Melinda French Gates on navigating change
ReThinking
TED
4.7 • 626 Ratings
🗓️ 15 April 2025
⏱️ 35 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
Melinda French Gates is a philanthropist, business leader, advocate, and self-proclaimed “recovering perfectionist.” In her new book, The Next Day, she opens up about the lessons she’s learned about change, from getting divorced to leaving the Gates Foundation that she co-founded and co-chaired for decades. Melinda and Adam discuss how derailment can become an opportunity for growth and emphasize the importance of a strong support system. They also dig into Melinda’s perspective on philanthropy, and debate whether it’s best to give with your head or your heart.
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Host: Adam Grant (Instagram: @adamgrant | LinkedIn: @adammgrant | Website: adamgrant.net/)
Guest: Melinda French Gates (Instagram: @melindafrenchgates | LinkedIn: @melindagates | Website: melindafrenchgates.com/)
Links
The Next Day by Melinda French Gates
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ReThinking is produced by Cosmic Standard. Our Senior Producer is Jessica Glazer, our Engineer is Aja Simpson, our Technical Director is Jacob Winik, and our Executive Producer is Eliza Smith.
For the full text transcript, visit ted.com/podcasts/rethinking-with-adam-grant-transcripts
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Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | Looking to boost your career or just starting out? |
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| 0:33.2 | book, The Big Short, tells the story of the build-up and burst of the U.S. housing market back in 2008. |
| 0:40.4 | A decade ago, the Big Short was made into an Academy Award-winning movie. |
| 0:44.3 | Now I'm bringing it to you for the first time as an audiobook narrated by yours truly. |
| 0:49.8 | The Big Short's story, what it means to bet against the market, and who really pays for an unchecked |
| 0:55.1 | financial system, is as relevant today as it's ever been. Get the big short now at pushkin.fm. |
| 1:01.1 | Or wherever audiobooks are sold. |
| 1:08.6 | I think sometimes we get locked into our own ideas of where life is going or what we're supposed to do or who we're supposed to be. |
| 1:20.5 | Hey everyone, it's Adam Grant. |
| 1:22.6 | Welcome back to Rethinking, my podcast on the Science of What Makes Us Tick with the TED Audio Collective. |
| 1:28.2 | I'm an organizational psychologist, and I'm taking you inside the minds of fascinating people |
| 1:32.7 | to explore new thoughts and new ways of thinking. |
| 1:38.5 | My guest today is Melinda French Gates, philanthropist, businesswoman, and advocate for women |
| 1:43.8 | and girls. In her new book, |
| 1:46.0 | The Next Day, she opens up about the major changes in her life, from getting divorced to |
| 1:50.9 | leaving the Gates Foundation that she co-founded and co-chaired for decades. It's a poignant look at |
| 1:56.0 | ending one chapter of our lives and starting another, which isn't always a choice we make |
... |
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