Sharon Salzberg has been meditating since 1971 — “since before it was cool,” she likes to say. That practice has inspired a series of books, most recently “Real Life: The Journey from Isolation to Openness and Freedom,” which is all about using the power of mindfulness to confront, and ultimately overcome, whatever obstacles stand in your way. Today, she tells Michael how to transcend “contraction.” What’s contraction? You’ll have to listen to this episode… (Want the best books of the year — as ...
May 22, 2023•15 min•Transcript available on Metacast All week, Wharton professor Katy Milkman has been giving us research-backed tips for making changes that stick. Now, in the final installment of her mini masterclass, she explains why the most durable habit is a flexible one. --- • Katy Milkman’s book is “How to Change: The Science of Getting from Where You Are to Where You Want to Be.” Grab a copy today. • A few years back, she spoke with Daniel Pink on our sister podcast, The Next Big Idea. You can listen to that conversation here. • Speaking ...
May 19, 2023•13 min•Transcript available on Metacast Struggling to achieve a goal? Form a club with people who have your back.
May 18, 2023•11 min•Transcript available on Metacast How do you make change fun? By bundling an arduous task (exercising) with an enjoyable one (binge-watching lowbrow TV). --- Have you heard about our book boxes? Every quarter, we’ll send you the season’s two best books of the season as chosen by our curators, Malcolm Gladwell, Adam Grant, Susan Cain, and Daniel Pink. You’ll also get access to our app, VIP invitations to live events, and other member benefits. To subscribe, go to nextbigideaclub.com and use code IMMORTALITY for 10% off.
May 17, 2023•10 min•Transcript available on Metacast New Year’s. Your birthday. The start of a new season. These are days when the slate is wiped clean. Which makes them perfect for establishing new habits, like going to the gym or writing in your diary. Today, Wharton professor Katy Milkman explains how you can use the “fresh start effect” to make changes big and small. --- Have you heard about our book boxes? Every quarter, we’ll send you the season’s two best books of the season, as chosen by our curators: Malcolm Gladwell, Adam Grant, Susan Ca...
May 16, 2023•10 min•Transcript available on Metacast How do you get from where you are to where you want to be — from procrastinator to optimizer, couch potato to gym rat, night owl to worm-getting early bird? That's the question Wharton professor Katy Milkman set out to answer in her recent book "How to Change." Actually, she didn't just "set out" to answer it. She did answer it, and she's on the show this week to share science-based strategies you can use to make lasting changes in your life.
May 15, 2023•16 min•Transcript available on Metacast Have you figured out how to live the good life? Don't worry if you're still working on it. It's only been a week. And you haven't even heard the final piece of advice from Matt Croasmun and Ryan McAnnally-Linz, professors at the Yale Center for Faith & Culture and authors of the new book "Life Worth Living: A Guide to What Matters Most." --- • It's Friday, which means it's pub day for our newsletter! Sign up today so you can go behind the scenes of the show, share your feedback with Michael, and...
May 12, 2023•12 min•Transcript available on Metacast You can’t take bits and pieces of different philosophical traditions and put them together into a roadmap to the good life. --- • Have you downloaded our app? It’s loaded up with hundreds of book summaries written and read by the world’s leading authors. Check it out by going to nextbigideaclub.com/app
May 11, 2023•12 min•Transcript available on Metacast "What matters most in life?" There's a reason Matt and Ryan, theology professors at Yale and our guests this week, call it the Big Question. It's too big to answer all at once. You have to break it down. Today they're going to teach you how.
May 10, 2023•10 min•Transcript available on Metacast Today, we learn why the deepest question — the one that can truly change our lives, ground us, and give us direction — is not “What do I really want?” It’s “What is really worth wanting?” (Have you checked out our newsletter? Every Friday, Michael looks back on the week's episodes and shares his key takeaways. Sign up now!)
May 09, 2023•11 min•Transcript available on Metacast This week: Matt Croasmun and Ryan McAnnally-Linz, professors at the Yale Center for Faith and Culture, share key insights from their New York Times bestselling book "Life Worth Living: A Guide to What Matters Most."
May 08, 2023•15 min•Transcript available on Metacast Even your suboptimal behaviors have a function. Understanding what they are can help you make a change.
May 05, 2023•13 min•Transcript available on Metacast You say self-sabotage, your brain says self-protection. In today's master class, Britt Frank explains how your brain tries to keep you safe by shooting you in the foot. --- • Have you checked out our newsletter? Every Friday, Michael looks back on the week's episodes and shares his key takeaways. Sign up now!
May 04, 2023•13 min•Transcript available on Metacast This week we’re getting unstuck. We’re passing Go. We’re collecting $200. We’re finding a way forward. How? By utilizing the neuroscience-based tools psychotherapist Britt Frank shares in her new book, “The Science of Stuck.” Today, she explains why it’s so empowering to realize that mental health is a physical process.
May 03, 2023•12 min•Transcript available on Metacast In our brains, there is no such thing as a true “lack of motivation.” But how can we harness this biological fact to get off the couch and get more done?
May 02, 2023•12 min•Transcript available on Metacast This week on The Next Big Idea Daily: psychotherapist Britt Frank shares five key insights from her book "The Science of Stuck: Breaking Through Inertia to Find Your Path Forward." Today, Britt explains why you should treat anxiety like a check engine light. • Download the Next Big Idea app to hear hundreds of audio summaries of the best new books
May 01, 2023•14 min•Transcript available on Metacast In the final installment of the master class based on her book “Tranquility by Tuesday,” productivity expert Laura Vanderkam says nailing your work-life balance comes down to how you use your Fridays.
Apr 28, 2023•16 min•Transcript available on Metacast Do effortful fun before effortless fun. But what's the difference? Laura explains in today's mini master class.
Apr 27, 2023•10 min•Transcript available on Metacast To renew your spirits, Laura says you need to take some time for yourself. --- Download the Next Big Idea app and listen to hundreds of the world's bestselling authors summarize their books in just 12 minutes.
Apr 26, 2023•10 min•Transcript available on Metacast You know what you need? An adventure. That's right. You don't have to wait until your next vacation. You can — and should — make it a habit to do surprising, novel things on the reg. And, yes, we know you're thinking: "How can I fit that in with everything else I have going on?" Don't worry. Laura Vanderkam has a simple solution for making adventures of all sizes part of your routine.
Apr 25, 2023•10 min•Transcript available on Metacast In "Tranquility by Tuesday," time management guru Laura Vanderkam shares tools you can use to finally make time for the activities you love. But before you can do that, you need to get a good night's sleep. Today, Laura explains how.
Apr 24, 2023•14 min•Transcript available on Metacast All good things must come to an end. It's our last day with Mónica Guzmán, journalist, political de-polarizer, and author of "I Never Thought of It That Way: How to Have Fearlessly Curious Conversations in Dangerously Divided Times." This week, she's been our anti-debate coach, teaching us how to have tough talks about thorny topics that don't end in fisticuffs. In her final chat with Michael, she says that once you've built a bridge that connects you to someone on the other side of the ideologi...
Apr 21, 2023•11 min•Transcript available on Metacast What's the most powerful question you can ask in a politically charged conversation? "How did you come to believe that?"
Apr 20, 2023•11 min•Transcript available on Metacast “The paths we walk to our views are rich and long,” Mónica Guzmán says in today’s episode, “and it is not very likely that one meme or mic drop point is going to change someone else’s mind.” So what will?
Apr 19, 2023•13 min•Transcript available on Metacast “I don’t understand this person!” You know you’ve thought it. About the uncle or neighbor or co-worker whose worldview is diametrically opposed to your own. But what would happen if you checked your bewildered outrage and tried curiosity instead?
Apr 18, 2023•11 min•Transcript available on Metacast This week, award-winning journalist Mónica Guzmán stops by to teach us how to cross the political divide, find common ground, and learn from people whose worldviews radically differ from our own. Mónica's new book is "I Never Thought of It That Way: How to Have Fearlessly Curious Conversations in Dangerously Divided Times." (Have you checked out our app? It's loaded up with hundreds of book summaries read by the authors themselves. Download it here!)
Apr 17, 2023•16 min•Transcript available on Metacast Alright, it's time to wrap up Seth Stephens-Davidowitz's five-part master class based on his book "Don't Trust Your Gut: Using Data to Get What You Really Want in Life." Today, Seth explains what the data says about finding happiness. • Our newsletter comes out today. Sign up now! • Download The Next Big Idea app
Apr 14, 2023•11 min•Transcript available on Metacast Success depends less on getting lucky and more on using your luck well. In this episode, the fourth in Seth’s mini master class, he explains how to do it.
Apr 13, 2023•10 min•Transcript available on Metacast You might assume that the wealthiest 1% of Americans are neurosurgeons, corporate attorneys, and hedge fund managers. In reality, they're more likely to own car dealerships or run beverage distribution companies. Today, Seth explains why that is.
Apr 12, 2023•11 min•Transcript available on Metacast Good news for all you parents out there: the data says you can relax. But there’s still one parenting decision that matters. A lot. Want to know what it is? Tune in to today’s episode!
Apr 11, 2023•11 min•Transcript available on Metacast 
