

The Next Big Idea
Next Big Idea Club
The Next Big Idea is a weekly series of in-depth interviews with the world’s leading thinkers. Join hosts Rufus Griscom and Caleb Bissinger — along with our curators, Malcolm Gladwell, Adam Grant, Susan Cain, and Daniel Pink — for conversations that might just change the way you see the world. New episodes every Thursday.
Episodes
Mentioned books

46 snips
Dec 14, 2023 • 1h 4min
PSYCHOLOGY OF MONEY: Timeless Lessons from Morgan Housel
In this podcast, Rufus Griscom interviews Morgan Housel, author of "Same as Ever." They discuss the timeless lessons from his new book, as well as his previous book, "The Psychology of Money." They explore the nostalgia surrounding the 1950s, the connection between status and money, and the enduring behaviors and patterns in human behavior. They also emphasize the importance of integrating optimism and pessimism, accepting life's challenges, and understanding incentives and self-interest. Overall, this podcast offers insightful wisdom on how to navigate the psychology of money and make better decisions in life.

6 snips
Dec 7, 2023 • 1h 6min
EVE: How the Female Body Drove 200 Million Years of Human Evolution
Cat Bohannon, author of 'Eve: How the Female Body Drove 200 Million Years of Human Evolution,' challenges male-centric narratives and discusses the exclusion of women in scientific studies. She explores family planning, the evolution of sexism, and midwifery practices, highlighting early matriarchy among homo sapiens. The podcast also explores the adaptability of hunter-gatherer societies, the dynamics of courtship and prostitution, and the importance of empowering women in society.

Nov 30, 2023 • 45min
THE FAMILY OUTING: Secrets, Memory, and Living Authentically
Journalist and podcaster Jessi Hempel discusses her memoir 'The Family Outing' in which she reveals how her immediate family members came out. It explores living authentically, the unreliability of memory, repairing relationships, centering others' experiences.

Nov 23, 2023 • 1h 8min
Mastering the Art of Difficult Conversations (with Anna Sale)
Anna Sale, host of the 'Death, Sex, & Money' podcast, shares expert advice on mastering difficult conversations. Topics include infidelity, navigating divorce, communicating in relationships, the power of personal stories, discussing money taboos, facing the reality of death, and the concept of successful aging.

113 snips
Nov 16, 2023 • 1h 12min
ACHIEVEMENT CULTURE: What It’s Doing to Our Kids—and to Us
This podcast discusses the negative impact of achievement culture on kids and adults, including rising rates of anxiety and depression. The guests explore the worries of parents and society regarding the well-being of children and present solutions to dismantle this culture. They also discuss the effects of achievement culture on individuals, the changing nature of work and wealth, the challenges of unwinding economic privilege, and the potential impact of AI on job sectors and education.

15 snips
Nov 9, 2023 • 59min
FAILURE: The Science of Learning From Your Mistakes
Learn about embracing failure for learning and growth, the role of failure in personal growth, the concept of elite failure practitioners, catching and correcting errors to prevent failures, intelligent failure and learning from mistakes, and the significance of learning from mistakes and avoiding overconfidence

289 snips
Nov 2, 2023 • 1h 5min
HOW TO KNOW A PERSON: The Art of Seeing Others Deeply (with David Brooks)
David Brooks, acclaimed author and New York Times columnist, discusses mastering the social skills of understanding and respecting others to make better decisions, enhance creativity, and repair social fabric. Topics include the significance of daily interactions, humanizing others, practical tips for great conversations, the power of storytelling, AI limitations, and finding deep connections in a community.

115 snips
Oct 26, 2023 • 1h 8min
HIDDEN POTENTIAL: Adam Grant on the Science of Achieving Greater Things
Adam Grant, author of 'Hidden Potential,' discusses the development of character skills, motivational tools, and learning systems that can help ordinary people achieve extraordinary things. Topics include unlocking hidden potential, demystifying extraordinary achievements, embracing discomfort for language learning success, behaving like a sponge, the power of reading, empowering individuals and tapping into collective intelligence, and the importance of character skills in achieving greater things.

Oct 19, 2023 • 53min
FACIAL RECOGNITION: A Secretive Startup's Quest to End Privacy as We Know It
Tech journalist Kashmir Hill discusses her book 'Your Face Belongs to Us' which explores the secretive startup Clearview AI and its controversial facial recognition technology. The podcast delves into the threats to privacy, the legality of scraping billions of photos, the societal and ethical implications, as well as the limitations and dangers of facial recognition and generative AI.

13 snips
Oct 12, 2023 • 48min
Daniel Pink and Brian Lowery Aren’t Sure That You Exist
Daniel Pink, going through an existential crisis, discusses Brian Lowery's book on the social creation of self and its impact on society. They challenge conventional beliefs about self, explore the complexity of identity and race, discuss the socially determined and ever-changing nature of our core self, and delve into the concept of freedom. They also analyze the impact of ostracism and the power of interactions and acts of kindness.