You Are Your Feed: Your Mind Is Downstream From What You Consume
You are your feed.
In social media, your “feed” is defined as “the continuously updating stream of content like posts, photos, and videos that appears on a user’s homepage.”
When I suggest you are your feed, I’m not just talking about the scroll you hop into on your favorite social media platforms.
Your “feed” can be defined as any input into your mind.
What you read. What you listen to. What kinds of conversations you get into with people. What you scroll.
Your feed is any input into how you think.
The way you think is a lagging measure of the sum total of all that you consume.
Your feed in life shapes your subconscious thoughts, your future conscious thoughts, your beliefs about yourself, your beliefs about life, your motives, your purpose, your definition of success, your discipline, your lifestyle, and your level of drifting.
If you took a personal audit of your feed what would come to mind?
Would you say you curate your feed like an amateur or a professional?
What downstream perspectives and outlooks (helpful or unhelpful) can be traced back to your feed?
Are you deploying the level of agency over your feed that would be associated with a “flourishing leader”?
Is your feed helping you cultivate a flourishing mind? Or is it a status quo approach that has become all too comfortable?
Are you satisfied with your feed heading into 2026?
If it is true that our feed (what we read, what we listen to, what kinds of conversations we get into, and what we scroll) shapes so much of our lives, then it may not be an overstatement to say - you are your feed.
Take inventory of your feed. And consider adding deep reading to it
With all the effortless scrolling we do these days, 2026 may be a great time to recommit to deep reading. I’ve found the deeper I read, the more social media fodder feels like eating a bag of Doritos compared to a delicious Steak. The more I read so deeply I lose track of time, the more the news, and the topics of the day feel completely understimulating. (I’m all for being informed, but let's be honest the news is more “entertainment” than it is “information” these days.)
As you take inventory of your feed, I want to share my reading list from 2025. I’ve never set a numerical goal for books completed in a year but it may be a great way to change your feed. I read 15 books this year, however one of them is 700+ pages and should probably count for more than just one on the ledger - (you can see why I don’t set numerical goals for books read in a year.)
Reach out if you’d like to hear more about any of the books on the list. Here they are in no particular order.
The Way of the Warrior Kid: Marc’s Mission - by Jocko Willink
The bedtime read for our family as we raise three boys. Our 7 and 6 year olds love this book. Jocko Willink is a former Navy Seal and leadership expert. The second book in his children’s book trilogy produced some great mindset and leadership conversations in the Brown household this year.
Raising Emotionally Healthy Boys - by David Thomas
Young boys have a lot going on “under the hood.” I’ve become increasingly convinced in my work as a mental performance coach to elite athletes, top NCAA Division I coaches, and business executives that not all “mental” problems are “mental problems” but may be unhealthy emotional issues presenting themselves as “mental problems.” While this book is written through the lens of raising emotionally healthy boys it provides a great framework for the principles and practices of a healthy emotional life for all. Flourishing is a mental, emotional, physical and spiritual endeavor.
The Ruthless Elimination of Hurry - by John Mark Comer
A re-read for me over the summer and has become an annual classic in my life and leadership. I first read this book in 2023 and like many was completely blown away and challenged by it. If you find yourself constantly feeling crammed by the demands of your job, your career, your ambitious goals, this is a must read.
Hard Comes First - by Rod Ray
I had the privilege of spending some time with Rod Ray, head coach of Wofford College Tennis, in August out in Wyoming at a coaches retreat for college tennis coaches from around the country. I meet a lot of coaches and leaders and Rod is by far one of the most impressive leaders I’ve ever met. His presence is infectious and he has packaged decades of life and coaching wisdom into this great book.
Flow: The Psychology of Optimal Experiences - by Mihaly Csikzentmihalyi
Everyone is seeking some sense of flow in their peak performance journey. This classic book on concentration and “optimal experiences” has provoked a lot of reflection and study in my own journey working with coaches and leaders.
Win The Inside Game - by Steve Magness
The latest book in Steve Magness’s high performance masterpieces. Always have enjoyed his nuanced take on performance and excellence.
Heart Breath Mind - by Dr. Leah Lagos
I first came across Dr. Lagos work, with Boston Celtics Coach, Joe Mazzulla about a year ago. She is one of the leading practitioners in the world and in this book she distills down a 10-week protocol to train your heart, reduce stress, and raise your performance.
A Burning in My Bones - by Winn Collier
This book was a biography of Eugene Peterson’s life. Eugene Peterson is one of the foremost christian philosophers in recent age and was the author of the Message Bible. I’ve always loved biographies because you get a sense that many extraordinary lives were stacked with very ordinary days. This was an inspiring read and should provoke a lot of introspection on what legacy you want to live.
How Champions Think - by Dr. Bob Rotella
This may have been my favorite book of 2025 for me. Dr. Rotella is one of the best sports psychologists in the world. He has worked with many top athletes and is the leading mental coach in professional golf. While his past clients include Lebron James, and Rory McIlroy he shares and writes in a way that feels like you, the reader, are being coached by an old uncle who cares deeply about you.
The Oxygen Advantage - by Patrick McKeown
I’ve learned more about breathwork from Patrick McKeown than any other person or resource in the world. I became a Certified Functional Breathwork Instructor through McKeown’s organization and this book became a cornerstone of my training to become a better coach and add more value for the clients I have the privilege of serving. A great exhaustive look at the field of breathwork.
Inner Excellence - by Jim Murphy
This book went viral in the NFC championship last year as Philadelphia Eagles WR, AJ Brown was reading it on the sideline in between drives on offense. I picked up a copy earlier this fall and have to say it is well worth the hype. One of the best mental performance books I’ve ever read and Murphy’s perspectives align closely with everything I believe and teach about how to flourish from a mental, emotional, and spiritual perspective.
Emotionally Healthy Spirituality Day by Day - by Pete Scazzero
Pete Scazzero has become one of my favorite authors as he has written so much on how the emotional life impacts the spiritual life and how the spiritual life should impact more of the emotional life but often does not. If you are a person of faith this is a must read to deepen your walk and raise your self-awareness in 2026.
Team of Rivals the Political Genius of Abraham Lincoln - by Doris Kearns Goodwin
I had always had a high view of the leadership of Abraham Lincoln (who doesn’t?) But this read has been a masterclass on leadership. Lincoln led the nation in the most turbulent times as we all know, what I did NOT know was how effective he was in rallying a group of people he defeated in the presidential election to join his cause as cabinet members. Whatever view you have of Lincoln’s leadership, it is better! Empathy, authenticity, character, friendship have now emerged as core leadership tenants in my leadership philosophy because of what I learned directly from the life of Abraham Lincoln in this book.
Coaching the Mental Game - by Harvey Dorfman
Harvey is the OG mental performance coach in baseball long before mental coaching was a “thing.” His books were instrumental in my playing career as an athlete and the backbone of my philosophy as a college coach in my career as well. Great re-read for me in the early days of 2025. This book is not exclusive to baseball coaches.
Lead With Prayer The Spiritual Habits of World Changing Leaders - by Ryan Skoog, Peter Greer, Cameron Doolittle, Jill Heisy
This was recommended to me just a few weeks ago and made for an easy Thanksgiving read last week. One of the best books to anchor in taking inventory of your “feed.” What if prayer wasn’t just some meditative practice to experience “zen” or “mindfulness” but was actually the very vehicle to lead with clarity, confidence, and conviction in 2026? I give this book my highest recommendation and encourage you to put it at the top of your list
Enjoy the reading list - be sure to reply with your reading recommendations I need to put into my feed next year.
P.S. I heard this read isn’t too bad either.
Stay The Course,
