The Week in Big Ideas - May 2, 2025
We got physical this week with burly muscles, gritty Navy SEALs, and even some icky bodily fluids.
Ideas are the products of our minds, but also of our bodies. This week at Next Big Idea Club, we surfaced some surprising insights on that connection—on how your physical fitness supports your mental fitness, and how even your body’s more embarrassing aspects deserve respect.
Book Bite of the Week
Navy SEAL secrets for high performance under pressure.
What makes someone able to thrive in conditions of extreme stress, challenge, and uncertainty? Why do some people falter when the pressure rises, while others step forward with clarity and strength? Rich Diviney spent 21 years as a Navy SEAL, leading and operating on missions around the globe, and he spearheaded the SEALs’ “Mind Gym” to train soldiers’ minds to perform better under stress.
In this audio summary, Rich shares five key insights from his new book, Masters of Uncertainty: The Navy SEAL Way to Turn Stress into Success for You and Your Team.
This Week on the Next Big Idea Daily Podcast
Put some muscle into it.
Your muscles aren’t just for lifting things and looking good. Longtime New York Times contributor Bonnie Tsui explains how building muscle can lift your spirits, boost your confidence, and extend your life in these insights from her new book On Muscle: The Stuff That Moves Us and Why It Matters.
This Week on the Next Big Idea Podcast
What if Superhuman AI is Right Around the Corner?
Could AI take over in the next two years?
thinks so. Here’s why.Happy Pub Week!
Congratulations to Cutter Wood on the publication this week of his book Earthly Materials: Journeys Through Our Bodies' Emissions, Excretions, and Disintegrations, a Next Big Idea Club Must-Read. Publishers Weekly calls it an “unexpectedly profound, deeply strange, and utterly unique tour of the human body.”
This Week in Author Insider
Twenty-One Questions With Susan Dominus
The New York Times staff writer and author of the forthcoming book The Family Dynamic: A Journey into the Mystery of Sibling Success talks writing, social media, and the life-changing magic of rotating your sneakers.
If you’re a working writer—or an aspiring one—you’ll want to check out our growing community on Author Insider. It’s a place to network, share ideas, and learn from one other.
Well, that’s a wrap for the week. Take care of your body and your mind this weekend, and watch this space next week for a fresh batch of big ideas.