The Next Big Idea Daily

What if engaging with great ideas could become one of your daily habits? What if some of the best tips for living better and working smarter were served up with your morning coffee, a hit of motivation guaranteed to start your day right? That’s the idea behind The Next Big Idea Daily. We work with hundreds of non-fiction authors — experts in productivity, creativity, leadership, communication, and other fields. They distill their big ideas into bite-sized chunks, and we offer you one each morning.

Episodes

How to Navigate Life's Transitions

December 26, 2025 • 27 mins

First up, Ann Tashi shares key insights from her book Traveling in Bardo: The Art of Living in an Impermanent World. And later in the show, we'll hear from Rachel Macy Stafford, New York Times bestselling author of 2023’s Soul Shift, who'll show us how small, incremental changes can help us rediscover what truly brings us joy. Support Us by Supporting Our Sponsors: GoDaddy - Get a domain for pennies at godaddy.com/nbid Learn mor...

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What Kind of American Are You?

December 24, 2025 • 32 mins

First, Colin Woodard argues that where you are in the country determines how you live and how you'll die. Then Luke Shaefer tells us how America's most disadvantaged communities aren't where we think they are, and what their shared history reveals about inequality in this country. 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 for p...

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This Episode Will Change Every Breath You Take

December 23, 2025 • 34 mins

When was the last time you actually thought about the air around you? Unless you're stuck in a windstorm or gasping after a run, probably never. But it turns out that this invisible element — whether it's blowing across continents or flowing through your lungs — has shaped human history in some pretty remarkable ways. Simon Winchester is the New York Times bestselling author of books like The Professor and the Madman and Krakatoa....

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A Starter Kit to Make Your Finances Bulletproof

December 22, 2025 • 25 mins

First up, Harvard economist John Campbell on how to make the financial system work better for you. His new book, co-written with Tarun Ramadorai, is Fixed: Why Personal Finance Is Broken and How to Make It Work for Everyone. Later in the show, Lauren Simmons offers us a practical, empowering roadmap for building financial wellness right now. Sponsored By: Aura Frames - Get $35 off Aura’s best-selling Carver Mat frames by using pr...

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An Exercise in Uncertainty and a Memoir of a Life Interrupted

December 19, 2025 • 24 mins

Up first, we hear from Jonathan Gluck, author of An Exercise in Uncertainty. And then Suleika Jaouad shares key insights from Between Two Kingdoms. Aura Frames - Get $35 off Aura’s best-selling Carver Mat frames by using promo code BIGIDEADAILY 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

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The Power of Being Alone: Why Solitude Is Good for You

December 18, 2025 • 19 mins

Act One: The Joy of Solitude: How to Reconnect with Yourself in an Overconnected World by Robert Coplan Act Two: Arrangements in Blue Notes by Amy Key Sponsored By: Aura Frames - Get $35 off Aura’s best-selling Carver Mat frames by using promo code BIGIDEADAILY 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/adc...

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You’re Working Hard. You’re Still Stuck. Here’s Why.

December 17, 2025 • 24 mins

Let’s say you’ve made it to a position to manage other people. Congratulations! But unfortunately, you can’t just coast from here. The mindset that got you into that leadership role isn’t the mindset you need to succeed at it. Muriel Wilkins is a leadership coach and host of the award-winning podcast Coaching Real Leaders. Her new book is called Leadership Unblocked: Break Through the Beliefs That Limit Your Potential. And later, w...

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The Surprising Science of Pets

December 16, 2025 • 25 mins

Do you have a pet? A dog, a cat, a goldfish? If so, why? I don’t mean why did you adopt the dear things, I mean why do humans keep pets at all? It’s a strange behavior, when you think about it, and not one shared by any of our animal cousins. Jay Ingram is a top science writer and TV personality who’s spent decades exploring the natural world. His new book is called The Science of Pets, and he shares five of his key insights in the...

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Here's How to Get Lucky

December 15, 2025 • 27 mins

We all know someone who seems impossibly lucky. They land the perfect job, get into the right school, meet the right people at the right time. But luck isn’t as random as it seems. There are hidden systems at work determining who gets what, and understanding them can tilt the odds in your favor. Act One: Lucky by Design by Judd Kessler Act Two: The Serendipity Mindset by Christian Busch Sponsored By: Aura Frames - Get $35...

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How to Spot a Swindler

December 12, 2025 • 35 mins

Charlatans by Moisés Naím and Quico Toro Nobody's Fool by Daniel Simons and Christopher Chabris Sponsored By: Aura Frames - Get $35 off Aura’s best-selling Carver Mat frames by using promo code BIGIDEADAILY 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

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The Weird Force That May Well Kill You

December 11, 2025 • 28 mins

Like it or not, gravity controls life and death on this planet, yet we barely understand it. Crush by James Riordon Pull by Brennan Spiegel Sponsored By: Aura Frames - Get $35 off Aura’s best-selling Carver Mat frames by using promo code BIGIDEADAILY 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/adcho...

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You're a Hypocrite, But That's OK

December 10, 2025 • 31 mins

Why acknowledging our own contradictions can make us better friends, colleagues, and citizens. The Hypocrisy Trap by Michael Hallsworth The Status Revolution by Chuck Thompson Sponsored By: Aura Frames - Get $35 off Aura’s best-selling Carver Mat frames by using promo code BIGIDEADAILY 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...

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The Simple Shift That Reduces Stress and Increases Freedom

December 9, 2025 • 24 mins

Why choosing less leads to more clarity, wellness, and connection. Act One: Less Is Liberation by Christine Platt Act Two: Work Won't Love You Back by Sarah Jaffe Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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Your Life Could Use a Little More Danger

December 8, 2025 • 35 mins

Here’s how small, smart risks can boost your creativity and strengthen your relationships — at work and at home. Act 1️⃣: Safe Danger by Ben Swire Act 2️⃣: The Leader's Guide to Managing Risk by K. Scott Griffith 🎁 Take 20% off a Next Big Idea Club subscription when you use code DAILY at nextbigideaclub.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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The Story of Depression

December 5, 2025 • 27 mins

A Cure for Darkness by Alex Riley The Empire of Depression by Jonathan Sadowsky 🎁 Get 20% off a Next Big Idea Club membership when you use code DAILY at nextbigideaclub.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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How to Break Up With Your Car

December 4, 2025 • 25 mins

The surprising case for walking, cycling, community—and life after automobile overload. Life After Cars by Sarah Goodyear, Doug Gordon, and Aaron Naparstek Paved Paradise Henry Grabar Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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Where Intelligence Really Comes From

December 3, 2025 • 35 mins

Why simple neurons—and simple algorithms—can create minds far more complex than their parts. Act One: The Emergent Mind by Gaurav Suri and Jay McClelland Act Two: Journey of the Mind by Ogi Ogas and Sai Gaddam 🎁 Take 20% off a Next Big Idea Club subscription — including gift memberships — when you use code DAILY at nextbigideaclub.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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Want to Lead Better? Stop Being So Authentic.

December 2, 2025 • 26 mins

We’ve all been told to bring our authentic selves to work, to be vulnerable, to share our truth. But what if all that authenticity is actually holding you back? What if the pressure to be yourself is keeping you from becoming the person you want to be? Act One: Don't Be Yourself by Tomas Chamorro-Premuzic Act Two: Authentic by Jodi-Ann Burey 📱 Follow The Next Big Idea Daily on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen 📩...

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Leading the Future of AI-Enhanced, On-Demand Work

December 1, 2025 • 27 mins

Now, if you run any kind of business, you know that finding the right talent can be one of your hardest problems. You can spend months recruiting, weeks interviewing, and then hope your new hire works out. But what if that whole model is becoming obsolete? What if, instead of hoarding talent, you could access exactly the expertise you need, exactly when you need it—and have a high-performing team assembled in minutes? Melissa Vale...

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Better Living Through Mindfulness

November 28, 2025 • 26 mins

Today, we're exploring two powerful books about transforming how we care for ourselves and show up for others. First, Sharon Salzberg, the renowned meditation teacher and New York Times bestselling author, joins us with key insights from her 2023 book Real Life: The Journey from Isolation to Openness and Freedom, a guide to recovering spaciousness and connection. Then, in the second half of the show, mindfulness teacher Shelly Tygi...

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The Next Big Idea Daily

Episodes

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.css-r6mb8g{margin:0;word-break:break-word;display:-webkit-box;-webkit-box-orient:vertical;box-orient:vertical;-webkit-line-clamp:1;overflow:hidden;}What Kind of American Are You?

This Episode Will Change Every Breath You Take

A Starter Kit to Make Your Finances Bulletproof

An Exercise in Uncertainty and a Memoir of a Life Interrupted

The Power of Being Alone: Why Solitude Is Good for You

You’re Working Hard. You’re Still Stuck. Here’s Why.

The Surprising Science of Pets

Here's How to Get Lucky

How to Spot a Swindler

The Weird Force That May Well Kill You

You're a Hypocrite, But That's OK

The Simple Shift That Reduces Stress and Increases Freedom

Your Life Could Use a Little More Danger

The Story of Depression

How to Break Up With Your Car

Where Intelligence Really Comes From

Want to Lead Better? Stop Being So Authentic.

Leading the Future of AI-Enhanced, On-Demand Work

Better Living Through Mindfulness

Popular Podcasts

How to Navigate Life's Transitions

What Kind of American Are You?