📚 Books That Built Me · BoomZeal Labs

Phil DePaul

18d (edited) • Riffs & Dumps

📚 Books That Built Me

I’ve been devouring books for years — mostly through Audible since 2013.

But I never stopped to truly organize them: Which ones shaped me the most?

So I mapped my all-time favorites through my personal BoomZeal SCARD values that drive how I live, lead, and build.

Maybe one of these will spark something in you too. BOOM! 💥

💡 SOLUTION-ORIENTED

...The ones that rewired how I solve problems and build systems.

Traction — Gino Wickman

> And the entire EOS series (Shine, Rocket Fuel, The EOS Life, etc.) — the premier framework to run your business and your life.

This Is Marketing — Seth Godin

> Pretty sure I've listened 10+ times already. Marketing is the generous act of solving someone’s problem, not selling your widgets

Becoming Your Own Banker — R. Nelson Nash

> Boring as hell… until it unlocks your inner wealth architect. Are you in the banking business? Why not?

The E-Myth Seminar — Michael Gerber

> ALL TIME FAVE! This recording alone changed the trajectory of my entrepreneurial brain as a teenager.

🤝 COLLABORATIVE

...The ones that prove greatness is never built alone.

How to Win Friends & Influence People — Dale Carnegie

> Come on, this one needs no explanation.

Who — Geoff Smart & Randy Street

> The manual for hiring and building teams. Right People, Right Seats.

Also see: Who Not How — Dan Sullivan

> If you want to go further, stop asking “How?” and start asking “Who?”

Team of Rivals — Doris Kearns Goodwin

> "The Political Genius of Abraham Lincoln" says it all. Leadership in it's truest form.

Delivering Happiness — Tony Hsieh

> Zappos’ mind-bending culture of service shattered my idea of being “average”

📏 ACCOUNTABLE

...The ones that remind you that no one’s coming to save you.

The Fountainhead — Ayn Rand

> For my fellow high-integrity contrarians. Build what you believe in, or don’t bother.

The Hard Thing About Hard Things — Ben Horowitz

> Narrator Kevin Kenerly brings this sucker to life in living color. He makes shit sandwiches taste gooood

Buy Back Your Time — Dan Martell

> Step-by-step on reclaiming your calendar. Bonus: pairs well with The 4-Hour Work Week.

Wooden on Leadership — John Wooden

> there is no audiobook, so I HAD to read the text. Once wasn't enough. Winning 10 Championships is a process; a meticulous, calculated, repetitive process.

The One Thing — Gary Keller

> If you have more than one priority, you have none.

💪 RESILIENT

...The ones that remind you to keep going — even when everything says stop.

Shoe Dog — Phil Knight

> Want to know how hard it is to build a legendary brand? Here’s your cookbook.

Open — Andre Agassi

> Raw, honest, and relentless. Redefines what “comeback” means. This story hit me deep.

Greenlights — Matthew McConaughey

> MM's velvety voice and unique paradigm just make life feel lighter.

Grit — Angela Duckworth

> Persistence > Talent.

Man’s Search for Meaning — Viktor Frankl

> The ultimate formula for staying human when life is hell.

Born a Crime — Trevor Noah

> In the U.S. we have first-world problems. And we aren't that funny. Trevor is.

Wisdom of the Bullfrog — Admiral William McRaven

> Short, sharp leadership truths forged under pressure. Love the zinger headlines!

Long Walk to Freedom — Nelson Mandela

> Full disclosure: this book is such a "long walk" I haven't even finished it yet, but it has already impacted me deeply on the compounding of time it takes rowing in the same direction to be great; and revealed how utterly distracted and impatient I am 😭

⚡ DYNAMIC

...The ones that challenge how you see the world — and how you move through it.

Steve Jobs — Walter Isaacson

> There's a reason why everyone on planet earth knows his name. And it's not because he wanted people to like him...

Beyond Entrepreneurship — Jim Collins

> And the whole Good to Great series — timeless strategy for growth.

Driven — Douglas Brackmann

> Explained a lot of my inner turmoil and helped me be more ok with my own wiring and just "being me"

Outwitting the Devil — Napoleon Hill

> Think and Grow Rich is the textbook, this is the secret decoder ring.

American Kingpin — Nick Bilton

> A wild dive into the man known as DPR and the rise and fall of the Silk Road and the mind behind it.