A Life in Books: Chris “Bulldog” Collins

Chris "Bulldog" Collins is an author and lifelong devotee of the written word. From his private library in Los Angeles, he curates a rare collection designed to inspire imagination and conversation, while his show Books That Changed My Life has featured guests such as Kelsey Grammer, writer E.A. Hanks, and actress Jenna Johnson. Collins is also the author of I Am Leader, a book that challenges conventional management training and offers a blueprint for developing confident, resilient leaders.

Do you remember when your passion for books started?

I was in my early 20s. I moved to Portland, Oregon, for a job, and it wasn’t going very well. What they had promised me as far as the job goes hadn’t happened, and I was in a conflict with them. I was pretty down on myself—pretty low. But I walked into Barnes & Noble in downtown Portland, and for some reason, I have no idea why, I ended up getting How to Win Friends and Influence People by Dale Carnegie. An hour after I bought it, I’m sitting on a park bench reading it in tears. I realize—even though I was right—that I was the problem. That was the first time I’d read a book that had a profound effect on how I saw the world. And from then on, I would seek out books. Books had a different priority after that.

How has your relationship with books changed since then?

I think if you’d asked me 10 years ago what my favorite book was, I could tell you. Now, with the amount of books I have, there’s no way I could pick a favorite. There are so many cool books I own.

What’s the philosophy behind your library and the brand you’re building?

That books can change your life and that, for me, it’s about the analogue experience. I love a physical book. I’ve never read a book on an iPad. It seems so weird to me [laughs].

When you interview your guests, do you see a pattern in the books that have shaped them?

I think the pattern is that there was a need. When there was a need, someone either recommended it to them or, like me, they just stumbled on a book and couldn’t explain why. It’s almost like there was some sort of higher power at work that put the book in their path. The common theme is that there’s some sort of void that only a book can fill.

What makes a book life-changing in your eyes?

A shift in perspective that usually comes with some sort of a well-told story. 

What’s the most meaningful interaction or experience you’ve had because of your platform?

The fact that there are millions of copies of books out there—pretty well known—that I’d just never heard of. People will come in and share books that have impacted them, and without my platform, I might never have heard of those books.

What’s the long-term vision for you in the area of your book brand?

Bookstore—book club. Can you imagine a bookstore named Books That Changed My Life? 

How do you balance intellectual depth with making literature accessible?

It’s kind of like Books That Changed My Life or books that I’m attracted to, they’re more human or human stories. I don’t know that I’m really attracted to things that are super intellectual. I’m more drawn to the human side of things.

How do you hope people feel about and engage with your library brand?

It’s a pattern-interrupt and an escape from reality—like our own little Narnia. People don’t expect to experience what they do when they walk in. Every part of it is designed and curated for effect—the coffee we serve, the layout, the colors, the textures, the space. It’s designed to make people feel comfortable, to inspire their imagination, and through that, it’s a place where they can learn. If people feel comfortable, they’re more open. And when they’re open, they’re willing to learn. So, it’s by design. 

How does your own book, I Am Leader, fit into the bigger picture?

I think that the reason things are going as well for us is that we’re creating things we wish existed. In my experience fixing businesses and going to leadership seminars and buying leadership books, I felt like none of it was really about leadership—it was more management training. So, I created that book because I wished it had existed, but it didn’t. It’s the same with the library. We created the library, and we do things the way we do them because we wished that these things existed. Not for any other reason.

Follow Chris on Instagram and get a copy of I Am A Leader