The neglected power of siblings with Susan Dominus
ReThinking
TED
4.7 • 626 Ratings
🗓️ 24 June 2025
⏱️ 41 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
Many parents believe that their actions will shape the success of their kids. But what if siblings actually matter more? Susan Dominus is a staff writer at the New York Times and the author of The Family Dynamic. In this episode, Susan and Adam discuss the psychology of achievement, the role siblings play in our accomplishments, and the relative impact of nature and nurture on excellence.
Follow
Host: Adam Grant (Instagram: @adamgrant | LinkedIn: @adammgrant | Website: adamgrant.net/)
Guest: Susan Dominus (Instagram: @suedominus | Website: https://english.yale.edu/people/full-part-time-lecturers/susan-dominus)
Links
The Family Dynamic: A Journey Into the Mystery of Sibling Success
Subscribe to TED
Instagram: @ted
YouTube: @TED
TikTok: @tedtoks
LinkedIn: @ted-conferences
Website: ted.com
Podcasts: ted.com/podcasts
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
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Transcript
Click on a timestamp to play from that location
| 0:00.0 | Debbie was in a bit of a pickle. |
| 0:03.0 | A Crisp and Gurkin sandwiches just weren't selling. |
| 0:07.0 | Until she had the good idea to use Canva to design her logo, |
| 0:11.0 | menus and social posts. |
| 0:14.0 | They looked good. |
| 0:17.0 | Really, really good. |
| 0:19.0 | Turns out Crisp and Gurkin sandwiches are right up everyone's street. |
| 0:23.5 | Even if that street now smells of pickles. |
| 0:26.7 | Thanks, Canva. |
| 0:29.8 | Hi, I'm Frances Fry. |
| 0:31.6 | And I'm Anne Morris. |
| 0:33.1 | And we are the hosts of a new TED podcast called Fixable. |
| 0:36.4 | We've helped leaders at some of the world's |
| 0:38.4 | most competitive companies solve all kinds of problems. On our show, we'll pull back the curtain |
| 0:43.9 | and give you the type of honest, unfiltered advice we usually reserve for top executives. Maybe you have a |
| 0:50.0 | coworker with boundary issues, or you want to know how to inspire and motivate your team. |
| 0:54.5 | No problem is too big or too small. Give us a call and we'll help you solve the problems you're stuck on. |
| 1:00.3 | Find fixable wherever you listen to podcasts. |
| 1:07.0 | I say that people over-emphasize the effect of parents in children's lives and success, |
| 1:13.0 | and they probably underestimate the influence of siblings in each other's lives. |
| 1:20.4 | Hey, everyone, it's Adam Grant. |
| 1:22.5 | Welcome back to Rethinking, my podcast with Ted on the Science of What Makes Us Tick. |
... |
Please login to see the full transcript.
Disclaimer: The podcast and artwork embedded on this page are from TED, and are the property of its owner and not affiliated with or endorsed by Tapesearch.
Generated transcripts are the property of TED and are distributed freely under the Fair Use doctrine. Transcripts generated by Tapesearch are not guaranteed to be accurate.
Copyright © Tapesearch 2026.