Episodios

  • Human History on Drugs
    Jul 14 2025
    When we talk about the forces that shape history, we usually hear about wars, revolutions, inventions… maybe the occasional love affair. But there’s one powerful force that’s rarely acknowledged—because, well, it makes people uncomfortable. That force is drugs. In his new book ⁠Human History on Drugs⁠, writer and historian Sam Kelly uncovers the surprising, often scandalous ways that everything from opium to cocaine has shaped leaders, inspired art, fueled some bad decisions—and some good ones. It’s a provocative and oddly humanizing look at the past, and it just might change the way you think about both history and substance use. 📱 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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    10 m
  • The Pleasures of Suffering
    Jul 11 2025
    Celebrated psychologist Paul Bloom shares five key insights from his book The Sweet Spot. 📱 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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    15 m
  • Who Designed Design?
    Jul 10 2025
    Once just a word, now a worldview — how a 20th-century invention came to shape everything from your phone to your future. Support the show!
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    7 m
  • Ambition is a Trap. Here's How to Get Out.
    Jul 9 2025
    Ambition. We celebrate it, chase it, and reward it. But for many of us, ambition has become a double-edged sword—fueling overwork, perfectionism, and self-neglect. What if the problem isn’t having ambition, but where it’s coming from? Executive coach Amina AlTai has worked with everyone from Olympians to entrepreneurs, and in her new book The Ambition Trap: How to Stop Chasing and Start Living, she argues that we don’t need to give up ambition; we just need to reclaim it on our own terms. 📱 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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    12 m
  • Magic Is Real—And It’s Living in Your Computer
    Jul 8 2025
    How code became the most powerful spell humans have ever cast. 📱 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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    11 m
  • Your Life Plan Fell Apart. Now What?
    Jul 7 2025
    Life changes can sneak up on all of us, and sometimes they hit pretty hard. Cassidy Krug spent 20 years training to be one of the best divers in the world. She made it to the Olympics. And then, in a single moment, her lifelong dream ended—with no medal, no encore, just the quiet shock of “What now?” Cassidy’s new book, Resurface, is a guide for anyone navigating life’s big transitions—grief, identity shifts, career changes, reinventions. In the book, she gathers wisdom from Olympians, veterans, new parents, and more. Below, she shares what she’s learned about letting go, asking for help, and redefining success.
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    14 m
  • Reclaiming the Lost Art of True Connection
    Jul 4 2025
    Listening can be improved. Ximena Vengoechea is here to tell you how. 📱 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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    15 m
  • Lean Learning
    Jul 3 2025
    We live in a golden age of learning. Want to learn Mandarin? There’s an app for that. Want to write some code? There’s an AI chatbot that can help. Want to start a business, write a novel, fix your posture, or master the didgeridoo? Go to YouTube and you could start today. And that’s the problem. When you can learn anything, the temptation is to try learning everything. Entrepreneur and podcaster Pat Flynn says that’s the fast track to burnout and stagnation. In his new book, Lean Learning: How to Achieve More by Learning Less, he lays out a better way. 📱 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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    11 m