Know Thyself: Books That Changed Me

In this Know Thyself installment, Carmen explores the books that have shaped her inner life - not to recommend or sell them, but to show how rereading meaningful works can reveal identity, perspective, and joy. She reflects on the intimacy of physical books, the value of reading slowly (especially with aphantasia), and the grounding effect of returning to stories that stay with us.

Carmen discusses four works that continue to influence her: Paulo Coelho’s The Alchemist and its reminder that courage and the journey matter more than the treasure; Kahlil Gibran’s The Prophet, a lyrical collection she revisits by topic to reframe life with clarity and compassion; Rainer Maria Rilke’s Letters to a Young Poet, which affirms that creative identity comes from within, not from fame or validation; and Maya Angelou’s Complete Collected Poems, a source of strength, dignity, and the conviction that one’s voice matters.

She invites listeners to revisit the books, films, or music that resonate with them, reflect on why those choices endure, and consider what they reveal about self‑knowledge and joy.

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Music By Geovane Bruno, Moments, 3481
Editing by Team A-J
Host, Carmen Lezeth


DISCLAIMER:  As always, please do your own research and understand that the opinions in this podcast and livestream are meant for entertainment purposes only. States and other areas may have different rules and regulations governing certain aspects discussed in this podcast.  Nothing in our podcast or livestream is meant to be medical or legal advice. Please use common sense, and when in doubt, ask a professional for advice, assistance, help and guidance. 

Transcript

Carmen Lezeth, Host 

[00:16:00] welcome to Carmen Talk and this is the next installment in the Know Thyself series. And what I'm gonna do today is a little bit different. Actually, I guess the last episode was really different too. So thank you for all the outpouring of love and kindness on, uh, all of that. I really appreciate it.

[00:16:16] And for those of you who haven't seen the Know Thyself series, please check it out. so here is the deal today I wanna share about the stories that. Have changed me and made me who I am, and I wanna be clear. I'm gonna share this form of art, not because I'm promoting, not because I'm telling you that you should buy it.

[00:16:38] I make no money off of any of these, pieces of art that I'm gonna talk about, and I don't have anything to do with the publishing or whatever. That is not the point of what I'm sharing. What I'm sharing is. There are books that I have read that have changed my life and they are books that I continuously go back to on a regular basis for a lot of reasons.

[00:17:05] One of them is because, it's really hard for me to read in general, right? And that may be true for a lot of people because it's about comprehension. I read very slowly. Absolutely read very, very slowly. But that's not a bad thing. That can be an actual good thing.

[00:17:23] 'cause it means you're taking your time. And that's what I love about books. And when you have a book and you are able to sit and just focus on that book, I don't care if it takes me an hour to read a chapter or whatever it is, right?

[00:17:40] I am solely focused on that. That is right in front of me. And in this day and age where things are so scattered and all over the place and there's just, you're constantly being thrown information and ads or whatever, there is something beautiful about a tactile book, but also for me, because I do have aia.

[00:18:04] What happens is a book, a physical book, actually acts as a tactile way to see something on the screen so that I can try to understand what is going on because I don't make visual images in my head. So there's another. Part of that, but let's just talk about the stories because these stories can come from wherever for you.

[00:18:30] I am focusing on books because I think part of what we need to do is understand the beauty of reading, and so many people are not reading anymore and. I think there's a sadness to it, not just because it helps us in so many different ways to learn so much, but we have a perception that we think reading needs to be really, really fast and it needs to be, if not, it needs to be probably unenjoyable or something we have to do for school or something we have to do.

[00:19:06] 'cause we're reading an article on politics. Reading can be really enjoyable, and the stories that we read impact who we are and who we become. And so I wanna share those. Well, a few of the books that I love that have helped change my life and have made me the person I am today. 

[00:19:26] these are the books that have stayed with me and, I love them. People know my favorite movies. They know my favorite music. They know, but most people don't know my favorite books. And again, this is about you coming up with your own list. But I want you to understand why it matters to you so much.

[00:19:46] Because it's part of the building blocks on who we have become and who we are becoming, right? Especially the things that we love and keep going back to. So the first book I'm gonna pick. These are not in any order, but this is The Alchemist. And The Alchemist is a very well-known book 

[00:20:06] It is about a young boy Santiago, who goes on a quest to find treasure and he's going to go find gold. And so he goes along this entire journey and. On this journey, he meets all of these mentors. And if you know anything about me at all, and if you've read my book at all, 

[00:20:29] my whole book is about mentors. So the connection between me and the Alchemist is so profound because. I think we're all in a quest to find something, We're all on that pathway, but who we are along the journey and who we meet along the way and what they are able to share with us.

[00:20:53] Ah. That to me has been my saving grace, That's why I wrote an entire book about it. But The Alchemist is more than that, It's, it's about courage. It's about going along the path, even when you are scared. Even when you are afraid, probably more so. Because you are afraid. 

[00:21:13] This is a fable. And so it's really an easy read for me, but also because I've read it so many times. It's like anything else. Once you know the storyline and the plot right, it becomes easier and easier. But every time I read it, I find something new and I'm like, yes.

[00:21:29] Yes. And that's what we want to be able to reflect back on when we look at the things in our lives that have mattered and have meant something to us. What are those yes moments? What are those moments where we had an aha where we learned something about ourselves? And I think you can already figure out that one of the greatest things about the Alchemist is the treasure that he ends up finding.

[00:21:55] Has nothing to do with gold, right? Nothing to do with gold at all, and is far more priceless and important. And that my friends, that to me is pure joy.

[00:22:09] The Prophet is a whole other book. This is, this is probably the book I go to more often than any other. It's The Prophet by Khalil Giran. Uh, it is absolutely a masterpiece. And let me explain a little bit about how this book is set up. It is in chapters, very short, short chapters, and there is a.

[00:22:36] Poeticness to it. he's very lyrical and it might seem like it's a little bit hard to read sometimes, but it's allegorical, I guess is the right word to say. But let me just tell you what I love about this book.

[00:22:51] So what I love about this book is. It's about Al Mustafa who is in a village, and he is going to leave the village. And as he decides to leave the village, he can see his ship is coming to get him. And as he's about to leave the villagers, come and ask him, please tell us about love. And he answers, please tell us about work.

[00:23:18] And he answers, please tell us about. And he answers right Marriage. He goes down the whole list. And when you first open the book, there's a whole list of it says like, on Love on Work. I'm gonna read you just a short piece because, this is actually a book we can read the entire book on, because it's now in public domain.

[00:23:40] but I'm just gonna read a short part and then explain why this book means so much to me. When you part from your friend, you grieve not for that which you love most in him may be clearer in his absence as the mountain to the climber is clearer from the plane. 

[00:24:02] he talks on friendship and it's like three pages. Okay, let me explain that in Carmen lingo. So if you are climbing a mountaintop, if you are climbing on a mountain and you are in the trek of the mountain, you can't see the entire mountain, but you still love the mountain, right? 'cause you're walking on the mountain.

[00:24:25] However. Once you get down from the mountain and you can see it from the plane, like you can see it from standing at the ground and you can see the mountain. You can admire and love that mountain in a whole different way. And I think about my friendships, right? 'cause that's what this is about. It's about friendships.

[00:24:44] There was a time when we all hung out. Like we, you know, when, I mean, I went to college with Mia, so we were, we were roommates, we lived with each other, so it was like every day, you know, we know everything about each other.

[00:24:56] And with Andrea, it's kind of the same thing. Like when I moved here to Los Angeles, she became one of my really first friends out here. And we would hang out, you know, we would watch, um, sex in the City together. We would go out and have drinks together, whatever. And I would see my friends all the time.

[00:25:12] And then. Everybody got married, everybody had kids, everybody had families. People moved away and you couldn't see them anymore. And what I realized is even though there was a sadness in not seeing them, that I saw them so much. More deeply and differently from the plane, I could see them differently and love them even more from afar, because that's what real friendship is, right?

[00:25:39] That's what real friendship is. It doesn't matter that it's not every day. It doesn't matter that it's not all the time. It. But what does matter is that no matter where they are, and no matter what is going on, my love for them is fierce, and I know that's the same for them as well. So this book, this book, in all of these subjects.

[00:26:02] Allows me to be able to see things from a different perspective and find the joy and positivity in it. Anyway, this is by far just one of the best books I have ever been given. And I read it all the time, and you don't have to read it from beginning to, I mean, you should the first time because it's so fascinating.

[00:26:27] But what you really wanna do is get to a place where you can just open it up. Like when you need to know something on a subject, you can just open it up and let me, let me see what, what khal is, you know what I mean? Like that's kinda what I do like. Like it's on, on pain, on self-knowledge, on teaching, on friendship, on talking.

[00:26:46] So all the subjects are there and, it's a really great template and I hope that, if you haven't read it, you might wanna read it again. This is,this is a, a, a great book, but this is what it means to me. And maybe you have a book in your life that is just like this for you too. I hope so. I hope so.

[00:27:05] Okay. The next book I wanna talk about is one that has taught me about. No matter what anyone else thinks, I know who I am, especially when it comes to creativity. It doesn't matter that I'm not widely successful. It doesn't matter that I don't make money off of my art. It doesn't matter. Like I know in my heart of hearts that every day that I wake up and I do A, B, C, and D, that is who I am.

[00:27:35] And. I wasn't okay with that for a long time. 'cause I thought you had to be famous. I thought you had to be like, whatever. This book, this is letters to a young poet by Rene. Rene Maria. I always say the name wrong.

[00:27:52] That's what you should know. Okay. Letters to a young poet. It's a great book. And here's the thing that's amazing about this book. What happens is all you're reading are the 10 letters that. Okay. That the author, I'm just gonna say the author. writes 10 letters to a young poet who keeps asking him to validate him to, basically he's saying like, Hey, you are a famous poet.

[00:28:23] You're a famous writer. You're a famous this, can you tell me if my stuff is any good? And the author keeps writing back gently, kindly with nurturing and love, but saying basically, if you wake up every day and you think you are a writer and that's all you think about all the time, then like, who am I to tell you?

[00:28:48] Whether you're a write, you are a writer. If that's who you are, it doesn't matter what else you're doing. If that's what you do every day, then you are a writer and, If any of you can guess what movie that's from. 'cause there's, a movie where this book, it's so ironic and, the person says, if you wake up every day, girl and you're a.

[00:29:09] Singer, the nearest singer girl. I forget what the right quote is, but if you know, you know, I'm just saying like, this book shows up in a, in a contemporary movie with a very, uh, interesting, I'm gonna say ego, actress who says it. Anyways, I digress. This book. Is about knowing who you are creatively. To me, this is what it is, and to believe in it anyways and to stand your ground.

[00:29:39] Do you take information and criticisms and do you. Ebb and flow and try things to make things work. Absolutely. No one is saying that you're not gonna grow as an artist, that you're not gonna try to do better, that you're not gonna try to be, better at the craft that you're into, but no one is going to tell you.

[00:30:01] You're not an actor. No one is going to tell you that you are not a writer. No one is going to tell you that you are not a photographer, a landscaper or a mountain climber, a whatever, an engineer, whatever an astronaut, whatever it is you think you want to be and who you are, if that's what you believe you are, then you will find a way to be it because it is in you now.

[00:30:28] You have to have the skills. Right. You have to have the ability to do it. But if you're getting up every day and you're trying really, really hard, then you have to believe in that. 

[00:30:39] You should read this book if you need to be inspired and reminded, reminded of who you are, especially creatively, because so many of us get so sad and get so thrown by, all the things we think we should have as opposed to being excited about the art. And look it, I know.

[00:31:01] You are not gonna tell me something I don't already know that yes, you need money. Yes, you need money in order to do your art and whatever. That's not what this is about. But let me just address that too, 'cause I think it's really important. I think it's unfortunate that in the world we live in, everything is about money and profit, and that's how it's always been since the beginning of time.

[00:31:22] It started with bartering, right? I'm gonna give you this, if you give me that, and unfortunately we're at such a height of it now, that there is just so much distraction. There is so much. That happens, and it's all because people are trying to make a buck. 

[00:31:37] It is unfortunate that everything hinges on money, but here's what I want you to hear from me. You doing your art has to be for you.

[00:31:52] If you can't figure out how to do your art for you, you will always be in pain. You will always be sad and you will always feel defeated. 

[00:32:03] For me, it's all about the joy. That's what I'm doing. That's where I'm putting all of my energy into, and I can only hope that other people feel the same way. Do not let money be the reason why you do not believe in who you are. 

[00:32:19] Okay. This book, this is the last book I'm gonna share with you. one of the people that I had the honor of meeting twice and, 

[00:32:28] she's just different. Okay. So, and also she reminds me of my mom, which is a whole other thing. But, the next book that I refer to probably on a, I'm gonna say every other day basis, is Maya angelou's, the complete collected poems of Maya Angelou. So this is, all of her poetry, and if you know anything about Maya Angelou.

[00:32:51] One of the things that was most beautiful about her, so many things, but she wrote, I know why the Caged Bird sings is her autobiography. but she writes about

[00:33:08] fierceness, strength, rising, from. You know, like still I Rise is one of her most famous. Poems, pieces of poetry. But the reason why I'm hesitating a little bit is because, listen, there's no doubt that she writes about the black experience because that's where she's coming from. But here's my problem with qualifying it that way, is I didn't say anything about these other books and about their ethnicities, right?

[00:33:38] So that's why I am hesitant because this is a book. If anything, I would say. Everyone should be reading it. Everyone should be reading it because it's not just about blackness, there's a piece of poetry in here that if you had ever had the gift or blessing to see her.

[00:34:00] Perform it in person. Phenomenal woman. Oh my goodness.

[00:34:05] it is powerful. It is incredible. It is amazing. But I'll tell you, one of my favorite pieces in here is called On the Pulse of mourning. 

[00:34:17] she read this piece of poetry, this piece of lyrical beautifulness at president Bill Clinton's inauguration. But let me just share this last part Here on the pulse of this new day, you may have the grace to look up and out and into your sister's eyes and into your brother's face your country, and say simply, very simply, with hope

[00:34:47] good morning. This whole piece that she wrote and what I think encompasses the entire book is about who we all can be together. And she talks about all of the different ethnicities and who we are as people. And the strength of Maya Angelou just in the way that she writes, it's she's singing. To me, it's not poetry.

[00:35:20] This to me is more singing and joyful. And even when she's talking about hard things, it is. From the place of positivity, and it's about courage and it's about strength, and it's about power, and it's about women and men and all of us and how we can be. Better than we used to be. Really, that is the essence of all of it.

[00:35:48] And in Maya Angelou's words is always this amount of wisdom that seeps through into your pores and you can't help but take it in because your soul is like infused with the energy in which she writes. And I think that's why I love, I feel like I learn about, how to speak, how to write, how to express myself, because I have read so much of Maya Angelou and.

[00:36:23] I have a strength in how I, exert what I feel. I'm not afraid, we kid around on the show about how blunt I am, how mean I am, how whatever. but really what it is I don't make excuses for who I am. I know who I am. I feel comfortable in my skin, and I feel even more comfortable letting you know who I am.

[00:36:46] what I've learned from reading Maya Angelou's work is. About my inner strength, my inner peace for sure, and the power of who I am and that I matter. No matter what. I matter whether you like me or not, or whether the world sees me or not.

[00:37:07] I matter. And that's what I want you to get out of this. 

[00:37:12] So I invite you to maybe dust off one of your old books and pull it out and maybe just open up to any random page, especially a book that really resonated with you. And I wonder why it mattered to you so much. Not just because the writing was good or it was easy to read or, but what was it that you learned about?

[00:37:40] Who you are by reading that book because the things that resonate with us resonate with us for a reason. 

[00:37:49] And so what I'm sharing with you today is not so much about, oh, you need to go read books.

[00:37:54] I want you to pull out a book that maybe resonated with you and think about maybe reading it again. And here's the thing, there's no right or wrong way to do this for you. It may be movies. For you, it may be music, whatever it is. Why does it matter to you so much? Everyone knows that my top three movies are The Color Purple Field of Dreams and 2001 a Space Odyssey.

[00:38:21] I think if you've watched any of our shows, you can probably figure out why those three movies resonate with me so deeply. 'cause we've talked about it so many times and what I'm asking you to do is not blow off anything else in your life that has resonated with you. Make sure you understand why it matters to you so much.

[00:38:42] So take a moment, do some reflection. Hopefully you'll pick up a book. It is a really lost art of reading a story quietly. I'm telling you, we need to get back to some, some basics. One of them is hanging out with each other, but the other one is also reading. Uh, but whatever works for you is good.

[00:39:05] Thank you so much for stopping by, for hanging out with me. Please feel free to reach out if you have any questions. You need any more information, follow us on YouTube. We really do need the subscribers. And yeah, remember at the end of the day, it really is all about the joy. Bye everyone.