Hey, have you subscribed to the bookmark newsletter? If you liked this, you might like my twice-monthly email with book reviews and ideas of what you should be reading, and listening to, next. Click here to subscribe . About the book A practical and fascinating guide from leading data expert Dr Selena Fisk that teaches us how to make informed decisions using the numbers around us so we can work smarter and live better. Data is everywhere. Smart watches track our steps and heart rate, social...
Jun 05, 2022•14 min•Ep. 173
Adam Ashton is the co-host of the What You Will Learn podcast. I had lots of fun asking Adam about how he reads (especially as he read over 70 books in 2021), what he's reading, hearing about his unique way of pairing audiobooks and hard copy books, making notes, and finding out whether he starts more books than he finishes. And make sure you check out Adam (and other Adam's) podcast; What You Will Learn, over at https://www.whatyouwilllearn.com/ Support my book habit: https://www.buymeacoffee.c...
May 22, 2022•33 min•Ep. 172
Madeleine Dore is a writer. She's recently released her first book, I Didn't Do The Thing Today, all about letting go of productivity guilt (which I talked about on episode 157 of Steph's Business Bookshelf ( listen here )). In her writing, both in the book and in her Extraordinary Routines newsletter, she brings in such a breadth of different quotes and references. So in this conversation I ask her more about how she reads, dig into her process of note taking and collation, and how writing a bo...
May 15, 2022•26 min•Ep. 171
About the book We need better ideas right now. Everywhere you look, there are growing problems that require fresh, creative thinking to help us solve. The good news is that anyone can learn to master the art of creativity to turn good ideas into brilliant ones. That’s what this book is about: those killer ideas that have a positive impact on many people, with near-infinite winners. The type you hear about and think, ‘Damn, I wish I’d thought of that!’ Tim Duggan, the co-founder of Junkee Media, ...
May 08, 2022•14 min•Ep. 170
About the book Packed with research-based insights from Australia’s leading workplaces, Let’s Talk Culture is the how-to guide for people leaders who want to shape a world-class team culture by design. Successful leaders and organisations know that culture is the unseen advantage of world-class teams. But can it be influenced? And what role do managers play in building and shaping it? Author and expert in leader communication, Shane Michael Hatton , says the research suggests it can be influence...
May 01, 2022•13 min•Ep. 169
About the book Despite our deep desire to feel a sense of belonging, many of us feel isolated. The rise of technology and modern workplace practices have led people to be even more disconnected, even as we remain constantly contactable. And as our human interactions have decreased, so too have our happiness levels. This is sparking a crisis in mental health that will have repercussions for years, leaving people lonelier and organizations less productive and profitable, too. What Christine Porath...
Apr 24, 2022•13 min•Ep. 168
About the book How do you grow your business when you don’t have a marketing budget? How do you stand out in a busy world? And what if the answer is right in front of you? ‘For me, the newsletter is the most important tool I have in building a global denim brand. Second only to the sewing machine.’ So writes entrepreneur David Hieatt who has based his entire marketing strategy around a simple email newsletter. And it’s worked. His company has grown into a creative global jeans business with a fi...
Apr 17, 2022•13 min•Ep. 167
About the book The COVID-19 pandemic, increasingly frequent climate disasters, a new war — events we might have called “unimaginable” or “unthinkable” in the past are now reality. Today it feels more challenging than ever to feel unafraid, hopeful, and equipped to face the future with optimism. How do we map out our lives when it seems impossible to predict what the world will be like next week, let alone next year or next decade? What we need now are strategies to help us recover our confidence...
Apr 10, 2022•18 min•Ep. 166
It's time for my quarterly review of the best books of 2022 (so far), talking about the six books I've loved the most over the first few months of 2022, featuring... Stolen Focus by Johann Hari ( listen to the full episode about the book here ) I Didn't Do the Thing Today by Madeleine Dore ( listen to the full episode about the book here ) This Working Life by Lisa Leong & Monique Ross ( listen to the full episode about the book here ) Will by Will Smith & Mark Manson ( read the review h...
Apr 03, 2022•19 min•Ep. 165
This little special episode is about the top books on the big topic of leadership. A great little list if you are a leader, are working with leaders, or want to buy a useful gift for a leader in your life. They'd also be great as part of a nice little bundle for new promotions or new joiners to an organisations. Anyway, that's to say that there's lots of use you can get from this bonus episode. If you think I missed a book, or you'd add something else to this list, let me know... Support my book...
Mar 20, 2022•16 min•Ep. 164
About the book “No regrets.” You’ve heard people proclaim it as a philosophy of life. That’s nonsense, even dangerous, says Daniel H. Pink in his latest bold and inspiring work. Everybody has regrets. They’re a fundamental part of our lives. And if we reckon with them in fresh and imaginative ways, we can enlist our regrets to make smarter decisions, perform better at work and school, and deepen our sense of meaning and purpose. In The Power of Regret , Pink draws on research in psychology, neur...
Mar 13, 2022•16 min•Ep. 163
PS. I'll be doing an Ask Me Anything bonus episode in the next few weeks; if you've got something you'd like me to answer / tackle, email me steph@stephclarke.com About the book All over the world, our ability to pay attention is collapsing. In the US, college students now focus on one task for only 65 seconds, and office workers on average manage only three minutes. New York Times best-selling author Johann Hari went on an epic journey across the world to meet the leading scientists and experts...
Feb 27, 2022•18 min•Ep. 162
About the book When it comes to recruiting, motivating, and creating great teams, Patty McCord says most companies have it all wrong. McCord helped create the unique and high-performing culture at Netflix, where she was chief talent officer. In her new book, Powerful: Building a Culture of Freedom and Responsibility, she shares what she learned there and elsewhere in Silicon Valley. McCord advocates practicing radical honesty in the workplace, saying good-bye to employees who don’t fit the compa...
Feb 20, 2022•15 min•Ep. 161
About the book Mapping Meaningful Connection and the Language of Human Experience If we want to find the way back to ourselves and one another, we need language and the grounded confidence to both tell our stories and to be stewards of the stories that we hear. In Atlas of the Heart , we explore eighty-seven of the emotions and experiences that define what it means to be human and walk through a new framework for cultivating meaningful connection. This is for the mapmakers and travelers in all o...
Feb 13, 2022•18 min•Ep. 160
About the book You spend most of your waking life working — a jaw-dropping 90,000 hours for the average person. You deserve to feel joy during that time. But how? This Working Life empowers you to experiment in the lab of life. You’ll reflect on your highs and lows, harness your superpowers and pinpoint your guiding values. You’ll learn the importance of empathy as you craft a job or curate a portfolio career that can grow with you. You’ll unlock the power of rituals, community and self-care, an...
Feb 06, 2022•13 min•Ep. 159
About the book Are you constantly juggling multiple tasks and operating at 100 per cent or more? Do you feel you are permanently on the treadmill and can’t get off? If you needed extra capacity for something urgent, could you find it? In The 1-Day Refund , best-selling author and time management expert Donna McGeorge shows you how to recover an extra 15 per cent of your time-10 minutes per hour, 1 hour per day or a full day each week-to think, breathe, live and work. By creating more space, you’...
Jan 30, 2022•13 min•Ep. 158
About the book Any given day brings a never-ending list of things to do. There’s the work thing, the catch-up thing, the laundry thing, the creative thing, the exercise thing, the family thing, the thing we don’t want to do, the thing we’ve been putting off (despite it being the most important thing). Even on days where we get a lot done, the thing left undone can leave us feeling guilty, anxious, or disappointed. After five years of searching for the secret to productivity, Madeleine Dore disco...
Jan 23, 2022•15 min•Ep. 157
About the book We unlock our greatness by working on the hard things. Instead of doubting yourself, fearing you’ll make a mistake, and feeling like you need to play “small” so you don’t disrupt the status quo, start showing up for yourself so you can show up for the world. Don’t regret a life half-lived. Stepping up and pursuing your dreams is hard … and it’s exhilarating, and it’s important. Let me show you how to get clear, get confident, and start anything that matters. Source: https://www.mb...
Jan 16, 2022•13 min•Ep. 156
This week we're taking a gentle start to the year talking about the books on my reading list for this year, and how I'm rethinking my reading habits and goals. Here's some of the books I mention in the episode; How to Begin by Michal Bungay Stanier Atlas of the Heart by Brené Brown I Didn't Do The Thing by Madeline Dore This Working Life by Lisa Leong and Monique Ross How to Tell a Story by The Moth The Power of Regret by Daniel Pink Stolen Focus by Johann Hari Making Numbers Count by Chip Heath...
Jan 09, 2022•10 min•Ep. 155
It's a December special with this bonus mini-series called How We Read, featuring conversations about the books that have stuck with us. In this episode of How We Read I'm talking to Claire Hatton about her top books of 2021, how she reads, and why 2021 has spurred some different genres of reading for her. Here's the books he talked about: 1. Leading Edge by Holly Ransom 2. Victoria, The Queen by Julia Baird 3. Happiest Man on Earth by Eddie Jaku Plus, honourable mentions of Girl, Woman, Other b...
Dec 19, 2021•25 min•Ep. 154
It's a December special with a bonus mini-series called How We Read, featuring conversations about the books that have stuck with us. In this episode of How We Read I'm talking to Lisa Leong about her top books of 2021, some existential considerations on what's really essential, and a few insights from her new book. Here's the books she talked about: 1. The Mindful Therapist by Daniel J. Siegel 2. The Art of Possibility by Rosamund Stone Zander and Benjamin Zander Support my book habit: https://...
Dec 12, 2021•24 min•Ep. 153
It's a December special with a bonus mini-series called How We Read, featuring conversations about the books that have stuck with us. In this first ever episode of How We Read I'm talking to Shane Hatton about his top books of 2021, how he reads, and how he weaved his way into a book club this year. Here's the books he talked about: Super Thinking: The Big Book of Mental Models by Gabriel Weinberg and Lauren McCann The Moment of Lift: How Empowering Women Changes the World by Melinda Gates Plus,...
Dec 05, 2021•20 min•Ep. 152
About the book It’s hard to give up on the feeling that the life you want is just out of reach. A beach body by summer. A trip to Disneyland around the corner. A promotion on the horizon. Everyone wants to believe that they are headed toward good, better, best. But what happens when the life you hoped for is put on hold indefinitely? Kate Bowler believed that life was a series of unlimited choices, only to find that she was stuck in a cancerous body at age 35. In her instant New York Times bests...
Nov 27, 2021•12 min•Ep. 151
About the author Alan Weiss is one of those rare people who can say he is a consultant, speaker, and author and mean it. His consulting firm, Summit Consulting Group, Inc., has attracted clients such as Merck, Hewlett-Packard, GE, Mercedes-Benz, State Street Corporation, Times Mirror Group, The Federal Reserve, The New York Times Corporation, Toyota, and over 500 other leading organizations. He has served on the boards of directors of the Trinity Repertory Company, a Tony-Award-winning New Engla...
Nov 21, 2021•13 min•Ep. 150
About the book Rejections don’t go on your resume, but they are part of every successful person’s career. All of us will apply for jobs that we don’t get and have ambitions that aren’t fulfilled, because that is part of being a working person, part of pushing oneself to the next step professionally. While everyone deserves feel-better stories, women are more likely to ruminate, more likely to overthink rejection until it becomes even more painful-a situation that the women in this collection are...
Nov 14, 2021•11 min•Ep. 149
About the book Want to be more creative? Not sure of where to start? You’re not alone. We all have a dysfunctional relationship with creativity. We love it, value it and want more of it but just can’t seem to find the time or resources to give to it. And despite desperate calls for more innovative thinking, the systems and processes that hold most businesses together don’t allow or enable anything like it. This book is for anyone who feels like they have more to give but struggles to get it out....
Nov 07, 2021•12 min•Ep. 148
About the author Dorie Clark has been named one of the Top 50 business thinkers in the world by Thinkers50, and was recognized as the #1 Communication Coach in the world by the Marshall Goldsmith Leading Global Coaches Awards. Clark, a consultant and keynote speaker, teaches executive education at Duke University’s Fuqua School of Business and Columbia Business School, and she is the Wall Street Journal bestselling author of The Long Game , Entrepreneurial You , Reinventing You and Stand Out , w...
Oct 31, 2021•11 min•Ep. 147
About the author Highly regarded for his provocative style, James Victore is a graphic designer, art educator and dynamic high in-demand speaker on creativity. He lectures and teaches regularly around the globe, inspiring people to illuminate their individual gifts in order to achieve personal greatness. Raised in upstate New York, James moved to New York City when he was 19 years old and by age 23, after dropping out of two different colleges, he became an apprentice to noted book-jacket design...
Oct 24, 2021•8 min•Ep. 146
About the book You may have outgrown a relationship. Your job may no longer excite you. Maybe you look in the mirror and see someone you don’t want to be anymore. You might be so fed up that you’re ready to throw in the towel at work or in a friendship or relationship. Behind the scenes, thousands of smart, capable, amazing people like you feel the exact same way. In There Has To Be More , Rachel shares the methods and tools she created to genuinely grow and build a life that reflects what makes...
Oct 17, 2021•11 min•Ep. 145
About the author James Nestor is an author and journalist who has written for Scientific American, Outside Magazine, BBC, The New York Times, The Atlantic, National Public Radio, Surfer’s Journal, The San Francisco Chronicle, and more. He’s spent the last several years working on a book called Breath: The New Science of a Lost Art . It released through Riverhead/Penguin Random House on May 26, 2020 and spent 18 weeks of the New York Times bestseller list in the first year of publication. At home...
Oct 10, 2021•15 min•Ep. 144
