THE RELENTLESS LIBRARY: Fuel for the Unstoppable

 

Welcome to the official reading list of The Relentless Project.

If you listen to the podcast, you know we don’t do fluff. We don’t do surface-level chatter. We dig deep into the stories of the people who refused to settle—the ones who faced the darkness, the doubt, and the impossible odds, and decided to push through anyway.

We believe that success leaves clues. Greatness isn’t an accident; it’s a habit, a mindset, and a discipline.

This isn’t just a list of "good books." This is an arsenal.

I’ve curated these titles because they capture the essence of what it means to Be Relentless. Inside, you’ll find the tactical blueprints of billionaires, the raw memoirs of survivors, and the psychological frameworks of world-class performers.

Your instructions are simple:

  1. Don’t hoard this list. Pick one book.

  2. Devour it. Underline it. Dog-ear the pages.

  3. Apply it. Knowledge without action is just trivia.

Whether you are looking to level up your career, callus your mind against failure, or just find the inspiration to take that first scary step—the answer is likely in these pages.

Stop waiting for permission to be great. It’s time to think bigger.

Let’s get to work.

— Ish Lopez, Host, The Relentless Project

Category 1: The Blueprint (Mindset & Discipline)

These books define what "relentless" actually means. They are the manuals for the mindset you want your listeners to adopt.

  1. Relentless: From Good to Great to Unstoppable – Tim Grover

    • The Vibe: The cornerstone of your list. Grover was Michael Jordan’s trainer. He distinguishes between "Cleaners" (the unstoppable) and everyone else. It’s blunt, unapologetic, and purely about results.

  2. Can’t Hurt Me – David Goggins

    • The Vibe: The ultimate testament to callous the mind. Goggins’ story of going from overweight and depressed to a Navy SEAL and ultramarathon runner epitomizes "refusing to settle."

  3. The War of Art – Steven Pressfield

    • The Vibe: Essential for anyone trying to create something. It identifies "Resistance" as the enemy of greatness and teaches you how to turn pro and do the work.

  4. Extreme Ownership – Jocko Willink & Leif Babin

    • The Vibe: No excuses. This book teaches that you are responsible for everything in your world. It’s the bedrock of leadership and self-mastery.

  5. Grit: The Power of Passion and Perseverance – Angela Duckworth

    • The Vibe: The science behind the hustle. It proves that effort counts twice and that talent is overrated compared to simple, relentless stamina.

  6. The 10X Rule – Grant Cardone

    • The Vibe: Pure "Think Bigger" energy. It argues that the biggest mistake people make is setting targets too low.

  7. Mindset: The New Psychology of Success – Carol Dweck

    • The Vibe: The difference between a "Fixed Mindset" (I am who I am) and a "Growth Mindset" (I can become anything).

  8. Don't Believe Everything You Think: Why Your Thinking Is The Beginning & End Of Suffering - Joseph Nguyen

    • The Vibe: A tactical manual for shutting down your inner saboteur. It proves that most suffering and hesitation is self-manufactured noise, teaching you to get out of your own way and execute.

 

 

Category 2: "Real F**king Life" (Gritty Memoirs)

Your podcast is about storytelling. These are the stories of people who started with nothing, faced hell, and kept going.

  1. Educated – Tara Westover

    • The Vibe: A harrowing story of a girl born to survivalists in the mountains of Idaho who steps into a classroom for the first time at 17. It explores the relentless pursuit of knowledge against impossible odds.

  3. The Glass Castle – Jeannette Walls

    • The Vibe: A raw look at poverty, dysfunctional parents, and the resilience of children who refuse to let their background dictate their future.

  4. Greenlights – Matthew McConaughey

    • The Vibe: Less "celebrity memoir" and more "philosophical playbook." It’s filled with "bumper sticker" wisdom about catching the green lights in life and dealing with the reds.

  5. Shoe Dog – Phil Knight

    • The Vibe: The messy, chaotic, near-bankrupt reality of building Nike. It destroys the myth of "overnight success" and shows the decades of grind required to build a legacy.

  6. Born a Crime – Trevor Noah

    • The Vibe: A masterclass in storytelling. It covers racism, survival, and the hustle of growing up in apartheid South Africa with humor and deep insight.

  7. Total Recall – Arnold Schwarzenegger

    • The Vibe: The definition of "Thinking Bigger." From a small Austrian village to Mr. Olympia, to Hollywood icon, to Governor. Arnold never accepted a ceiling.

  8. Kitchen Confidential – Anthony Bourdain

    • The Vibe: Gritty, sweaty, and real. It captures the relentless pressure of the culinary world and the passion required to survive it.

  9. Will – Will Smith

    • The Vibe: A deep dive into the work ethic that made him the biggest movie star in the world, and the personal demons he had to fight to stay there.

 

 

Category 3: Strategy & High Performance

Practical tools for your listeners to unleash their potential in their profession or hobbies.

  1. Atomic Habits – James Clear

    • The Vibe: Relentlessness isn't just about intensity; it's about consistency. This is the manual for building the systems that make success inevitable.

  3. Never Split the Difference – Chris Voss

    • The Vibe: High-stakes communication. Written by a former FBI hostage negotiator, it teaches how to get what you want in life and business.

  4. Deep Work – Cal Newport

    • The Vibe: In a distracted world, the ability to focus intensely is a superpower. This helps listeners push their cognitive limits.

  5. Mastery – Robert Greene

    • The Vibe: A historical look at how the "greats" (Da Vinci, Darwin, etc.) achieved their status. It argues that greatness is a process, not a gene.

  6. The Magic of Thinking Big – David J. Schwartz

    • The Vibe: Old school but essential. It addresses the "Think Bigger" pillar of your podcast directly, curing the fear of failure.

  7. Tools of Titans – Tim Ferriss

    • The Vibe: Since your podcast is like Rogan’s, this is a great fit. It creates a "handbook" of tactics from billionaires, icons, and world-class performers.

 

 

Category 4: Resilience & The Human Spirit

Books that explore the limits of human endurance and the refusal to give up.

  1. Man’s Search for Meaning – Viktor Frankl

    • The Vibe: The ultimate perspective shifter. If Frankl could find purpose in a concentration camp, your listeners can find it in their lives.

  3. Endurance: Shackleton’s Incredible Journey – Alfred Lansing

    • The Vibe: The true story of survival in the Antarctic. It is a terrifying and inspiring look at leadership when all hope is lost.

  4. Unbroken – Laura Hillenbrand

    • The Vibe: The story of Louis Zamperini—Olympian, airman, castaway, POW. It defines the human capacity to endure.

  5. The Obstacle Is the Way – Ryan Holiday

    • The Vibe: Stoicism for modern hustlers. It teaches that the thing blocking your path is the path.

  6. Tribe – Sebastian Junger

    • The Vibe: Explores why we need community and struggle to feel whole. It taps into the primal human need for purpose.

 

 

Category 5: Visionaries & Disruptors

Stories of those who changed the game by refusing to conform.

  1. Elon Musk – Walter Isaacson

    • The Vibe: A look at a mind that refuses to accept "impossible." It’s messy and controversial, but undeniably relentless.

  3. Steve Jobs – Walter Isaacson

    • The Vibe: The intersection of passion, perfectionism, and ferocity.

  4. The Alchemist – Paulo Coelho

    • The Vibe: A fiction pick, but essential. It’s a fable about following your "Personal Legend" and listening to the universe.

  5. Start with Why – Simon Sinek

    • The Vibe: People don't buy what you do; they buy why you do it. Great for listeners looking for their driving force.

 

The words on these pages are useless until you apply them.

Don’t treat this list as a trophy case of what you’ve read—treat it as a toolkit for the life you’re building. Pick one book, devour it, and let the ideas wreck your excuses. Knowledge is potential power, but execution is the only thing that changes the game.

Now, go get after it.