Podcasts about next big idea club

Why do we delay work we genuinely care about—even when we know we'll regret it later? In Solving Procrastination, Dr. Itamar Shatz reveals the psychological tug-of-war behind our tendency to put things off—and explains why better time management isn't always the answer. Then, in Procrastination Proof, Jon Acuff offers a practical system for closing the gap between intention and action. Together, these books explore how perfectionism, fear, and our preference for immediate comfort keep us stuck—and how understanding your particular pattern of delay can help you finally move forward.

Your brain is remarkably resilient—but modern life doesn't always make protecting it easy. In Brain Defenders, neurologist David Perlmutter explains how the brain's immune cells can either preserve cognitive health or contribute to decline—and how everyday choices can influence that balance. Then, in Rewired, psychiatrist and neuroscientist Carl Marci explores what smartphones, social media, and nonstop stimulation are doing to our attention, relationships, and emotional well-being.

Today, we're talking about the promises, perils, and psychology of changing how we eat. In Magic Pill, Johann Hari explores the new weight-loss drugs transforming medicine—and raising big questions about risk, desire, and what happens when appetite suddenly goes quiet. And in Anxious Eaters, Janet Chrzan explains why fad diets keep seducing us, even when they rarely deliver. Together, these books ask a timely question: when we try to fix our bodies, what else are we really trying to transform?

Work is full of strange little humiliations: trying too hard, caring too much, asking for what you want, or realizing you've accidentally become the person who always pours the metaphorical water. Today, Laura Mayer, author of Tryhard: A Cautionary Tale of Clocking In and Spinning Out, makes the case that embarrassment is often the price of doing something worthwhile. Then Carina Maggar, author of How to Make Work Not Suck: Honest Advice for People with Jobs, offers practical advice for regret, creativity, reinvention, and getting unstuck at work.

What is digital life doing to us—not just to our attention spans, but to our feelings and bodies? In All the Feels: How to Stay Human in the Digital World, Pamela Pavliscak explores how texts, memes, group chats, and AI are reshaping our emotional lives—and how we're inventing new ways to stay human online. Then, in Body Electric: The Hidden Health Costs of the Digital Age and New Science to Reclaim Your Well-Being, Manoush Zomorodi looks at what screens and sitting are doing to our bodies, and why tiny acts of movement may be the rebellion we need.

What if your brain is more capable than your inner critic lets you believe—and your identity is more flexible than you think? In The Genius and the Impostor: The Neuroscience of Unlocking Human Potential, neurologist Josh Turknett argues that genius isn't rare hardware; it's the learning engine we all carry, often drowned out by the voice insisting we can't. And in You've Changed: The Promise and Price of Self-Transformation, Benoit Denizet-Lewis explores why real change is messy, relational, uncertain, and very much possible. Together, these books ask: what stories about yourself are ready for revision?

Why are so many workers—blue-collar, white-collar, contract, freelance, and college-educated alike—feeling like the old bargain has broken down? Today, Paul Osterman, author of Disposable Workers: The Transformation of Employment, explains how companies increasingly rely on workers without taking responsibility for them. Then New York Times reporter Noam Scheiber, author of Mutiny: The Rise and Revolt of the College-Educated Working Class, looks at a generation of graduates who did everything “right” only to find that college no longer guarantees security, mobility, or meaningful work.

What does it mean to find your way—through a city, a life, or a world that refuses to make perfect sense? In ⁠The Half Known Life: In Search of Paradise⁠, Pico Iyer travels from Iran to North Korea to Japan in search of peace in the middle of uncertainty. In Dark and Magical Places: The Neuroscience of Navigation, Christopher Kemp explores the astonishing brain systems that help us build mental maps and move through space. Together, these books ask how we orient ourselves when the destination isn't quite clear.

Growing up is supposed to mean getting wiser. So why does it so often feel like losing something you can't quite name? Julian Shapiro-Barnum, the creator of Recess Therapy, thinks kids still have some of the answers. In How to Grow Up Without Becoming a Grown-Up, he asks what happens when we trade emotional honesty, imagination, and hope for the version of adulthood we think we're supposed to perform. Then historian Tobias Becker takes the other side of that longing in Yesterday: A New History of Nostalgia: why we keep reaching for the past—and why “nostalgia” might not mean what we think it does. Two books about growing up, looking back, and what we lose along the way.

Imagination isn't just for artists, kids, or daydreamers—it's one of the brain's most practical tools. In Imagine That: Transform How You Think, Feel, and Live with the Science of Imagination, Cassandra Vieten shows how imagination helps us solve problems, manage stress, rehearse difficult moments, and expand what feels possible. Then, in Imaginable: How to See the Future Coming and Feel Ready for Anything—Even Things That Seem Impossible Today, Jane McGonigal explains how stretching our minds toward the future can make us more resilient, flexible, and ready for change. Together, these books make the case that imagination isn't a luxury—it's a skill we can, and should, practice.

What does it mean to think well? In Think Before You Think: Understanding and Mastering Executive Function, Adrian Owen explains the hidden mental skills that help us focus, plan, pause, and make better decisions. And in The Importance of Being Educable: A New Theory of Human Uniqueness, Leslie Valiant explores the uniquely human ability to absorb knowledge—and the very modern problem of knowing which information to trust.

Your brain is a master storyteller. The problem? It's also an unreliable narrator. We like to think our beliefs are built on facts, logic, and careful reasoning. But psychologist and author Owen Fitzpatrick argues that the process often works in reverse: we decide what feels true, then search for evidence that proves us right. This can reinforce limiting beliefs, fuel political polarization, and make us surprisingly susceptible to propaganda. In this conversation with guest host Michael Kovnat, Owen explores how these narratives shape our confidence, identity, and decisions — and what it takes to change them.

Money is supposed to buy freedom. So why does chasing it so often make life feel smaller? In Young Money: A Field Guide to Wealth and Purpose in Your Twenties, Jack Raines argues that your twenties aren't just a warm-up act for adulthood—they're a stage of life with risks, opportunities, and joys worth taking seriously. And in The Money Trap: Lost Illusions Inside the Tech Bubble, Alok Sama takes us inside the wild world of high finance and tech investing, where more money doesn't always mean more wisdom.

What do we really want from work—a paycheck, a purpose, a community, a calling? Today, MIT Sloan professor Zeynep Ton makes the business case for treating workers better in The Case for Good Jobs: How Great Companies Bring Dignity, Pay, and Meaning to Everyone's Work. Then UC Berkeley sociologist Carolyn Chen looks at the other side of work's expanding role in our lives: what happens when the office starts replacing older sources of identity, belonging, and meaning? Her book is Work Pray Code: When Work Becomes Religion in Silicon Valley. Together, these books ask how work can matter deeply—without becoming everything.

We've had many bracing thinkers on this show, but Sara Walker might take the cake. A physicist and astrobiologist at Arizona State University, her book Life as No One Knows It: The Physics of Life's Emergence is a thrilling exploration of life's origins and the search for it across the cosmos. This episode first aired in December 2024.

What happens when a handful of billionaires gain extraordinary influence over a democracy—and artificial intelligence begins reshaping how citizens participate in public life? In United States of Oligarchy: How America's Wealthiest Ally with Dictators, Weaken the U.S., and Destroy Democracy, journalist Casey Michel examines how wealth, foreign influence, and political power have transformed America. Then, in Reboot: AI and the Race to Save Democracy, Beth Simone Noveck offers a possible path forward, using AI to help ordinary people engage with government, shape policy, and rebuild trust. Together, these books explore what's threatening democracy—and what it might take to make it work better.

What if wellbeing isn't something you find once and hold onto forever, but something you practice—quietly, imperfectly, day by day? In Lasting Wellbeing: Science-Based Practices for Tranquility, Authenticity, Meaning, and Joy, Matt Bloom shares simple, evidence-based ways to build a life with more calm, meaning, and connection. And in Rise and Shine: How to Transform Your Life, Morning by Morning, Kate Oliver and Toby Oliver show how the first few minutes after waking can shape the mood, energy, and intention of the day ahead. Together, these books offer a practical reminder: big change often starts small—and sometimes before breakfast.

Your mind is constantly selling you a story about who you are, what's true, and what you should believe. But how do you know when that story is helping and when it's quietly leading you astray? Today, we're exploring two books about belief, evidence, and the slippery search for certainty: Inner Propaganda: Leading Hearts and Minds Through Turbulent Times by Owen Fitzpatrick and Proof: The Art and Science of Certainty by Adam Kucharski.

We've optimized nearly every part of modern life. So why does it feel like we're missing the experience of actually living it? In The Small Stuff, Ian Bogost argues that our obsession with happiness, productivity, and efficiency has stripped everyday life of something essential: gratification, the immediate pleasure of physically engaging with the world around us. Today, he makes the case for rediscovering the sensory delights hiding in the life you already lead.

What if the questions you ask—and the languages you speak—are quietly shaping what you notice, remember, and believe? Today, we're exploring two books about the architecture of thought: Q: The Hidden Power of Questions in a World That Wants Answers by Lani Watson and The Power of Language: How the Codes We Use to Think, Speak, and Live Transform Our Minds by Viorica Marian.

Money is never just math—especially in relationships. In Tightwads and Spendthrifts: Navigating the Money Minefield in Real Relationships, Scott Rick explains why financial opposites so often attract, why total transparency may not be the relationship cure-all we imagine, and how couples can talk about spending without turning every receipt into a referendum on love. Then, Myra Strober and Abby Davisson share ideas from Money and Love: An Intelligent Roadmap for Life's Biggest Decisions, a guide to making major choices—about work, family, home, and partnership—with both your head and your heart.

What keeps national security experts up at night? For Annie Jacobsen, the answer comes in two terrifying forms: weapons that can end civilization in hours, and weapons that can spread invisibly through the air. In Biological War: A Scenario and Nuclear War: A Scenario, Jacobsen draws on deep reporting and expert interviews to show how fragile our safeguards really are—and why the most catastrophic threats are often the ones most people prefer not to think about. It's a bracing look at deterrence, preparedness, and the thin line between worst-case scenario and real-world possibility.

What if the good life isn't hiding in some grand achievement, perfect mood, or future version of yourself—but in the ordinary moments you're already rushing past? Today, we're pairing Ian Bogost's The Small Stuff: How to Lead a More Gratifying Life with Cuong Lu's Happiness Is Overrated: Simple Lessons on Finding Meaning in Each Moment, two books that gently challenge our obsession with happiness. Bogost invites us back into the sensory pleasures of the physical world; Lu, drawing on years as a Buddhist monk under Thich Nhat Hanh, points toward meaning, suffering, and connection. Together, they ask: what if this moment is already enough?

In Head in the Clouds: How the Weather Affects Our Minds and Mental Health, psychologist Trevor Harley explains how light, heat, rain, wind, and the seasons quietly shape our moods, choices, and mental health. Then, in The Story of CO2 Is the Story of Everything: How Carbon Dioxide Made Our World, science writer Peter Brannen zooms out to show how one tiny molecule has steered climate, life, civilization, and our planetary future.

Discipline usually sounds like a punishment: more willpower, more grind, more pushing through. But what if achievement gets easier when you stop obsessing over the finish line and start designing a process you actually enjoy? Today, Jia Jiang shares ideas from Easy Discipline: An Unconventional Way to Achieve Ambitious Things, arguing that lasting success comes from loving the work, choosing better stories, and turning big goals into simple repeatable actions. Then Wendy Leshgold offers big ideas from Fast Forward: 5 Power Principles to Create the Life You Want in Just One Year.

What makes work feel genuinely energizing—not just tolerable, but meaningful, absorbing, and even fun? In Intrinsic Motivation: Learn to Love Your Work and Succeed as Never Before, executive coach and performance expert Stefan Falk argues that motivation grows when we learn to challenge ourselves in the right way, turning routine tasks into opportunities for growth. Then, in Sparked: Discover Your Unique Imprint for Work That Makes You Come Alive, Good Life Project host Jonathan Fields explains why burnout is often less about working too much than working out of alignment with what naturally energizes us.

Every object, product, and place is designed for someone—but too often, that “someone” has been treated as male by default. In Man-Made: How We Designed a World That Leaves Women Out, and How We Can Make It Right, designer and former Nike Global Creative Director Karen Korellis Reuther shows how biased design can make daily life less comfortable, less dignified, and even less safe for women. Then, in Building for Everyone, Google's Annie Jean-Baptiste shows how inclusive design can create better products, better experiences, and a better world for more people.

What if the secret to better sleep is trying a little less? In Think Less, Sleep More: From Panic & Perfectionism to Stress-Free Sleep, sleep physiologist Stephanie Romiszewski argues that sleep isn't a performance to optimize—it's a biological process we often disrupt by monitoring, managing, and worrying about it. Then, in Addicted to Anxiety: How to Break the Habit, psychotherapist Owen O'Kane helps explain why anxiety can become a pattern we cling to, even when it keeps us wired.

We tend to think of data as something modern—born with smartphones, spreadsheets, and AI. But in Data Empire: The Power of Information to Organize, Control, and Dominate, Roopika Risam argues that data has always been a tool of power: used to count grain, map land, classify people, and decide who gets seen. Then legal scholar Jacqueline Lipton brings the story into the present with Our Data, Ourselves: A Personal Guide to Digital Privacy, a practical look at what we can—and can't—do to protect our personal information.

What does it actually take to build a better life? In The 12 Levers, Spencer Greenberg and Jeremy Stevenson argue that the sprawling world of self-help can be boiled down to a dozen core strategies for change. And in The Good Life, Robert Waldinger and Marc Schulz share the central lesson from the world's longest scientific study of happiness.

Why do humans keep inventing rituals—from weddings and funerals to morning coffee routines and lucky socks? Today, we explore the strange, soothing power of repeated acts with two books that take ritual seriously without taking the magic out of it: Ritual: How Seemingly Senseless Acts Make Life Worth Living by Dimitris Xygalatas and The Power of Ritual: Turning Everyday Activities into Soulful Practices by Casper ter Kuile. Together, they show how rituals help us manage anxiety, build connection, mark meaning, and turn ordinary life into something a little more soulful.

First, a few numbers. This year Amazon, Microsoft, Alphabet, and Meta will spend more than $700 billion building AI infrastructure. There are 1,500 data centers in development across the country. AI-linked stocks make up at least 40% of the S&P 500. These are the kinds of numbers that make some economists jumpy. If this whole AI thing doesn't pan out, they warn, we're headed for the mother of all crashes. But Azeem Azhar is not one of those economists. He and his team recently spent months turning the AI economy inside out, and they just released a report called The State of the AI Economy. It contains surprising answers to what has become an increasingly pressing question: is this the biggest bubble ever blown, or are we building the durable machinery of a radically more abundant world? In this conversation, Azeem joins Rufus to unpack why AI adoption is growing faster than the internet or mobile, what Wall Street and Silicon Valley may still be getting wrong, and why the most important skill in an AI-powered future may have nothing to do with AI. Along the way, they explore energy, jobs, investing, AI safety, and what exponential change means for the next generation.

What if the answer to our late-stage collapse isn't grim sacrifice, but a more joyful, humane way to live? Today, we hear from Elizabeth Dunn and Jiaying Zhao, authors of Leave the Lights On: How Joyful Decisions Can Save Our Species, who argue that climate action works best when it makes our lives happier, not harder. Then Sarah Wilson, author of I Eat the Stars: How to Live Fully and Beautifully in a Collapsing World, offers a clear-eyed but strangely hopeful guide to finding meaning, agency, and beauty amid systemic chaos.

What if the thing holding you back isn't the world saying no—it's the voice in your head asking, Are you sure you're allowed to do this? Today, we're exploring two books about moving through hesitation and into action: Cate Hall and Sasha Chapin's You Can Just Do Things, a sharp, funny guide to becoming more high-agency in your own life, and Guryan Tighe's Unmasking Fear, which argues that fear isn't the enemy—it's data, pointing you toward the places where growth is waiting. Together, they offer a bracing reminder: courage often begins with getting curious about what scares you.

What does it actually take to get better—and keep getting better—once talent has taken you as far as it can? Today, we're exploring two books about the disciplined, sometimes uncomfortable work of growth: Ryan Hawk's The Price of Becoming, which argues that lasting excellence is built through commitment, consistency, and choosing hard things on purpose; and Ric Bucher's Coachable, which looks at elite athletes to show why the best performers never stop adapting.

What does it take to launch something people actually love—and then keep it lovable as it grows? Today, Mark Pincus, founder of Zynga, shares lessons from Life at the Speed of Play: Launch Products People Love!, a practical, playful guide to turning ideas into products that work. Then Wharton's Annie Wilson and Emory's Ryan Hamilton explain The Growth Dilemma: Managing Your Brand When Different Customers Want Different Things, and why success can create its own strange set of problems.

What if some problems aren't meant to be solved head-on—and others should've been prevented long before they became emergencies? Berthold Gunster, author of Flip Thinking: The Life-Changing Art of Turning Problems into Opportunities, and Dan Heath, author of Upstream: The Quest to Solve Problems Before They Happen, offer two smart ways to rethink the messes we usually meet too late. Together, they make a pretty compelling case for changing not just how we solve problems, but how we see them.

What happens when ordinary people decide not to look away? In this episode, Julia Angwin and Ami Fields-Meyer's On Courage and Elie Honig's Untouchable explore two sides of the same question: how power holds, and how it's challenged. Angwin and Fields-Meyer show how dissent begins with a gut check and grows through community, while Honig reveals how wealth, fame, and political clout can bend the justice system out of shape. Put together, these books make a sharp, timely case that courage isn't just personal virtue—it's a public necessity.

What do you do after things fall apart—and what do you do in the split second before you make the same choice again? In this episode, Steve Kamb's How to Try Again and Jonathan Rhodes and Joanna Grover's The Choice Point offer a practical guide to getting unstuck. Kamb shows why failure doesn't send us back to square one, while Rhodes and Grover explain how the small decision points in everyday life can move us closer to the future we actually want. Together, these books make a reassuring case for self-compassion, clearer choices, and beginning again—on purpose.

As AI tutors our children and algorithms reshape classrooms, two urgent questions are emerging: What does human connection have to do with raising a child—and how do we harness these new tools without letting them take over? Dana Suskind, a pediatric surgeon and social scientist at the University of Chicago, makes a powerful case in Human Raised that no technology can replace the relationships that wire a developing brain. And Salman Khan—founder of Khan Academy and one of Time's 100 Most Influential People—offers an optimistic road map in Brave New Words (2024) for how AI, used wisely, can personalize and democratize learning like never before. Two essential perspectives on the biggest shift in childhood and education of our time.

For years, cardiologist Eric Topol hunted for the rarest people in America: those over 80 who had never been sick. When he finally found 1,400 of them, he made a shocking discovery. It wasn't their genes. These "super agers" were often the last ones standing in families where everyone else died decades earlier. So what separates people who live into their 80s or 90s feeling great from those who battle chronic disease? In his new book, Super Agers, Eric reveals what the science actually shows, shares practical advice you can use at any age, and takes on the bro scientists selling false promises along the way. This episode first aired in July 2025.

Sex is one of the most fundamental forces in nature — and one of the most misunderstood. Today on The Next Big Idea Daily, biologist Lixing Sun upends everything we thought we knew about why sex exists in On the Origin of Sex: The Weird and Wonderful Science of Reproduction. Then historian Rebecca Davis takes us on a sweeping tour of America's surprisingly varied erotic past in Fierce Desires: A New History of Sex and Sexuality in America, revealing that the country has always been far more complex — and far less sexually repressed — than the myths suggest.

The lone-genius myth is overdue for retirement. In No One Is Self-Made, entrepreneur and community builder Lakeysha Hallmon argues that true success is never a solo act — it's built on relationships, reciprocity, and the village you cultivate around you. And in Professional Troublemaker, bestselling author and speaker Luvvie Ajayi Jones makes the case that the most powerful thing you can do — for yourself and for others — is to stop playing it safe and start saying the hard things out loud. Two bold voices on what it really takes to build a life and career that matters.

Despite decades of urgency and alarm, progress on climate change has felt frustratingly slow. What if we've been going about it all wrong? Elizabeth Dunn and Jiaying "JZ" Zhao think there's a missing ingredient in the conversation: joy. In their new book, Leave the Lights On, Liz and JZ draw on psychology, behavioral science, and sustainability research to argue that the most effective climate solutions aren't rooted in guilt, fear, or self-denial. They're rooted in easy choices that also make your life better. Today on the show: why doom-and-gloom messaging backfires, what bacon dipped in maple syrup has to do with saving the planet, how buying more underwear might just protect our species, and why the choices that help most are also the ones that make us happier. *** Chapters: (00:00) Introduction  (02:23) Why Climate Fear Backfires (09:24) The Case for Making Meat a Treat (17:44) The BLT Climate Paradox (20:53) The Hidden Climate Cost of Your Bank Account (23:50) Fast Fashion, Slow Happiness (31:10) Why Driving Makes Us Unhappy (39:08) The Best Trips Are Closer Than You Think (45:24) The Science of Social Tipping Points (49:41) The Climate Power of a Single Vote About the Guests:  Elizabeth Dunn is a professor of psychology at the University of British Columbia and one of the world's leading researchers on happiness and well-being. Her work explores how people can use their time, money, and relationships to build more satisfying lives. Jiaying Zhao is a professor of psychology and the founder of the Behavioral Sustainability Lab at the University of British Columbia. Her research focuses on climate action, behavioral change, and the role of psychology in accelerating the transition to a more sustainable future. ***

Colin M. Fisher, Ph.D. is a professor, author, speaker, and occasional jazz trumpet player. He is the author of The Collective Edge: Unlocking the Secret Power of Groups, which has already been translated into eleven languages. His academic research on group dynamics, creativity, improvisation, and leadership has been published in the field's top academic journals and featured in prominent media outlets, such as BBC, The Conversation UK, The Daily Mail, Financial Times, Forbes, Fortune, Harvard Business Review, MSN, Next Big Idea Club, NPR, Psychology Today, Times Radio, and The Times. He is also a sought-after keynote speaker for businesses, governments, and non-profit organizations around the world.Colin is an associate professor and Ph.D. Programme Director at University College London's School of Management. He received his Ph.D. in Organizational Behavior from Harvard University. In his prior career as a jazz trumpet player, Colin was a long-time member of the Either/Orchestra, with whom he toured extensively and recorded several critically acclaimed albums. Originally from Redmond, Washington in the USA, he now lives in Northeast London with his wife and two children. He can sometimes be found performing at jazz jams throughout London.Link to claim CME credit: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/3DXCFW3CME credit is available for up to 3 years after the stated release dateContact CEOD@bmhcc.org if you have any questions about claiming credit.

In Gerontocracy in America, Yale legal historian Samuel Moyn makes the case that older generations have systematically hoarded wealth and power, leaving younger Americans with fewer opportunities and a shrinking share of the future. On the second half of the episode, historian James Chappel shares ideas from his book Golden Years, tracing how Americans have invented and reinvented what it even means to grow old.

Therapy is everywhere — in our language, our social media feeds, and increasingly, our daily routines. But is all that self-examination actually making us better? In Therapy Nation, therapist and author Jonathan Alpert argues that America's therapy obsession has left us more anxious and divided than ever. And in And How Does That Make You Feel?, therapist Joshua Fletcher pulls back the curtain on what really happens in the therapy room — the good, the awkward, and everything in between. Two honest, provocative takes on the talking cure.

Publisher, scientist, humorist, diplomat — Benjamin Franklin was America's first polymath. Today, with help from Eric Weiner, we revisit Franklin's life, searching for tips about how to be healthy, wealthy, and wise. This episode first aired in July 2024.

"We're entering our 250th birthday, and we're not quite in the mood for a birthday party. We've been tearing ourselves apart." That's what Walter Isaacson told Rufus when they sat down last year. But, he says, it doesn't have to be that way. "Let's use this birthday party as a chance to try to heal some of the divides." Walter's latest book is The Greatest Sentence Ever Written. That sentence? “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.” Yes, it's eloquent, but more than that, it gave the United States a mission statement, one that we are still striving — fitfully, imperfectly — to meet. With America's 250th birthday just a few days away, we think it's the perfect time to revisit this conversation with Walter about how that sentence came to be written, what it meant to the founders, and why it still matters today.

Most of us swear we have no free time. But the week is 168 hours long. Subtract a 40-hour job and eight hours of sleep a night, and you're left with 72 hours. So where do they go? Today, Laura Vanderkam, author of the new book Big Time, shares her system for reclaiming her free time, including her method for knocking out "someday" projects in small daily bites.