Books That Changed My Life

Lizzo on Love, Mentors, Authenticity, New Children's Book

871 views · 4d ago · 1:09:26

On this episode of Books That Changed My Life, singer, rapper, and flutist Lizzo joins host Chris Collins to talk about Marianne Williamson’s “A Return to Love.” The book came to her just after she moved to Los Angeles. Her MTV show had ended, and she was, in her words, “one big bleeding broken heart.”

Topics: "A Return to Love" in 60 Seconds · Moving to L.A. Against Her Wishes · What Unconditional Love Means · A Series of Broken Hearts · Falling for Someone She Couldn't Be With · Finding Her Girl in Marianne Williamson

📚 Books mentioned: A Return to Love · Lil Lizzo Meets Sasha B Flootin

Amy Grant Reflects on New Album, Pot Roast, and Charlotte's Web

8.2K views · 1w ago · 48:41

On this episode of Books That Changed My Life, singer-songwriter Amy Grant joins host Chris Collins to talk about E.B. White’s “Charlotte’s Web.” Grant first heard the book at age seven, when her second-grade teacher in Nashville read it aloud to the class, and she went on to read it again and again. She says it taught her to notice the teachers and helpers who show up from unexpected places, and that the end of a life matters as much as the beginning.

Topics: Hearing "Charlotte's Web" in second grade · Growing up in Nashville · "Where's Papa going with that axe?" · What the spider means · Luck vs. hard work · Talking to animals

Jake Kiszka on Greta Van Fleet, Touring, Self-Actualization, and The Alchemist

8.8K views · 1w ago · 39:40

On this episode of Books That Changed My Life, Greta Van Fleet guitarist Jake Kiszka joins host Chris Collins to talk about Paulo Coelho's "The Alchemist." Jake left home as a teenager when the band's first record exploded, and life quickly became what he calls "a reckless abandonment of madness." When Mark Geiger suggested "The Alchemist," it offered Jake a philosophy for understanding his personal legend and the world he was suddenly living in.

Topics: How "The Alchemist" Found Jake · "The Alchemist" in 60 Seconds · A Book for an Identity Crisis · How Listeners Reinterpret Music · Narcissus and the Lake · The World's Greatest Lie

Tony Robbins gave Tom Hopper a Formula for Everything | Awaken the Giant Within

1.6K views · 2w ago · 49:31

On this episode of Books That Changed My Life, actor and producer Tom Hopper joins host Chris Collins to talk about Tony Robbins’ “Awaken the Giant Within.” Tom read the book during COVID on a friend’s recommendation. He found it put into words a formula he’d already been following in his fitness, his career, and his relationships.

Topics: Tony Robbins or Charles Bukowski? · How "Awaken the Giant Within" changed Tom's life · The book in 60 seconds · How Tom found Tony Robbins · Small decisions, big outcomes · Fate and "doors of opportunity"

How Hunter S. Thompson Inspired Greta Van Fleet's Josh Kiszka

8.5K views · 2w ago · 27:52

On this episode of Books That Changed My Life, Greta Van Fleet frontman Josh Kiszka joins host Chris Collins to talk about Hunter S. Thompson's "Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas." Josh discovered the book as a young man, and it changed the way he approached his writing, showing him that direct brutality could be poetic.

Topics: How "Fear and Loathing" changed Josh's writing · Rock and roll, anti-authority style · Would Josh have survived the '60s? · The book in 60 seconds · Hunter S. Thompson's daily routine · Self-torture in the service of creativity

📚 Book mentioned: s rock and roll, anti-authority style, the famous opening line, Thompson

Tiffani Thiessen on Karma, Past Lives, and The Seat of the Soul

2.7K views · 3w ago · 44:28

On this episode of Books That Changed My Life, Saved By The Bell and Beverly Hills, 90210 star Tiffani Thiessen joins host Chris Collins to talk about Gary Zukav's "The Seat of the Soul." Thiessen grew up in a spiritual, though not religious, family. Her grandmother taught her to "treasure map" anything she wanted: write it down and put the energy out there. When she read Zukav's book in her late teens and early 20s, it reinforced those lessons.

Topics: A grandmother who taught her to "treasure map" · What is a soul? · Past lives, and aliens · Karma goes both ways · Vegetarian for 15 years, until a burger · "We're being tested"