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This Week on the Next Big Idea Podcast
What if your brain is lying to you?
Your brain is a master storyteller. The problem? It’s also an unreliable narrator.
We like to think our beliefs are built on facts, logic, and careful reasoning. But psychologist and author Owen Fitzpatrick argues that the process often works in reverse: we decide what feels true, then search for evidence that proves us right. This can reinforce limiting beliefs, fuel political polarization, and make us surprisingly susceptible to propaganda.
In this conversation with guest host Michael Kovnat, Owen explores how these narratives shape our confidence, identity, and decisions — and what it takes to change them.
Check out Owen’s book Inner Propaganda: Leading Hearts and Minds Through Turbulent Times or listen to our conversation on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or YouTube.
Book Bite of the Week
What if you’re already a genius?
The brain you were born with contains the same learning engine as every genius who ever lived. But a dedicated neural system in your mind has spent years convincing you otherwise, narrating a fiction about what you can and can’t do.
Josh Turknett is a neurologist and founder of the Institute for Performance Neurology, where he works at the intersection of neuroscience, learning, and human potential. He is also an award-winning musician and host of the Performance Neurology podcast.
Check out five key insights from his new book, The Genius and the Impostor: The Neuroscience of Unlocking Human Potential on the Next Big Idea app.
This edition of Book of the Day is sponsored by IM8, Get a free welcome kit, five free travel sachets, and 10% off your order when you use code NBI at im8health.com/nbi
This Week on the Next Big Idea Daily Podcast
How much can you imagine?
Imagination isn’t just for artists, kids, or daydreamers—it’s one of the brain’s most practical tools. In Imagine That: Transform How You Think, Feel, and Live with the Science of Imagination, Cassandra Vieten shows how imagination helps us solve problems, manage stress, rehearse difficult moments, and expand what feels possible.
Pick up a copy of her book on Amazon or listen to her big ideas on Spotify or Apple Podcasts.
This week’s Book of the Day sponsor is The Genius and the Impostor by Josh Turknett, MD. We tend to believe genius is something you’re born with — a special brain handed to a lucky few. Drawing on decades of neuroscience and his own clinical case files, neurologist Josh Turknett dismantles that story, revealing two competing forces inside every brain: the genius that builds extraordinary ability through learning, and the impostor that spends your whole life insisting it can’t. Praised by David Perlmutter, Nelson Dellis, and Tommy Wood. Pre-order today and you’ll also get the free “Genius Toolkit” sent right away.
🎉 Happy Publication Week! 🎉
The following Next Big Idea Club Must-Read authors got to celebrate the publication of their books yesterday--congratulations to them all! 📖 Join us in reading and discussing these exciting new releases:
David Perlmutter, Brain Defenders: Harness the Power of Your Immune Cells to Protect Your Brain for Life
Glenn Hutchinson, Unfaithful Minds: The Science and Psychology of Infidelity