Just the Good Stuff: No-BS Secrets to Success

by Jim Vandehei, Jonathan Todd Ross (Narrator)

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER A deeply personal, authentic, and clear-eyed guide to navigating today’s complex world and building a meaningful, successful career and life—no matter where you start out—from the bestselling author and cofounder of Axios and Politico.

Jim VandeHei’s high school guidance counselor laid it out VandeHei wasn’t cut out for college. In 1990, you could find him proving the counselor’s case emphatically, preferring beer to books and delivering pizzas to mapping out career plans. He attended a two-year school before smuggling himself into the University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh, where after a year he had racked up a 1.4 GPA and was on the verge of getting the boot.

Everything changed when he discovered his politics and journalism.

VandeHei went on to cover the presidency and cofound two of the biggest modern news outlets, Politico and Axios, the media companies that upended and revolutionized journalism. He took notes every step of the way. And in Just the Good Stuff, his debut as a solo author, VandeHei writes the book he wishes someone had handed him when he was floundering—not a compendium of conventional wisdom but a real-world guide to achieving that other “good stuff,” health, wealth, happiness, all the blessings and exquisite pleasures we loosely group under that oft used but still under-appreciated rubric—success.

Delivered in his hallmark no-word-wasted style, VandeHei offers essential, no-BS guidance on how to handle everything from finding a calling to building a team to navigating the realities of a changing workplace, showing us that no matter how inauspicious our beginnings, no matter how far down the ladder we begin, no matter what kind of challenges we face, a fulfilling life is within our reach.

Genres: Self Help, Business, Nonfiction, Audiobook, Productivity, Psychology, Memoir

Audible Audio

Published April 30, 2024

Reviews

[John Wargo · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read Smart Brevity and gave it 5 stars, so the publisher offered me a copy of one of the author's latest book. I'm a writer and avid reader, so the Smart Brevity approach resonated with me with it's quick hit then move on approach to writing.

Just the Good Stuff: No-BS Secrets to Success is essentially a self-help book and a memoir wrapped up together while written in the Smart brevity style. The author writes about his extreme failures in life and the things he did to recover from them and that's when it switches from a memoir to a self-help book.

Fortunately, unlike other self-help books that spend most of their pages repeatedly telling you why the book is the best book to help you, the Author points out a point of failure in his life then explains with a quick introduction, why it matters, and a bulleted list of strategies, how he resolved the issue. You learn a lot about him and important people in his life plus how those people steered him in the right direction, modeled the right behavior, or picked him up and shook him until he straightened up.

The book's broken up into multiple sections: Life Stuff, Work Stuff, Boss Stuff, Tough Stuff, Small Stuff, and, finally, Good Stuff. A lot of the life stuff applies to children, people just getting started in life and I wish I could get my children (and my stupid nephew) to read that section because there's a lot of excellent advise in there.

The middle sections are all related to careers and work; I'm a little (OK, a lot) too old for that, but if I was starting my career or in the middle of it (I'm not) this would be an excellent guide for how to deal with a lot of the BS you'll encounter.

There's 70 vignettes in there many are amazing and thought provoking, a good selection are good, and there's a few (like the one about his cousins) where I just couldn't see the value of. Regardless, it's an excellent read and could really help you sort out parts of your life.

[Tracy Brower · Rating 5 out of 5]

So great and chock full of terrific insight that is both grounding and empowering. I bought a copy for each of my children. Just fantastic.

[SLAM · Rating 3 out of 5]

If you want one man’s approach on how to be a pretty decent human, go for it. Especially if you like staccato bullets. I think this would be better to read than listen to for that reason. Me, I recommend Proverbs or Meditations before this.

[Cathy Gwin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great advice re work, life and everything in between. My favorite: cut yourself slack on the daily, minor stumbles, and focus on getting the big things right. What are the big/good things? Meaningful relationships with your kids, a healthy marriage, strong bonds with your parents and siblings, a few deep friendships, faith and consequential work.

[Neko~chan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Picked this up because I saw an Atlantic excerpt for it that I liked, but this is just a self help book. I wonder how useful these things are if you just have someone telling you what they think to be truths (which can be truths) but that seem rote until you discover them for yourself.

[Juraj Nikodémus · Rating 5 out of 5]

Tato kniha si ma našla. Velka zhoda v mnohom, akoby definovala moj styl, “presne”, som si castokrat pomyslel, a mnoho novych veci som si zvyraznil a aplikujem do zivota. Pre mna top kniha tohto zanru.

[Debbie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Hmm some good stuff in here and it wasn’t my style. Life lessons, work and leadership advice. Very informal and some elements did not fit my experience. Thank you to #netgalley and the publisher for an ARC.

[Julie Reichnberger · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great and concise advice and reminders for everyday life. Highly recommend. Especially great for gifts for loved ones. Five stars!!!!

[Tricia · Rating 2 out of 5]

I can’t recall where I heard of this book but I could have skipped it. This book might appeal more to younger individuals starting out in their careers or even going off to college. I might instead give someone “Life’s Little Instruction Book” by H. Jackson Brown, which is far more succinct and easy to access when a pick-me-up is needed. Advice in “Just the Good Stuff” is repetitive and mostly common sense. One nugget I found odd was the recommendation to copy the thank you notes you send to others as a way of documenting the narrative of who you want to be and how you want to be seen. On the one hand this action would seem to engender less than authentic expression in a thank you note, and on the other, what would become of all these copies?

[Sara · Rating 2 out of 5]

I enjoyed the casual way in which this was written and it did make me laugh a few times, but I also grew tired of the amount of name-dropping in this book. He kept mentioning all these random people that he has worked with throughout the years and how they helped him, and unfortunately it was difficult for me to care. The advice given was good, but often vague. The best chapters were the ones that did not focus on running a business and just gave general advice for living well.

[Greg Talbot · Rating 4 out of 5]

Might be bananas to say, but i'm not sure why I found this book so compelling. My primary interest in reading this book was having seen Vandehei on MSNBC, and having enjoyed reading Politico for many years. At first glance, Vandehei is giving the gritty, sagacious truth about a lot of things without a lot of embellishment. The rules of a life lived if you can get off your cell phone and just stay moderately aware. Work hard, take those risks, be forgiving, be exceptional if you want to be noticed. Basically be excellent. I wasn't sure what seperated this book from the hundreds of others from business leaders.

But my appraisal turned kinder when I re-read sections, and realized the organzational format and Vandehei's quicksilver flow works really well together. Each chapter has a core concept, with some 5 to 10 synoptic bullet points. Take for example the chapter of "Soft Power". He dives quickly into his first experience of leadership with Politico, rolls into challenges with motivating his staff, and then give the critical takeaways about mentalities that sustain an organization. Punchy and concise, he gives his attention to his perspective as a writer with the Axios Razor - a take on Occam's razor. Cutting away at complexity to make everything fast, and intuitive to the reader (p.122), the book is an argument for the Vulcan Mind meld, or in human terms - getting to the point.

More often than not, Vandehei shares not just a general idea but a window into his personality. Authoritative, buttoned-up, opinionated, achievement-orientated, loyal, ruthless, and grounded. Slightly cynical but redemptive, Vandehei posits “We are a weird-ass species, shaped and then chased (or haunted forever by our childhood, and motivated and tormented by our for approval and success (p.75). It rides the line between banal and profound, but generally most of the insights stuck with me. Turns of phrases like "iron sharpens iron", "radiate out” or “Zotheka” , kept me engaged and into the framework of his success and vision. The mantra, “all you can do is the next right thing” is incredibly generative. Toward the end of the book, he moves into a more personal sphere regarding faith, family, health and habits, and it’s at this point the book is really most satisfying. Sometimes we need to be reminded of how brief and temporal our experience on this planet is, and how those small things are truly the big ones.

At times I wish the book was less episodic, and delivered a more story-centered book. We get glimpses into the crazy world of breaking instant news with Politico and Axios, but I think the lived experience of the modern media environment, the circus of the U.S. political system and the societal changes will just have to be for another book. Nevertheless, this book delivers on some very useful and applicable advice. We need advice on how to be courageous, like when to leave a job you love for a passion you want to explore. We need to know how to deal with the bullies , and how to tell media titans to bug off. We need to know that self-belief and a little luck can lead us on an incredible journey. You may even find something life changing.

[Tej Dhawan · Rating 4 out of 5]

The next right thing.

Jim's latest book arrived as a complimentary review copy and despite the prologue's suggestion that it be read a chapter or two at a time, I chose to read it cover-cover for my first round. Jim's memoir is structured quite like a daily reminder of what's important or impactful, read and the topic meant to percolate through one's day, changing and shaping our own mental model of life. It is only structured thus, however, since it doesn't just instruct/teach/preach but goes beyond and weaves his own life and work stories. And that's what sets this book apart.

His other book, Smart Brevity, documents a method of telling a story for quick yet greatest impact. Each chapter in Just the Good Stuff is written in the well-rehearsed format and enables quick read. The stories snap back and forth through his early years growing up, Politico, Axios and other instances. They're complete independently, yet thread quite eastly when viewed at their macro level. Bulleted ideas to consider complete chapters that begin with an aphorism or a story from his life. Unlike aphorism-heavy books, however, the accompanying stories make a greater impact.

Though I will take another run through the book, this time a chapter or two at a time, I came away with some of his impactful stories. I've repeated the '...the next best right thing' mantra more than once since reading the book. And the story he tells of his niece's note is incredible.

Axios readers will be familiar with many characters from the book (Mike!) and it was good to hear some of their backstories without the book being a memoir for Axios or Politico. This is apparently a telling of Jim's memories, so I chose to see the stories as supporting cast for the message in the chapter. There is plenty in press already about how the stories are one sided but I am choosing to ignore them as their supporting cast role underscores the lesson.

Good book, quick read, and thanks to the publisher for the ARC. I kept one of the stars because the book comes at a time when bro-code newsletters are all the rage and the messages within echo those in many newsletters curated by the male influencers producing similar YouTube and newsletter content.

I may need to update my review after a few months of daily reading.

[Dr. Jeff Daniels · Rating 2 out of 5]

Better as a blog post.

I didn't know who Jim VandeHei was or is, but apparently he started a news-media company called Axios.

Why the book works:
Quick read, easy to read in multiple sittings. For example, read a chapter or two and come back later. There's a number of mildly-interesting anecdotes and sound, if not common, advice.

What is missing about this book:
The structure and intent. There is no story or context in the entire work. It's simply a series of anecdotes about leadership and growth.

Well-trodden ground such as "embrace failure as a teacher", "build strong teams", and "adapting to change" are covered here. These are found in many leadership books.

For an author working in the journalism and media industry, I was surprised at how disjointed and fragmented this book was.

Other leadership books rely on familiarity/popularity of the author and/or a new technique/research. Popular figures Covey, Sinek, Maxwell, Iger come to mind. And new techniques from Collins, Clear, Senge introduced research to the field. Unfortunately, VandeHei is not well-known and there is no compelling reason to follow his advice based on popularity or new research.

We simply don't know what he is known for, but it appears that was this book is based on his persona, not a groundbreaking research, new technique, or style.

Summary:
This book is a short and quick to read. The one piece of advice I will remember is to thank other people. I did not find any "NO-BS Secrets to Success" here. There are no "ah-ha" moments or "oh wow, that's a great trade secret I can apply to my leadership style."

I encourage the author to produce the content as a 4-part series of one-page blog entries or LinkedIn posts for Corporate readers. Would be more accessible for readers and the book format lends itself to a concise blog post style.

[Joan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Insights gained through experience are often the best kind and here VandeHei shares his. The chapters are short and easy to read and digest. Part of his philosophy is brevity and he does a good job of it in this book. He includes bullet points to clarify chapter main ideas and why they matter.

My favorite chapter was on simplicity. He suggests regularly doing a simplicity audit of life and work. We would all have less stuff and more efficient work forces if we followed his advice.

VandeHei's goal is not to help readers cure their deficiencies. His writing on insecurity, for example, is how to spot it and crush it. He spent years believing he could change insecure people, finally realizing it can't be done. On how not to be insecure, he says take it up with a therapist. (1723/2669)

There is nothing I found earth shaking in this book. It does contained insights into leadership honed by years of making good and bad decisions. VandeHei is not shy in admitting his own errors and what he learned from them. This is a good book for those desiring to be the best leaders possible, learning from one who has had much experience.

I received a complimentary egalley of this book from the publisher. My comments are an independent and honest review.

[Charles Reed · Rating 3 out of 5]

67%

This book is impressive for its simplicity alone. I don't know how or why he chose to say and call the book just the good stuff. I'm noticing right now that he has a bastardization of my tattoo actually on the front cover right now. That's a little strange. He calls professionalism bullshit talk. I can see why he did several exits with how he and who he is. It's strange because his apparently no BS secrets to success are to be a dick throughout the entirety of his life. I don't think there was any secret to this. It's like he wrote a small autobiography snapshot of his life and the summary is that he was a dick to be and get where he is today. No wonder he's had so many problems and has never made friends. I get prioritizing certain things in life like quality interactions, but man, when you've been around 50 years and your solution in life to get by is to be a dick, that is a long time to have a fixed mindset that being a dick is not only okay, but beneficial somehow. And maybe he'll wake up to that someday.

Regardless, it does give you some cool insight into his life and the companies that he's worked with, mainly Politico and his new one.

[Kelly Burke · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have mixed feelings about this book. To get the most out of it, you definitely have to do as the author suggests: take time away from the book after each chapter to reflect and think of how to apply the lesson to your own life, possibly even writing it down. Otherwise - and this is how unfortunately many people will go about this book - if you read it in one sitting, it feels more like a list of cliches and list of suggestions you coud find online. The author made this book concise on purpose, not to be read quickly, but not to waste your time with stories and rambling examples. However, this puts the burden on the reader to get the most out of it. One other slightly confusing aspect was that many of these apply to business and work, but not all. So it's a bit confusing whether the book wants to be holistic (in which case it focuses too much on work), or mostly work (in which case the other aspects are out of scope).
Regardless, I am very thankful to have been given the ARC from NetGalley; and thank you Rondale Books.

[Susan · Rating 5 out of 5]

this how-to book by VandeHei (the cofounder of those news sites) is the right choice. The author offers advice on how to create a successful and fulfilling life, even suggesting how to use the book and encouraging readers to take their time to process what they learn. Life, work, leadership, communication, and what brings you joy are covered in the title. Each topic emphasizes why it matters, how it relates to the big picture, and how and why readers should act for change. The book is user-friendly and lends itself to repeated reading. This is not a book for those who want step-by-step guidance or prefer longer explanations or examples.

Disclaimer: I received this book from the author/publisher from Netgalley. I wasn’t obligated to write a favorable review. The opinions expressed are strictly my own.

[Stroop · Rating 3 out of 5]

An accessible and reader-friendly life and career advice from the founder of Politico and Axios.

The book is divided into six parts "life stuff", "work stuff", "boss stuff", "tough stuff", "small stuff", and "good stuff". Each chapter includes a handy overview and bullet points for putting these considerations/guidance into practice.

While none of the advice is groundbreaking, the way it is presented makes it digestible and entertaining. Would recommend this for people early in their career and for anyone else in the mood to pause and reflect.

Thank you to Rodale and NetGalley for the opportunity to read a copy.

[Ross Bankhead · Rating 5 out of 5]

This author never fails to inspire me to better. So much so I was inspired to share my findings for his latest book for anyone else needing that extra boost of support. Started Just the Good Stuff this weekend and it hits exactly where I needed, without even knowing I needed it. I have followed his letters from the editor for a while now and so happy to say that this book is a game changer in how to move through work life and personal life. It's like hearing advice from a super successful friend that is routing for me to win. Looking forward to finishing this week and ordering others by him shortly!

[Jim · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm not a businessman, and I don't necessarily aspire to be. However, I had recently made a career shift and had begun supervising people for the first time, so I felt like this book might provide some decent practical guidance.

In that regard, I'd say I got what I was looking for. While I didn't think any of the author's points were particularly ground-breaking, I liked how the book was divided into 6 parts, each with several chapters no longer than 4 to 5 pages each. I found the points about giving and receiving feedback especially useful, and will try to incorporate them into my work and personal life.

[Dr. Ashori · Rating 3 out of 5]

The author mentioned that he wrote this book to create a very quick reference for other leaders. But I think such topics deserve much deeper dives and explanations and so it missed the mark. I didn't get much out of it but I'm also maybe not the exact audience, maybe CEOs and higher level executives might benefit more from his writing. there seems to be also some unresolved anger towards previous companies that he has worked with and I think that comes through, and for myself those are definitely things that I'm working on. it's important for me to understand where I am at the center of the problem versus where others are the cause of the problem, which usually is a 95% to 5% problem.

[Josh M · Rating 3 out of 5]

Grab-bag advice from a media journalist. Can't say I will take gained much perspective from this book but I didn't listen to the book in the recommended fashion. The book is intended to be read in little pieces each day to let the ideas soak in. I think the reason for this is there is not much substance behind each point of advice offered so that context has to be added by the reader. If you want a book that offers deep though and research behind the points it offers, this is not for you. Then again, this book didn't really offer anything original so it kind of makes sense.

[Audrey Stars in Her Eye · Rating 4 out of 5]

Just the Good Stuff is pretty good. Things are easy to digest and it very helpful to get moving forward. While there is a Boomer idea here and there most is more progressive (when I say progressive, I mean treating people right). The only real issue is that to keep things short and digestible, some things turn into clickbait ("Don't Listen to Your Parents"). Vandehei has enough experience with media how people don't read and just make negative assumptions. But if people actually read what is written under the heading, they will get good information (i.e. your parents shouldn't be the deciders od what you do for work).
Overall, a great guide.

I received an ARC for review; all opinions are my own.

[Becky · Rating 5 out of 5]

Some great wisdom provided in easily consumable bites. I started to read straight through because it was so easy to read. I quickly felt mentally full. Each short chapter gives you much to think about. Reading a chapter or two a day felt like the right speed.

Many of the concepts are familiar and good reminders. I have some notes of some concepts in early chapters to dig into deeper for personal development.

[Rebecca Pappas · Rating 4 out of 5]

While I appreciated the brevity and casual tone of the writing, I think that this book tried to do too much. It felt like it was trying to be an autobiography, a workplace guidebook, and a self help book all at the same time. Regardless, I like that Jim touches on his past mistakes and lessons learned through firsthand experiences and doesn’t shy away from touchier topics. It was a quick read and definitely enjoyable, but not one of my top from 2025

[Mas · Rating 4 out of 5]

Practical advice delivered in a quick and easy-to-read format. While the core takeaways might not be new, the author's behind-the-scenes stories on running start-ups make for a fascinating read. You'll find valuable insights on navigating life, family, relationships, and career. This book would be a good pick-me-up for young professionals starting out in the corporate world.

[Ryan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Stripped-down life advice in bullet points with all the BS cut out from a top news executive. It’s solid info that would be helpful to any young person who is just starting in the world of work. The author comes across sometimes as a wise uncle who knows all from years working his way up the ladder to the top.

Thanks to Harmony and NetGalley for an ARC of this book.

[Lisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Vandehei, founder of Politico, talks about how he rose from being a less than mediocre student to a successful journalist and then businessman and what he thinks are important ways to keep rising, despite where you start, and stay healthy in body and mind. He’s an entertaining writer and I enjoyed it.

[Hillary Berman · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5

The good stuff is squarely down the middle. There's great perspective there so I'm glad I powered through the trite advice at the beginning. But should have bailed out before the closing sections which felt pretty preachy and lovely if you're a leader with a big staff and have lots of time to invest in yourself.

[Sam Corey · Rating 3 out of 5]

Has some good nuggets of career advice and is written well. However I was a little put off by some parts where he laments about past business gripes to the point where he calls out his adversaries by name—it just seemed irrelevant to the book and like he was using it to try to get back at these people. A little weird. Good book to read before bed though.