S3 E8: Striving Is Bad for Your Health

Napoleon Hill, ever heard of him? He wrote "Think and Grow Rich," one of the best-selling self-help handbooks of all time. His fans include Tony Robbins and life coaches of all stripes. But Napoleon Hill was not a genius of self-help. He was a scam artist who never practiced what ...  Show more

This week we hear from sociologist and researcher Amanda Levitt about how fat people are treated at their doctor's offices. She's found that many doctor's center losing weight no matter what ailment they're addressing and this leaves many patients frustrated and without treatment ...  Show more

On The Dream, host Jane Marie gets to know the life coaches and gurus who claim they know the secret to living our best lives. Is it all in our mindset? Or our privilege? Or are we all under a spell? Tim Harford is joined by Jane Marie to talk about who coaching works least well ...  Show more

Forrest and Dr. Rick discuss what's really wrong with the self-help industry, going beyond the obvious pseudoscience and snake oil to examine deeper structural issues. They explore the industry's mixed-bag focus on individual responsibility, the risks of turning healing into a ne ...  Show more

Personal training is unfortunately a field that many can give a bad name. From the “fitness influencers” who don’t have any real qualifications, to the clients who sexualize those in the profession, personal trainers are constantly fighting an uphill battle to help give people th ...  Show more

We often think positive thinking is the best way to achieve our ambitions - but the science shows it holds us all back. Dr Laurie Santos hears how champion swimmer Michael Phelps imagined the worst to help make his Olympic dreams come true. It's a mental habit that you can learn ...  Show more