The Dirtbag Billionaire Who Gave It All Away
What if the best way to win in business is to do the exact opposite of what everyone else is doing? While most CEOs chase growth at all costs, Yvon Chouinard, the founder of Patagonia, chose a different path. Starting out as a rock climber and adventurer, when he pivoted to business, he built products to last, created a company culture where surfing sometimes mattered more than spreadsheets, and even risked profits to protect the planet. Then, in a move almost unheard of in corporate America, he gave the entire company away. In his new book Dirtbag Billionaire: How Yvon Chouinard Built Patagonia, Made a Fortune, and Gave It All Away, New York Times journalist David Gelles tells the story of how a reluctant businessman reshaped capitalism—and shows us what it looks like to build a company that puts people and the planet first. 📱 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 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
8 Sep 15min
The Lives and Labor Behind One Plate of Food
Acclaimed chef and writer Andrew Friedman is here to introduce you to all the people and processes that come together in a single restaurant dish. 📱 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 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
5 Sep 15min
The New Rules of Productivity
What does productivity mean to you? For most of us, it’s about squeezing more output from the same amount of input, getting more done in less time. But that definition is literally killing us, turning people into stress-soaked automatons on the edge of burnout. What if productivity could be more human—and more humane? That’s the promise of the MTR framework, which stands for Move, Think, Rest. In her new book, Move. Think. Rest.: Redefining Productivity & Our Relationship with Time, corporate advisor and strategist Natalie Nixon makes the case for a counterintuitive approach that puts creativity, reflection, and resilience at the center of how we work. 📱 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 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
4 Sep 16min
The Most Dangerous Animal on Earth? The One That Forgot It’s an Animal.
You’ve probably been taught to believe you’re better than other animals. But that story is wrong, and it’s dangerous. NYU primatologist Christine Webb argues that human exceptionalism has blinded us to the intelligence all around us, and it’s fueling today’s biggest crises, from climate change to mass extinction. In her new book, The Arrogant Ape: The Myth of Human Exceptionalism and Why It Matters, Christine makes the case that humility —not hubris — may be our species’ best survival strategy. 📱 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 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
3 Sep 15min
What Happens When AI Outsmarts Us?
In his just-released book The Intelligence Explosion: When AI Beats Humans at Everything, James Barrat warns that we could be sleepwalking into a future where machines rapidly outpace human intelligence — a time fast approaching when we’ll no longer be the ones calling the shots. 📱 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 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
2 Sep 14min
How to Turn Anxiety Into Your Superpower
Anxiety can be painful and embarrassing, even downright debilitating. But author and podcaster Morra Aarons-Mele says it's also a force that you can use to your advantage. She's here today to teach you how. Morra's most recent book is The Anxious Achiever: Turn Your Biggest Fears into Your Leadership Superpower. And be sure to check out her podcast, The Anxious Achiever. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
1 Sep 12min
Risk Forward
What if setting goals is a waste of time? ——— 📖 Risk Forward: Embrace the Unknown and Unlock Your Hidden Genius ✍️ Victoria Labalme 📱 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 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
29 Aug 11min
Here Comes The Sun. Just In Time.
We’ve known about climate change for decades, even if most of the so-called solutions have felt too slow, too expensive, or too politically fraught. But pioneering environmentalist Bill McKibben says we’ve been overlooking the answer right in front of us, or rather right above us. The sun. In his new book, Here Comes the Sun: A Last Chance for the Climate and a Fresh Chance for Civilization, Bill argues that solar power — once dismissed as niche and impractical — is now growing faster than any energy source in history. It’s cheap, it’s everywhere, and it’s the only solution that can scale quickly enough to meet the climate emergency. 📱 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 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
28 Aug 11min
