Oliver Burkeman, a Journalist and author known for his thought-provoking columns and bestseller on time management, teams up with Sarah Wilson, founder of the global ‘I Quit Sugar’ movement and author exploring spirituality. They dissect the shortcomings of the self-help industry, emphasizing the need for mindfulness and critical thinking. The conversation uncovers the illusion of empowerment in self-help, urging listeners to embrace vulnerability and authenticity. Together, they offer strategies for a balanced, purposeful life amid societal pressures.
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insights INSIGHT
Many Methods, Limited Results
Trying many self-help methods reveals their limitations.
This realization offers valuable insights into personal growth.
question_answer ANECDOTE
Sarah Wilson's Wellness Journey
Sarah Wilson's journey into wellness began with illness and a retreat.
Her "I Quit Sugar" movement grew alongside social media, revealing its complexities.
insights INSIGHT
Democratization of Advice
Oliver Burkeman discusses the democratization of self-help advice.
He contrasts this with the limitations of rigid social psychology studies.
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In this book, Sarah Wilson embarks on a three-year soul's journey, hiking around the world to find a path through the complexities of climate change, the pandemic, racial inequalities, and our disconnection from what truly matters. Drawing on science, literature, philosophy, and the wisdom of leading experts, Wilson provides a blueprint for living a wilder, more connected life. She advocates for 'wild practices' such as embracing discomfort, breaking the cycle of mindless consumption, and reconnecting with nature and others. The book is a call to action, encouraging readers to step outside the zeitgeist and find a more joyful and sustainable existence.
4,000 Weeks
Time Management for Mortals
Oliver Burkeman
Oliver Burkeman is the anti-self-help author that everyone interested in self-help should read. He encourages us to embrace uncertainty and imperfection in a world obsessed with self-improvement and relentless goal-setting. For over ten years he wrote the popular ‘This Column Will Change Your Life’ column for The Guardian and his latest book, Four Thousand Weeks: Time Management For Mortals, was a huge bestseller on both sides of the Atlantic. Sarah Wilson is the founder of the global ‘I Quit Sugar’ movement, was editor of Cosmopolitan Australia at the age of 29, and has interviewed two Australian prime ministers, Beyoncé, Brené Brown, the Dalai Lama and dozens of moral philosophers, effective altruists and existential risk experts during her career. Her most recent book, This One Wild and Precious Life, won the US Gold Nautilus Prize and describes how she spent three years hiking around the world, following in the footsteps of Nietzsche and Wordsworth and emerging with a blueprint for living a wilder, more connected life. For this episode, Burkeman and Wilson come together at Intelligence Squared for an engaging discussion about the limitations of the traditional self-help industry, the importance of mindfulness, and practical strategies for leading a more balanced and purposeful life.
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