The Next Big Idea Club

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Channel • 7 Shows

Courses

Courses

Complete Series
Courses

Courses

Complete Series
Courses

Courses

Complete Series
Philosophy

Philosophy

Complete Series
Society & Culture

Society & Culture

Complete Series

Books

Books

Updated Weekly
Books

Books

Updated Daily
Courses

Courses

Complete Series
Courses

Courses

Complete Series
Society & Culture

Society & Culture

Complete Series
Courses

Courses

Complete Series
Philosophy

Philosophy

Complete Series

2D AGO

AI & THE BRAIN: How Different Are They?

Today's AI runs on neural networks, a design originally inspired by the human brain. As these systems grow more sophisticated, they're raising a profound question: Even if they don't work exactly like our brains, could something resembling a "mind" eventually emerge from the machines we're building? Guests: Gaurav Suri and Jay McClelland Book: The Emergent Mind: How Intelligence Arises in People and Machines ——— Want to connect? 🔗 Follow Rufus on LinkedIn 📖 Subscribe to our daily newsletter, Book of the Day ✉️ Send us an email: podcast@nextbigideaclub.com ——— Ready to reach 300,000 curious listeners and readers? Promote your brand, book, or product to an audience passionate about big ideas. 📩 Request our sponsor kit Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

2d ago

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1h 22m
SEP 11

Best Of: Jonathan Haidt on What Social Media Is Doing to Our Kids

It’s rare these days for a book to go viral, but that’s exactly what happened with The Anxious Generation: How the Great Rewiring of Childhood Is Causing an Epidemic of Mental Illness by Jonathan Haidt. Now in its 75th week on the New York Times’ bestseller list, the book reveals a startling truth: Starting in 2012, teen depression rates suddenly spiked 150% worldwide, perfectly coinciding with the moment smartphones and social media conquered childhood. But Haidt doesn't just diagnose the crisis. He offers a roadmap out with norms, guidelines, and policy suggestions that parents, schools, and communities are already implementing with remarkable success. Further Listening: WILL STORR: Does Our Need for Status Explain Everything? ANNA LEMBKE: Why the Modern World Puts Us All At Risk for Addiction ——— Want to connect with us? 🔗 Follow Rufus on LinkedIn 📖 Subscribe to our daily newsletter, Book of the Day ✉️ Send us an email: podcast@nextbigideaclub.com ——— Ready to reach 300,000 curious listeners and readers? Promote your brand, book, or product to an audience passionate about big ideas. 📩 Request our sponsor kit Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Sep 11

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1h 24m
5D AGO

'The Next Big Idea Daily': The A.I. Will See You Now

We’re used to hearing “the doctor will see you now,” but in the not-so-distant future, that doctor may not be human. That’s because human docs are prone to misdiagnosis, burnout, and bias — making our current healthcare system a leading cause of preventable death. In Dr. Bot: Why Doctors Can Fail Us―and How AI Could Save Lives, medical researcher and philosopher Charlotte Blease makes the case that artificial intelligence could be the physician we need — more consistent, less prejudiced, and infinitely more resilient than the flesh-and-blood doctors we rely on today. 📱 Follow The Next Big Idea Daily on ⁠Apple Podcasts⁠, ⁠Spotify⁠, or ⁠wherever you listen Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

5d ago

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15 min
SEP 4

ARTHUR C. BROOKS: Success Won’t Make You Happy — Here’s What Will

Arthur C. Brooks is an unlikely happiness guru. He’s not a psychologist, philosopher, or mystic. He’s an economist and public policy analyst who, for years, ran a prominent think tank. But rubbing shoulders with heads of state and titans of industry made him miserable. Confronted with the sobering realization that for too long he’d privileged work over connection and status over happiness, he left the c-suite and set about renovating the mission of his life. Before long, Arthur was teaching at Harvard Business School. But he wasn’t teaching hostile takeovers and leveraged buyouts. He was teaching happiness. From a scientific perspective. Now, the pursuit of happiness might not seem like your typical business school fare. But Arthur’s got a good line on this. As he writes in his new book, The Happiness Files: “Your life is the most important management task you will ever undertake. It is, in fact, like a startup, where you are the founder, entrepreneur, and chief executive. And if you treat your life the way a great entrepreneur treats an exciting startup enterprise, your life will be happier, more meaningful, and more successful than it otherwise would be.” So that’s what today’s show is all about. What does it mean to live your life like it’s a startup? What you’ll learn: Why smart people are often less happy The simple test that reveals your biggest weakness How exercise and diet affect mood Why we should live in “day-tight compartments” ——— Want to connect with us? 🔗 Follow Rufus on LinkedIn 📖 Subscribe to our daily newsletter, Book of the Day ✉️ Send us an email: podcast@nextbigideaclub.com ——— Ready to reach 300,000 curious listeners and readers? Promote your brand, book, or product to an audience passionate about big ideas. 📩 Request our sponsor kit Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Sep 4

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1h 20m
SEP 8 • SUBSCRIBERS ONLY

'The Next Big Idea Daily': The Dirtbag Billionaire Who Gave It All Away

What if the best way to win in business is to do the exact opposite of what everyone else is doing? While most CEOs chase growth at all costs, Yvon Chouinard, the founder of Patagonia, chose a different path. Starting out as a rock climber and adventurer, when he pivoted to business, he built products to last, created a company culture where surfing sometimes mattered more than spreadsheets, and even risked profits to protect the planet. Then, in a move almost unheard of in corporate America, he gave the entire company away. In his new book ⁠Dirtbag Billionaire: How Yvon Chouinard Built Patagonia, Made a Fortune, and Gave It All Away,⁠ New York Times journalist David Gelles tells the story of how a reluctant businessman reshaped capitalism—and shows us what it looks like to build a company that puts people and the planet first. 📱 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 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Sep 8

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15 min
2D AGO

Big Food Is Making Us Sick — and Getting Rich Doing It

Food is supposed to nourish us, but what if the system that produces our food is actually making us sick? According to Stuart Gillespie, a veteran of global nutrition and development, that’s exactly what’s happening. He argues that Big Food has become a machine designed less to feed people than to maximize profit, leaving behind a trail of obesity, malnutrition, and environmental damage. But Stuart says there’s a way out. His new book is called Food Fight: From Plunder and Profit to People and Planet. 📱 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 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

2d ago

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15 min
3D AGO

We Need to Talk About Disney Adults

What would make a grown man or woman line up for hours to ride Space Mountain, spend thousands on collectible mouse ears, or plan their year around the release of a new Disney churro? AJ Wolfe reports. Her new book is Disney Adults: Exploring (And Falling In Love With) A Magical Subculture. 📱 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 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

3d ago

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14 min
4D AGO

You and We: A Leadership Call for Overcoming Divides in a Polarized World

Could some of the most daunting problems of our time — division, conflict, and increasing isolation — stem from a fundamental misunderstanding of reality? That’s the provocative question at the heart of Jim Ferrell's new book, You and We: A Relational Rethinking of Work, Life, and Leadership. Written in the style of a business fable, like his previous bestsellers Leadership and Self-Deception and The Anatomy of Peace, the book weaves together science, philosophy, and decades of experience in organizational development to reveal a radically different way of seeing organizations — as networks of relationships. And the key to strengthening the relational fabric that holds us together lies not in individuals but in the space between them. 📱 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 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

4d ago

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18 min
JUL 17

SUPER AGERS (Part 1): The Revolutionary New Science of Longevity

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 is part one of our interview with Eric. Part two will be available right here next week. If you can't until then, you can listen now on the Next Big Idea app: https://nextbigideaclub.com/app/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Jul 17

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1h 13m
AUG 28

THE FUTURE OF WRITING: A Conversation with Ethan Mollick and Steven Johnson

What if, thanks to AI, you can now research and write a book two, three, or even four times faster? For authors and AI pioneers Steven Johnson (Editorial Director, NotebookLM and Google Labs) and Ethan Mollick (Wharton professor and creator of One Useful Thing), that's the new reality. In this episode, they crack open their personal toolkits to reveal the prompts and workflows they use to supercharge their creativity. What you’ll learn: How Steven used AI to write 40,000 words in 72 hours. The specific AI tools Steven and Ethan rely on for researching and writing. Whether AI will ever write better than humans. How the very concept of a "book" may morph into an interactive, personalized experience that readers can query, customize, and even turn into a game. Further listening: BILL GATES: Superhuman AI May Be Closer Than You Think SAL KHAN: How AI Will Revolutionize the Way We Learn MARYANNE WOLF: Are We Forgetting How To Read? STEVEN JOHNSON & DAVID CHALMERS: Artificial Intelligence Meets Virtual Worlds ADAM BROTMAN & ANDY SACK: The AI Tsunami Is Already Here ——— This episode is brought to you by AUTHOR INSIDER, our exclusive community and learning platform for ambitious creators. What's Inside: ✅ Innovative strategies from bestselling authors and industry experts ✅ Audience growth tactics to expand your readership and revenue ✅ Vibrant creator community for networking and collaboration ✅ Exclusive content not available anywhere else 🎯 Exclusive 25% discount for podcast listeners — join AUTHOR INSIDER today ——— Ready to reach 300,000 curious listeners and readers? Promote your brand, book, or product to an audience passionate about big ideas. Request our sponsor kit: https://tally.so/r/wLgkN1 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Aug 28

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55 min

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.

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BOOKS
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 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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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 "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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COURSES
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