#113 - Part 1: Living Real: Redefining Success, Presence, and Happiness with Dr. Camille Preston

Dr. Camille Preston (business psychologist; AIM Leadership) joins Ryan to unpack the real work of redefining success, presence, and happiness. She shares the origin story of her book Living Real (the 4 a.m. “knock”), a season of grief that rewired her outlook, and a powerful distinction: many of us “shallow” our emotional range to stay safe—when the path forward is to “reel” (feel the full range) so we can live more honestly and connect more deeply.

Share this Episode: https://www.ryanwattslifecoaching.com/podcasts/the-personal-success-podcast-with-ryan-watts/episodes/2149108934

What We Cover

• Living Real origin story: “Sourcing life vs. forcing life,” and the snow-at-the-beach writing week

• The Illusions of Success: why “achievement = happiness” breaks us

• Shallowing vs. Reeling: the sine wave of life, the “boxes in the basement” house metaphor

• Loneliness & disconnection: sobering stats and why highlight reels numb us

• Nature as reset: how stepping outside (literally) restores space and inner listening

• Flow & attention: running, stillness, and letting ideas “download”

• Meaning in the lows: allowing sadness/bittersweet to clarify what matters

Memorable Quotes

“When we stop forcing life and start sourcing life, doors open.” — Dr. Camille Preston
“If you can strengthen your capacity to feel, you open yourself to more dimensions of life.” — Dr. Camille Preston

Mentioned + Necessary Links

• Dr. Camille Preston / AIM Leadership: https://www.aimleadership.com 

• Living Real (book + resources): https://livingreal.aimleadership.com 

  • Free Living Real Worksheets (near the bottom of page)

• Join the AIM Up beta (companion tech): [email protected] 

• Rewired (book): https://www.amazon.com/Rewired-Smarter-Purposefully-Productive-Overwired/dp/1477262929