The Next Big Idea Daily
Next Big Idea Club
What if engaging with great ideas could become one of your daily habits? What if some of the best tips for living better and working smarter were served up with your morning coffee, a hit of motivation guaranteed to start your day right? That’s the idea behind The Next Big Idea Daily. We work with hundreds of non-fiction authors — experts in productivity, creativity, leadership, communication, and other fields. They distill their big ideas into bite-sized chunks, and we offer you one each morning.
Episodes
Mentioned books
6 snips
Oct 12, 2023 • 10min
S36 E4: "How to Raise Kids Who Aren't Assholes: Science-Based Strategies for Better Parenting—From Tots to Teens" by Melinda Wenner Moyer
Award-winning science journalist Melinda Wenner Moyer explores effective parenting strategies for raising good individuals, including building resiliency in kids by allowing them to fail and emphasizing effort over ability. She also discusses strategies for responding to misbehavior, teaching empathy, and using mediation to promote cooperation during conflicts.
Oct 11, 2023 • 14min
S36 E3: "The World Behind the World: Consciousness, Free Will, and the Limits of Science" by Erik Hoel
Neuroscientist Erik Hoel discusses the brain's role in creating conscious experiences. Topics include: the search for a scientific theory of consciousness, the integration of the hemispheres hypothesis, comparing encounters in the Odyssey and Ulysses, and the debate on free will with concepts from chaos theory and causal emergence.
Oct 10, 2023 • 12min
S36 E2: "The Right Call: What Sports Teach Us About Work and Life" by Sally Jenkins
Sportswriter Sally Jenkins shares insights on the importance of candidness and self-awareness in champions. Discover the five crucial ways observing exceptional athletes and coaches can enhance performance. Learn about conditioning, effective practice, embracing failure, and more. Explore the significance of failure in achieving success and shared principles of confident decision making.
Oct 9, 2023 • 15min
S36 E1: "Think Faster, Talk Smarter: How to Speak Successfully When You're Put on the Spot" by Matt Abrahams
Matt Abrahams, Stanford lecturer and host of 'Think Fast, Talk Smart' podcast, shares strategies for excelling in spontaneous communication. Learn anxiety management techniques, embrace mistakes as growth opportunities, enhance listening and connecting skills, and use a simple structure for effective communication.
5 snips
Oct 6, 2023 • 11min
S35 E2: "Drama Free: A Guide to Managing Unhealthy Family Relationships" by Nedra Glover Tawwab
Nedra Glover Tawwab, licensed therapist and bestselling relationship expert, offers clear advice for identifying dysfunctional family patterns and breaking the cycle. She emphasizes compassion, clear communication, and ongoing healing. It's important to remember loved ones who have passed away and seek support from mentors, therapists, and friends.
Oct 5, 2023 • 14min
S35 E4: "Longpath: Becoming the Great Ancestors Our Future Needs – An Antidote for Short-Termism" by Ari Wallach
Futurist Ari Wallach discusses the concept of long-term thinking as a solution to our current problems. He explores the flaws in short-term thinking, emphasizes the need for a perspective shift, and encourages co-creating the future through small actions and kindness.
Oct 4, 2023 • 16min
S35 E3: "Misbelief What Makes Rational People Believe Irrational Things" by Dan Ariely
Dan Ariely, social scientist, explores the behavior of misbelief leading to distrust of accepted truths and embracing conspiracy theories. He discusses his personal experience with misbelief, factors behind misbelief in rational people such as the need for a villain and cognitive biases, and the impact of social cohesion on belief formation.
Oct 3, 2023 • 16min
S35 E2: "Random Acts of Medicine: The Hidden Forces That Sway Doctors, Impact Patients, and Shape Our Health" by Anupam B. Jena & Christopher Worsham
Medical professionals Anupam B. Jena and Christopher Worsham discuss the hidden side of medicine, exploring how random events can profoundly impact our health. Topics include the correlation between birth month and flu shot rates, the idea that less medical care can sometimes lead to better outcomes, factors affecting our perception of a good doctor, and the influence of left-digit bias in medical decision-making.
Oct 2, 2023 • 10min
S35 E1: "Right Kind of Wrong: The Science of Failing Well" by Amy Edmondson
Amy Edmondson, Harvard Business School professor, discusses the power of failure as a means of learning and growth. She explores the concept of intelligent failures and the challenges in learning from them. Embracing failure is essential for innovation and success.
Sep 29, 2023 • 15min
S34 E5: "The Perfection Trap: Embracing the Power of Good Enough" by Thomas Curran
Tips for letting go of the pursuit of perfection and embracing 'good enough'; Understanding the difference between perfectionism and high standards; Impact of perfectionism on relationships; Escaping the weight of perfectionism
