At the end of the day, we humans are simple creatures; we want to live, love and be loved, and be happy. But as simple as these goals are, working to actually achieve them can get complicated. So to help you discover the secrets of happiness and beyond, we recommend the seven insightful reads below.
Life in Five Senses: How Exploring the Senses Got Me Out of My Head and Into the World
By Gretchen Rubin
The #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Happiness Project discovers a surprising path to a life of more energy, creativity, luck, and love: by tuning in to the five senses. Listen to our Book Bite summary, read by author Gretchen Rubin, in the Next Big Idea App
Soul Boom: Why We Need a Spiritual Revolution
By Rainn Wilson
Existing political and economic systems are not enough to bring the change that the world needs. In this enlightening book, a beloved comedic actor explores the possibility and hope for a spiritual revolution, a “Soul Boom,” to find a healing transformation on both a personal and global level. Listen to our Book Bite summary, read by author Rainn Wilson, in the Next Big Idea App
Happiness Is Overrated: Simple Lessons on Finding Meaning in Each Moment
By Cuong Lu
Stop chasing happiness and reconnect to the meaning of each moment through this practical guide, told through vignettes of life training as a Buddhist monk under world-renowned spiritual leader Thich Nhat Hanh. Listen to our Book Bite summary, read by author Cuong Lu, in the Next Big Idea App
Real Life: The Journey from Isolation to Openness and Freedom
By Sharon Salzberg
Merging the insights of inspiring voices with her own understanding of mindfulness, a world-renowned meditation pioneer shows us how we can recover from the emotional effects of crisis. Listen to our Book Bite summary, read by author Sharon Salzberg, in the Next Big Idea App
Soul Shift: The Weary Human’s Guide to Getting Unstuck and Reclaiming Your Path to Joy
By Rachel Macy Stafford
An acclaimed blogger and special education teacher offers a practical, inclusive guide to navigating a culture of distraction and depletion to find our way back to what delights our heart, makes us feel alive, and brings us peace. Listen to our Book Bite summary, read by author Rachel Macy Stafford, in the Next Big Idea App
The Origins of You: How Breaking Family Patterns Can Liberate the Way We Live and Love
By Vienna Pharaon
From a licensed therapist and popular Instagram relationship expert comes a profound guide to understanding and overcoming wounds from your family of origin—the foundation of how we relate to others, ourselves, and the world around us. Listen to our Book Bite summary, read by author Vienna Pharaon, in the Next Big Idea App
The Microstress Effect: How Little Things Pile Up and Create Big Problems—and What to Do About It
By Rob Cross and Karen Dillon
There’s a hidden epidemic of small moments of stress, which has insidiously infiltrated both our work and our personal lives. But The Microstress Effect shares best practices on building resilience against microstress and finding greater purpose in life. Listen to our Book Bite summary, read by co-authors Rob Cross and Karen Dillon, in the Next Big Idea App
The Key Ideas in 15 Minutes
“If you are going to get anywhere in life, you have to read a lot of books,” Roald Dahl once famously said. The only trouble is, reading even one book from cover to cover takes hours—and you may not have many hours to spare.
But imagine for a moment: What if you could read a groundbreaking new book every day? Or even better, what if you could invite a world-renowned thinker into your earbuds, where they personally describe the 5 key takeaways from their work in just 15 minutes?
With the Next Big Idea App, we’ve turned this fantasy into a reality. We partnered with hundreds of acclaimed authors to create “Book Bites,” short audio summaries of the latest nonfiction that are prepared and read aloud by the authors themselves. Discover cutting-edge leadership skills, productivity hacks, the science of happiness and well-being, and much more—all in the time it takes to drive to work or walk the dog.
Go Deeper with a Next Big Idea Club Membership
The Next Big Idea App is free for anyone to try—and if you love it, we invite you to become an official member of the Next Big Idea Club. Membership grants you unlimited access to Book Bites and unlocks early-release, ad-free episodes of our LinkedIn-partnered podcast. You also gain entry to our private online discussion group, where you can talk big ideas with fellow club members and join exclusive live Q&A sessions with featured authors.
For a more focused learning experience, we recommend a Hardcover or eBook Membership. Every few months, legendary authors and club curators Malcolm Gladwell, Susan Cain, Adam Grant, and Daniel Pink select two new nonfiction books as the must-reads of the season. We then send hardcover copies straight to your doorstep, or eBook versions to your favorite digital device. We also collaborate with the authors of selected books to produce original reading guides and premium video e-courses, 50-minute master classes that take you step by step through their most life-changing ideas. And yes, it’s all available through the Next Big Idea App.
Learn Faster, from the World’s Leading Thinkers
Whether you prefer to read, listen, or watch, the Next Big Idea is here to help you work smarter and live better. Wake up with an always-fresh Idea of the Day, the perfect shot of inspiration to go with your morning coffee. Then dive into one of our Challenges, hand-picked collections of Book Bites that form crash courses in subjects like communication, motivation, and career acceleration. Later, watch the playback of an interview with U.S. Surgeon General Vivek Murthy, Stanford psychologist Jennifer Eberhardt, or philosopher John Kaag. And be sure to check the “Events” tab in the app, so that you can join an upcoming live Q&A and personally chat with the next featured thought leader.
If you’re hoping to grow as a person or as a professional, we hope you’ll join us and tens of thousands of others who enjoy the Next Big Idea. Get started by downloading the app today!
