Surrounded by Energy Vampires: How to Slay the Time, Joy, and Soul Suckers in Your Life (The Surrounded by Idiots Series)

BY THOMAS ERIKSON

Swedish behavioral expert Thomas Erikson has traveled all over Europe for the last 20 years, delivering lectures and seminars to executives and managers at a wide range of companies, including IKEA, Coca Cola, Microsoft, and Volvo. The topic couldn’t be timelier: how to maintain your energy in the face of many challenges. Are there people in your life who leave you feeling drained? They demand time, emotional support, attention, or affirmation. Simply said, you might dread interacting with them but don’t know how to change the dynamic. Well, you’ve just encountered a real-life vampire, someone who robs you of time, energy, attention, and emotional capacity without reciprocating. Energy vampires can be people, situations, or even your own mindset, but in this book, you will learn the different types and discover practical tools, self-assessments and relatable stories to help you combat them.

Podcast

Hard Fork

AVAILABLE ON APPLE, SPOTIFY AND AMAZON

The world of tech is everchanging, and Hard Fork talks about the future that’s already here. Each week, journalists Kevin Roose and Casey Newton explore and try to make sense of the latest in the rapidly changing technology space. Recent episodes have focused on A.I.—inputting a prompt to create almost anything, a sonnet, an image or a legal brief riddled with lies. Hosts look at three ways that researchers are unlocking this black box in hopes of bringing transparency to A.I. Another recent topic was ChatGPT—how it can hear, see and speak. And what about Meta’s next-generation headset, Quest 3? Is there still hope for the metaverse? Hear discussions on driverless cars, crypto orbs and the escape from the muddy Burning Man gathering. This weekly podcast has been going strong for a year and is worth a listen. Catch new episodes each Friday.