingfor something that maybe you're
not sure you can attain, so whynot make it bigger?
Then, if you fail, maybe you'lljust meet the goal that you
originally thought you wouldhave.
Or if you fail quote unquotethat you originally thought you
would have.
Or if you fail quote unquoteyou might fail further.
I started reading biographieslike Girlboss by Sophia Amoruso,
or books about startups likeShoe Dog by Phil Knight or the
(07:16):
Starbucks story All of thesestories of success from the
ground up.
So my personal development, myinner voice now my business
voice was all coming through andat that time we were starting
Brown Mortgage Group and weneeded to consume content that
inspired us to do the hard thing, to give us the motivation to
keep going, because, god, it'shard and there are days when you
(07:40):
feel like quitting, and socontent like that around hustle
mindset didn't mean go workharder, it meant work smarter,
learn from the greats, taketheir experience and apply it to
your own situation.
And more recently, I have beenobsessed with health and
wellness.
So I've always been involved inathletics.
(08:01):
I've always been in.
As a former professionalbodybuilder, I've been very
interested in nutrition andactivity.
It's sprinkled throughout.
I might've read a marathon bookhere or there, but what I'm
talking about in this phase isbooks about dopamine, books
about the female brain anatomy,books about fasting, books about
(08:22):
longevity, like Outlive by DrPita Tia, books on books, on
books about how to maximize andoptimize my health and my
nutrition, and in a way thatfits into my life, which is
still very busy.
But that challenges me to thinknext level about the mind and
(08:42):
body connection.
It challenges me to prioritizemy mental health, my physical
health, my wellbeingDocumentaries even fall into
that category or podcasts whereyou learn about where your food
comes from.
I remember a long time agowatching I can't even remember
which one, maybe it was ForksOver Knives.
I literally didn't eat meat forlike a year and a half and I
(09:05):
definitely nixed fast food.
I have since reverted back tothose old behaviors and I eat a
ton of meat, and that was beforebodybuilding days.
So that wasn't in this currentphase.
But those documentaries andthese books about your brain and
the human capacity to sufferand challenge ourselves outside
of our comfort zone, all tied tohealth and wellness, have
(09:28):
helped me focus on sustainablehabits rather than quick fixes.
So I share all of this with youquickly, just as I've been
reflecting on it myself, goingthrough all of these books as
reference points, and Ichallenge you to reflect on your
own journey.
So, as I mentioned before,thinking about the last content
that you consumed, what if thecontent that you consume is a
(09:50):
metric to your own progress?
What does your learning listsay about where you've been,
about where you want to go next?
Is it an alignment?
As you look at the past, doesit align with where you were?
And as you look forward to thefuture, what choices will you
make about the content that youconsume to make sure that it's
in alignment with where you wantto go.
(10:10):
It can be really revealingabout your focus in life as it
pertains to books, or anycontent for that matter.
Ryan Holiday is a thought leaderwho is a strong advocate for
reading books that engage youand not forcing yourself through
books that don't hold yourinterest and that could be for
anything, and I have had to kindof let go of that concept.
I like to start a book andfinish it, even if I'm not super
(10:34):
into it.
It's like a checklist item forme, it's a dopamine drip for me,
but I've gotten better at thatbecause we only have so much
time.
And why read something that'snot really speaking to you where
you are?
Why read something or watchsomething that's not really
connecting with where you wantto go?
So be very intentional aboutwhat you choose.
(10:54):
Don't just learn.
Reflect on what you're learningand use it as a tool to keep
evolving.
So I hope this has beeninsightful for you to learn
about yourself as you learnabout me, because that's what
this podcast is all aboutHearing other people's journeys,
their stories and connectingwith them yourself on some level
.
Thank you so much for beinghere.
There are new episodes everyWednesday, and I hope you'll
(11:16):
join us again soon.
Until next time.
Hello and welcome to the Cameo Show.
I'm your host, cameo, and todayI'm going to take you on a
quick self-reflective journeywith me.
I've discovered something aboutmyself in a project that I'm
working on that I want to sharewith you because I think it's a
thought-provoking idea for youto explore about yourself.
If you're new here, thanks somuch for joining, and if you're
(00:20):
not new, welcome back.
I'm so grateful that you'rehere.
And if you're not new, welcomeback.
I'm so grateful that you'rehere.
As you may or may not know, I amcurrently finishing my book
project that I've been workingon for the last four years,
called the Reset Button.
I am finished with themanuscript.
It's fully proofread, edited.
It's actually off in interiorformatting.
Right now I've been finalizingthe cover design, working on the
(00:42):
marketing and launch plan andthe interior format, of course,
and as a part of that process,I've been digging out all of my
books, going through all of mybooks on the bookshelf.
If you're watching the video,you can see the mess behind me.
They're stacked up everywhere.
I'm using them as referencepoints for cover design, for
about the author, bio ideas forinterior format and content
(01:06):
ideas all of the things you know.
Something to use as a roadmap.
I don't have to reinvent thewheel but, of course, add my own
personal flair.
So, but that's not the point.
The point is, in looking at allof these books, what I've
discovered is that I've usedbooks over the last decade as a
way to seek growth andinspiration.
(01:27):
In fact, in my own book Ireferenced the women's books,
the personal development books Iread when I was first hitting
the reset button for myself andhow they were my girls' night in
crew.
And what I've discovered inlooking at this journey is that
each different phase over thelast decade that I've been in my
books reflect where I am inthat journey.
(01:47):
Now I realize that learning andpersonal development come in
many forms, not just books.
So this is where thethought-provoking piece for you
comes in.
I want you to take just asecond and think about the last
piece of content you consumed.
So, whether it was a book or apodcast, perhaps it was a
YouTube video or even aconversation that shifted your
(02:09):
perspective and sparked growth,that challenged maybe what you
knew or thought you knew andplanted some curiosity for you
to try something new or toembark on a new journey.
Because, as I mentioned, mylife has been mirrored in these
different phases by the contentI've consumed over the last 10
(02:30):
years, my actions, my mindset.
I can kind of tell where I wasif I go back through and see
what I was reading and at whattime in my life, and I think
that you'll possibly find thesame to be true for yourself.
Initially, I started reading alot of personal development
books, self-help books andlistening to podcasts of the
same genre.
(02:51):
I was on a true mission to findideas and proof from other
people, experiences from otherpeople that would help me
navigate my own challenges.
They're lessons that I couldgain some knowledge from.
One of the books that Iremember from the very earliest
days was called the MiracleMorning, and it talked about the
(03:12):
power of getting up at 5 am.
Now I'm not saying that that issomething that I still do
consistently or something thatyou should do, but what I am
saying is that it provided a newperspective for me about the
importance of taking back timein your day, and that was an
important thing that Iimplemented for many years after
reading that book on aconsistent basis.
(03:32):
That helped me steal time backwhen I was a little bit busier,
when I was in a different phaseof life and I needed that time
source of information.
I needed that inspiration, Ineeded that reasoning.
It's a great book, by the way.
It's also still a great concept.
Even though I may not do itconsistently right now, I highly
recommend it.
But reading books like that,listening to podcasts like the
(03:56):
Tim Ferriss Show, helped me feelmore in control.
It helped me dig into mycuriosity so that I could see
things from a different vantagepoint for longer term growth.
Now, I may not have always beencomfortable Usually I wasn't
because a lot of times thesebooks would reveal to me where
some of my deficiencies were,where some of the things that I
(04:18):
needed to do to maybe next levelmy life were missing in my
current situation and it wasdifficult to implement them.
Life were missing in my currentsituation and it was difficult
to implement them.
But the point is, during thatphase, reading those gave me
permission, it gave meinspiration, it gave me
motivation and it challenged meto do things differently that I
may not have otherwise knownabout, or how to do or where to
(04:39):
start.
Interestingly enough for me, asI go on my personal development
journey in reading books fromBrene Brown and Glennon Doyle.
I then started to dabble intosome spiritual books, some books
about being open-minded,because I was now becoming used
to challenging myself to thinkdifferently than I ever had.
(05:00):
And the truth is is that myknowledge, my investment in
myself and my own spiritualityat that point was very, very low
, and so through books, throughpodcasts, through even social
media, I was able to consumecontent about my inner self and
learn about differentphilosophies like Stoicism and
(05:23):
Buddhism.
It was then that I wasintroduced to meditation and
apps like the insight timer thathave a ton of guided
meditations or you can get themon Spotify or YouTube or
wherever.
Now there's all kinds ofmindfulness apps.
Again, not the point, but partof my evolution.
I went from learning how to pushmyself in personal growth to
(05:43):
really getting to know myselfinside and taught myself to slow
down and find balance in whatwas a really busy life with two
younger kids at the time, ahusband, a new setting we had
recently moved from Ohio toFlorida, a new business that we
were trying to figure out, amongother things.
So it was at that time when Ireally needed to find my inner
(06:07):
guide, and on my journey, yousee that in the books, which
then shifts to business andhustle.
So funny that I go from slowingdown and finding myself and
exploring spirituality and otherconcepts to this hustle mode.
But at that phase I was divinginto entrepreneurship, so the
shift focused, my contentfocused on business and
(06:29):
productivity and success, andlistening to podcasts like
mortgage marketing animals.
My husband and I own a mortgagecompany, so those types of
podcasts and books aboutbusiness and entrepreneurship in
general were high on mypriority list.
A huge impact book was called10X.
It's by Grant Cardone.
The concept of that book isthat if you have a goal, why not
(06:52):
make it 10 times as big?
Because you're already shootingfor something that maybe you're
not sure you can attain, so whynot make it bigger?
Then, if you fail, maybe you'lljust meet the goal that you
originally thought you wouldhave.
Or if you fail quote unquotethat you originally thought you
would have.
Or if you fail quote unquoteyou might fail further.
I started reading biographieslike Girlboss by Sophia Amoruso,
or books about startups likeShoe Dog by Phil Knight or the
(07:16):
Starbucks story All of thesestories of success from the
ground up.
So my personal development, myinner voice now my business
voice was all coming through andat that time we were starting
Brown Mortgage Group and weneeded to consume content that
inspired us to do the hard thing, to give us the motivation to
keep going, because, god, it'shard and there are days when you
(07:40):
feel like quitting, and socontent like that around hustle
mindset didn't mean go workharder, it meant work smarter,
learn from the greats, taketheir experience and apply it to
your own situation.
And more recently, I have beenobsessed with health and
wellness.
So I've always been involved inathletics.
(08:01):
I've always been in.
As a former professionalbodybuilder, I've been very
interested in nutrition andactivity.
It's sprinkled throughout.
I might've read a marathon bookhere or there, but what I'm
talking about in this phase isbooks about dopamine, books
about the female brain anatomy,books about fasting, books about
(08:22):
longevity, like Outlive by DrPita Tia, books on books, on
books about how to maximize andoptimize my health and my
nutrition, and in a way thatfits into my life, which is
still very busy.
But that challenges me to thinknext level about the mind and
(08:42):
body connection.
It challenges me to prioritizemy mental health, my physical
health, my wellbeingDocumentaries even fall into
that category or podcasts whereyou learn about where your food
comes from.
I remember a long time agowatching I can't even remember
which one, maybe it was ForksOver Knives.
I literally didn't eat meat forlike a year and a half and I
(09:05):
definitely nixed fast food.
I have since reverted back tothose old behaviors and I eat a
ton of meat, and that was beforebodybuilding days.
So that wasn't in this currentphase.
But those documentaries andthese books about your brain and
the human capacity to sufferand challenge ourselves outside
of our comfort zone, all tied tohealth and wellness, have
(09:28):
helped me focus on sustainablehabits rather than quick fixes.
So I share all of this with youquickly, just as I've been
reflecting on it myself, goingthrough all of these books as
reference points, and Ichallenge you to reflect on your
own journey.
So, as I mentioned before,thinking about the last content
that you consumed, what if thecontent that you consume is a
(09:50):
metric to your own progress?
What does your learning listsay about where you've been,
about where you want to go next?
Is it an alignment?
As you look at the past, doesit align with where you were?
And as you look forward to thefuture, what choices will you
make about the content that youconsume to make sure that it's
in alignment with where you wantto go.
(10:10):
It can be really revealingabout your focus in life as it
pertains to books, or anycontent for that matter.
Ryan Holiday is a thought leaderwho is a strong advocate for
reading books that engage youand not forcing yourself through
books that don't hold yourinterest and that could be for
anything, and I have had to kindof let go of that concept.
I like to start a book andfinish it, even if I'm not super
(10:34):
into it.
It's like a checklist item forme, it's a dopamine drip for me,
but I've gotten better at thatbecause we only have so much
time.
And why read something that'snot really speaking to you where
you are?
Why read something or watchsomething that's not really
connecting with where you wantto go?
So be very intentional aboutwhat you choose.
(10:54):
Don't just learn.
Reflect on what you're learningand use it as a tool to keep
evolving.
So I hope this has beeninsightful for you to learn
about yourself as you learnabout me, because that's what
this podcast is all aboutHearing other people's journeys,
their stories and connectingwith them yourself on some level
.
Thank you so much for beinghere.
There are new episodes everyWednesday, and I hope you'll
(11:16):
join us again soon.
Until next time.
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