Be More Interesting
Loved a book from our lists? Hear the story behind it. On The Non-Obvious Show, Rohit Bhargava sits down with the authors themselves — many drawn straight from the Book Awards longlist.
Recent Episodes
with Sabina Nawaz
In this episode, Sabina Nawaz shares insights from her extensive leadership experience, focusing on how pressure, power, and self-awareness influence effective management. Discover practical microhabits and strategies to become a better boss and navigate the loneliness at the top.
with Nilofer Merchant
Nilofer Merchant discusses the hidden norms shaping our work environment, how to challenge them, and reframe our approach to work for greater fulfillment and innovation.
with Mark Medley
Explore the fascinating world of individuals pursuing seemingly impossible goals, the long-term mindset, and the hope and resilience that drive human endeavors. Author Mark Medley shares insights from his book Live to See the Day and stories of explorers, scientists, and dreamers.
with Jenny Wood
Explore the unconventional traits of wild courage with Jenny Wood, a NYT best-selling author and founder of Google’s Own Your Career program. Discover how embracing weirdness, selfishness, shamelessness, and other traits can propel your career and life forward.
with Justin Gregg
Explore the fascinating world of anthropomorphism, its impact on human behavior, AI, marketing, and the future of human-like technology with dolphin cognition researcher Justin Gregg.
with Nir Eyal
Explore the fascinating insights into human perception, beliefs, and the power of persistence with Nir Eyal, author of Beyond Belief. Discover how our brain’s predictive processing shapes reality, how beliefs influence behavior, and how anyone can unlock hidden potential.
with Melody Wilding
Melody Wilding, a human behavior expert and author, shares insights on managing up, understanding human psychology at work, and practical strategies for career success.
with Tim Minshall
Explore the fascinating world of manufacturing with Tim Minshall, author of ‘How Things Are Made’. Discover how everyday products are designed, built and delivered — and why understanding making matters more than ever.
with Amina AlTai
In this conversation, Amina AlTai discusses her book ‘The Ambition Trap,’ exploring the duality of ambition and how it can be both a motivating force and a source of pain — and how to shift toward a healthier, purpose-led ambition.
with Rosalind Chow
In this episode, Dr. Rosalind Chow discusses the crucial differences between mentorship and sponsorship, and how sponsors can change the trajectory of a career by advocating for others when it matters most.
with Tomas Chamorro-Premuzic
In this episode, Tomas challenges conventional wisdom around authenticity, self-belief, and leadership — and makes the case for why editing yourself can be a smarter path to success.
with Kevin Ertell
In this episode, we explore the nuanced relationship between strategy and execution in business, and why great execution of a clear strategy beats a brilliant plan poorly delivered.
with Monica Nassif
Monica Nassif’s journey with Mrs. Meyer’s Clean Day reveals the power of authenticity in branding. By naming the brand after her mother, she created a story that resonated far beyond the cleaning aisle.
with Eliot Stein
In a fast-paced world where technology often overshadows cultural heritage, Eliot Stein shares stories of the last custodians keeping rare traditions alive — and what their devotion teaches the rest of us.
with Marina Lopes
Marina Lopes, a Brazilian American journalist, shares insights from her global research on parenting practices around the world — and what other cultures can teach us about raising resilient kids.
About The Show
Can diversity be funny? Who owns the air? Why don’t companies practice more common sense? The answers to these questions are not so obvious … and that’s the point.
Each week Rohit interviews an author whose book offers an inspiring form of non-obvious thinking on topics such as afrofuturism, technoableism, and existential hope. The featured books include those selected from the annual Non-Obvious Book Awards, and other books that he has recently found captivating — so if a book on our longlist caught your eye, there’s a good chance you can hear its author tell the story behind it here.
Listen Anywhere
The Non-Obvious Show is available on Spotify, Apple Podcasts and Audible. Explore the full episode archive for more conversations with award-winning authors.
Stay Non-Obvious
Subscribe to the Non-Obvious Newsletter and get a weekly Non-Obvious Book of the Week recommendation, award winner announcements and the non-obvious stories 25,000+ readers look forward to every Thursday.
Subscribe Free →One email every Thursday. No spam, unsubscribe anytime.