Mentioned in Podcasts

Person

Every book Hilary Gridley recommended on podcasts

Key facts

  • Hilary Gridley has recommended or discussed 2 books on podcasts, as of June 15, 2025.
  • Hilary Gridley has talked about books on 1 podcast, as of June 15, 2025.
  • Those books came up in 1 episode, as of June 15, 2025.
  • The 2 books Hilary Gridley has mentioned in the most episodes, as of June 15, 2025: East of Eden and The Sun Also Rises.
  • The latest episode with a book mention from Hilary Gridley aired on June 15, 2025.

Updated

Guest on Lenny's Podcast · 2 books · 1 episode across 1 podcast

Hilary Gridley appeared on Lenny's Podcast in June 2025 to discuss how to build resilient teams that can withstand difficult challenges. Moving away from traditional professional literature during the book segment, she argued that listeners should skip business books entirely in favor of great fiction, even though she deeply appreciated certain business titles herself. First, Hilary Gridley recommended East of Eden by John Steinbeck, declaring it to be a masterwork that everyone should take the time to read. Second, she recommended The Sun Also Rises by Ernest Hemingway, placing it alongside Steinbeck's novel as an essential literary work. Hilary Gridley further described Hemingway's novel as her ultimate comfort book, emphasizing the personal solace and enduring value she found in returning to classic fiction rather than leaning on standard corporate advice. Her literary selections underscored a belief that deep human insights gained from narrative storytelling can ultimately prove more powerful for shaping resilient thinkers and leaders than conventional management guides or workplace handbooks.

Books Hilary Gridley recommended or discussed

Who said what is our best reading of each episode. In hand-checked samples, at least 6% of mentions were credited to the wrong speaker, sometimes an interviewer’s line recorded as the guest’s, sometimes the reverse. Every entry below quotes the words and links to the episode, so you can check it.

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  1. East of Eden

    John Steinbeck · Recommended · 1 episode

    East of Eden by John Steinbeck is a sprawling modern classic that updates the biblical story of Cain and Abel to twentieth-century California.

    Recommended
    “I'm like uh I'm gonna go full fiction on this. I'm gonna say if you're going to read a book, like you don't bother reading a business book. Like I even the business books I love the most that like shaped how I think.”
    Lenny's Podcast How to build a team that can “take a punch”: A playbook for building r… 2025-06-15 Listen at 1:44:59
    Where to get it
    Listen free with an Audible trialAmazon

  2. The Sun Also Rises

    Ernest Hemingway · Recommended · 1 episode

    The Sun Also Rises by Ernest Hemingway is a classic novel that captures the disillusionment of the Lost Generation through the experiences of expatriates traveling to Pamplona for the running of the bulls.

    Recommended
    “But fiction I'm like everybody should read East of Eden by John Steinbeck and everybody should read The Sun Alter Rises by Ernest Hemingway. Uh it is like my comfort book.”
    Lenny's Podcast How to build a team that can “take a punch”: A playbook for building r… 2025-06-15 Listen at 1:44:59
    Where to get it
    Listen free with an Audible trialAmazon

Appearances

EpisodePodcastDateBooks
How to build a team that can “take a punch”: A playbook for building resilient, high-performing teams | Hilary Gridley (Head of Core Product, Whoop)Lenny's Podcast2025-06-152