It’s time to unveil our second (of twelve) books we’re featuring in 2025. That’s right. In case you’re late to the party, Read to Lead has moved from a weekly show to a monthly show. That means only a dozen books will get the spotlight this year.

The next book in our line-up is Mindmasters: The Data-Driven Science of Predicting and Changing Human Behavior by Sandra Matz. What’s it all about? Let’s dive in.

There are more pieces of digital data than there are stars in the universe, says Sandra. This data helps us monitor our planet, decipher our genetic code, and take a deep dive into our psychology.

As algorithms become increasingly adept at accessing the human mind, they also become more and more powerful at controlling it, enticing us to buy a certain product or vote for a certain political candidate. Some of us say this technological trend is no big deal. Others consider it one of the greatest threats to humanity. But what if the truth is more nuanced and mind-bending than that?

In Mindmasters, Sandra, a Columbia Business School professor, reveals in fascinating detail how big data offers insights into the most intimate aspects of our psyches and how these insights empower an external influence over the choices we make. This can be creepy, manipulative, and downright harmful, with scandals like that of British consulting firm Cambridge Analytica being merely the tip of the iceberg.

Yet big data also holds enormous potential to help us live healthier, happier lives—for example, by improving our mental health, encouraging better financial decisions, or enabling us to break out of our echo chambers.

With passion and clear-eyed precision, Sandra shows us how to manage psychological targeting and redesign the data game.

Mindmasters is a riveting look at what our digital footprints reveal about us, how they’re being used—for good and for ill—and how we can gain power over the data that defines us.

I hope you’ll click the play button below to learn more about Sandra and her new book.

Join in on our chat below

Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | RSS

In today’s episode, I ask Sandra about:

• How we reconcile the authenticity of our online identities with the pressure to perform for an audience
• The safeguards she proposes to protect us from the unintended exposure of our private lives through digital breadcrumbs
• Distinguishing between ethical persuasion and manipulation in psychological targeting, and where do to draw the line
• And lots more!

Order Sandra’s Book

You can order your copy of Mindmasters: The Data-Driven Science of Predicting and Changing Human Behavior right now!

Consider Ordering My Book Too!

Purchase a copy of my new book (written with Jesse Wisnewski) Read to Lead: The Simple Habit That Expands Your Influence and Boosts Your Career. There, you can also download the introduction and first chapter for free!

Note-Making Mastery Cohort AND the Read to Lead Community

Note-Making Mastery Cohort is now available as a self-paced course! Check it out.

Also, consider giving ReadtoLead+ a try free for two weeks!

Sandra in Action

Check Out These Additional Resources

Grab a copy of Sandra’s book now.

Check out this website for more from Sandra.

Connect with Sandra personally on LinkedIn and X.

Comment and Share

Please consider rating the podcast with 5 stars and leaving a one- or two-sentence review in iTunes or on Stitcher. This helps tremendously in bringing the podcast to the attention of others.

We encourage you to join the Read to Lead Nation on Facebook. It’s a community of like-minded leaders and leader-to-be, as well as fans of the Read to Lead Podcast.

You can tell your friends on Twitter about your love of reading and our new podcast by simply clicking this link and sharing the tweet you’ll find at the other end.

And, by all means, if you know someone you think would benefit, please spread the word by using the share buttons on this page.

Finally, thanks for listening and remember, “Leaders read and readers lead.”