2 Pages with MBS

Michael Bungay Stanier
2 Pages with MBS Podcast

Discover the best bits of the best books read by people you admire. Michael Bungay Stanier hosts the podcast where brilliant people read the best two pages of a favourite book. Listen as authors, leaders, activists, academics, celebrities, and entrepreneurs dig in with MBS to explore the insights and ideas within. Whether it’s books that inspire leadership, change, self-development and growth, power, strategy, ambition, productivity, or creativity and innovation - this is hand-curated wisdom from people who know. These are the books that change minds, shape lives, and inspire great work and worthy goals.

  1. AUG 13

    199. How to be Hospitable: Will Guidara [reads] ‘Setting the Table.’

    Today’s guest is Will Guidara, author of the national bestseller Unreasonable Hospitality. Known for transforming Eleven Madison Park into the number one restaurant in the world, Will shares insights from his journey in the restaurant industry and beyond. Will embodies the delicate balance between two seemingly opposing forces: perfectionism and empowerment. As a former restaurateur and co-owner of Eleven Madison Park, he has always been passionate about creating memorable experiences through exceptional service. His book, Unreasonable Hospitality, is a testament to his belief in being as relentless in pursuing people as other restaurants are in pursuing product quality. Will reads two pages from Setting the Table by Danny Meyer, his first boss and a mentor who profoundly influenced his career. These pages capture the essence of Will’s leadership philosophy—what he calls "constant gentle pressure"—a method of maintaining excellence without sacrificing the dignity of those around him.  [reading begins at 17:54] Get book links and resources at http://2pageswithmbs.com and subscribe to the 2 Pages newsletter at https://2pageswithmbs.substack.com. Hear us discuss: "I made the choice to be as unreasonable in pursuit of people as the other restaurants on that list were solely in pursuit of product." [02:05] | "Hospitality and excellence are not friends. But if you pursue them both with persistence, you can achieve something truly remarkable." [09:29] | "Every superpower, if left unchecked, can be your villain story." [10:06] | "I pray the things that we are being forced to do today are things we choose to do tomorrow." [32:19] | "Ask yourself what right looks like and do that." [37:11]

    41 min
  2. AUG 2

    198. The Single Most Important Thing to Do: Kumi Naidoo [reads] “Dearest MaRiky”

    A favourite quote of mine, a call to action really and one that I reference in How to Begin, is “give more to the world than you take.” Jacqueline Novogratz said it, and she’s the founder of Acumen a venture capital firm that invests in non-profits making the world a better place.  I find it powerful because it’s about the long game. Over your lifetime, give more than you take. There are some seasons when you need to harvest, of course. You trying to build a good life for yourself. But there should be other seasons when you plant, and when you build. Adam Grant’s first book was about giving and taking, and the core insight from that book is that people who give, paradoxically, tend to be the most successful, so long as they give in a sustainable way. The people who give without boundaries tend to fail over time. I suspect on balance that many of us could get better at giving. I also know that for many of us, we have to learn to also receive. Get book links and resources at http://2pageswithmbs.com and subscribe to the 2 Pages newsletter at https://2pageswithmbs.substack.com. Kumi Naidoo reads two pages from Dearest MaRiky by Louisa Zondo. [reading begins at 20:56] Hear us discuss: “My area of focus right now is very much asking the question, what will it take for activism to win bigger and faster? And if I write that up as a book, I'll probably call it The Reflections of a Failed Activist.” [09:10] | “When we think about health and self-care, we tend to often think more about physical health and we're not sufficiently ready. to embrace the idea that we are dealing with a colossal global mental health crisis right now, from eco-anxiety, from climate anxiety, and also just a sense of injustice that people feel.” [19:42] | "Vulnerability is expressing strength and courage, not an acknowledgment of weakness and failure." [35:12] | "Activism is about people who look at the world, say 'this is an injustice,' and contribute in a way that makes a difference." [37:14] | "The moment of history we find ourselves in, pessimism is a luxury we simply cannot afford." [42:51]

    48 min
  3. JUL 16

    197. The Outsider on the Inside: Marcus Collins [reads] "Predictably Irrational."

    If you're an anglophile and of a certain age, then you'll know the comedic operettas of Gilbert and Sullivan, The Pirates of Penzance, Trial by Jury, The Mikado. They are all classics. I mean, I am an anglophile of a certain age, so I can sing the entirety of I Am a Very Model of a Modern Major General. I mean, really:  “I am the very model of a modern major general. I've information, vegetable, and animal, and mineral. I know the kings of England, and I quote the fights historical, from Marathon to Waterloo, in order categorical. I'm very well acquainted, too, with mathematical. I understand equations, both the simple and quadratical. About binomial theorem, I'm teeming with a lot of news. Ha ha, with many cheerful facts about the square of the hypotenuse.” Now, tell me, do you get that from any other podcast? I don't think so. And you may laugh, but I've won a pub quiz by being able to recite that. Now, Gilbert and Sullivan were actually all about the laughs. Their operators are very funny. But outside that partnership, they were both hungry to do more serious work. Now, really the only work I know is by Sullivan, Arthur Sullivan, and it's a song called The Lost Chord. And he wrote it on the deathbed of his brother. And the opening lyrics go like this.  I was seated one day at the organ. I was weary and ill at ease, and my fingers wandered idly over the noisy keys. I know not what I was playing or what I was dreaming then, but I struck one chord of music, like the sound of a great amen. One chord, the sound of a great amen. It is such a powerful way to name a moment of insight, of awareness, of presence, of deep familiarity, of awe. So, are you listening for your one chord? Because hearing it can make all the difference. Marcus Collins, a creative at heart and a product of Detroit, brings a unique perspective to the podcast with his background in advertising, music, and academia. As a researcher and author of "For the Culture," Marcus delves into the complexities of human behavior and cultural influences. His experiences as an outsider and insider have shaped his empathetic approach to understanding the forces that shape our interactions and behaviors in society. Get book links and resources at http://2pageswithmbs.com and subscribe to the 2 Pages newsletter at https://2pageswithmbs.substack.com. Marcus Collins reads two pages from Predictably Irrational. [reading begins at 26:47] Hear us discuss: "Understanding the impact of the Ten Commandments and curbing dishonesty might help prevent the next Enron-like fraud." [28:47] | "The truth is subjective, right? The world manifests through your meaning making system based on how you see the world." [33:38] | "Culture is always evolving. It's always changing. But those things could change the vector. It can go left or right. It can go negative or positive." [44:22] | "We traverse the world believing that we have all the agency there is that we wake up in the morning, decide what we're going to wear, where we're going to go, we're going to do, who we're going to marry, if we're going to marry." [45:37] | "The influence of the social world in which we navigate is far greater than we give it credit for." [45:24]

    50 min
  4. JUL 2

    196. Seeking Home: Kassia St. Clair [reads] ‘Homing: On Pigeons, Dwellings and Why We Return’

    The year is 1888. Queen Victoria is celebrating her 50th year ruling over an empire on which, famously, the sun never sets. Her loyal subjects, as well as colonizing the heck out of the world, are breeding. And to signify whether they've got a little girl or a little boy in the family, sometimes the offspring break out from the usual white gowns and get dressed in their gender-assigned colors. For girls, blue. For boys, pink.  Blue, it was thought, is a more delicate and dainty shade and also the color associated with Mary Magdalene, the ultimate mother of Christendom. And pink, connected to red, is the stronger color with martial overtones. The British redcoats, after all, were the greatest fighting force of their time. And in fact, it wasn't until the 1940s that things got flipped and pink got stapled onto girls and blue to boys. Today’s guest is Kassia St. Clair, a distinguished historian and author with a unique focus on color, textiles, and the everyday aspects of life that often go unnoticed. Her book, "The Secret Lives of Color," delves into the fascinating stories behind different colors throughout history. With a background in design and style writing, Cassia brings a blend of curiosity and discipline to her work, bridging the gap between academia and popular culture.  Get book links and resources at http://2pageswithmbs.com and subscribe to the 2 Pages newsletter at https://2pageswithmbs.substack.com. Kassia reads two pages from Homing: On Pigeons, Dwellings and Why We Return. [reading begins at 16:34] Hear us discuss: "I think the writer comes to the subject both because of this childhood experience, but also because he himself is struggling with the idea of home." - 00:20:55 | "Home is those friendships, many of which I still am lucky to have. Home is what I'm creating for my daughter. And home is London." [25:03] | "History books are given to subject matter experts and professional rivals. You will quite often see that mistakes are made. People don't tend to agree on the facts, and that's why history keeps on moving forward." [36:20] | "I think it's one of the fundamental dances, that dance between freedom and commitment." [38:56] | "Freedom's just another word for nothing left to lose. You know, that sounds both lonely and also at times a little enticing." [39:07]

    41 min
  5. JUN 18

    195. Seeking the Story Behind the Story: Lauren Crux [reads] ‘The Book’

    Who holds up a mirror to you? We're all on our journeys forward, trying to figure things out and understand our destination, and it's really hard to do that alone. So, travel with people. Travel with someone. Travel with a group of people. Now, one of those people, I think, should be someone who can say, this is who I think you are right now. This is where I think you are right now. It’s the same person who can then say, look how far you've come. Look how you're a different person. They can see the growth and they can celebrate the change to find that person. Also, be that person for someone. Travel with them and speak what you see. Today’s guest is Lauren Crux, a multifaceted individual with a diverse range of talents and experiences. As a psychotherapist, author, photographer, and performer, she brings a unique perspective to her work. She embodies the essence of self-discovery and growth, inspiring others to explore their own paths with courage and curiosity. Get book links and resources at http://2pageswithmbs.com and subscribe to the 2 Pages newsletter at https://2pageswithmbs.substack.com. Lauren reads two pages from The Book by Mary Ruefle. [reading begins at 17:16] Hear us discuss: "The far horizon has become the near one. So what do you do when you're looking over the edge? What becomes important?" [01:38] | "I just continue to learn and do my best to figure out how to love life even though I suffer a lot, you know, that sort of thing." [02:07] | "I love the wit and the humor and the absurdity. She uses this formal form of ‘one would, one doesn't.’ These phrases, “I am of the surest that you would be…” It's ridiculous." [23:02] | "I love the ordinary everyday that becomes magical. And sometimes it just remains mundane." [24:43] | “I do a lot of fertilizing and a lot of watering and replanting. And I work at it. It's easy work, but I do work at it." [32:11]

    43 min
  6. JUN 4

    194. From the Vault: The Light and the Dark of a Hungry Heart: W. David Ball [reads] ‘Ulysses’

    Today, we're pulling one of our best episodes from the vaults, featuring the brilliant W. David Ball. Get book links and resources at http://2pageswithmbs.com and subscribe to the 2 Pages newsletter at https://2pageswithmbs.substack.com. Where do you find your people? I think I’m still looking for mine, and perhaps you are, too. What often happens is there’s an initial rough sort where you get thrown in with others who have similar labels - but that’s just the start of it. It’s up to you to find your people amongst everyone. I realized that I keep looking for people who make me both think and laugh, meaning I need to seek them out to give them the opportunity to do so. Of course, sometimes your people don’t actually need to be found, they need to be rediscovered; they’re already there, waiting for you to reach out to them and say hello.  Today’s guest is a law professor with articles published in the Columbia Law Review, Yale Law & Policy Review, the American Journal of Criminal Law, and many more. His full name is W. David Ball, but I know him as my friend Dave, someone I met when we were newly minted Rhodes scholars at Oxford in the early 1990s. Get‌ ‌book‌ ‌links‌ ‌and‌ ‌resources‌ ‌at‌ https://www.mbs.works/2-pages-podcast/  Dave reads the poem, ‘Ulysses’ by Alfred, Lord Tennyson. [reading begins at 16:45]   Hear us discuss:  “I’d decided that I was going to be me, because there’s no way I could fake that.” [9:25] | How to keep your artistic spirit alive: “The essence of creativity is being in touch with who you are, what you want to say to others, and how other people have moved you.” [11:48] | The process of keeping an open heart in your closest relationships. [24:20] | Sitting with ambition (as a Rhodes scholar). [28:13] | Work in the criminal legal system: “I have calluses - not in the sense where I don’t feel, but where my skin isn’t being burnt off.” [33:01]

    49 min
4.9
out of 5
36 Ratings

About

Discover the best bits of the best books read by people you admire. Michael Bungay Stanier hosts the podcast where brilliant people read the best two pages of a favourite book. Listen as authors, leaders, activists, academics, celebrities, and entrepreneurs dig in with MBS to explore the insights and ideas within. Whether it’s books that inspire leadership, change, self-development and growth, power, strategy, ambition, productivity, or creativity and innovation - this is hand-curated wisdom from people who know. These are the books that change minds, shape lives, and inspire great work and worthy goals.

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