Inspiration
Ideas, designs, and experiences worth remembering.
teamLab: Between Life and Non-Life
A conversation with Jony Ive
In a fireside chat at Stripe Sessions, designer Sir Jony Ive discussed the importance of purposeful design, joy in the creative process, and the potential impact of technology on society.
Mount Fuji, Japan
Brendan Dawes: Manifesto For Myself
Brendan Dawes shares key lessons from his “Manifesto for Myself,” offering personal insights into the creative process—from embracing boredom to discovering value in the unexpected and discarded.
Meditations
A timeless reminder to live with integrity, accept what we can't control, and stay grounded in the present, Meditations—especially in the Modern Library Classics edition—captures Marcus Aurelius’s private reflections on resilience, purpose, and the quiet strength of Stoic philosophy.
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The Psychology of Money
Morgan Housel shows that financial success is driven more by behavior than knowledge, using stories to reveal how emotion, ego, and experience shape our decisions—and offering timeless lessons about money that apply just as much to life.
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Becoming
Becoming is a candid, thoughtful, and quietly powerful memoir that follows Michelle Obama’s path from the South Side of Chicago to the White House—sharing what shaped her along the way, what she stood for as First Lady, and how she’s navigated life on her own terms. It’s honest, warm, and full of perspective—and a reminder to keep shaping your own story with purpose.
BuyAdmiral McRaven addresses the UTA Class of 2014
At the 2014 UT Austin commencement, Admiral William H. McRaven delivered a timeless talk on leadership and resilience—reminding graduates that changing the world starts with small, disciplined acts, like making your bed, and continues with courage, respect, and persistence.
“Creativity is just connecting things. When you ask creative people how they did something, they feel a little guilty because they didn't really do it, they just saw something. It seemed obvious to them after a while. That's because they were able to connect experiences they've had and synthesize new things.”— Steve Jobs
TED: Do schools kill creativity?
Sir Ken Robinson argues that creativity is as important as literacy in education and that schools often educate students out of their creative capacities.
Muse // Unravelling
Antoni Gaudí: Basílica de la Sagrada Família, Barcelona
Down With the System: A Memoir (of Sorts)
A raw, thoughtful memoir from Serj Tankian, frontman of System of a Down—part music story, part immigrant journey, part activist awakening. From war-torn Beirut to global stages, Serj reflects on what shaped him, with the same intensity and conviction that defines his music.
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The Creative Act: A Way of Being
A thoughtful, beautifully written meditation on creativity that invites anyone—not just artists—to reconnect with their sense of purpose, clarity, and creative potential, offering timeless insights on how to live and create with greater depth, openness, and meaning.
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“As I eventually concluded that leaders are neither born nor super-humans, I realized that I was free to decide what kind of leader I would be.”— Hubert Joly
When Breathe Becomes Air
A powerful and deeply personal reflection from a neurosurgeon who, after being diagnosed with terminal cancer, is forced to shift from doctor to patient—grappling with questions of purpose, identity, and what it means to live a meaningful life in the face of death.
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Why We Sleep
Sleep supports nearly every function in the body—restoring the brain, sharpening memory and creativity, regulating mood and immune health, and reducing disease risk—backed by Matthew Walker’s powerful neuroscience research that makes you rethink how essential sleep really is.
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Creativity Inc.
A powerful exploration of how great teams stay creative, this book reveals the importance of honesty, trust, and a willingness to embrace failure in building a culture where ideas can truly thrive. It emphasizes that creativity is rarely linear—progress often comes through iteration, setbacks, and the freedom to challenge assumptions.
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“We shall build good ships here; at a profit if we can; at a loss if we must; but always good ships.”— Collis Potter Huntington
“Creativity is not a rare ability. It is not difficult to access. Creativity is a fundamental aspect of being human. It's our birthright. And it's for all of us.”— Rick Rubin
Sir Demis Hassabis on The Future of Knowledge
Sir Demis Hassabis explores the powers, opportunities, and perils of AI, its potential to transform human knowledge, and the importance of considering the ethical and societal consequences of this technological revolution.
High Performance: Gordon Ramsay
In a rare and candid conversation, Gordon Ramsay reflects on the personal hardships, resilience, and ambition that have shaped his forty-year career—revealing the mindset behind his success, his commitment to family, and his drive to earn a third Michelin Star in France.
“In the midst of winter, I found there was, within me, an invincible summer. And that makes me happy. For it says that no matter how hard the world pushes against me, within me, there's something stronger - something better, pushing right back.”— Albert Camus
The Ride of a Lifetime
In this candid memoir, former Disney CEO Bob Iger shares the leadership principles that guided him—from bold risk-taking to relentless optimism—offering a powerful look at how curiosity, integrity, and vision helped transform Disney into one of the world’s most iconic brands.
BuyDara Khosrowshahi on The David Rubenstein Show
Uber CEO Dara Khosrowshahi talked about taking the company public, the future of autonomous vehicles, expansion plans, and whether he still takes Ubers himself. I appreciate his communication style—clear, candid, and grounded.
Herminia Ibarra: Identity and transition in professional careers
In her 2017 Clarendon Lectures, Herminia Ibarra explored how second-generation bias subtly undermines women’s leadership progression, arguing that identity transitions, not just structural fixes, are key to closing the gender gap at the top.
Angela Lee Duckworth on Grit
In her TED Talk, Angela Lee Duckworth shares how leaving consulting to teach seventh-grade math led her to discover that grit—passion and perseverance—is a key predictor of student success beyond IQ.
Jamie Dimon: Address to HBS MBA Class of 2009
At Harvard Business School’s 2009 Class Day, JPMorgan Chase CEO Jamie Dimon urged graduates to build careers grounded in integrity, resilience, and lifelong learning; to lead with emotional intelligence, humility, and accountability; and to commit to making a lasting, positive impact on their organizations and the world.
Solved: How to Find and Live by Your Values
In the debut episode of the Solved podcast, Mark Manson dives into why values are the foundation of a meaningful life—unpacking how they drive your happiness, mental health, and relationships, and offering a no-nonsense guide to identifying, changing, and living out the values that truly matter.
Google DeepMind CEO Demis Hassabis: The Path To AGI
In this Big Technology Podcast episode, Demis Hassabis, CEO of Google DeepMind, dives into the frontiers of AI—from the pursuit of artificial general intelligence to the challenges of building world models and understanding AI behavior. A sharp, thought-provoking conversation that offers both big-picture vision and real-world insights into where AI is headed.
Zaha Hadid: One Thousand Museum, Miami
The Alchemist
A timeless and powerful tale about a young shepherd’s journey to follow his personal legend, discovering that the true treasure he seeks lies not in distant lands but back where he began—revealing that self-discovery often leads us home.
BuyBall Park Music cover Radiohead 'Paranoid Android'
Ball Park Music stopped by triple j’s Like A Version to cover Radiohead, recording their performance at Queensland University of Technology’s music studios. The long-running segment invites artists to reimagine songs they love—past performers include Lorde, Tame Impala, and Childish Gambino.
Reboot: Leadership and the Art of Growing Up
A powerful framework for leaders to confront their inner demons through radical self-inquiry—blending Buddhism, Jungian therapy, and entrepreneurial wisdom—to build healthier relationships, lead with greater clarity and compassion, and find meaning beyond success.
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Principles: Life and Work
Ray Dalio shares the hard-won lessons behind building Bridgewater—from a two-bedroom apartment to one of the world’s most influential firms—offering a clear, practical, and surprisingly personal take on decision-making, leadership, and creating a culture built on radical transparency and continuous learning.
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Life, on the Line
Grant Achatz shares how, at the height of his culinary career, he overcame a life-threatening tongue cancer diagnosis and the loss of his sense of taste—relying on creativity, discipline, and trust in his team to keep pushing boundaries and elevate his cooking to new heights.
BuyRandy Pausch: Achieving Your Childhood Dreams
Randy Pausch, a professor with terminal cancer, delivers an inspiring "Last Lecture" at Carnegie Mellon University, reflecting on achieving his childhood dreams, enabling others to achieve theirs, and sharing life lessons, all while subtly imparting wisdom on how to live one's life.