What You Eat Matters More Than You Think
Food, focus, and finding your core vales were among our highlights this week
Happy Friday, readers. Hope it’s been a good and productive week. In case you were busy with other things (how dare you), here’s our roundup of the most interesting big ideas we read or listened to this week:
This Week on the Next Big Idea Podcast
A food crisis is brewing. Are we ready?
Sam Kass is the former senior food policy advisor to President Obama and the chef who cooked dinner for the first family most nights. Now a partner at a venture capital firm investing in food and agriculture tech, Sam has a new book out, The Last Supper: How to Overcome the Coming Food Crisis.
The situation, he says, is bleak. Almonds, artichokes, chocolate, coffee, oysters, rice, wine — all at risk due to climate change. And that’s not even close to the full list. Our food system is both driving the climate crisis and being devastated by it. But Sam argues we can still avert the worst if we start with culture, fix our policies, and deploy the right technology. Listen to our conversation on Spotify or Apple Podcasts, or watch it on YouTube.
Book Bite of the Week
How do you build a company that lasts?
We live in a world that is quietly, relentlessly unraveling our attention and, with it, our capacity to think clearly, feel deeply, and live purposefully. Finding Focus: Own Your Attention in an Age of Distraction, by behavioral scientist Zelana Montminy, is about how to come home to yourself and what matters most. Focus isn’t about what we pay attention to; it’s about how we move through the world. Pick up a copy of the book on Amazon or check out her summary here on the Next Big Idea app.
This week, Book of the Day is brought to you by The Long Game: A Playbook of the World’s Most Enduring Companies by Eric Becker. Through meticulous research and in-depth interviews with CEOs, historians, and key decision makers, this book delves into the pivotal strategies and decisions that enabled them to adapt and remain competitive on a global stage. Pick up your copy today.
Get a Signed Copy of Brené Brown’s Latest
If you’re not yet a Next Big Idea Club member, now is a perfect time to join. You’ll get:
Exclusive access to our guided discussions and live Q&A sessions with the authors and curators.
A vibrant community of fellow readers for connection and shared insights, including a NEW private WhatsApp group.
Thousands of audio “Book Bites” and bonus materials to enhance your reading experience through the Next Big Idea app.
New hardcover members will receive signed copies of Strong Ground.
This Week on the Next Big Idea Daily Podcast
How to live and lead by your core values.
Finding alignment across work, relationships, and community starts with naming the values that steer you. Author, executive coach and leadership educator Robert Glazer’s new book The Compass Within is a short fable about clarifying what matters and making choices that match. Pick up a copy of Robert’s book on Amazon or listen now on Apple Podcasts or Spotify.
Happy Pub Week!
Eight new NBIC Must-Reads landed in stores this week: The Compass Within by
, Safe Danger by Ben Swire, Why Brains Need Friends by , Like a Wave We Break by Jane Marie Chen, The Life Machines by Daria Mochly-Rosen and Emanuel Rosen, Lucky By Design by , The Long Game by Eric Becker, and The Hypocrisy Trap by . Check ‘em out!