We’ve got such a fun one for you today—we’re chatting with Nora Princiotti about her new book Hit Girls: Britney, Taylor, Beyonce, and the Women Who Built Pop’s Shiniest Decade , which comes out on June 17. This book is being billed—rightfully so—as “the ultimate love letter to pop music,” and in this book Nora takes us on a deep dive into how female pop stars broke through the music industry in the 2000s and changed the game forever. Nora covers so many women in this book—Britney Spears, Christ...
Jun 15, 2025•33 min•Season 16Ep. 18
So excited to be back with you and our guest today, Megan Hellerer, author of Directional Living: A Transformational Guide to Fulfillment in Work and Life , which came out last September 24. In this book, Megan introduces us to the concept of the underfulfilled overachiever—and I bet there are many of you listening, like myself, who will completely resonate with that term. Underfulfilled overachievers, Megan writes, have been taught the concept of destinational living—but through her book, as th...
Jun 07, 2025•34 min•Season 16Ep. 17
One of the most popular books of 2025 so far is Dr. Judith Joseph’s High Functioning: Overcome Your Hidden Depression and Reclaim Your Joy , which introduces us to the concept of High Functioning Depression—where you may look fine on the outside but don’t feel fine on the inside. When people think of depression, they most likely think of “can’t get out of bed” depression—but what about the lesser-known side of depression, the one that mostly stays hidden? If you are going through a time in your ...
May 31, 2025•36 min•Season 16Ep. 16
Today on the show I’m thrilled to have Sophie Gilbert, author of Girl on Girl: How Pop Culture Turned a Generation of Women Against Themselves , which came out April 29. This book looks specifically at the late 1990s and early 2000s—when both Sophie and I were coming of age—as an inflection point, when the energy of feminism collapsed and regressed into a period of hyper-objectification, sexualization, and infantilization. This book examines the era across movies, music, fashion, television, tab...
May 16, 2025•38 min•Season 16Ep. 15
I am thrilled to have Amina AlTai here with me today to talk about her new book The Ambition Trap: How to Stop Chasing and Start Living , which is out May 13. Here’s what I love about this book, among many things, honestly—it is billed as “the anti-hustle guide to getting what you really want,” and it delivers . If you are experiencing or have experienced burnout, overwork, and stress when it comes to your ambition, then this book is for you. This book helps us escape the ambition trap—and don’t...
May 13, 2025•25 min•Season 16Ep. 14
Once again, we don’t often have fiction picks on I’d Rather Be Reading, but usually every year I leave you with a fiction book of the summer around this time of year—and here is one for you: Hotter in the Hamptons by none other than Tinx, who is my esteemed guest today! In case you’re in the 1 percent of the population who isn’t familiar with Tinx, she is an influencer that has become known as “TikTok’s older sister” because of her advice about relationships and mental health. Her name is Christ...
May 03, 2025•24 min•Season 16Ep. 13
Today we are talking about a topic that will resonate with each and every one of you—waiting. Every last one of us has walked through a waiting season at some point in our lives, and I bet that most, if not all, of us are waiting on something to happen for them right now. Be it a marriage, a child, a job, a home, on and on and on, it’s not so much that life is made up of waiting seasons, but life is one big wait. The question becomes—how will we live in the wait? How can we be happy even when we...
Apr 26, 2025•40 min•Season 16Ep. 12
Today on the show we’re talking about the beauty of staying put, and we’re talking with Annie B. Jones, author of the new book Ordinary Time: Lessons Learned While Staying Put , which comes out April 22. Annie is a podcaster herself—her books podcast, From the Front Porch, is a huge hit—and she is the owner of The Bookshelf in Thomasville, Georgia, one of the most well-respected bookstores in the U.S. Annie writes in Ordinary Time that she had dreams of moving to New York City, but instead staye...
Apr 19, 2025•29 min•Season 16Ep. 11
I am delighted to have on the show today Chris Guillebeau, here to talk about his latest, Time Anxiety: The Illusion of Urgency and a Better Way to Live , which is out April 15. You may know Chris from his popular newsletter “A Year of Mental Health” or for his books, including 2010’s The Art of Non-Conformity , 2012’s The $100 Startup , 2014’s The Happiness of Pursuit , 2016’s Born for This , 2017’s Side Hustle , and 2023’s Gonzo Capitalism . In Time Anxiety , Chris examines our relationship wi...
Apr 12, 2025•30 min•Season 16Ep. 10
Whether you are decidedly a Swiftie or decidedly not, I promise you’re going to get something out of this conversation. It’s hard to believe that we’ve never, to my knowledge, spoken about Taylor Swift in her own episode in the nearly four years and 300-plus episodes of I’d Rather Be Reading, but now, she gets her due. Here today I have Kevin Evers, a senior editor at the Harvard Business Review who has written the brilliant book There’s Nothing Like This: The Strategic Genius of Taylor Swift , ...
Apr 06, 2025•33 min•Season 16Ep. 9
We are in for such a fun conversation today with Dr. Morgan Cutlip, author of A Better Share: How Couples Can Tackle the Mental Load for More Fun, Less Resentment, and Great Sex, which is out April 8. In today's episode, Morgan teaches us why understanding the mental load is so important to a successful partnership. She teaches us that the mental load is comprised of three parts—physical, cognitive, and emotional, and we talk about that, as well as the cycle of unmet needs, the PAR acronym and w...
Mar 30, 2025•30 min•Season 16Ep. 8
As our guest today, Dr. Caroline Fleck, writes in her new book Validation: How the Skill Set That Revolutionized Psychology Will Transform Your Relationships, Increase Your Influence, and Change Your Life —which came out February 18—validation is psychology’s best kept secret. What is validation, anyway, and why does it matter? Caroline and I dig into all of it, including the power of validation, and why Caroline considers it a superpower. Practicing validation can lead to improvement in five im...
Mar 26, 2025•47 min•Season 16Ep. 7
I have spoken before on the show about my absolute love and admiration for the one and only Nora Ephron, who is the reason why I am a writer. I have met my match in today’s guest, Ilana Kaplan, who I previously worked with at People , who is absolutely fantastic, and who has written this gem of a book about our shared heroine called Nora Ephron at the Movies: A Visual Celebration of the Writer and Director Behind When Harry Met Sally, You’ve Got Mail, Sleepless in Seattle , and More , which came...
Mar 25, 2025•30 min•Season 16Ep. 6
Today on the show we’ve got Jenny Wood discussing her new book Wild Courage: Go After What You Want and Get It , which hits shelves on March 25. In the book, Jenny writes about how courage is essential to our success, and how, in her words, “Wild courage will change your life.” She explains to us what wild courage is , anyway; how to look fear in the eye and do it—whatever it is to you—scared; the four-step goal setting practice of rock, chalk, talk, and walk; and in one of the most fascinating ...
Mar 24, 2025•29 min•Season 16Ep. 5
Our guest today, Brad Meltzer, is one of the busiest people in book writing. It’s only March, and already he’s had two books come out in 2025 alone: The JFK Conspiracy: The Secret Plot to Kill Kennedy—and Why It Failed , written with his friend Josh Mensch and released January 14, and Make Magic: The Book of Inspiration You Didn’t Know You Needed , which came out March 4. Today on the show we talk about both books with Brad—and they’re very different. In The JFK Conspiracy , we learn about a plo...
Mar 22, 2025•36 min•Season 16Ep. 4
There aren’t many of us—if any of us—who aren’t experiencing stress. But what if I told you that a little stress isn’t just okay for us as humans, but it’s necessary? That’s what Dr. Sharon Horesh Bergquist writes about in her new book The Stress Paradox: Why You Need Stress to Live Longer, Healthier, and Happier , which is out March 25. Now, hear her out—in this fascinating book, she argues that a little bit of being uncomfortable can actually have majorly positive results towards our longevity...
Mar 16, 2025•30 min•Season 16Ep. 3
Welcome back to week two of I’d Rather Be Reading season 16! Today on the show we have the lovely Grace Valentine, here to talk about her new book The Better Friend: 12 Truths to Shift from Shallow and One-Sided Connections to Vibrant Friendships , which comes out March 11. We talked a lot in season 15 about friendship, and the conversation is spilling over to season 16, too. Grace is a TEDx speaker, the host of the podcast “Water Into Wine,” and is the author of five books. She’s a contributing...
Mar 09, 2025•31 min•Season 16Ep. 2
I am thrilled to be back with each and every one of you for season 16—and I am thrilled to be joined by our guest today, Neha Ruch, author of The Power Pause: How to Plan a Career Break After Kids—and Come Back Stronger Than Ever , which came out January 14. We’ve all heard that phrase about having it all, about work/life balance (which I find to be a fallacy), and how to juggle it all, and Neha’s book offers a really modern solution: the power pause, which she explains in this episode. After re...
Mar 04, 2025•34 min•Season 16Ep. 1
Today I am chatting with one of my absolute favorite writers, the one and only Gretchen Rubin, about her forthcoming book Secrets of Adulthood: Simple Truths for Our Complex Lives , which comes out April 1. Gretchen writes here about the lessons she’s learned to making life more meaningful and satisfying, covering areas as wide ranging as self-improvement, adventure, the challenge of love, friendship, work, creativity, procrastination, tough decisions, pain, desire, getting it wrong, and consequ...
Feb 19, 2025•27 min•Season 15Ep. 28
What an absolute honor it is today to have the first ever African American Rockette, the fabulous Jennifer Jones, here with me to talk about her new book Becoming Spectacular: The Rhythm of Resilience from the First African American Rockette , which comes out February 18. What a powerhouse woman Jennifer is. The Radio City Music Hall Rockettes had been in existence for 62 years in 1987, when Jennifer broke barriers and became the first African American Rockette. She made her debut with the Rocke...
Feb 18, 2025•31 min•Season 15Ep. 27
We have a really powerful conversation today from a second time guest—Dr. Steven M. Gillon is back to talk to us about the U.S. presidents who served in World War II (there are seven of them!) and what that service meant to their lives. The last time Steven was here, we were talking about his friend JFK Jr.; today we’re talking about Eisenhower, JFK, Johnson, Nixon, Ford, Reagan, and Bush 41 and how their service in World War II impacted them not just personally, but as president. If you do the ...
Feb 16, 2025•37 min•Season 15Ep. 26
Right on the heels of my power punch conversation about love and grief with Loren Ridinger is an equally power punch conversation with friendship expert Anna Goldfarb, here, appropriately, on Galentine’s Day to talk about friendship, which you all know has been a running theme throughout season 15. I found this conversation with Anna to be so soul-enriching — I truly felt that I had met a new friend through our conversation. Anna talks to us today about what she wishes more people knew about fri...
Feb 13, 2025•43 min•Season 15Ep. 25
Today on the show we have the fantastic Loren Ridinger, author of the new book Scrambled or Sunny-Side Up?: Living Your Best Life After Losing Your Greatest Love, which is out today, February 11. On August 30, 2022, Loren lost her husband of nearly 26 years, JR Ridinger, while they were on vacation in Croatia. JR, who along with Loren is a successful entrepreneur behind Market America, died suddenly of a pulmonary embolism. He and Loren had been together a total of 36 years, and Loren was left t...
Feb 11, 2025•32 min•Season 15Ep. 24
Today is an extra special episode — it’s officially our 300th episode of the show! I am so proud of this. In an appropriate nod to reaching the milestone of 300 episodes, we’re talking today about how to make the most of our days, weeks, months, years — how to savor our time. We’re chatting with Dr. Cassie Holmes about her 2022 book Happier Hour: How to Beat Distraction, Expand Your Time, and Focus on What Matters Most . In the book, Cassie puts forth that time is our most precious resource; in ...
Feb 09, 2025•30 min•Season 15Ep. 23
Stress and burnout are common and pervasive problems in our society. As today’s guest Dr. Aditi Nerurkar writes in her new book The 5 Resets: Rewire Your Brain and Body for Less Stress and More Resilience — which came out January 16 — “Stress and burnout aren’t the exception anymore, they’re the rule.” It turns out that we’re all trapped in the stress paradox, where we are completely isolated in our togetherness with stress. Today on the show we talk about that, as well as the five resets she ou...
Feb 08, 2025•24 min•Season 15Ep. 22
I’m excited to have on the show today Lynne Peeples to discuss her book The Inner Clock: Living in Sync with Our Circadian Rhythms, which came out last September 24. This book examines how the science of circadian rhythms can help us all sleep better, feel happier, and improve our overall health, and how modernization like artificial light, time zones, and eating late at night can really disrupt our internal clocks. Today we chat with science journalist Lynne Peeples — who even spent time in a C...
Feb 07, 2025•28 min•Season 15Ep. 21
We are back today with Brian Kelly — who you might know as The Points Guy — chatting about his brand new book How to Win at Travel , which came out this week on February 4. I can almost guarantee that you will learn something about how to travel more effectively and save time and money after reading Brian’s book, and that you’ll likely never look at travel quite the same again — in the best way possible. In this book, Brian shares page after page — 336 pages, to be exact — of travel wisdom, and ...
Feb 06, 2025•31 min•Season 15Ep. 20
As season 15 continues, we’re chatting today about a topic that has been close to my heart lately, and always, really — the power of friendship. We’ve already spoken about friendship this season, and we will again before the season concludes. I really resonated with Laura Tremaine’s 2023 book The Life Council: 10 Friends Every Woman Needs . I think we have a tendency sometimes to put so much emphasis on one friend, but Laura’s book puts forth that we have many different types of friends that mak...
Feb 05, 2025•37 min•Season 15Ep. 19
As we continue this great week of episodes, I’m delighted today to welcome Dr. Ethan Kross to the show to talk about his latest book Shift: Managing Your Emotions So They Don’t Manage You, which is out February 4. Shift follows the success of Ethan’s 2021 book Chatter: The Voice in Our Head, Why It Matters, and How to Harness It , which was an international bestseller. In Shift , we’re talking all about emotions — and how they can be our superpower if we can learn how to regulate and manage them...
Feb 04, 2025•29 min•Season 15Ep. 18
Today on the show we’re talking about two topics that seem quite different but are actually incredibly related: breaking up with our phones and having more fun. Catherine Price’s book How to Break Up with Your Phone: The 30-Day Plan to Take Back Your Life originally came out in 2018; the revised edition of the book actually comes out tomorrow, February 4 and is fully revised and updated. Today on the show we talk about a phone’s impact on a life and how it robs us of living fully; that our phone...
Feb 03, 2025•32 min•Season 15Ep. 17
