The Next Big Idea

Could AI take over in the next few years? Daniel Kokotajlo thinks so. Here’s why. 💿 Check out this Spotify playlist of our other episodes about AI 📩 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!

Transcribed - Published: 1 May 2025

Adulting is hard. Lucky for us Raffi Grinberg, author of How to Be a Grown Up, is here to help. 📱 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

Transcribed - Published: 28 April 2025

Remember magazines? Piled high on coffee tables or tucked into seatback pockets. Savored beneath beach umbrellas or skimmed anxiously in dental waiting rooms. Glorious, glossy magazines. Graydon Carter made some of the best. He started with Spy, a sly, sharp-edged monthly that managed to feel both smarter and more mischievous than anything else on the rack. But it was Vanity Fair that became his cathedral. Over his remarkable 25-year tenure as editor, he built the magazine into a financial juggernaut and a cultural touchstone renowned for its ambitious journalism and arresting photography. The hard-won wisdom he gathered along the way — about editing, storytelling, leadership, and how to leave before the music stops — is the subject of his new memoir, When the Going Was Good. (This conversation was recorded live at WBUR Cityspace.) 💿 Check out this playlist of our interviews featuring magazine greats like Michael Lewis, Sebastian Junger, Kara Swisher, and David Grann.

Transcribed - Published: 24 April 2025

Laura Delano spent fourteen years under psychiatric care, working with a variety of diagnosed mental illnesses and trying every drug and therapy that promised to “fix” her. But eventually she started wondering what if the problem wasn’t in her brain, but in the system itself? 📱 Follow The Next Big Idea Daily 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!

Transcribed - Published: 21 April 2025

You know those families where the kids all grow up to be remarkably successful? New York Times journalist Susan Dominus has spent the last few years getting to know some of them, looking for parenting techniques and life lessons. She's written a book about her findings called The Family Dynamic. "I thought I wrote a book about high-achieving families," she tells us, "but when I look back, it's really a book about families who did believe that the sky's the limit." 📕 Pre-order The Family Dynamic on Amazon, Bookshop, or from your local bookstore, send a copy of your receipt to [email protected], and we'll give you three months of free access to our paid Substack!

Transcribed - Published: 17 April 2025

How to start, build, buy, scale, and sell a business that expands your life. 📱 Follow The Next Big Idea Daily 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!

Transcribed - Published: 14 April 2025

Abundance by Ezra Klein and Derek Thompson is probably the most talked-about book in the country right now. And the most hotly debated. It’s a book about how we got here — here being a country without enough housing, a country that has lost its ambitious optimism, a country that has forgotten how to build. The prescription Ezra and Derek offer to cure what ails us is conspicuously pro-growth: more housing, more clean energy, more scientific development and technological innovation. But to pull that off, they argue, will require Democrats to question their endemic zeal for regulation. This view has fired up some liberals while simultaneously drawing ire from others. Today, Rufus sits down with Derek Thompson to talk about the book, the reaction to it, and how to convince political leaders from both sides of the aisle to embrace a liberalism that builds.

Transcribed - Published: 10 April 2025

📱 Follow The Next Big Idea Daily 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!

Transcribed - Published: 7 April 2025

To thrive in this day and age, smaller cities must create innovation economies. But how can they do that when tech jobs, venture capital, and R&D are concentrated in a handful of big coastal cities, while the broad middle of the country is left out? That's a problem. Nicholas Lalla, founder of Tulsa Innovation Labs, has big ideas for how to change it. 📱 Follow The Next Big Idea Daily 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!

Transcribed - Published: 7 April 2025

We’re often told that success comes down to talent, hard work, and luck. But Adam Grant's research suggests that view is missing something crucial. In today’s installment of Next Big Idea Classics, Adam revisits his 2013 bestseller “Give and Take,” explaining how our interactions with others determine who thrives and who doesn’t. 💿 For Adam’s previous appearances on the show, click here 🎙️ And check out our classic interviews with Daniel Pink, Kim Scott, and James Clear

Transcribed - Published: 3 April 2025

Caroline Fleck shares five big ideas from her new book, "Validation: How the Skill Set That Revolutionized Psychology Will Transform Your Relationships, Increase Your Influence, and Change Your Life." 📩 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!

Transcribed - Published: 31 March 2025

In 2008, a mysterious figure created Bitcoin — a digital currency without banks or borders that sparked a global financial movement. And then he disappeared without a trace. Who is Satoshi Nakamoto? Why did he vanish? And why hasn’t he touched his $100 billion fortune? Today on the show, we talk to journalist Ben Wallace about his search for answers. 📕 The Mysterious Mr. Nakamoto 📩 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!

Transcribed - Published: 27 March 2025

Sleep researcher Olivia Walch on why your body’s clock is so messed up and what to do about it. 📱 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!

Transcribed - Published: 24 March 2025

Can you change who you are? When reporter Olga Khazan decided she was tired of being a “high-strung misanthrope” (her words), she turned to science for answers. What she discovered about personality — and how to change it — might surprise you. Host: Daniel Pink Guest: Olga Khazan Book: Me, But Better This episode was recorded live at Politics and Prose on March 12th.

Transcribed - Published: 20 March 2025

Two of TIME’s 100 Most Influential People in AI share what you need to know about AI — and how to defend yourself against bogus AI claims and products. 📱 Follow The Next Big Idea Daily on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen 📕 AI Snake Oil: What Artificial Intelligence Can Do, What It Can’t, and How to Tell the Difference by Arvind Narayanan & Sayash Kapoor 📩 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!

Transcribed - Published: 17 March 2025

Every day you inhale 2,000 gallons of air. What’s in there? 📕 Air-Borne: The Hidden History of the Life We Breathe by Carl Zimmer 📩 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!

Transcribed - Published: 13 March 2025

Electric vehicles are here to stay. What does that mean for the automotive industry, the world, and you? 📕 Inevitable by Mike Colias 📱 Follow The Next Big Idea Daily 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!

Transcribed - Published: 10 March 2025

Turns out it’s not all about the Benjamins. Real success, according to Sahil Bloom, author of “The 5 Types of Wealth,” also requires the freedom to decide how you spend your time, meaningful relationships, a sense of purpose that pulls you forward, and the kind of health that lets you actually enjoy all of the above. 📩 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!

Transcribed - Published: 6 March 2025

Steve Magness shares five key insights from his new book "Win the Inside Game." 📱 Follow The Next Big Idea Daily 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!

Transcribed - Published: 3 March 2025

In part two of our conversation with Will Storr about his new book A Story Is a Deal, he reveals the five storytelling techniques you can use to captivate any audience. Plus, he helps us craft the story of the Next Big Idea Club. 1️⃣ Listen to Part 1 here 📩 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!

Transcribed - Published: 27 February 2025

Let’s face it — your relationship with your phone is toxic. Luckily, Catherine Price is here to help. 📱 Follow The Next Big Idea Daily 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!

Transcribed - Published: 24 February 2025

Today, we’re sitting down with Will Storr, author of the dazzling new book A Story Is a Deal, to talk about humanity’s greatest invention: story. More than just entertainment, Will argues, story is what we do and who we are. It’s how we make sense of the world, captivate, and persuade. And yet for all its power, storytelling isn’t some elusive magic trick — it’s a skill. One you can learn. Will’s here to show you how. 🎧 Listen to Will’s previous appearance on the podcast here 📩 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!

Transcribed - Published: 20 February 2025

Valentine’s Day is behind us, but don’t let your relationship slip into screensaver mode. Relationships need ongoing attention and care. That’s why we’ve invited Jay Shetty — author of the #1 New York Times bestseller Think Like a Monk and host of the hit podcast On Purpose — to share insights from his latest book, 8 Rules of Love. Get ready for practical advice that will keep your love life vibrant all year long. 📱 Follow The Next Big Idea Daily 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!

Transcribed - Published: 17 February 2025

When Rajiv Shah was in his late 20s and didn’t know what to do with his life, he got a job at a fledgling nonprofit, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. Before he knew it, he was a driving force behind a global vaccination program that immunized 900 million children and saved 16 million lives. At 36, he became the administrator of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), managing a $20 billion budget, overseeing a staff of 10,000, and leading the U.S. response to global humanitarian crises. Today, as president of the Rockefeller Foundation, he’s finding innovative solutions to mitigate climate change and end energy poverty. What connects these experiences? At every step, Raj maintained a big bet mentality. What is a big bet? “A concerted effort to fundamentally solve a single, pressing problem in your community or our world. Big bets require setting profound, seemingly unachievable goals and believing they are achievable.” In this episode, he shares his methodology for creating large-scale change and making the world a better place. (This episode was first broadcast in 2024.) 💿 For more episodes about aid, philanthropy, and how best to solve the world’s problems, check out this playlist 📩 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!

Transcribed - Published: 13 February 2025

Philosopher Jeff Sebo calls for a revolution in ethics, suggesting we expand our “moral circle” to everything from insects to AI. 📱 Follow The Next Big Idea Daily 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!

Transcribed - Published: 10 February 2025

In this special audio essay, Rufus reflects on the big ideas from 2024 that altered his worldview. 🎙️ You can find all of the interviews mentioned in this episode in this Spotify playlist 📩 Want to transform your day in just 10 minutes? Subscribe to 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!

Transcribed - Published: 6 February 2025

Faster, easier communication was supposed to make the world better. Instead, it made us miserable. How did we get here, and what can we do about it? For answers, we turn to Nicholas Carr, author of the new book “Superbloom.” 📱 Follow The Next Big Idea Daily on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen 📩 Check out our Substack

Transcribed - Published: 3 February 2025

A recent Pew Research survey found that most Americans are more worried than excited about AI. Reid Hoffman, however, isn't one of them. He knows the risks — arms races, runaway superintelligence, the whole humans-being-turned-into paperclips scenario — but he's still convinced that AI is poised to usher in an era of extraordinary human progress. And as you'll hear in this episode, he makes a pretty good case. Reid is the co-founder of LinkedIn, Inflection AI, and Manas AI, a partner at the venture capital firm Greylock, and host of the podcasts "Masters of Scale" and "Possible." Just this week, he published a thrilling new book called "Superagency: What Could Possibly Go Right with Our AI Future." Today, he tells Rufus why he's "unequivocally very optimistic" about AI (and why you should be, too), how he's using AI in his daily life, and why he doesn't think DeepSeek is as much of a game-changer as some people say. 📱 Follow The Next Big Idea on Apple Podcasts or Spotify

Transcribed - Published: 30 January 2025

Algorithms have penetrated the most intimate aspects of our psychology. Here’s what you can do about it. 📕 Mindmasters: The Data-Driven Science of Predicting and Changing Human Behavior by Sandra Matz 📱 Follow The Next Big Idea Daily on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen 📩 Check out our Substack

Transcribed - Published: 27 January 2025

We've got a special treat for you today. We invited Ethan Kross — psychologist, neuroscientist, and author of the bestseller "Chatter" — to give us a sneak peek at his new book, "Shift." It comes out in February, and it's a myth-busting, science-based guide to mastering your emotional life using tools you already possess. 📕 Pre-order Ethan's book here 🎧 Check out Ethan's previous appearance on the show: Apple Podcasts | Spotify

Transcribed - Published: 23 January 2025

Why has so little progress been made on the wealth gap? 📩 Check out our daily Substack

Transcribed - Published: 20 January 2025

In our deeply divided nation, there's one thing many of us seem to agree on: winter is the worst. A recent study found that nearly half of Americans would skip winter if they could. Yet not everyone dreads the cold months. Psychologist Kari Leibowitz has spent years studying these winter-lovers, and she's arrived at a surprising truth: people who thrive this time of year aren't just born that way — they've learned to see the season differently. So can you. Guest: Kari Leibowitz, author of "How to Winter" Host: Caleb Bissinger 📩 Want big ideas sent straight to your inbox every morning? Sign up for our Book of the Day newsletter

Transcribed - Published: 16 January 2025

Forget flashy startups — the real path to wealth is buying the local car wash. Today, former Wall Street investor Codie Sanchez reveals how acquiring unsexy but profitable businesses can build more reliable wealth than chasing the next unicorn. 📕 Main Street Millionaire 🎙️ Follow The Next Big Idea Daily on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen

Transcribed - Published: 13 January 2025

What drives human motivation? For years, the answer seemed simple: rewards. Dangle the right carrot — a bonus, stock options, "Employee of the Month" certificate — and people will perform. But Daniel Pink's 2009 bestseller "Drive" flipped this idea on its head. Drawing on decades of scientific research, Dan revealed that our deepest motivations come from within: the innate drive for autonomy, mastery, and purpose. Now, 15 years after "Drive" revolutionized our understanding of motivation, Dan joins us to discuss how this science has evolved and what it means for anyone trying to motivate themselves or others in today's rapidly changing world. 💿 You can find Dan's previous appearances on the show here 📰 And follow his Washington Post column "Why Not?" 🎧 Check out our Next Big Idea Classics episodes with James Clear and Kim Scott 📱 Follow The Next Big Idea on Apple Podcasts or Spotify

Transcribed - Published: 9 January 2025

Want to write emails people will actually read? Author Jenn Bane is here to show you how. Her new book, which she co-wrote with Melissa Harris, is “Everybody Needs an Editor: The Essential Guide to Clear and Effective Writing.” 🎙️ Follow The Next Big Idea Daily on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen

Transcribed - Published: 6 January 2025

Forming a new habit is tough. Sticking with it is even tougher. That’s probably why someone buys a copy of James Clear’s 2018 book “Atomic Habits” every 11 seconds. James breaks down the science of habit formation into simple, actionable steps anyone can take — even you. Today on the show, he talks Rufus through the four laws of behavior change, explains how small improvements compound over time to produce remarkable results, and offers easy tips you can use now to kick bad habits and adopt good ones.

Transcribed - Published: 2 January 2025

Arthur C. Brooks used to run a prominent think tank where he was paid handsomely to influence public policy. Did all that success make him happy? Nope. So Arthur quit his job and set out to transform his life. Now he’s written a book about what he learned along the way, the #1 New York Times bestseller “From Strength to Strength: Finding Success, Happiness, and Deep Purpose in the Second Half of Life.” 💿 Want to listen back to our favorite episodes of 2024? Check out this playlist

Transcribed - Published: 26 December 2024

Elsa Richardson shares five big ideas from her book "Rumbles: A Curious History of the Gut." 📱 Follow the Next Big Idea Daily on Apple Podcasts or Spotify ✉️ Check out our newsletter, Book of the Day 🎁 Need a last-minute gift for the readers in your life? You can get 30% off a Next Big Idea Club gift membership when you use code HOLIDAY30 at nextbigideaclub.com

Transcribed - Published: 23 December 2024

Does free will exist on a sliding scale? Will humans and AI co-evolve? Are aliens already here on earth? These are just a few of the many mind-bending questions Rufus and Sara Walker, author of “Life as No One Knows It,” explore in the second half of their conversation. 1️⃣ If you missed the first half of Sara’s interview, you can find it here 🧪 Want to hear more of our interviews with brilliant scientists? Check out this playlist 🎁 Take 20% off a Next Big Idea Club subscription or gift when you use the code PODCAST20 at nextbigideaclub.com

Transcribed - Published: 19 December 2024

We’ve had many bracing thinkers on this show, but Sara Walker might take the cake. A physicist and astrobiologist at Arizona State University, she's just written "Life as No One Knows It: The Physics of Life's Emergence," a thrilling exploration of life's origins and the search for it across the cosmos. 🕐 The second part of this conversation will be available on Thursday. If you can’t wait until then, you can hear it right now on The Next Big Idea app 🎁 Take 20% off a Next Big Idea Club subscription when you use code PODCAST20 at nextbigideaclub.com

Transcribed - Published: 17 December 2024

It’s the winter solstice this week, which means we have officially hit the darkest time of the year. But dark doesn’t have to mean bleak. That’s the premise of “How To Winter: Harness Your Mindset to Thrive on Cold, Dark, or Difficult Days,” a new book by Stanford-trained social psychologist Kari Leibowitz, who joins us today to share a few warming tips on how to beat the wintertime blues. 📱 Today’s episode comes from our sister podcast, The Next Big Idea Daily. Follow it now on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen

Transcribed - Published: 16 December 2024

You may think you know what strategy is, but Seth Godin is willing to bet you haven’t got a clue. It’s not just setting goals. It’s not just making plans. It’s— Well, you’ll have to tune in to find out. 📕 This Is Strategy by Seth Godin ✉️ Want big idea delivered to your inbox every day? Sign up for our newsletter Book of the Day here 🎙️ If you enjoyed this episode, you may also enjoy our conversation with Tony Fadell, the legendary creator of the iPod and iPhone, about how to build a game-changing product. It's a team favorite. 🎁 Take 20% off a Next Big Idea Club membership or gift when you use code PODCAST20 at nextbigideaclub.com

Transcribed - Published: 12 December 2024

Today, master woodworker Callum Robinson on craft, history, family, and our relationship with the natural world. 📕 Ingrained: The Making of a Craftsman 🎙️ For more bite-sized big ideas, follow The Next Big Idea Daily on Apple Podcasts or Spotify 🎁 Take 20% off a Next Big Idea Club subscription or gift when you use code PODCAST20 at nextbigideaclub.com

Transcribed - Published: 9 December 2024

Today, master woodworker Callum Robinson on craft, history, family, and our relationship with the natural world. 📕 Ingrained: The Making of a Craftsman 🎙️ For more bite-sized big ideas, follow The Next Big Idea Daily on Apple Podcasts or Spotify 🎁 Take 20% off a Next Big Idea Club subscription or gift when you use code PODCAST20 at nextbigideaclub.com

Transcribed - Published: 9 December 2024

Greg Epstein, the humanist chaplain at Harvard and MIT, wants you to think twice before putting your faith in Silicon Valley's promises. 🎙️ Follow The Next Big Idea Daily on Apple or Spotify 🎁 Take 20% off a Next Big Idea Club membership or gift when you use PODCAST20 at nextbigideaclub.com

Transcribed - Published: 5 December 2024

You’re probably used to looking for so-called good jobs and avoiding bad ones, but we might be better off looking for jobs that fit, that are a good match for our talents and personality. This approach would be better for employers and employees alike, according to Andre Martin, author of “Wrong Fit, Right Fit: Why How We Work Matters More Than Ever.” 🎙️ Follow The Next Big Idea Daily on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen 🎁 Get 75% off a Next Big Idea express membership when you use code DAILY75 at https://nextbigideaclub.com/gift

Transcribed - Published: 2 December 2024

When he was 26, Will Guidara took the helm of a middling brasserie in New York City called Eleven Madison Park. A decade later, it was named the best restaurant in the world. How did he pull off this unprecedented transformation? By practicing unreasonable hospitality. (This episode first aired in Sept. 2023.) 📕 Unreasonable Hospitality 📬 Take 50% off a subscription to our Book of the Day newsletter here 🎁 Looking for the perfect gift for the readers in your life? How about a subscription to the Next Big Idea Club! Get 50% off an express membership when you use code PODCAST50 at nextbigideaclub.com/gift

Transcribed - Published: 28 November 2024

For two decades, Ann Wroe has written weekly obituaries for The Economist. Some of her subjects are luminaries (Queen Elizabeth II, Paul Newman). Others are little-knowns (cheesemakers, storm chasers, typewriter repairmen). But all of them, in Ann’s words, “have enhanced the world by their existence.” Her obituaries are celebrations of life, and Ann is a soul-catcher — souls, for her, being the best word for the “unique and essential part of ourselves, our self-conscious and transcendent core.” It’s a job that requires empathy, patience, almost tactile curiosity, and, well, love. It’s a job from which we can all learn a great deal. 📕 Lifescapes: A Biographer’s Search for the Soul 📬 We launched a newsletter! It’s called Book of the Day, and you can get a special discount here 🎁 Looking for the perfect gift for the readers in your life? How about a subscription to the Next Big Idea Club! Get 20% off any membership when you use code PODCAST20 at nextbigideaclub.com/gift

Transcribed - Published: 21 November 2024

Philosophers have long maintained that the Good Life is braided from two strands: pleasure and purpose. But Middlebury’s Lorraine Besser says there’s a third: psychological richness — or, as she calls it, The Interesting. Interesting experiences, she contends, captivate our minds, engage our thoughts and emotions, and often change our perspective. Today, she’ll teach you how to find them. 📕 The Art of the Interesting 📬 Take 50% off a subscription to our Book of the Day newsletter here 🎁 Looking for the perfect gift for the readers in your life? How about a subscription to the Next Big Idea Club! Get 20% off your order when you use code PODCAST20 at nextbigideaclub.com/gift

Transcribed - Published: 18 November 2024

Do fewer things. Work at a natural pace. Obsess over quality. These are Cal Newport's three principles for achieving your goals without burning out. Today, in a special preview of our first-ever podclass, Cal explains how to harness the power of slow productivity to bring meaning, purpose, and a genuine sense of accomplishment into your life and work. ✉️ To hear the rest of Cal’s podclass, sign up for our Book of the Day newsletter. Get your special discount here 🎁 Looking for the perfect gift for the readers in your life? How about a subscription to the Next Big Idea Club! Take 20% off your order when you use code PODCAST20 at nextbigideaclub.com/gift

Transcribed - Published: 14 November 2024