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Is Self-Improvement Just Making Us More Selfish?

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Manage episode 509857762 series 2651579
Content provided by The Growth Equation, Steve Magness, Brad Stulberg, and Clay Skipper. All podcast content including episodes, graphics, and podcast descriptions are uploaded and provided directly by The Growth Equation, Steve Magness, Brad Stulberg, and Clay Skipper or their podcast platform partner. If you believe someone is using your copyrighted work without your permission, you can follow the process outlined here https://podcastplayer.com/legal.

Is personal development and self-improvement making us better—or just more self-absorbed? In today's episode, we wade into the debate sparked by a recent New York Times article (link below) about whether the world of betterment is actually helping with personal growth, or just creating inward navel-gazing? We discuss how to think about the role of individual agency in a world of structural challenge, the pitfalls of hyper-optimization, and why nuance (and community) matter more than ever. We explore how to use self-help as a tool—without letting it take over your life. Whether you’re a self-improvement skeptic or a die-hard devotee, this conversation will give you new ways to think about growth, agency, and what it really means to be excellent, on both an individual and collective level.


"Is Today's Self-Help Teaching Everyone to Be a Jerk?" by Emma Goldberg: https://www.nytimes.com/2025/08/25/style/self-help-books-columns-readers.html


Unedited transcript: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1mzKxdG-NcdRbzUsKH6IEMLGt3z5Z7Fln00AN1T4hN3U/edit?usp=sharing


If you have a questions for us, send an email to [email protected] or call our voicemail at (646) 893-9503.


Subscribe to The Growth Equation newsletter: https://thegrowtheq.com/newsletters/geq/


If you are enjoying "excellence, actually," do us a huge favor: text your favorite episode to three people so they can enjoy it, too. Thanks!


Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

  continue reading

343 episodes

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iconShare
 
Manage episode 509857762 series 2651579
Content provided by The Growth Equation, Steve Magness, Brad Stulberg, and Clay Skipper. All podcast content including episodes, graphics, and podcast descriptions are uploaded and provided directly by The Growth Equation, Steve Magness, Brad Stulberg, and Clay Skipper or their podcast platform partner. If you believe someone is using your copyrighted work without your permission, you can follow the process outlined here https://podcastplayer.com/legal.

Is personal development and self-improvement making us better—or just more self-absorbed? In today's episode, we wade into the debate sparked by a recent New York Times article (link below) about whether the world of betterment is actually helping with personal growth, or just creating inward navel-gazing? We discuss how to think about the role of individual agency in a world of structural challenge, the pitfalls of hyper-optimization, and why nuance (and community) matter more than ever. We explore how to use self-help as a tool—without letting it take over your life. Whether you’re a self-improvement skeptic or a die-hard devotee, this conversation will give you new ways to think about growth, agency, and what it really means to be excellent, on both an individual and collective level.


"Is Today's Self-Help Teaching Everyone to Be a Jerk?" by Emma Goldberg: https://www.nytimes.com/2025/08/25/style/self-help-books-columns-readers.html


Unedited transcript: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1mzKxdG-NcdRbzUsKH6IEMLGt3z5Z7Fln00AN1T4hN3U/edit?usp=sharing


If you have a questions for us, send an email to [email protected] or call our voicemail at (646) 893-9503.


Subscribe to The Growth Equation newsletter: https://thegrowtheq.com/newsletters/geq/


If you are enjoying "excellence, actually," do us a huge favor: text your favorite episode to three people so they can enjoy it, too. Thanks!


Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

  continue reading

343 episodes

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