Well, That F*cked Me Up! Surviving Life Changing Events.

S6 EP18: Ron's Story - Breaking Free from My Own Ego!

Dr. Ron Camacho · May 22, 2026

Author · Leadership · Executive Coach · Life Coachin

Interview with Dr. Ron Camacho

S6 EP18: Ron's Story - Breaking Free from My Own Ego! — Dr. Ron Camacho

Podcast: Well, That F*cked Me Up! Surviving Life Changing Events.

May 22, 2026 · 30 min

Listen to Dr. Ron Camacho on Well, That F*cked Me Up! Surviving Life Changing Events..

Listen

S6 EP18: Ron's Story - Breaking Free from My Own Ego!
0:00 / --:--
Well, That F*cked Me Up! Surviving Life Changing Events.

GO TO APPLE PODCASTS →

Key topicsThe habits that make men look strong are often the ones quietly wrecking their livesRon can speak to the way anger, defensiveness, control, and ego often get mistaken for strength in men, especially in high-pressure environments where vulnerability is seen as weakness and pressure is constant. Drawing from his own life and leadership experience, he can unpack how those patterns damage marriages, careers, judgment, and self-respect long before most men are willing to admit there is a problem. It’s a powerful conversation for audiences interested in masculinity, discipline, leadership, and personal responsibility because it reframes self-awareness not as softness, but as the skill that keeps a man from becoming ruled by his own blind spots. The Man I Had to Stop BeingRon opens his book with an uncomfortable admission: early in his career, anger and ego shaped far more of his behaviour than he understood at the time. It was only when he began examining the trauma underneath those reactions, entering therapy and developing genuine self-awareness that he realised how much of what he had called strength was actually defensiveness. His story creates a powerful conversation about what it takes to look honestly at the person you have become, understand why you behave the way you do, and accept that lasting change begins long before anyone else can see it.Body Armor — Why the Toughness That Builds a Career Blocks Everyone in ItRon Camacho built his early leadership on toughness, control and never showing strain, and it worked, carrying him from SWAT command to chief of a 400-person agency. Most leadership advice treats that hardness as the cost of the job. Ron argues it is what makes a leader unreachable, because the same defensiveness that gets someone through a crisis stops anyone bringing them the truth. It took therapy, and a marriage close to ending, before he saw the pattern in himself. Listeners leave able to spot the moment their own toughness stopped protecting them and started keeping people out.View all topics →

About Dr. Ron Camacho

Dr. Ron Camacho, podcast guest

Leadership Expert | Author, Speaker & Executive Coach

30 years Career in policing400 Person police agency led4 Police departments servedGraduate FBI National Academy

Ron Camacho has spent three decades leading in some of the highest-pressure environments imaginable, but the work that defines his next chapter began with a much more personal challenge: confronting the role ego had played in his own life.

Early in his career, Ron built a version of leadership around toughness, control and relentless self-protection. It helped him rise quickly and take on significant responsibility, but it also came at a cost. Anger, defensiveness and unresolved trauma affected his relationships, his marriage and the way he moved through the world. What began as an attempt to save his marriage became a much deeper process of therapy, introspection and self-awareness - and ultimately a complete re-evaluation of what strength and leadership really mean.

That journey sits at the heart of Ron’s forthcoming book, which explores how ego quietly influences the way we lead, communicate, make decisions and respond when our identity or authority is challenged. Blending personal experience with decades of leadership at the highest levels of policing, Ron moves beyond theory to give readers practical tools for recognising and managing ego through self-awareness, journaling, feedback, mentorship, coaching, therapy and experiences that deliberately cultivate humility. His goal is simple: to help people see themselves more clearly and give them tangible tools they can use to change.

View profile →

About this episode

Send us Fan Mail

Ron Camacho is a veteran law enforcement executive who currently serves as the Chief of Police for the North Charleston Police Department (NCPD)

Ron was an angry, egotistical supervisor. He was running over people, “collecting men’s tears” in disciplinary meetings, and strutting through the halls like he'd won something. His ego was out of control  and he had no idea. Then his wife (now ex) gave him an ultimatum: marriage counseling or out of the house. He didn’t know it then, but therapy was going to save his life.

Six months of intensive therapy ripped open wounds Ron stuffed down for years. And in the process, something unexpected happened: the anger started to leave. The ego started to deflate. He started to see himself, and everyone around him differently.

Dr. Ron Camachobrings a deeply personal story centered on overcoming significant life adversity and rebuilding through discipline, mindset, and personal responsibility. His journey reflects a clear “before and after” transformation, with a strong emphasis on resilience, recovery, and the long-term process of regaining control after life-altering challenges. What an amazing episode!

Book: Bringing Ego to the Forefront: The First Step Toward Ego-Free Leadership – Books – Manuscripts

Site: Camacho Consulting

Support the show

Guest: Dr. Ron Camacho

Book Dr. Ron Camacho for your show

11+ podcast & stage appearances. Remote or in studio, broadcast-grade audio.

Request an interview →