Live Like an Olympian with These 7 Memoirs by Champions
Magazine / Live Like an Olympian with These 7 Memoirs by Champions

Live Like an Olympian with These 7 Memoirs by Champions

Career Habits & Productivity
Live Like an Olympian with These 7 Memoirs by Champions

Few experiences in life are as electrifying as a big win. When all that effort, focus, and preparation culminates in a moment of victory—that rush is unforgettable. Even witnessing an awesome win can fill viewers with the adrenaline of success. Whether you’re striving toward your next championship moment, or if you enjoy the thrilling stories of athletes who have achieved greatness, make the hard-earned wisdom in these sports memoirs a part of your training and inspiration.

Learn something new every day with “Book Bites,” 15-minute audio summaries of the latest and greatest nonfiction. Get started by downloading the Next Big Idea App today!

Strive: 8 Steps to Find Your Awesome

By Venus Williams
Publication Date: September 10, 2024

An inspiring and innovative guide towards living your best life–made easy–from Venus Williams, one of the greatest tennis players of all time. View on Amazon

Just Add Water: My Swimming Life

By Katie Ledecky
Publication Date: June 11, 2024

Katie Ledecky is one of the best swimmers ever to compete. She has won more individual Olympic races than any female swimmer in history. A three-time Olympian, a seven-time gold medalist, a twenty-one-time world champion, eight-time NCAA Champion, and world record-holder in individual swimming events, Ledecky shares what it takes to compete at an elite level. View on Amazon

Playing from the Rough: A Personal Journey through America’s 100 Greatest Golf Courses

By Jimmie James
Publication Date: June 11, 2024

The story of one man’s quest to become the first person to play each of America’s 100 greatest golf courses in a single year, an odyssey that brings him face to face with the gulf between his impoverished childhood in the Jim Crow South and the successful executive he became. View on Amazon

The Way of the Champion: Pain, Persistence, and the Path Forward

By Paul Rabil
Publication Date: May 7, 2024

From lacrosse legend Paul Rabil, lessons on becoming a true champion— in sports, business, and life. View on Amazon

Coming Home

By Brittney Griner
Publication Date: May 7, 2024

From the nine-time women’s basketball icon and two-time Olympic gold medalist—a raw, revelatory account of her unfathomable detainment in Russia and her journey home. View on Amazon

The Fruit Cure: The Story of Extreme Wellness Turned Sour

By Jacqueline Alnes
Publication Date: January 16, 2024

Alnes was a Division I runner in college, only to have mysterious neurological symptoms—episodes of losing speech and her ability to walk—cut her athletic career short. Despite a battery of testing, doctors could not determine a diagnosis, leaving Alnes desperate for answers and hope. She seemed to find both in the online fruitarian community, which promotes an all-fruit raw diet, claiming it can cure a slew of conditions. Alnes’s personal story provides scaffolding for an exposé of fruitarianism and a critique of how the U.S. healthcare system drives vulnerable people into the scammy recesses of wellness culture. Listen to our Book Bite summary, read by author Jacqueline Alnes, in the Next Big Idea App.

Religion of Sports: Navigating the Trials of Life through the Games we Love

By Gotham Chopra
Publication Date: December 5, 2023

From the sports documentarian and executive producer of the docuseries The Religion of Sports, a memoir-meets-manifesto about the overwhelming power of sports and how they provide meaning and purpose in people’s lives all over the world. View on Amazon

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.

Next Big Idea App Book Bites

“I love this app! The Book Bites are brilliant, perfect to have in airports, waiting rooms, anywhere I need to not doomscroll… You guys are the best!” – Missy G.

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.

Next Big Idea Club Hardcover or Ebook membership

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.

Next Big Idea Podcast and Ecourses

“My biggest Thank You is for the quality of book selections so far. I look on my shelf and see these great titles, and I find myself taking down one or two each month to reread an underlined passage. Full marks to all involved!” – Tim K.

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!

Listen to key insights in the next big idea app

Download
the Next Big Idea App

app-store play-market

Also in Magazine

-->