How to Measure Anything by Douglas W. Hubbard: Overview

A businessman measuring with a ruler on a table

In How to Measure Anything, Douglas W. Hubbard challenges conventional notions about measurement and provides practical insights on making informed decisions based on measurable data. An expert in the field of applied information economics, measurement, and decision analysis, Hubbard’s work focuses on helping organizations make better decisions by quantifying uncertainty and measuring things that many believe are unmeasurable.  Below, we’ll explain that measurement is simply the reduction of uncertainty—not the elimination of it; why every measurement needs to be taken to help inform a decision; and we’ll offer some measurement tools and techniques you can use to put these principles

Inner Excellence Book Club Questions & Exercises (Jim Murphy)

A group of adults sitting in a circle for book club in a book store

Jim Murphy’s Inner Excellence: Train Your Mind for Extraordinary Performance and the Best Possible Life isn’t your typical self-improvement book. It blends mindset training, emotional awareness, and spiritual discipline into a practical guide for performing—and living—with purpose. Whether you’re an athlete, a leader, or simply someone striving to grow, Murphy’s lessons on focus, courage, and letting go of control offer plenty to reflect on. To spark meaningful discussion, here are 15 thought-provoking book club questions (plus some exercises at the end) to help you dig deeper into the book’s key themes. 15 Book Club Questions Exercise: Overcome Self-Focus With Love,

Inner Excellence by Jim Murphy: Book Overview & Lessons

The silhouette of a person hiking to the peak of a mountain

In Inner Excellence, performance coach Jim Murphy argues that chasing external achievements like promotions, trophies, or perfect scores creates a cycle of temporary satisfaction followed by endless wanting. Instead, he presents a counterintuitive approach: focus on developing yourself from the inside out through mastering your values, beliefs, emotions, and mental focus. When you shift your attention from external validation to internal development, you naturally perform better under stress while experiencing the sense of purpose and aliveness that external success promises but rarely delivers. Keep reading for a full book overview.

The Message by Ta-Nehisi Coates: Book Overview & Takeaways

Ta-Nehisi Coates speaking at Oregon State University in 2017

Take a journey through the southern US, West Africa, and the Middle East with Ta-Nehisi Coates. The Message is more than a travelogue; it’s his exploration of how stories shape our understanding of race, power, and oppression. Coates believes that writing is more than just putting words on a page—it’s a way to challenge injustice and reclaim stolen narratives. Keep reading to explore what he discovered on his travels.

Ellen Langer’s The Mindful Body: Book Overview & Takeaways

A mind-body connection illustrated through a man being connected to his brain

If you’ve ever felt your stomach turn in a moment of anxiety or felt like jumping up and down with excitement, then you’ve experienced the mind-body connection firsthand. Ellen Langer’s The Mindful Body argues that you can use this connection to take control of your health. We’ll explore Langer’s assertion that the mind and body are inextricable and discuss how this link manifests in health outcomes. We’ll also examine three limiting beliefs that shape health, including the view that health is a finite resource. Finally, we’ll touch on two research-backed strategies for approaching your health mindfully. Continue reading for our

Red Flags, Green Flags by Ali Fenwick: Overview & Dating Tips

A woman holding a green flag and a man holding a red flag

Do you often make snap judgments about people that leave you feeling disconnected and alone? In our swipe-left culture, we’ve become experts at writing people off at the first sign of imperfection, but psychologist Ali Fenwick argues this approach is robbing us of meaningful connections. Fenwick’s “Red Flags, Green Flags” framework offers a refreshing alternative to our tendency toward instant dismissal. Rather than viewing red flags as automatic deal-breakers, his RED system encourages deeper examination of both our reactions and others’ behaviors. Meanwhile, his GREEN framework helps identify the genuine qualities that make relationships worth nurturing. Keep reading for an

Ray Kurzweil’s How to Create a Mind (Book Overview)

An artistic depiction of a woman's head in profile surrounded by clouds with her mind illuminated

Your brain contains roughly 300 million tiny pattern recognizers, each one following the same simple set of rules. According to Ray Kurzweil’s How to Create a Mind: The Secret of Human Thought Revealed, these recognizers work together. Everything you experience as uniquely human emerges from one repeated process. If Kurzweil is right, human-level artificial intelligence isn’t just possible—it’s inevitable. We can build machines that truly think by copying the brain’s hierarchical approach. Keep reading to learn what Kurzweil discovered and what it might mean for our future.

Deviate by Beau Lotto: Book Overview & Takeaways

A woman looking at a park

How do you know the world you see around you is real? It’s not, according to neuroscientist and entrepreneur Beau Lotto. In Deviate, Lotto explains that our brains don’t simply record the world as it is, but actively construct reality based on past experiences and evolutionary adaptations. Below, we’ll explain how our perceptual abilities don’t give us access to objective reality, as well as the evolutionary reasons why this is true. Then, we’ll outline how you can use this understanding of your brain’s abilities to change the way you think and foster innovation. Read more in our overview.

10 to 25 by David Yeager: Book Overview & Lessons

In a classroom, a teacher is mentoring a teenage student

How can adults better connect with and mentor young people? The key lies in abandoning conventional approaches that assume young people are impulsive and incompetent, and instead adopting what psychologist David Yeager calls the “mentor mindset.” In his book 10 to 25, Yeager argues that rather than viewing young people as neurobiologically incompetent, effective mentors recognize that teens and young adults are actually quite capable—they’re just wired to prioritize social standing and peer respect over abstract future goals. This article explores Yeager’s research-backed approach to mentorship, examining why conventional authoritarian and permissive methods fall short, and providing practical strategies for

What Is Real? Adam Becker on Quantum Physics (Book Overview)

A person, seen in silhouette from behind, looking up at stars and the Milky Way in the night sky

The universe is weird at the smallest scales. Particles pop in and out of existence, exist in multiple places at once, and somehow “know” what their partners are doing from across the cosmos. For nearly a century, physicists have had the math to predict these bizarre behaviors with stunning accuracy. But they’ve struggled with a more fundamental question: What does it all mean? In his book What Is Real?, Adam Becker argues that most scientists simply gave up trying to find an answer. Read on for our overview of What Is Real?: The Unfinished Quest for the Meaning of Quantum