David Reggina’s new book 30 Lessons to Lead: From Breakdowns to Breakthroughs delivers a much-needed disruption, one grounded in practice, not platitudes. At a time when motivation fades faster than a morning coffee, Reggina offers something far more valuable: a roadmap built on consistency, clarity, and lived experience.
What sets 30 Lessons to Lead apart isn’t just its digestible structure, each chapter takes only 15–20 minutes to read but the deeper philosophy it teaches: the compound effect. According to Reggina, this isn’t just a book. It’s a system for sustainable leadership. Small, intentional actions, done daily, multiply over time into meaningful, life-changing momentum. But there’s a catch: the reverse is also true.
“Inaction compounds just as fast,” Reggina cautions. “One missed step turns into two. One poor decision becomes a pattern.” His message lands because it’s not theoretical, it’s personal.
From overcoming Crohn’s disease as a teen to enduring divorce and health scares, from raising a daughter while holding public office as Deputy Commissioner in New York to growing a globally ranked podcast and founding the leadership platform Action Cultivates Excellence (ACE), Reggina’s story is proof of principle. These aren’t abstract lessons. They’re hard-won truths.
Each chapter follows a structured flow designed for impact and implementation. It begins with a bold leadership principle, ranging from topics like discipline and empathy to communication and focus. That principle is followed by a real-life story drawn from Reggina’s own experiences navigating illness, hardship, entrepreneurship, and public service. From there, readers are given tactical takeaways they can apply immediately, regardless of industry or background. Each lesson closes with a clear action step for immediate momentum and a reflection question to help internalize the growth.
This isn’t another motivational read destined for the bookshelf. It’s an interactive playbook designed to be lived. And that’s exactly why it’s landing so powerfully with a wide audience, athletes, educators, entrepreneurs, executives, public servants, and parents alike.
In Lesson 1, Self-Discipline, Reggina explores how a structured morning routine laid the groundwork for his personal and professional transformation. Lesson 6, Communication, challenges readers to speak with clarity and intention, saying less, but meaning more. Lesson 15, Focus, shows how one small habit, setting a 9 PM “Do Not Disturb”, unlocked sharper performance across every area of his life. In Lesson 19, Discomfort, Reggina reframes hardship as a teacher, making the case that our toughest moments often shape our greatest leadership.
This is leadership that doesn’t demand perfection, it demands presence. As Reggina writes, “Leadership is what you do when nobody’s watching, and how often you do it.”
His approach is already resonating with high performers who know what it’s like to feel stretched thin. CEOs are turning to it for clarity amid chaos. Busy parents are using it to stay grounded while setting an example at home. Athletes are discovering that mental resilience is just as important as physical strength. Public servants are finding ways to lead with both structure and empathy in increasingly complex systems.
These readers aren’t just flipping through Reggina’s book. They’re integrating it.
And that’s the power of 30 Lessons to Lead. It shows us that transformation doesn’t come from consuming more content. It comes from applying it, bit by bit, day by day. The book doesn’t ask for a weekend binge-read. It asks for commitment.
This is the book for the person who’s ready to stop starting over.
As Reggina puts it, “Growth doesn’t happen when you read a book. It happens when you apply it.”
And if you follow the system, lesson by lesson, line by line, your leadership won’t just improve. It will compound.
Preorder your copy of 30 Lessons to Lead: From Breakdowns to Breakthroughs on the website and follow @DaveRegg for tools, resources, and daily leadership fuel.
