The Week in Big Ideas - April 11, 2025
The future of the Democratic Party, a guide to menopause, the business genius of Taylor Swift, and more.
Well, it’s been a topsy-turvy week in the global economy, and smart minds are warning us to buckle up for more uncertainty to come. But we here at the Next Big Idea Club try to keep our gaze on the horizon, maintaining a focus on timeless insights and guidance that will outlast the current news cycle. Here’s some of the best stuff we heard or read this week:
This Week on the Next Big Idea Podcast
Abundance by
and Derek Thompson is probably the most talked-about book in the country right now. And the most hotly debated. It’s a book about how we got here — here being a country without enough housing, a country that has lost its ambitious optimism, a country that has forgotten how to build. The prescription Ezra and Derek offer to cure what ails us is conspicuously pro-growth: more housing, more clean energy, more scientific development and technological innovation. But to pull that off, they argue, will require Democrats to question their endemic zeal for regulation. This view has fired up some liberals while simultaneously drawing ire from others. This week, Rufus sat down with Derek to talk about the book, the reaction to it, and how to convince political leaders from both sides of the aisle to embrace a liberalism that builds.This Week on the Next Big Idea Daily Podcast
Is everything perfect in your life? Your career? Your relationships? All’s as it should be? Or are there some areas in your life where you’d like to make some big changes? Well, making those changes actually might be easier than you think. In his new book, Ordinary Magic: The Science of How We Can Achieve Big Change with Small Acts, Stanford psychologist Gregory Walton reveals how subtle psychological shifts—what he calls “wise interventions”—can have an outsized impact. Whether it’s a few well-chosen words to a child or a moment of self-reflection before an argument, these little nudges can build trust, strengthen connections, and unlock human potential. Mindset author Carol Dweck calls Greg “one of the great psychologists of our time,” and you can listen to five of his key insights right here:
Book Bite of the Week
Aging can be tough for all of us. But for women, it comes with some very specific challenges—and opportunities—that don’t always get talked about. Hot flashes, brain fog, insomnia, mood swings… these aren’t just random symptoms. They’re signs of a major hormonal shift, one that affects nearly every part of a woman’s life, from work to relationships to identity.
knows this story intimately. She’s an Emmy-winning journalist, a documentary filmmaker, and something of a “midlife mentor” on social media. But it wasn’t until menopause hit her—live, on-air, in the middle of a newscast—that she realized just how little support and information is out there for women going through this transition.Her new book is a guide to rewriting the menopause narrative—from shame and silence to strength and reinvention. It’s called How to Menopause: Take Charge of Your Health, Reclaim Your Life, and Feel Even Better than Before.
Listen to an audio summary—read by Tamsen herself.
Book Chat
Join us on April 16th at 11am ET for an official Book Chat about Getting Along: How to Work with Anyone (Even Difficult People), by Amy Gallo.
This will be a virtual get-together where members engage in a moderated discussion about the book. The conversation will be guided by pre-arranged questions, which will be sent to attendees prior to the event.
Whether you’ve read the book, enjoyed the Book Bite, or just want to show up and learn on the fly, know that you are welcome to participate!
Don’t miss out on this opportunity to connect with other lifelong learners in our community and expand your perspective on this book’s big ideas. Limited spots remain, so if you’re not already an NBIC member, click here to subscribe and secure your invitation.
How to Use AI to Be A Better Writer
Last week on Author Insider — our new community for writers — we hosted a live event with author and Google insider
offering a hands-on workshop on using NotebookLM. This week we made video/audio of the event available to subscribers who missed it. Click below to sign up:
Happy Pub Week!
Some great new books came out this week, including The Once and Future World Order: Why Global Civilization Will Survive the Decline of the West by Amitav Acharya, What We Value: The Neuroscience of Choice and Change by Emily Falk, There's Nothing Like This: The Strategic Genius of Taylor Swift by
, Business School and the Noble Purpose of the Market: Correcting the Systemic Failures of Shareholder Capitalism by Andrew J. Hoffman, Transcend: Unlocking Humanity in the Age of AI by , and The Doors You Can Open: A New Way to Network, Build Trust, and Use Your Influence to Create a More Inclusive Workplace by
That should keep you busy—and away from the news—for a few days. Have a great weekend.