Episodes

  • ‘The Next Big Idea Daily’: How to Raise Great Kids in a Messed-Up World (Ad-free)
    Jun 23 2025
    Science journalist Melinda Wenner Moyer, shares research-backed strategies for parenting with compassion, curiosity, and resilience from her new book, Hello, Cruel World!: Science-Based Strategies for Raising Terrific Kids in Terrifying Times. Follow The Next Big Idea Daily on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen Want more bite-sized insights from the best new nonfiction delivered straight to your inbox? Sign up for our Book of the Day newsletter
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    13 mins
  • Best Of: Michael Lewis Runs Toward Pleasure (Ad-free)
    Jun 19 2025
    This is one of our favorite conversations from the last year. On the surface, it's an interview we did with Michael Lewis to coincide with the paperback release of Going Infinite, his book about Sam Bankman-Fried and the collapse of FTX. Michael, who spent months hovering over Sam's shoulder, believes he wasn't some malevolent grifter: he was an awkward kid undone by a “pathological ability to foist risk upon other people without asking their permission." But what we love about this episode is that it's not only about the rise and fall of Sam Bankman-Fried. It's also about Michael's approach to writing — and living. He opens up about losing his daughter, shares what draws him to a story, and explains how taking pleasure in the world produces his best work. ️ Check out Michael's latest book, Who Is Government?: The Untold Story of Public Service Get 25% off a Next Big Idea Club subscription when you use the code PODCAST at https://nextbigideaclub.com/
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    1 hr and 8 mins
  • 'The Next Big Idea Daily': Sure, You're Smart — But What Kind of Smart? (Ad-free)
    Jun 16 2025
    Today, Travis Bradberry, author of ⁠The New Emotional Intelligence⁠, argues that understanding and managing your emotions — and the emotions of others — is even more important than IQ when it comes to success at work and in life. Follow The Next Big Idea Daily on ⁠Apple Podcasts⁠, ⁠Spotify⁠, or ⁠wherever you listen⁠ Want more bite-sized insights from the best new nonfiction delivered straight to your inbox? ⁠Sign up for our Book of the Day newsletter⁠
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    12 mins
  • How Susan Cain Found Her Voice (Ad-free)
    Jun 12 2025
    Susan Cain always knew she wanted to be a writer. But her path to becoming one was anything but straightforward. She took a creative writing class in college and came away convinced she wasn’t very talented. So she pivoted: law school, white-shoe firm, eyes set on making partner. Seven years later, a senior partner walked into her office with life-changing news. It wasn’t going to happen. “I burst into tears,” Susan recalls. Three hours later, she quit. Within a week, she enrolled in a creative non-fiction class. A few years after that, despite never having published a word in her life, she sold her first book, Quiet, in a bidding war. Today, she ranks among the most successful non-fiction writers of her generation. In this episode, Susan takes us inside her journey from rejection to literary sensation, revealing the unexpected lessons she learned along the way. Today’s episode first appeared on Author Insider, our newsletter and community for anyone who wants to turn words and ideas into income. Learn more at authorinsider.nextbigideaclub.com. Subscribe to Susan’s Substack, The Quiet Life, at thequietlife.net
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    42 mins
  • ‘The Next Big Idea Daily’: Where Were You During the AI Revolution? (Ad-free)
    Jun 9 2025
    If you want your organization to succeed in the future, you need to take advantage of AI now. Lucky for you, Adam Brotman and Andy Sack have written AI First, a playbook that can help you future-proof your business. To hear the rest of this week’s Next Big Idea Daily episodes, follow the show on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen Want to transform your day in just 10 minutes? Sign up for our Book of the Day newsletter, and you’ll get daily, bite‑sized insights from the best new nonfiction books — in audio or text — straight from the authors. Sign up today!
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    12 mins
  • HOPE FOR CYNICS: The Surprising Science of Human Goodness (Ad-free)
    Jun 5 2025
    We think that cynicism protects us from being disappointed by other people. But Stanford psychologist Jamil Zaki says the opposite is true. When we expect the worst in people, we create a self-fulfilling prophecy that brings out exactly what we feared. So in his new book, Hope for Cynics, Jamil sets out to prove that hope isn't naive: it's smart. Looking for a gift for the graduates in your life? How about a subscription to The Next Big Idea Club? They’ll get the smartest new nonfiction as chosen by our curators Malcolm Gladwell, Susan Cain, Daniel Pink, and Adam Grant. Go to nextbigideaclub.com and use the code GRADUATION to get 20% off a new or gift membership
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    54 mins
  • RISE ABOVE: How to Realize Your Full Potential (Ad-free)
    May 29 2025
    Psychologist Scott Barry Kaufman broke free from resentment and rumination, shifting into what he calls an empowerment mindset. Are you ready to do the same? • Support our show by becoming a Next Big Idea Club member. Learn more here
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    42 mins
  • MORAL AMBITION: Are You Wasting Your Talent? (Ad-free)
    May 22 2025
    What if everything we've been told about having a successful career is wrong? Rutger Bregman thinks most of us are wasting our working lives and argues we should stop trying to get rich and start trying to solve the world's problems instead.
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    1 hr and 17 mins
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