The Next Big Idea

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The Next Big Idea is a weekly series of in-depth interviews with the world’s leading thinkers. Join hosts Rufus Griscom and Caleb Bissinger — along with our curators, Malcolm Gladwell, Adam Grant, Susan Cain, and Daniel Pink — for conversations that might just change the way you see the world. New episodes every Thursday.

28/12/2025

Reading Rewired the Human Brain. What Happens If We Stop Doing It?

Maryanne Wolf is a UCLA professor and the renowned author of "Proust and the Squid: The Story and Science of the Reading Brain" and "Reader, Come Home: The Reading Brain in a Digital World." She says deep reading makes you a better thinker, communicator, and citizen. But what happens if you lose the ability to read slowly, patiently, and critically? Is there anything you can do to get it back? Sponsored By: GoDaddy - Get a domain for pennies at godaddy.com/nbi The Next Big Idea Club - Get 20% a membership when you use code PODCAST at nextbigideaclub.com (This episode first aired in March 2023.) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

46 min
23/12/2025

How to Make Your Holiday Gatherings Memorable

This is one of our favorite episodes — a conversation with Priya Parker, a conflict resolution specialist who’s worked on peace processes around the world, about her book The Art of Gathering. What she told him changed how we think about every dinner party, every work meeting, every family get-together we host. Priya’s argument is simple but radical. She says most of our gatherings fail because we focus on the wrong things. We obsess over the menu, the playlist. And we ignore the one question we should be asking: Why are we bringing these people together? With the right answer to that question, she says, you can turn any gathering into something meaningful — maybe even transformative. (This episode first aired in January 2020.) Supported By: Aura Frames - Get $35 off Aura’s best-selling Carver Mat frames by using promo code IDEA at auraframes.com GoDaddy - Get a domain for pennies at godaddy.com/nbi The Next Big Idea Club - Take 20% off a subscription or gift with code PODCAST at nextbigideaclub.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

43 min
16/12/2025

FLOURISH: Daniel Coyle on the Art and Science of Feeling Alive

What does it mean to flourish? According to author Daniel Coyle, flourishing is “joyful, meaningful growth — shared.” But how do you achieve that enviable state? The answer lies in Dan’s forthcoming book, “Flourish,” which you can pre-order now on Amazon, Audible, or Bookshop.org. Highlights: (5:11) Life isn't a treasure hunt; it’s more like treasure creation (14:15) The $90 million deli that said no to Disney (20:40) Your brain’s two attention systems (58:00) The rule of the beautiful mess (65:07) Why you should open yellow doors Sponsored By: GoDaddy | Get a domain and professional email plan for just $0.99/month at Godaddy.com/GDNOW Aura Frames | Get $35 off Aura’s best-selling Carver Mat frames by using promo code IDEA at auraframes.com The Next Big Idea Club | Know someone who devours great nonfiction? Get them a year of the best new ideas and take 20% off with code PODCAST at nextbigideaclub.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

1h 17m
11/12/2025

Kari Leibowitz Loves Winter (And You Can Too)

In our divided nation, there's one thing many of us seem to agree on: winter sucks. 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. (This episode first aired in January 2025.) Sponsored By: Aura Frames - Get $35 off Aura’s best-selling Carver Mat frames by using promo code IDEA at auraframes.com GoDaddy - Get a domain and professional email plan for just $0.99/month at Godaddy.com/GDNOW Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

59 min
04/12/2025

Best Of: How Successful Groups Work

Daniel Coyle will soon join us on the show to talk about his forthcoming book, Flourish. Today, we're revisiting our 2022 conversation with Dan about his last book, The Culture Playbook. Here's how we described the episode back then: The filmmakers at Pixar. The servers at Union Square Cafe. The badasses on SEAL Team Six. What do these super successful groups all have in common? Strong team culture. But what exactly is culture, and how do you build it? Daniel Coyle has spent the last few years searching for answers. In this episode, he shares what he’s found. Sponsored By: Aura Frames - Get $35 off Aura’s best-selling Carver Mat frames by using promo code IDEA at auraframes.com GoDaddy - Get a domain and professional email plan for just $0.99/month at Godaddy.com/GDNOW Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

1h 11m
02/12/2025

AI and the Future of the University

A few weeks ago, Rufus moderated a panel discussion at Vanderbilt’s New York City campus on artificial intelligence and the future of American higher education. Today, we’re bringing you that conversation. It features Nabiha Syed, executive director of Mozilla Foundation; Nicholas Dirks, president and CEO of the New York Academy of Sciences; Julie Samuels, president and CEO of Tech:NYC; and Matthew Johnson-Roberson, inaugural dean of the College of Connected Computing at Vanderbilt. Listen to our interview with Sal Khan here Follow Quantum Potential here Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

44 min
27/11/2025

Best Of: David Brooks on the Art of Seeing Others Deeply

New York Times columnist and acclaimed author David Brooks has been trying to learn the skills that go into seeing others, understanding others, making other people feel respected, valued, and safe. Such social skills may sound trifling, but mastering them, David believes, could help us all make better decisions, enhance our creativity, and maybe even repair our nation’s fraying social fabric. This episode first aired in November 2023. Host: Rufus Griscom Guest: David Brooks Book: How to Know a Person: The Art of Seeing Others Deeply and Being Deeply Seen • Learn more about Weave: The Social Fabric Project at weavers.org • Sign up for a Next Big Idea Club membership today and get 20% off when you use the code PODCAST Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

1h 6m
25/11/2025

STRONG GROUND: Brené Brown on the Daring Leadership the World Needs Now

In this conversation, recorded live on Zoom with members of the Next Big Idea Club community, Brené and Rufus talk about what drives her, how Texas has shaped her, the leadership skills that matter most, and work-life balance. Plus, our curator Adam Grant makes a surprise cameo. Brené’s new book is Strong Ground. 🎁 Join the Next Big Idea Club today and we'll send you a signed copy of Walter Isaacson's new book, The Greatest Sentence Ever Written. You'll also get ad-free versions of this show, invitations to member-only Q&As, and the six best books of the year delivered to your door. Sign up at nextbigideaclub.com and use code PODCAST for 20% off. 🎥 Watch video episodes on our YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@NextBigIdeaClub Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

55 min

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TRAILER

Season 3: New Ideas, Same Great Taste

The Next Big Idea returns on February 25th. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

19/02/2021

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2 min
TRAILER

Introducing The Next Big Idea

The Next Big Idea premieres October 15th. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

01/10/2019

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3 min

In "Slow Productivity: The Lost Art of Accomplishment Without Burnout," Georgetown professor Cal Newport explains how we have become ensnared in a cycle of frantic busyness that is making us miserable. He then makes the case that a more measured approach to productivity is within reach, illuminating a better, more sustainable, more humane way to work. In Cal's 45-minute podclass, you will discover: • Why IBM's first use of email ended in disaster • How Jane Austen published four masterpiece novels in just five years • Why we should work more like ancient hunter-gatherers • How Georgia O'Keeffe's brilliance emerged in slower seasons • Why you should consider not scaling your business

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COURSES
In "Extra Life," acclaimed science writer Steven Johnson told the remarkable story of the breakthroughs that helped us double our life expectancy in the last century. Now, in "Immortality: A User's Guide," he asks: What will happen if we do it again? Imagine a world where we flip a switch and suddenly everyone can expect to live to 120 or beyond. Some scientists believe this demographic shift is within the realm of possibility, which might seem like good news, but a dramatic extension of the average lifespan could plunge the planet into a maelstrom of unintended consequences and second-order effects. That's why we need to start thinking about the implications of radical life extension now. "Immortality: A User's Guide" takes listeners on a thrilling journey through recent scientific history and reveals the cutting-edge technology that may help us live deep into our second centuries. Featuring insightful conversations with longevity experts, archival footage, immersive sound design, and Johnson's trademark storytelling, Immortality explores the recent paradigm shift in our understanding of aging and wrestles with what we should do, as a society, to prepare for advances in science and technology that may radically transform the potential length of human life.

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SOCIETY & CULTURE
In her book "Bittersweet: How Sorrow and Longing Make Us Whole," acclaimed author and Next Big Idea Club curator Susan Cain invites you to accept more sadness in your life—and be happier for it. Contrary to popular belief, embracing bittersweetness can fuel creativity, connection, productivity, and our sense of self. In Susan’s 40-minute podclass, you will discover: • Why melancholia is possibly the most inspirational state of mind • The scientifically-supported connections between sorrow and creativity • How to transform pain and longing into productive forces • Examples of the bittersweet as a team-building tool • Reasons to have gratitude for our own mortality

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Celebrated writer John Kaag extracts modern life lessons from the classic works of Ralph Waldo Emerson, Henry David Thoreau, and William James.

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PHILOSOPHY
In "Anatomy of a Breakthrough: How to Get Unstuck When It Matters Most," New York University psychologist Adam Alter explains how to emerge from any personal, professional, or creative rut — and start blazing a new, more promising trail. In Adam's 30-minute podclass, you will discover: • Which counterintuitive skill helped both Lionel Messi and Andre Agassi achieve greatness • How “the Real Dr. House” simplifies even the trickiest medical diagnoses • Why no one, not even Bob Dylan, is as original as you think • Which three people belong on every creative team • How a two-step process helped both Jackson Pollock and Peter Jackson find success

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Rufus Griscom

Host
Nabiha Syed

Guest
Nicholas Dirks

Guest
Julie Samuels

Guest
Matthew Johnson-Roberson

Guest
David Brooks

Guest
Nick Thompson

Guest
Dave Blundin

Guest

5

out of 5

3 Ratings

The Next Big Idea is a weekly series of in-depth interviews with the world’s leading thinkers. Join hosts Rufus Griscom and Caleb Bissinger — along with our curators, Malcolm Gladwell, Adam Grant, Susan Cain, and Daniel Pink — for conversations that might just change the way you see the world. New episodes every Thursday.