The Next Big Idea Daily

Our dependence on the big five tech companies threatens our civil rights, economy, and democracy. Tom Kemp has a plan to rein them in. 📩 Sign up for our newsletter here!

Today, linguist Valerie Fridland ("Like, Literally, Dude") takes us on a tour of the speech habits we love to hate and makes the surprising argument that "like's" and "literally's" make us better communicators.

In her #1 New York Times bestseller, "Good Energy," Casey Means argues that improving your metabolic health is the key to feeling better and living longer.

Has our idolatry of innovation gone too far? Lee Vinsel and Andrew L. Russell think so. Their book is "The Innovation Delusion: How Our Obsession with the New Has Disrupted the Work That Matters Most." *The Next Big Idea Club* Listeners to this show get 20% off a Next Big Idea Club subscription when they use the code DAILY at nextbigideaclub.com

Adventurer Caroline Paul shares key insights from her new book "Tough Broad."

Today, Georgetown's Abraham Newman shares a few key insights from his recent book "Underground Empire."

Harry Cliff offers an eye-opening account of the inexplicable phenomena that science has only recently glimpsed, and that could transform our understanding of the fundamental nature of reality.

Psychedelics are a buzzy new mental health treatment. Do they work, and are they safe? The New York Times' Ernesto Londoño reports.

Tens of thousands of Google employees rely on Laura Mae Martin's strategies for how to make the most of their time. Now she's going to share those strategies with you. Laura's new book is "Uptime: A Practical Guide to Personal Productivity and Wellbeing."

Neuroscientist Christian Jarrett on how we can change ourselves for the better.

Marjorie Kelly, a distinguished senior fellow at The Democracy Collaborative, argues that a bias toward wealth has warped the economy. Here's what we can do about it.

The one and only George Stephanopoulos stops by to share five key insights from his No. 1 New York Times bestseller "The Situation Room: The Inside Story of Presidents in Crisis."

Today, Jennifer L. Taitz, a clinical psychologist at UCLA, shares a few calming insights from her new book, "Stress Resets."

Do you struggle to connect with other people? It could be because you're not asking the right questions. In this episode, leadership expert Jeff Wetzler shares strategies for asking deep questions drawn from his latest book, "Ask: Tap Into the Hidden Wisdom of People Around You for Unexpected Breakthroughs In Leadership and Life."

What if everything you think you know about capitalism is wrong? Guest: Grace Blakeley Book: Vulture Capitalism: Corporate Crimes, Backdoor Bailouts, and the Death of Freedom Be sure to check out our newsletter on LinkedIn!

Today, Max Bennett explains how understanding the story of how our brains evolved can help shape the next generation of AI breakthroughs.

Today, Adaira Landry and Resa Lewiss, a pair of Harvard-trained physicians, share actionable career advice from "MicroSkills: Small Actions, Big Impact."

Jim VandeHei co-founded two highly influential news outlets, Politico and Axios. But as he explains in today's episode, his path to success was far from straightforward.

Steven Johnson returns to share some key insights from his new book "The Infernal Machine: A True Story of Dynamite, Terror, and the Rise of the Modern Detective."

To end the week, we'll hear from Katherine Morgan Schafler, a former on-site therapist at Google, who challenges us to change the way we look at perfectionism.

In "Before It's Gone: Stories from the Front Lines of Climate Change in Small-Town America," Jonathan Vigliotti shares the stories of regular Americans who are confronting the effects of climate disaster.

As chairman of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), Tom Wheeler advocated for stronger legislation of big tech companies. In his new book, "Techlash: Who Makes the Rules in the Digital Gilded Age?," he says there's more to be done.

Jacqueline Alnes was a DI runner in college, but her athletic career was cut short by a series of mysterious neurological symptoms. Her search for a cure led her to discover the dark side of wellness culture. Her new book is "The Fruit Cure: The Story of Extreme Wellness Turned Sour."

Are all the little things getting you down? Rob Cross and Karen Dillon are here to help. Their new book is "The Microstress Effect: How Little Things Pile Up and Create Big Problems--and What to Do about It."

Harvard's Michael Norton says cultivating a "ritual" mindset can infuse our lives with meaning. His new book is "The Ritual Effect: From Habit to Ritual, Harness the Surprising Power of Everyday Actions."

Longtime New York Times columnist Frank Bruni says fervent hostility has eroded the civility, common ground, and compromise necessary for our democracy to survive. His new book is "The Age of Grievance."

Ecologist David Scheel has been obsessed with octopuses for decades. What he's learned — and why it should matter to you — is the subject of his new book: "Many Things Under a Rock: The Mysteries of Octopuses."

Your twenties are the most challenging time of your life. Does it have to be that way?

Life lessons from the creator of the popular finance podcast So Money.

Inside of you resides an intentional life without limits. The time has come to awaken it. • Subscribe to our newsletter • Download our app • Join our club (and use code DAILY for a special discount)

Today, a few big ideas from Susan Liautaud, who teaches cutting-edge ethics courses at Stanford University.

"How Sex Changed the Internet and the Internet Changed Sex." The title says it all, doesn't it? Author Samantha Cole stops by to tell us why we have sex to thank for the internet we know and love.

"As a top athlete," says today's guest, Mark Tuitert, "you can easily be blinded by the goal: winning." Mark would know. He won the gold medal in speed skating in the 1500-meter event at the 2010 Vancouver Winter Olympics. When he woke up the next day, however, a worrying thought shot through his head: Now what? What do I focus on now? To answer those questions, he turned to the ancient philosophy of Stoicism.

Today, Joe Davis, managing director and senior partner at the Boston Consulting Group, explains why gernosity is the key attribute of a modern leader.

You didn't choose to live this life, but you can still make it beautiful.

If you're living in a city in America right now, there's a nuclear weapon pointed directly at you.

Life is full of moral dilemmas. How do you know you're making the right calls? • Subscribe to our newsletter • Download our app • Join our club (and use code DAILY for a special discount)

Today, friend-of-the-pod Steven Johnson stops by to share a few big ideas from his recent book "Extra Life," which President Obama praised for offering readers "a useful reminder of the role of modern science in fundamentally transforming all of our lives." • If you enjoy this episode, check out the audio essay we made with Steven. It's called "Immortality: A User's Guide"

Have you ever been afraid to speak up? You're not alone, says Elaine Lin Hering, a lecturer at Harvard Law School. But your silence has repercussions for you and those around you. Today, Elaine is here to help you summon the courage to say what's on your mind.

To close out the week, let's hear from Reddit's Global Brand Ambassador, Will Cady, who has a few surprising tips for unlocking your creativity. • Don't miss our event with Scott Galloway on April 22nd in New York City. Tickets are going fast! Grab yours at nextbigideaclub.com/events and use the code PODCAST for 50% off

Robin Reames grew up in a fundamentalist Christian, white, and very conservative family in the Deep South. "Up until about my late adolescence and early adulthood," she says, "I more or less believed that the polarized view of the world that dominated my subculture was true. They are the bad guys. We are the good guys." But things changed when she went away to college and discovered rhetoric. That ancient art ultimately showed her how everything from disagreements with her parents to the polarized politics of our time — and even to the way that we think about truth itself — are propelled by the power of words. Robin, who is now a professor at the University of Illinois at Chicago, joins us today to share a few key insights from her new book, "The Ancient Art of Thinking For Yourself."

In this episode, CNN anchor and chief national security analyst Jim Sciutto warns that another world war could be looming. • We're hosting a live event with Scott Galloway in New York City on April 22nd. Learn more and grab your ticket at nextbigideaclub.com/events

Keto, Atkins, paleo, and Whole30 — it seems like fad diets are everywhere these days. How did they get so popular, and are they doomed to fail? • Want to attend our live event with Scott Galloway on April 22? Learn more at nextbigideaclub.com/events/

Today, indispensable financial advice from Jill Schlesinger, Emmy and Gracie Award winning business analyst for CBS News and author of "The Great Money Reset: Change Your Work, Change Your Wealth, Change Your Life."

Can Joseph Campbell’s "hero’s journey" help you find fulfillment?

Is the design of the internet to blame for our current crises of disinformation, mental illness, and hyper-partisan division? • Subscribe to our newsletter • Download our app • Join our club (and use code DAILY for a special discount)

Why does living in the so-called Information Age only seem to make life more confusing? Amanda Montell has some surprising answers.

Today, a few brainy insights from neuroscientist Chantel Prat, author of "The Neuroscience of You," which our pal Adam Grant called her book "the smartest, clearest, and funniest book I've ever read about the brain."

How smart leaders make the right things easier and the wrong things harder. • Subscribe to our newsletter • Download our app • Join our club (and use code DAILY for a special discount)

For the past few years, Scott Rick, a behavioral scientist at the University of Michigan's Ross School of Business, has been surveying couples, and he's reached a surprising conclusion: many tightwads are married to spendthrifts. Why does this happen? Why do penny pinchers fall for cash splashers? And if you find yourself in such a relationship, what can you do about it? • Subscribe to our newsletter • Download our app • Join our club (and use code DAILY for a special discount)