Category: New Book

An internationally celebrated violinist and founder of Street Symphony—the nonprofit that brings music into shelters, jails, and reentry programs across Los Angeles—Vijay has spent his career at the intersection of art, justice, and healing. Restrung is his memoir of finding purpose, connection, dignity, and survival through the medicine of music. Below, find two insights he offers in his personal, hopeful talks.

1. Learn to listen.

Early in his career, Vijay played a 15-minute piece by Bach—”the violinist’s Mount Everest”—for 300 incarcerated people in a state hospital. He thought it was going well… but when he finished, he was met only by silence. A man stood up and said, “Son, don’t you know any songs we know?”

Vijay froze. “And I think he took pity on me,” he says. “He sang back to me: a song called ‘Jesus on the Mainline.'” And the room joined in. “I thought about this episode for years as a kind of musical failing,” Vijay says. “But actually, that’s not the problem. What this man was saying is, ‘Do you see me? Do you see my humanity? Or are you just playing for yourself?'”

When we’re talking to others, Vijay says, there’s often a “fourth wall”: a veneer of professionalism that doesn’t allow us to break through and be human to the person we’re talking to. For real, human connection, we need to break down that wall—and learn to listen.

2. Learn to accompany.

“There’s a concept in son jarocho music called compromiso,” Vijay says. “It’s the artist’s promise: literally com-promiso. The com is the shared experience: of community, compassion, accompaniment. But the promise is the artist’s work of practicing in solitude, getting better at our craft, and then offering that craft to the world without question. Instead of seeing practice as a one-way delivery of music, I now see it as an exchange.”

Often, Vijay says, we go into situations assuming we’re there to offer help or information. But sometimes, what people need is someone to accompany them. “Accompany means to walk with, to attend with,” he says. “My organization, Street Symphony, is an act of musical accompaniment. I cannot name or even advocate for the personal healing of every one of the individuals who cross through the Midnight Mission or the Downtown Women’s Center, or the prisons or county jails where we play—but I can commit to walk with them.”

Want more from Vijay?

Learn more about him here, then contact us to book him to speak at your event!

Julia is a pioneering Harvard Kennedy School professor who’s studied the science of disagreement for 20+ years. Her book, How to Disagree Better, is out this week—psychological safety pioneer Amy C. Edmondson calls it “a must read for anyone seeking to foster mutual understanding, constructive dialogue, and more effective outcomes at work and at home.” Julia sat down with us to explain 4 steps to better disagreement (and better lives). Find them below, and get in touch to book her for your event!

Hedging: Leave room for different perspectives.

“Hedging involves words that highlight the subjectivity of my standpoint,” Julia explains. Phrases like “I think” can give you some room for disagreement without compromising what you actually believe. For instance, rather than saying, “This initiative will be effective,” you could say, “I believe this initiative will be largely effective,” instead. “I still said the same thing, but I left room to show that I recognize there are different perspectives,” she says. “So my conversation partner is not as inclined to look for holes in my argument.”

Emphasizing agreement: Find common ground.

“Emphasizing agreement is not agreeing,” Julia says. “It’s not saying ‘You’ve changed my mind.’ It’s saying, ‘We are two humans with values, concerns, and views that are common to both of us, because we are people.'” Words like “also” and “we” can be helpful here, and sentences like “I think we both want to find a way to satisfy this client.” It’s a conversational win, Julia says: “We are both gaining some insight and perspective. I’m still going to tell you what I think we should do, but I took a second to show that we’re on the same side.”

Acknowledging: Prove you’ve actually listened.

“Everybody in the world has heard of acknowledgement,” Julia says. “Most people do a terrible job of it.” Many of us, in a conflict, do what she calls lazy acknowledgement: “I hear you, but we can’t do that.” Effective acknowledgement requires you to prove that you’ve actually heard the other person: “I hear that you’re concerned with the quality of the product and you’d like to extend the timeline, but here’s why we can’t do that right now.” You haven’t changed your mind, Julia says, but you’ve proved that you’re listening.

Reframing to the positive: Invite more positive emotions.

“Almost anything you say, you can say in a more positive or a more negative way,” Julia says. She suggests eliminating some negative words (“terrible,” “horrible,” “hate”) and replacing them with more positive or balanced words. “Instead of ‘I can’t possibly agree to a policy that disrespects our longest-serving workers,’ you could say, ‘I would really appreciate it if we could find a policy that respects the needs of all our workers.” There’s a lot of emotion in disagreement, and there’s no getting around that, Julia says—but using positive words can result in a more constructive experience for everyone involved.

Want more from Julia?

Learn more about her here, then contact us to book her to speak at your event!

“One of the leading voices of modern literature” (New York Magazine), Margaret Atwood is the acclaimed storyteller behind The Handmaid’s Tale, The Testaments, and Oryx and Crake, among many others. In her anticipated memoir, Book of Lives: A Memoir of Sorts, she pulls back the curtain on her own life, offering what The Washington Post calls “a humble look at greatness.” She explores the versions of herself that have “materialized and then vanished over the years,” old friendships and relationships, and much more. Along the way, she reveals more about herself, the craft of writing, the connection between life and art, and the workings of one of our greatest imaginations. ⁠
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In a starred review, Kirkus calls Book of Lives “engaging, wise, and marvelously witty,” while The Guardian hails it as “a sharp, funny and engaging autobiography from one of the towering literary figures of our age.” Margaret has already been featured in The New York Times, The Guardian, The Times, LA Times, NPR, The Independent, The Telegraph, and many more.⁠ In scintillating talks, she draws from her own life and her acclaimed body of work to speak with wisdom and wit on a wide variety of topics: from literature and politics to the creative process and her own life’s story. ⁠

Hailed as “a legend” (Toni Morrison) and “a storyteller of prodigious powers” (The New York Times), Sir Salman Rushdie is the internationally renowned author of Midnight’s Children, The Satanic Verses, and more. His previous book, Knife, is an astounding memoir and #1 international bestseller that was named to the New York Times 100 Notable Books of 2024. In The Eleventh Hour, his vibrant new short story collection, Salman grapples with powerful questions about life, legacy, identity, and freedom of speech.⁠
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In a starred review of The Eleventh Hour, Publishers Weekly writes, “Grounded in moving ruminations on the afterlife and what a person leaves behind, these stories sing.” It’s been praised as “inventive and engrossing” (Los Angeles Times) and “a brilliant series of intimations of mortality” (Kirkus starred review). Salman and his new book have been featured in The Guardian, The New York Times, The Economist, CBS Sunday Morning, and many more.⁠

Salman is a compelling keynote speaker with an incredible body of work and an unbelievable life story. In spellbinding talks, he blends the worlds of literature, politics, and philosophy to speak on writing, life, and the world we live in.

One of the world’s greatest public intellectuals, this Lavin Exclusive Speaker has spent his career asking and answering our biggest questions about progress and human nature. His acclaimed books include Enlightenment Now, Rationality, and The Better Angels of Our Nature.

In When Everyone Knows That Everyone Knows…, Steven turns his keen eye to the concept of “common knowledge”: the thoughts we assume are public or “out there.” He shows us why it’s necessary for everything from driving on the same side of the road to forming enduring friendships. Most importantly, he reveals what’s at stake if we lose our common knowledge—and how we can leverage and preserve it for lasting human harmony.

When Everyone Knows has been widely covered: from The Economist to Financial Times and beyond. Jonathan Haidt, #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Anxious Generation, says, “If Pinker’s ideas become common knowledge, we’ll be far better equipped to handle the massive disruptions already arriving in our hyper-networked world.”

In broadly applicable and widely fascinating talks, Steven shows how common knowledge can give us insight into many of life’s enigmas: from financial bubbles and crashes to social media mobs. He invites us to understand the ways we try to get into each other’s heads and the effect that has on our social, political, and economic lives. His keynotes are riveting and necessary for anyone who’s interested in why we act the way we do, what that means for our societies, and how to uphold the norms that hold us together.

Interested in hearing more from Steven?

Get in touch to learn more, and to book him to speak at your next event!

A 40 Under 40 MBA prof, Corinne has spent her career helping women get the best from their working lives and helping leaders get the best from their workforce. Her new book, Having It All: What Data Tells Us About Women’s Lives and How to Get the Most Out of Yours (out Sep 23), is “a must-read for working women and their allies” (Katy Milkman, How to Change). Corinne sat down with us to explain one thing women can do to maximize their earning potential, and one thing leaders can do to gain an edge over the competition.

Women: Think in life chapters, not financial quarters.

Many women go through a period of what Corinne calls “the squeeze”: when you’re making career investments but also have young kids at home. Your kids haven’t started school, which requires a larger time investment from you, but your career investments haven’t paid off yet, which leaves you in a tricky financial situation.

Drawing on research, Corinne encourages women to think of their career as a book with many chapters. For example, in periods where everything seems like it’s coming to a head at once, consider “borrowing against your future earnings”: outsourcing tasks to keep yourself going through the squeeze. “Not outsourcing a task is choosing to hire yourself to do it,” Corinne says. “If you think about what your potential wage is in the future and consider the time investments you’re making for that right now, you can make a better decision about whether to hire yourself to do this job or hire someone else.”

Leaders: Offer boundaries, not flexibility.

“Firms need to figure out how to get women through the squeeze—because if they can retain their employees through that period, then they get to keep them forever,” Corinne says. So what do working moms actually want?

We often think that the answer is flexibility: working from home, choosing their own hours. But women actually want to avoid unpredictable evening and weekend demands that will make them give up time with their family.

The key to talent retention, then, is counterintuitive: offering rigid boundaries, not flexible ones. There are practical ways to implement this—some as simple as marking no-facetime blocks on your calendar, or ensuring enough overlap that your employees can alternate weekends on-call. “Knowing the research and thinking creatively can help us make accommodations better and cheaper,” Corinne says.

Interested in hearing more from Corinne?

Get in touch to learn more, and to book her to speak at your next event!

“This book captures how intuition, coupled with the right experience, can fuel innovation in ways you’d never expect.”—Steve Chen, Cofounder of YouTube

Laura is the Director of the Women’s Entrepreneurship Center and a distinguished professor at Northeastern University. She’s also the author of Edge, “a must read for anyone seeking to stand out from the crowd” (Dan Pink), and You Already Know, a vital, scientific handbook for honing and harnessing your intuition. Laura sat down with Lavin to explain two steps to better decision-making.

Step 1: Train your gut.

Gut feel is the combination of data and experience—which means one of the most important things we can do is to give ourselves more of both. We all have a bank of things we already know (Laura calls these “priors”), and we can increase that bank to give ourselves more opportunity for a eureka moment.

“One of the things we can do is try and see our expertise from the vantage point of a novice,” Laura says. As a simple illustration: “Say you try brushing your teeth with the hand you don’t normally use—you might feel slightly awkward doing it, but you’ll start to notice new things, like where your gums hurt.” We can do the same thing in our personal and work lives, and avoid falling into the trap of assuming we know something that we actually don’t.

Step 2: Now trust it.

Once trained, gut feel doesn’t suggest—it compels. “I once asked a founder, ‘How did you know that it was time for you to quit your job and start this company?’” Laura recalls. “She said, ‘It wasn’t about knowing. It was more that I couldn’t not do it.’”

Too many of us gather all the data we need for a big decision, only to get stuck at the moment of truth. Gut feel helps us to avoid that. And Laura has good news: “You can always fix a bad decision, but you can’t fix a no decision.”

Still torn? Try flipping a coin. As you see the outcome, note how you’re feeling, and what your inner voice is telling you. Are you excited? Disappointed? Then note that feeling, trust your gut, and go take action.

Interested in hearing more from Laura?

Get in touch with us to learn more, and to book her to speak at your next event!

AI is upending the planet in real time. Its path of development threatens to erode our democracy and return us to an age of empire. But this longtime AI insider says there is another, better way forward.

Karen was the first journalist to profile Sam Altman’s OpenAI, and in her celebrated new book, Empire of AI, she uses the story of that company as a lens for understanding the moment we’re in. The culmination of her years of insider access, deep reporting, and over 300 interviews with key players, Empire of AI is a vital look into where we’ve gone wrong—and how we can make it right.

Karen has been called “one of the foremost tech journalists covering AI” (Dr. Joy Buolamwini). She writes for publications like The Atlantic and leads the Pulitzer Center’s AI Spotlight Series, which trains journalists around the world on how to cover artificial intelligence.

Her book, Empire of AI, is at once a page-turning thriller, an “essential work of public education” (Shoshana Zuboff, The Age of Surveillance Capitalism), and a revelatory portrait of the people controlling this technology. In talks, Karen draws on her book and her years of original research to reveal how Silicon Valley threatens to unravel democracy and return us to an age of empire, and what it will take to wrestle back what we’ve lost and create a world we all want.

The year is 2050. You wake up in a home thrumming with energy so cheap you can barely find it on your monthly bill. Outside, an autonomous drone is dropping off a shipment of star pills: inexpensive medicine that slows ageing, created in the zero-gravity environment of space.

Your friend calls from the airport—he’s flying New York to London in just over two hours. His plane, fueled by traditional and synthetic fuels, will reach twice the speed of sound.

This future is within our grasp, says Derek Thompson. We have everything we need to create it. But we need to start building.

His new book Abundance, co-authored with Ezra Klein, has made headlines across the media: Derek has appeared everywhere from Amanpour and Company to The Daily Show, and from MSNBC to CNN. Slate writes that the book’s optimism is “compelling, even joyous,” adding that “the timing of Abundance is extraordinary.” David Brooks writes that the authors “inspire hope and enlarge the imagination by describing the good things that are actually within our grasp.”

A popular podcast host and staff writer at The Atlantic, Derek is a brilliant keynote speaker who effortlessly synthesizes mega-trends in society, labor, economics, technology, and politics. His dynamic, inspiring talks show audiences exactly what these mega-trends mean for us, helping us understand how we live, how we vote, how we spend, and how we work.

If you’d like to learn more about Derek, or book him to speak at your event, please get in touch. We’d love to help.

“A revolutionary guide to mastering your emotional life. Shift offers actionable strategies to ensure your emotions amplify your capabilities, rather than hinder them.”— Charles Duhigg, New York Times bestselling author of The Power of Habit

If you feel like your emotions are difficult to manage, you’re not alone. But there’s good news, says Ethan Kross: Far from being “good” or “bad,” emotions are information. And if you learn how to use them, they can become your superpower.

Ethan is an award-winning psychology professor at the University of Michigan. In talks based on his previous book, the instant national bestseller Chatter, he revealed how to turn your inner voice from your worst critic into your best coach. Now, he’s building on that work to show audiences of all backgrounds how to use their emotions to boost resilience, elevate performance, and gain an edge at work, at school, and at home.

His new book, Shift (out this week!) has already been featured in The New York Times, The New Yorker, Fast Company, NPR, Inc., and more. His new TED Talk is also out now. In a starred review, Publishers Weekly called Shift “a boon to readers looking to take better charge of their inner lives.” Dan Pink, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Drive, says that “Ethan’s actionable insights can turn emotions from adversaries to allies—and transform how you navigate high-pressure work environments and the unpredictability of daily life.”

Enter Ethan Kross: a world-leading psychologist and bestselling author who, building upon his previous work where he showed us how to harness our inner monologue, has created a science-backed guide to understanding and managing our emotions.  In his latest keynotes, Ethan shows us the tools you can use—and already possess—to take control of your emotions and use them to your advantage.  More than “good” and “bad” feelings, emotions are information alerting us to our surroundings and informing the way we react to situations.  And if used correctly, they can become a superpower that helps us make the right decisions.

ONE SIMPLE TOOL TO LEVERAGE YOUR ANXIETY AT WORK

In many situations, our emotions require attention.  They require us to analyze why we’re feeling the way we’re feeling, addressing the root cause of our negative emotions and addressing them in the right way.

For example: If you’re feeling frustrated, anxious, or just plain bad, you can try what Ethan calls “perspective shifting.”

When Novak Djokovic went down two sets at Wimbledon, you could see the frustration on his face.  Instead of sinking into a negative thought loop though, he called for a time out, stood in front of a mirror and said “YOU can do it.  Believe in YOURSELF.”  He came back to win every subsequent set that match—not to mention the entire tournament.

Why does perspective shifting work? By using your own name or the second-person pronoun “you,” you distance yourself from the emotion and can think about the situation from an outside perspective.  If your friend was in your shoes, what would you say to them?  Would you tell them, “Tough break,” or would you encourage them?  The same thing happens here.

Distancing yourself through using you, or even your own name, allows you to coach yourself through these emotional situations in a more rational, productive way.

What if, after a less than stellar performance review, those feelings of sadness, anger, and anxiety weren’t taken home with you, where you shut down from your family for a couple of days.  What if, instead you took that information as a call to action—where you find your resilience, tell yourself, “YOU can do it,” and bring out a growth mindset?

LEADERSHIP AND MANAGING YOUR EMOTIONS

What if, instead of lashing out in anger and arguing with your colleague about work that wasn’t done, or was done to a less than stellar level, we channeled those emotions to better use?  Understanding why we are angry and using that information we can say to ourselves, “WE can overcome this,” and decide in that situation to be a leader, provide productive feedback, collaborate on a solution, and produce a better work product. Not to mention, learning how to shift your own emotional state can help you do the same for the people you lead—taking them out of unproductive spirals and helping them cultivate resilience and high performance.

WHO IS ETHAN KROSS?

A University of Michigan professor, Ethan is a top leadership speaker who has been trusted by Fortune 500 companies like Microsoft, Boston Consulting Group, Workday, Dell, and more.  He’s spoken about the power of managing your inner voice and taking control of your emotions to bring the best out of yourself and be a leader for your team.

Anyone can be a leader, he says, but it starts internally.  It’s a mindset and a decision to get the best from yourself and the people around you.  Ethan shows you the proven strategies that help bring about that mindset, helping you to help your colleagues to navigate their negative emotions, improving companywide collaboration and trust.

SHIFT: Managing Your Emotions-So They Don’t Manage You

Ethan Kross’s highly awaited follow-up to the bestseller CHATTER comes out tomorrow, February 4, 2025.  It’s already received rave reviews from incredible authors and leading experts, including Charles Duhigg (The Power of Habit), who calls it “a revolutionary guide to mastering your emotional life,” and Lisa Damour (The Emotional Lives of Teenagers), who calls it “brilliant, engaging, and deeply insightful.”

It’s featured on Oprah Daily’s Best Books for Personal Growth in 2025, Next Big Idea Club’s Highly Anticipated Books, and Adam Grant’s 10 New Books to Feed Your Mind.

You can order it here now

David Yeager is one of the world’s leading voices on the psychology of growth mindset and motivation, and the author of the new book 10 to 25: The Science of Motivating Young People (out now!).

An invaluable handbook for leading people of any age, 10 to 25 is already receiving rave reviews: Angela Duckworth (#1 New York Times bestselling author of Grit) calls it “required reading,” while Adam Grant (#1 New York Times bestselling author of Think Again) says it’s “filled with practical insights to turn you into a better motivator.”

In talks, David explains how the “mentor mindset”—offering high standards and high support—can help you get the best out of your employees and students. Unlike the “enforcer mindset” (high standards and low support) or the “protector mindset” (low standards and high support), the mentor mindset can help anyone build the resilience, adaptability, and initiative of the people you lead. David offers practical and surprisingly simple strategies for implementing it in your day to day, like asking questions instead of giving instructions, which have been scientifically proven to lower stress and boost perseverance.

“If I say, ‘Here’s the standard and I believe you can meet it,’ that means I’m taking you seriously and believe in your growth. It’s a leadership practice that brings growth mindset to life,” David says.

Black queer people have always shaped history, says George M. Johnson. Their stories can help us find a better way forward.

In their new book, Flamboyants, this TIME100 Next honoree tells the stories of the unsung Black queer heroes of the Harlem Renaissance, from poet Langston Hughes to children’s writer Countee Cullen. In a starred review, Publishers Weekly praises George’s “incisive prose commentary, skewering verse, and revealing memoir.”

“These figures aren’t just our past, but help us to understand our present—and give us the roadmap for our future,” George says. “It’s like the butterfly effect: a butterfly flapping its wings in one part of the world can cause a hurricane in another part of the world. These figures did something, no matter how big or small. And whatever that “something” was likely made someone else do something, that made someone else do something, that 100 years later got to you. Now it’s time for you to do the next something.”

In talks, George draws on their books and experience to offer stories from the past and lessons for the future. Audiences of all ages walk away inspired by the heroes that have gone before, and prepared to do the next something that will take us closer to a future where we are all able to share our full identities.

Over her 20 years researching workplace relationships and culture, Tessa West has helped hundreds of people resolve their work conflicts and interviewed thousands about their careers. In her new book, Job Therapy, she leverages her unique experience to help leaders keep their employees engaged and able to do their best work.

In dynamic talks, Tessa reveals the 5 main reasons people quit:

• They’re going through an identity crisis, where their sense of self no longer matches their job;
• They’ve drifted apart and no longer recognize the job they loved;
• They’re stretched too thin, taking on too many roles or switching tasks too often;
• They’re always the runner-up, and don’t know why they keep coming in second;
• They’re the underappreciated star whose amazing performance isn’t recognized.

“Salman Khan has long been on the cutting edge of education. The book is a timely masterclass for anyone interested in the future of learning in the AI era.”—Bill Gates (Microsoft)

Lavin speaker Salman Khan, the visionary behind educational nonprofit Khan Academy, has spent over a decade using technology to make a world-class education accessible to over 150 million students. Now, with the advent of generative AI like ChatGPT, he’s turning his focus towards transforming the way we learn through the power of AI.

Sal was one of the first people to gain access to OpenAI’s GPT tools. He was personally invited by OpenAI CEO Sam Altman to experiment with the technology—months before ChatGPT was even launched. He’s since implemented these tools into Khan Academy through personalized AI tutors which help turn struggling students into proficient ones and proficient students into superstars. His TED Talk on AI and education was one of the top 10 most watched of the year (at over 3 million views).

In talks, Sal draws on his vital new book, Brave New Words (out this week), to offer a practical and forward-looking roadmap to help us navigate this exciting new world. He dives into what this technology means for us: teachers, guidance counselors, hiring managers, and more. And he shares actionable strategies (like using AI to make subject matter come alive or to hold us accountable to our goals) that we can put into practice today to help our students and team members unlock their full potential.

Brave New Words is “the most fascinating and important account of how AI will transform the way we learn” (Walter Isaacson, Steve Jobs) and “a gripping guide to the future of learning” (Adam Grant, Think Again). Sam Altman says that Sal “provides an invaluable guide for those seeking to understand and shape AI for good.” Angela Duckworth (Grit) writes: “Leaps forward in generative AI can and should change the way all of us learn. And I can think of no better guide to show us the way than Salman Khan.”

This Harvard Business School professor has spent over a decade studying how rituals can help us find purpose and make change. He’s proved that simple rituals like handshakes or coffee breaks can have powerful effects: from improving teamwork to helping us cut down on our phone usage. And his new book, The Ritual Effect, is a brilliant and broadly applicable guide to leveraging them in any situation.

In talks, Michael offers examples of real people who have used rituals to enrich their lives—like the firm that used rituals for a smooth and successful merger, or the nurse who maintains work/life balance by washing stress down the drain—and practical ways for you to tap into this power on campus, in the office, or at home. He shows you:

• How rituals are already folded into your workday—from morning coffee to your commute home—and how you can leverage that fact to boost your productivity;
• Why mandating rituals doesn’t work, and what leaders can do instead to encourage organic team bonding;
• How to use rituals to avoid burnout and build resilience in stressful situations;
• How to identify the rituals you’re already doing, and how you can build new ones;
• And more!

Mary’s vital new book, Cultures of Growth, marks a tidal shift in the way we understand and implement growth mindset at a group-wide scale. It’s already catching fire across the media: Mary has appeared on Bloomberg and the SXSW stage, and her work has been featured in Forbes, Fast Company, CNBC, Big Think, and more.

“When we build cultures of growth together, we’ll create environments where we are inspired to do our best work, where we trust each other, we collaborate, we innovate, and we have equity in the world. We have these contexts where good ideas come from everywhere, and everyone has the opportunity to rise,” Mary says. “That’s the world I want to live in. It’s the world I hope you want to live in. And I think it’s the world that we’ll create together by building these cultures of growth.”

Mary is a star psychology professor at Indiana University, who studied with Carol Dweck at Stanford and has received the Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers. In her book, she draws on her decade of research and work with Fortune 500 companies to offer you actionable, use-them-today strategies—from changing the way you structure critical feedback to using the four Mindset Triggers to move someone from fear to growth—that every leader can use to build these cultures right now.

“2020 compellingly reveals what the pandemic laid bare about our culture, our institutions, and ourselves.“—Matthew Desmond, Pulitzer Prize-winning author of Evicted

An NYU professor and the director of NYU’s Institute for Public Knowledge, Eric Klinenberg recently sat down with us at the Lavin office to explore what the pandemic did to us—and how we can heal. Today, our politics are deeply polarized and misinformation runs rampant. Gen Z’s are losing trust in a system they feel let them down. Community initiatives that came together in the absence of government support are undervalued and underfunded, and our institutions haven’t stepped up to fill in the gap. If we want to overcome these challenges, we need to go back to the year that supercharged them.

“Crises allow us to see ourselves more clearly,” Eric tells us. “In a crisis, we learn who we are, we learn what we value, we learn whose lives matter.” We must work through what the pandemic showed us if we want to build solidarity, foster strong leadership, and face the next crisis when it comes.

His new book, 2020 (out now!), is “a gripping, deeply moving account of a signal year in modern history” (Pulitzer Prize winner Siddhartha Mukherjee). He follows seven ordinary people in New York in the midst of the pandemic—like the bar owner who slowly became radicalized by the lack of government support, and the Jackson Heights woman whose pandemic-era mutual aid network has become a free legal clinic for immigrants—to explore how we can cultivate resilience and community together.

A thoughtful and engaging speaker, Eric offers vital talks on how the lessons of 2020 can help us strengthen our democracy, giving audiences hopeful reminders of our shared humanity and practical strategies for doing the daily work of community-building. “Mutual support and connection is the best resource we have for getting through this on the right side,” he tells Lavin.

These issues are not just about one people or class of people in America, it’s about all of us. We are connected by our common humanity. Jonathan’s work gets to that.—Mark Ruffalo, Emmy Award-Winning Actor

What is the meaning of community in an armed society? This is the question that psychiatrist and author Jonathan Metzl tackles in his urgent new book (out now). “What We’ve Become is not just a book about guns,” Jonathan says. Rather, it’s about how we can still build a healthy democracy: by creating structures “that foster everyday life, education, pleasure, and commerce, bolster shared investment rather than mistrust, and welcome people who can engage with one another free from fear.”

A professor who teaches in red-state Nashville and lives in blue-state New York, Jonathan offers a unique and nuanced look into the different narratives we tell across the political spectrum, and the common desire for safety and freedom that can bind us together in community.

What We’ve Become has been hailed as “consistently persuasive” by Kirkus, which calls it “a powerful, convincing effort to reframe the discussion.” It’s a snapshot of where we find ourselves today in America, and a compelling argument for the actions that we need to take to move forward.

“Did you know that curiosity is your superpower? Though we often think of being curious as a personality trait, it’s actually the foundation of our capacity for connection, growth, and healing,” says Scott Shigeoka, author of Seek: How Curiosity Can Transform Your Life and Change the World, fellow at UC Berkeley’s Greater Good Science Center, and lecturer at the University of Texas at Austin.

Scott’s new book Seek, out this week, has already been named one of Amazon’s Top 20 Science Books of 2023. His ideas are catching on nationwide, with people discovering—or rediscovering—the power of their curiosity thanks to him. He made an inspiring appearance on The Today Show, and his book has been widely praised as being vital for leaders, managers, veterans, financial planning experts, and everyone else.

In energetic and inspiring talks, Scott explores how putting the skill of curiosity into practice can not only increase our understanding of others, but also sharpen our creativity and collaboration, improve our relationships and teams, and bolster our life satisfaction. He pairs powerful stories with practical strategies to help individuals and organizations alike harness the power of curiosity. Among other things, he shares the DIVE model that he developed to target the four “core muscles” of deep curiosity:

• Detach—Let go of your ABCs (assumptions, biases, certainty);
• Intend—Prepare your mindset and setting;
• Value—See the dignity of every person (including yourself);
• Embrace—Welcome the hard times in your life.

“If you want a less anxious workforce, if you want leaders who are respected, if you want to be healthier and happier—curiosity is your ticket,” Scott tells Lavin.

“Essential reading. Raquel Willis uses her life story as a means to inspire and encourage us to step into our full selves. Deeply engaging with searing honesty and compassion.”
— Oscar-nominated actor Elliot Page

Born in the South to a Catholic family, Raquel Willis skyrocketed to national prominence when she spoke at the 2020 Women’s March on Washington in front of over 400,000 people. Her career has been nothing short of groundbreaking: she co-founded the Trans Week of Visibility and Action, won two GLAAD awards for her powerful work spotlighting trans women of color and trans youth, and has held prominent posts as the director of communications for Ms. Foundation for Women and executive editor for Out magazine.

Raquel’s debut memoir, The Risk It Takes to Bloom, “serves as a vital call to action for this era, and a powerful reminder of what it takes to bloom into your most authentic, vibrant self” (Amber Tamblyn, bestselling author of Listening in the Dark). It’s been named one of the Most Anticipated Books of Fall 2023 by TIME and W magazine, alongside titles like Barbra Streisand’s hot new memoir and Zadie Smith’s The Fraud.

In engaging, down-to-earth talks, Raquel draws on her unique experience to show how oppression of any group hurts us all—and how we can work together to achieve liberation for everyone. She explains the “three C’s” that can help us cultivate belonging in the workplace or on campus, and offers practical strategies to ensure everyone at your organization can be their true self and do their best work. It doesn’t matter who you are, she says—we can all show up and participate in the fight for true freedom.

“We all have our own journey to figuring out how we’re going to be a part of the change that we want to see,” Raquel tells Lavin. “I like to encourage people to think about what actually resonates with them and use that as a jumping point.”

Watch a Lavin-exclusive video where Raquel explains the three C’s you need to build environments of true DEI:

Lavin’s Teju Cole has been hailed by Salman Rushdie as “among the most gifted writers of his generation.” In his latest book Tremor (out now), the award-winning author of Open City tells the story of Tunde, a West African photography professor on a New England campus, engaging with music, race, and history to explore the passage of time and how we mark it. Tremor has been called a “provocative and profound meditation on art and life in a world of terror” (Kirkus starred review), and a “dazzling performance from one of the most brilliant and singular minds at work today” (Katie Kitamura, Intimacies).

“Rick never stops looking for the punchlines in everyday life. He made me realize how funny ordinary things are, how funny and how incredibly interesting.”
— Jann Arden

“It’s safe to say that when it comes to Canada, the reviews have been mixed,” says Rick Mercer, beloved Canadian comic and #1 national bestselling author. “Me? I like the place. But what does it mean to be from here or to have landed here? What does it mean to be Canadian?”

Rick first burst onto the scene with his iconic shows This Hour Has 22 Minutes and Made in Canada. He went on to create and host The Rick Mercer Report—for 15 years!—winning almost 30 Gemini Awards over his career. He won the Stephen Leacock Medal for Humour for his #1 national bestseller, Talking to Canadians, which Margaret Atwood describes as a “funny, pitfall-strewn, no-holds-barred memoir from the ranting TV uproarist, edge-walker, envelope-pusher and pot-stirrer.”

In his new memoir, The Road Years, he offers a look behind the scenes of his unparalleled success. He recounts his adventures across the country with humour and heart, from dogsledding to chainsaw carving to the “Train of Death.” Along the way, he celebrates the ordinary people who make Canada what it is, and investigates what it means to be Canadian today.

A brilliant and engaging speaker, Rick doesn’t just speak truth to power—he rants about it. When he speaks, everyone in the audience loves each other (and the country) just a little bit more. And they have fun throughout.

“We’re in a time with so much strife and toxicity,” Rick says. “People need a laugh.”

Watch an interview with Rick on Global News where he discusses his new memoir, his adventures, and what he’s learned about Canadian identity here.

“Leaders set the tone for their organizations not only with their own behavior but also with what they reward, tolerate, or overlook,” Minette says. She’s experienced firsthand the power of championing diverse voices: she joined the male-dominated tech industry as a liberal arts major with no STEM background, and rose through the ranks to become VP of Engineering Practice at industry giant Autodesk (which makes the Oscar-winning animation software Maya). There, she successfully led 3500 software professionals—not despite her unique perspective, but because of it.

Minette previously co-authored The Psychological Safety Playbook (a #1 Amazon bestseller in Business Health & Stress). Now, in The Boldly Inclusive Leader, she offers daily and weekly practices that you can use in your own organization to hone your leadership skills. For example:

• Calling out the interruptions in meetings—even if you’re not the one facilitating;
• Taking notes about your emotions and using them as data for your decisions;
• Asking “What am I missing?” or “What have I not thought of?” when you share a point of view (and actually giving others time to respond).

“Inclusive leadership is a practice, and every day provides a new opportunity to model inclusive behavior,” Minette tells Lavin. “Like any practice you may have in your life, you improve over time, but that doesn’t mean you don’t make mistakes or experience frustrations along the way. When you commit to inclusive leadership, you incorporate the practice into your daily work.”

Power and Progress is the blueprint we need for the challenges ahead.”
— Shoshana Zuboff, bestselling author of The Age of Surveillance Capitalism

In an age of ChatGPT and increasing automation, we must choose to take control of these technologies and build a more just and democratic world, says Daron Acemoglu. He’s the bestselling co-author of Why Nations Fail—the blockbuster book on why strong institutions are the often-overlooked key to strong democracies—and his new book Power and Progress (out now!) is a hopeful look at the future of technology and a roadmap for the work ahead.

Daron argues that although technology has historically been used to serve an elite few, it doesn’t have to be this way. We can use new tools like AI to bolster our economy, build up our democracy, and drive social progress for a more equitable world. “This is not a lament about the future being bad,” he says. “What makes this interesting is that the direction of technology is malleable—so we can redirect it.”

This bold reinterpretation of history and economics is already drawing accolades across the media, from WIRED to Financial Times. Along with co-author Simon Johnson, Daron gives us a sweeping overview of the last 1000 years of technological progress, drawing lessons from history to show what we need to do today to “ensure the rising tide of innovation lifts all boats” (Publishers Weekly).