The Next Big Idea Daily

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 Your Career in Uncertain Times

January 9, 2026 • 24 mins
Whether you're plotting a job change or just trying to survive another uncertain year at work, the truth is most of us spend 90,000 hours of our lives working. That's too much time to spend feeling stuck, stressed, or unfulfilled. Journalists Lisa Leong and Monique Ross are here to help. Their 2023 book This Working Life: How to Navigate Your Career in Uncertain Times is packed with practical wisdom for building a career that act...
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The Impact of Alcohol on Our Bodies and Culture

January 8, 2026 • 31 mins
Some of us may have overindulged during the holidays, and some of us may be trying a Dry January — or at least rethinking our relationship with booze. This is the time of year when we might notice how much alcohol has woven itself into our social lives, our stress management, our celebrations. Charles Knowles is a Professor of Surgery at Queen Mary University of London and Chief Academic Officer at the Cleveland Clinic London, and ...
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Forget Self-Improvement. Try This Instead in 2026.

January 7, 2026 • 25 mins
Maybe you’ve already set some resolutions for 2026 — exercise more, eat better, be more patient. But here’s the problem: We make these promises to improve ourselves as if our selves are solid, fixed entities that just need a little tweaking. But there might be a wiser approach. J. Eric Oliver is a professor of political science at the University of Chicago, and his new book is called How To Know Your Self: The Art & Science of Disc...
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Why a Tough Childhood Might Help Some Kids Survive

January 6, 2026 • 23 mins
An evolutionary perspective reveals how early adversity can sometimes accelerate development. The Nature of Nurture by Jay Belsky The Social Genome by Dalton Conley 📱 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
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New Year, Same Patterns? Here’s Why That’s OK.

January 5, 2026 • 25 mins
Now that we’re in early January, a lot of us are thinking about what we want to change this year. But here’s the thing — we often focus on adding new habits when the real question might be, Why do we keep repeating the old ones? Why Do I Keep Doing This? by Kati Morton Look Again: The Power of Noticing What Was Always There by Tali Sharot and Cass Sunstein
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A Spy's Guide to Parenting

January 2, 2026 • 35 mins
Emily Oster is a professor of economics at Brown University and the author of the 2021 book The Family Firm: A Data-Driven Guide to Better Decision Making in the Early School Years. She makes a fascinating case: well-run companies have a clear mission, they make decisions deliberately, and they have processes that keep things running smoothly. So why don't we apply that same intentionality to our family lives? Then we’ll hear from ...
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What Is Capitalism?

December 31, 2025 • 23 mins
Capitalism shapes everything about our lives — the way we work, the cities we live in, the goods we consume. But where did it come from, and where is it headed? Capitalism: A Global History by Sven Beckert The Problem of Twelve by John Coates Supported By: GoDaddy - Get a domain for pennies at godaddy.com/nbid  The Next Big Idea Club - Get 20% off a subscription when you use code DAILY at nextbigideaclub.com
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Are You Smarter Than a Plant?

December 30, 2025 • 29 mins
Max Telford is a leading evolutionary biologist who's spent his career tracing the deepest roots of life itself. His new book is called The Tree of Life: Solving Science's Greatest Puzzle, and he joins us today to share some of his big ideas in just a moment. In the second half of the show, we'll hear big ideas from the 2023 book Planta Sapiens, exploring the surprising intelligence hidden in the plants all around us. Sponsored By...
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The Heart of Entrepreneurship

December 29, 2025 • 34 mins
Melissa Bernstein, co-founder of the beloved toy company Melissa & Doug, has spent decades discovering what it means to build a business that's true to who you are. Her new book is called The Heart of Entrepreneurship: Crafting Your Authentic Recipe for Success, and she'll join us to share some of her big ideas in the first half of today's show. After that, we'll hear from Catalina Daniels and James Sherman. They went inside eighte...
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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