Thrive

The Third Metric to Redefining Success and Creating a Life of Well-Being, Wisdom, and Wonder

By: Arianna Huffington

Narrated by: Agapi Stassinopoulos

#1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • Arianna Huffington’s impassioned and compelling case for the need to redefine what it means to be successful in today’s world—now in a 10th anniversary edition featuring a new preface

“A captivating look at what it takes to live a more meaningful, satisfying life. Brimming with passion, supported by science, and crowned with practical insights, Arianna Huffington’s exceptional book will transform our workplaces, schools, and families.”—Adam Grant, bestselling author of Think Again

Arianna Huffington’s personal wake-up call came in the form of a broken cheekbone and a nasty gash over her eye—the result of a fall brought on by exhaustion. The cofounder and editor-in-chief of the Huffington Post Media Group—which became one of the fastest growing media companies in the world—and celebrated as one of the world’s most influential women, she was, by any traditional measure, extraordinarily successful. Yet as she found herself going from brain MRI to CAT scan to echocardiogram to find out if there was any underlying medical problem beyond exhaustion, she wondered, Is this really what success is like?

In the past decade, and especially in today’s post-pandemic world, people are realizing there is far more to living a truly successful life than just earning a bigger salary and climbing the career ladder. Our relentless pursuit of the two traditional metrics of success—money and power—has led to an epidemic of burnout and illness, and an erosion in the quality of our relationships, our family life, and, ironically, our careers. In being connected to the world 24/7, we’re losing our connection to what truly matters. We need a new way forward.

In Thrive, Huffington has written a passionate call to arms, as timely today as it was when it was first published more than ten years ago, looking to redefine what it means to be successful in today’s world. Huffington likens our drive for money and power to two legs of a three-legged stool. It may hold us up temporarily, but sooner or later we’re going to topple over. We need a third leg—a Third Metric for defining success. In this deeply personal book, Huffington talks candidly about her own challenges with managing time and prioritizing the demands of a career and a family, the harried dance that led to her collapse—and to her “aha moment.” Drawing on the latest groundbreaking research and scientific findings in the fields of psychology, neuroscience, and physiology that show the transformative effects of our five foundational daily behaviors—sleep, food, movement, stress management, and connection—Huffington shows us the way to a revolution in our culture, our thinking, our workplaces, and our lives.

Critic reviews

“A convincing, compact, anecdote-laced guide for achievers of every stripe.”—Elle

“Provides powerful ideas about how to approach life differently.”—U.S. News

“Refreshingly practical . . . Lean In may be able to tell women how to get what they want, but Thrive may help them to figure out what that is.”—Businessweek

“Full of compelling arguments (backed by substantial research) about why we need to redefine success.”—Real Simple

“A captivating look at what it takes to live a more meaningful, satisfying life. Brimming with passion, supported by science, and crowned with practical insights, Arianna’s exceptional book will transform our workplaces, schools, and families.”—Adam Grant, Wharton professor and author of Give and Take

“More a-ha moments than an episode of Oprah.”—People

“At once intimate and formidable, this book is Arianna Huffington at her persuasive best. Thrive is a clarion call, a meditation, and a practical response to the question of how to live.”—Susan Cain, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Quiet


“Filled with cutting edge scientific research, captivating stories, and straightforward everyday practices, Thrive is a call to action that informs, invigorates, and inspires all at once.”—Daniel J. Siegel, MD, author of Brainstorm and Mindsight

“Huffington’s honest, raw, and compelling call for us to thrive in the midst of a jumbled, chaotic world by redefining what matters—well-being, wisdom, wonder, service, and each other—is the right book, at the right time, to heal us from our disconnection to ourselves and one another.”—Mark Hyman, MD, #1 New York Times bestselling author

“Socrates, Plato, Aristotle . . . Arianna. Beyond politics, there is her wisdom, applicable to everyone. This book probably added ten years to my life, some of which I’ll spend re-reading it.”—Bill Maher, host of Real Time with Bill Maher

“In Thrive, Huffington urges all of us to get in touch with who we really are so that we can live life on our own terms. From the importance of sleep to the imperative of listening to our inner voice for ways to deal with the daily time crunches we all feel, this book lays out a path for each of us to look within and make our lives more authentic and fulfilling.”—Sheryl Sandberg

Pleasantly Surprised - HIGHLY RECOMMEND! Highly.

Would you listen to Thrive again? Why?

Absolutely. The truths shared were so vast and varied, there is simply no way to take it all in one time through.

What was one of the most memorable moments of Thrive?

The multiple personal shares from the author's own experiences and "aha!" moments that lead her to write this.

What does Agapi Stassinopoulos bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

The tone and sound of the author's native tongue.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

Absolutely.

Any additional comments?

I am not a liberal in political terms - and because of this, I believe I had a predisposition to pass over this book, had I not heard wonderful things about it from multiple sources. I was thoroughly shamed in that I would have missed such a treasure had I held to this rigid mindset.

Couldn't Get Past the Accent

Would you recommend this book to a friend? Why or why not?

I purchased because the story was interesting to me. I will stick to buying Biographies that are narrated by the AUTHOR ONLY!

Would you ever listen to anything by Arianna Huffington again?

Only if she is the narrator.

What aspect of Agapi Stassinopoulos’s performance would you have changed?

Her accent and her pace when speaking. Was just too hard to follow for me. And I am very good usually with accents. This one I just couldn't get past.

Important lessons to be learned here

I learned a lot from this book. Clearly the author did a ton of research, and most of her book is quoting studies and other authors. I came away more able to prioritize what's really important in my life, and I believe we all could use a reminder of this periodically. She lost my interest when she got into the universe having a design and that there's no such thing as coincidence. I guess I'm too much the scientist to buy that.
For sure if you are someone who's addicted to your phone or social media, you will benefit from this book. She has great suggestions for how to unplug from the digital world in order to get your focus back to real life.

A book for our time

Arianna Huffington has written a book that answers the fundamental thought we all have. There must be a better way. If our success can strip us of our humanity, is that truly success? Yes, there is a better way and Arianna's book Thrive is here to guide us.

great read for busy working moms

Would you be willing to try another one of Agapi Stassinopoulos’s performances?

i understand that they needed to portray the writer as best as possible by fining someone that sounds like the author , this time i wish they didn't coz accent was rather annoying, as much as i liked reading the book often i was irritated

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

you can really as its a long read

Any additional comments?

i like the book over all , only two comments i have one being the accent of the narrater and long windedness of the writer , although points author makes are simple enough to understand she over articulates and keeps on articulating which at times get boring and you want her to move on already