Have you ever wondered what it takes to succeed in a high-stakes business?

It’s not a simple life. There’s things to gain, but also things to lose. Today’s episode is an incredible cautionary tale for those of you who are building your way to success.

In today’s episode, Damon is joined by Butch Meily, former PR strategist to Reginald Lewis, a leveraged buyout dealmaker, and now humanitarian—to discuss his powerful memoir From Manila to Wall Street.

In this episode you’ll learn

• Why proximity to power can be both a blessing and a burden
• The personal cost of chasing high-level success
• What business titan Reginald Lewis taught Butch about leadership, identity, and pressure
• How Butch transitioned from PR executive to global humanitarian
• Why “ordinary lives” often lead to the deepest happiness
• And so much more.

Timestamps:

00:00 – Intro to Butch Meily

00:29 – The cost of attaching yourself to powerful people

01:30 – Why Butch finally wrote his memoir

02:36 – Who the book is for and how it's structured

03:50 – Butch’s first meeting with Reginald Lewis

05:17 – Reg’s early PR battle and the New York Times story

07:10 – Getting screamed at in a Bentley: Butch’s first ride with Reg

08:49 – The emotional toll of working under constant pressure

10:35 – Life regrets and the wisdom of Barbara Bush

12:10 – Can you have both success and happiness?

14:02 – Leveraged Buyouts 101 + the Beatrice takeover story

18:55 – Where Reg’s courage really came from

20:10 – Reg’s mantra: Keep going no matter what

22:18 – The role of luck and hard work

23:27 – Why America is still the land of opportunity

25:03 – Butch’s “candy cane” vision of America vs. Reg’s experience as a Black man

27:14 – The pressure of being “not a Black success—but an American success”

29:21 – The Hamptons mansion fire: real-life suspense

34:12 – Reg passes away, then Butch’s father dies days later

37:39 – Butch is fired—then brought back by an unexpected new CEO

40:12 – How Loyda Lewis led with grace, faith, and fierce business savvy

42:34 – Would Reg like the book? And why Butch wrote it now

44:36 – Butch’s new life: humanitarian work and startup mentorship

46:01 – Final lesson: why “ordinary” is extraordinary

Resources Mentioned:

• From Manila to Wall Street by Butch Meily
• Butch Meily LinkedIn
• Butch Meily’s Website
• Reginald F. Lewis Museum

About the Guest:

Butch is the author of the memoir, From Manila to Wall Street – An Immigrant’s Journey With America’s First Black Tycoon.

Butch’s current job is President of the Philippine Disaster Resilience Foundation (PDRF), a private sector disaster management organization that includes the major business groups in the country. He helped found PDRF,...