About the book The average human lifespan is absurdly, outrageously, insultingly brief: if you live to 80, you have about four thousand weeks on earth. How should we use them best? Of course, nobody needs telling that there isn’t enough time. We’re obsessed by our lengthening to-do lists, our overfilled inboxes, the struggle against distraction, and the sense that our attention spans are shrivelling. Yet we rarely make the conscious connection that these problems only trouble us in the first pla...
Oct 03, 2021•12 min•Ep. 143
This week, it's time for another quarterly check in on my favourite reads from the last three months. If you missed the first part of the 2021 'best books', you can listen to it here, and the second instalment here. This time I'm talking about... Everyday Creative by Mykel Dixon 4000 Weeks by Oliver Burkeman Breath by James Nestor Find Your Artistic Voice by Lisa Congdon The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath Support my book habit: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/stephsbookshelf See omnystudio.com/listener f...
Sep 26, 2021•10 min•Ep. 142
About the author Guy Raz is an independent producer who has been described by the New York Times as “one of the most popular podcasters in history.” He’s the founder and CEO of Built-It Productions and the creator and the creative force behind How I Built This . He’s also the former host and co-creator of TED Radio Hour . Guy is also the co-founder of Tinkercast , a children’s media company that produces audio podcasts and educational content for kids. Guy co-created and hosts one of those progr...
Sep 19, 2021•12 min•Ep. 141
About the book Do you find yourself swamped by everyone landing problems on your desk, for you to solve? Do you wonder why your team members hand over issues for you to sort out, rather than sorting them out themselves? Even issues that you think they should be able to sort out themselves? Are you getting so bogged down in solving other people’s problems that you aren’t getting time to focus on your own work? If so, The Manager’s Dilemma — How to Empower Your Team’s Problem-Solving is the book f...
Sep 12, 2021•14 min•Ep. 140
About the author Holly Cardamone is a Melbourne-based author, communications specialist, writer and all round Word Nerd who works with people to tell their story and grow their business using beautiful communications. Through her consultancy, Blue51 Communications, Holly provides specialist communications support and mentoring and business writing services. She writes anything and everything, and almost always with a smile on her face and a coffee within grasp. She’s a water baby, a voracious re...
Sep 05, 2021•13 min•Ep. 139
About the author Austin Kleon is the New York Times bestselling author of a trilogy of illustrated books about creativity in the digital age: Steal Like An Artist , Show Your Work! , and Keep Going . He’s also the author of Newspaper Blackout , a collection of poems made by redacting the newspaper with a permanent marker. His books have been translated into dozens of languages and have sold over a million copies worldwide. He’s been featured on NPR’s Morning Edition , PBS Newshour , and in The N...
Aug 29, 2021•12 min•Ep. 138
About the author Marc Brackett, Ph.D., is the Founder and Director of the Yale Center for Emotional Intelligence and a Professor in the Child Study Center of Yale University. As a researcher for over 20 years, Brackett has focused on the role of emotions and emotional intelligence in learning, decision making, creativity, relationships, health, and performance. He has published 125 scholarly articles and received numerous awards and accolades for his work in this area. He also consults regularly...
Aug 22, 2021•14 min•Ep. 137
About the author By some accounts, Roy Peter Clark is America’s writing coach, devoted to creating a nation of writers. A PhD in medieval literature, he is widely considered the most influential writing teacher in the rough-and-tumble world of newspaper journalism. With a deep background in traditional media, Clark has illuminated the discussion of writing on the internet. He has gained fame by teaching writing to children and has nurtured Pulitzer Prize-winning authors. He is a teacher who writ...
Aug 15, 2021•12 min•Ep. 136
About the author Dr. Marshall B. Rosenberg was the founder and director of educational services for The Center for Nonviolent Communication . Growing up in an inner–city Detroit neighborhood Dr. Marshall Rosenberg was confronted daily with various forms of violence. Wanting to explore the causes of violence and what could be done to reduce violence, he chose to study clinical psychology and received his Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology from the University of Wisconsin in 1961. In 1966 he was awarded...
Aug 08, 2021•18 min•Ep. 135
About the book We don’t need better speakers. We need more effective leaders. This book isn’t a primer on becoming a better speaker, though if it helps you nail your next presentation that’s great. The real goal is to help you become a more effective leader. In ‘Lead The Room’ you’re invited to think bigger and aim higher than the idea of presentation skills. To think holistically about how you can communicate and connect more effectively. This book will give you the tools to raise your visibili...
Aug 01, 2021•9 min•Ep. 134
About the book These experiences of overwhelm can be a common part of a normal day or week in our life. Yes, the world can be an overwhelming place. We might have an emotional experience of being overwhelmed. We can experience the ‘too much on’ of workload — too much to do and not enough time in which to do it. Or we might feel like we’re submerged under an endless pile of information, reports, books and reading. At other times we can just be plain ‘drowning in’ it from a wicked combination of a...
Jul 25, 2021•10 min•Ep. 133
About the author Robin Sharma is a globally respected humanitarian who, for over a quarter of a century, has been devoted to helping human beings realize their native gifts. Widely considered one of the top leadership and personal mastery experts and speakers in the world, his clients include NASA, Microsoft, Nike, Unilever, General Electric, FedEx, HP, Starbucks, Oracle, Yale University, PwC, IBM Watson, and the Young Presidents’ Organization. As a presenter, Robin Sharma possesses the rare abi...
Jul 18, 2021•16 min•Ep. 132
Hey! I'm taking a two week mid-year break from fresh episodes, so ICYMI, here's a rebroadcast of the most popular episode of 2021 so far (which incidentally is my favourite book of the year... so far). About the book A riveting, deeply personal account of history in the making—from the president who inspired us to believe in the power of democracy. In the stirring, highly anticipated first volume of his presidential memoirs, Barack Obama tells the story of his improbable odyssey from young man s...
Jul 11, 2021•16 min•Ep. 131
Hey, have you subscribed to the bookmark newsletter? A fortnightly email with book reviews and ideas of what you should be reading next. Click here to subscribe . This week, it's time for another quarterly check in on my favourite reads from the last three months. If you missed the first part of the 2021 'best books', you can listen to it here . This time I'm talking about... Turning Right by Kay Bretz ( hear more about this book here ) Rare Breed by Sonny Bonnell and Ashleigh Hansberger ...
Jun 27, 2021•11 min•Ep. 130
About the book A compelling, un-put-downable account of recreational marathon runner Kay Bretz’s transformation into one of the best ultra runners in the world. The reader follows the author during his physical, mental and professional challenges and celebrates his hard-fought wins as he discovers the motivation to succeed, leaving behind his former motivation to avoid failure. It all started by turning right when his entire perspective on what he was capable of started to shift. Turning Right w...
Jun 20, 2021•13 min•Ep. 129
About the book We can all be more creative. John Cleese shows us how. Creativity is usually regarded as a mysterious, rare gift that only a few possess. John Cleese begs to differ, and in this short, immensely practical and often very amusing guide he shows it’s a skill that anyone can acquire. Drawing on his lifelong experience as a writer, he shares his insights into the nature of the creative process, and offers advice on how to get your own inventive juices flowing. Not only does he explain ...
Jun 13, 2021•10 min•Ep. 128
About the book Throughout our decade of aligning leaders, we witnessed an alarming lack of acceptance for unique people and “crazy” ideas that don’t fit the mold. We responded with our book Rare Breed to tear up the rule book and succeed on your own terms. Readers will learn how to resist constant pressure to conform, plus: How being rebellious has the power to move mountains — if you know what you’re rebelling against. How being audacious makes you a visionary — unless it spirals into reckless ...
Jun 06, 2021•10 min•Ep. 127
Something different this week on the podcast. I've had a lot of conversations recently with leaders who are struggling to adapt to hybrid working, who are facing challenges in their teams, or who are just feeling overwhelmed. So this week on Steph's Business Bookshelf, I'm sharing three essential books for leaders to read (yes, it was a tough list to whittle down to three). The three are... 1) Dare to Lead by Brené Brown 2) The Coaching Habit and The Advice Trap by Michael Bungay Sta...
May 29, 2021•11 min•Ep. 126
ABOUT THE BOOK As high-achievers, we’ve been conditioned to believe that the path to success is paved with relentless work. That if we want to overachieve, we have to overexert, overthink, and overdo. That if we aren’t perpetually exhausted, we’re not doing enough. Getting ahead doesn’t have to be as hard as we make it. No matter what challenges or obstacles we face, there is a better way: instead of pushing ourselves harder, we can find an easier path. Effortless offers actionable advice for ma...
May 23, 2021•13 min•Ep. 125
Thanks for listening. Please consider supporting the podcast with your next book purchase - save the Steph’s Business Bookshelf affiliate stores for Book Depository (Global) or Bookshop.org (US) in your browser. You can also say thanks by buying me a coffee . About the book The unauthorized story of lululemon. This is a book about ordinary people who took an opportunity to be creative, to be innovative, and to maximize their potential. Chip Wilson's part in this story comes from the learnings of...
May 16, 2021•15 min•Ep. 124
About the author Cal is a c omputer science professor at Georgetown University. In addition to my academic research, he writes about the intersection of digital technology and culture. Cal is particularly interested in our struggle to deploy these tools in ways that support instead of subvert the things we care about in both our personal and professional lives. He’s a New York Times bestselling author of seven books , including, most recently, A World Without Email , Digital Minimalism , and Dee...
May 09, 2021•18 min•Ep. 123
I’m talking about something a little bit different this week, it’s not a book, but an essay. And one that is talked about and referenced regularly on podcasts and in other books. I have quite strong feelings about the fact that more books should be essays. Some of the books I’ve enjoyed the least, would have been very fine essays. But no, they had to go and stretch it beyond its capacity over a mediocre 250 pages. Luckily, Kevin Kelly didn’t do this. He either has more sense, or doesn’t ne...
May 02, 2021•10 min•Ep. 122
About the book At last, a book that shows you how to build— design —a life you can thrive in, at any age or stage Designers create worlds and solve problems using design thinking. Look around your office or home–at the tablet or smartphone you may be holding or the chair you are sitting in. Everything in our lives was designed by someone. And every design starts with a problem that a designer or team of designers seeks to solve. In this book, Bill Burnett and Dave Evans show us how design thinki...
Apr 25, 2021•15 min•Ep. 121
In this episode I mention a podcast which I've recently recorded with my friend Shane Hatton, all about learning. You can find the links to listen to it here , or search Phone Calls with Clever People on your podcast player. About the book What if everything you did was your choice, including how you spend your time, how much money you make, with whom you have relationships, and only doing work that aligns with your purpose? Sound hard? It’s as simple as changing the core question you ask yourse...
Apr 18, 2021•16 min•Ep. 120
About the book Getting rich is not just about luck; happiness is not just a trait we are born with. These aspirations may seem out of reach, but building wealth and being happy are skills we can learn. So what are these skills, and how do we learn them? What are the principles that should guide our efforts? What does progress really look like? The Almanack of Naval Ravikant is a collection of Naval’s wisdom and experience from the last ten years, shared as a curation of his most insightful inter...
Apr 11, 2021•11 min•Ep. 119
HEY! It's the Easter long weekend so I'm enjoying a short break and sharing this popular episode from the back catalogue that you may have missed. It's also one of the books I've shared the most over the last ten years - The Happiness Trap by Russ Harris. Enjoy... About the author Russ Harris is a doctor, therapist, father, trainer of health professionals, and author of The Happiness Trap (plus eight other books). Russ started his career as a newly-graduated doctor back in 1989, and soon ...
Apr 04, 2021•17 min•Ep. 118
A slightly different episode this week as I wrap up the first quarter of 2021 (I know, how did that even happen?!) with a round up of the five best books I've read so far. Some are new books, some are not new books. But there might be something you haven't read yet. Follow my reading adventures on Goodreads . Support my book habit: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/stephsbookshelf See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information....
Mar 28, 2021•10 min•Ep. 117
Business Bookshelf affiliate stores for Book Depository (Global) or Bookshop.org (US) in your browser. Or you can buy me a coffee . About the book In Thriving Mind. Dr. Jenny Brockis has draws on deep research and 30+ years of helping people solve persistent and serious problems to provide science-based strategies for overcoming them as well as the habits to help avoid them in the future. Walking you through common issues, such as loneliness, stress, relationship breakdown, loss of social connec...
Mar 21, 2021•13 min•Ep. 116
Consider supporting the podcast with your next book purchase. Save the Steph’s Business Bookshelf affiliate stores for Book Depository (Global) or Bookshop.org (US) in your browser. [00:00:00] Welcome back to Steph's Business Bookshelf. And this week's episode; the book Think Like a Rocket Scientist by Ozan Varol. Keep listening to find out why you need to fail more successfully. Welcome back. I'm your host, Steph Clarke. And as usual, every week. I'll be sharing with you the t...
Mar 14, 2021•10 min•Ep. 115
About the book Your brand is the stories people share about you when you’re not in the room, and it’s these brand stories that determine if people buy from you, employ you, work for you or invest in you. When the stakes are that high, wouldn’t you want to take control of it? In Magnetic Stories , business storytelling expert Gabrielle Dolan reveals how you too can create and share stories that stick. Learn how to: define and distinguish your brand stand out from the competition implement brand s...
Mar 07, 2021•14 min•Ep. 114
