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Your personality isn’t your destiny. It’s just your current operating system.
But what if the very traits you think define you—that anxiety you’ve weaponized into achievement, that introversion you’ve polished into identity, those familiar patterns you’ve mistaken for immutable truth—what if they’re not carved in stone, but written in sand?
My guest today is Olga Khazan, a staff writer for The Atlantic and author of Me, But Better: The Science and Promise of Personality Change. After experiencing what she calls a nervous breakdown in Miami—triggered by a bad haircut, traffic, and a malfunctioning grocery cart—she made a decision that would fundamentally alter her understanding of human nature.
“Don’t let your personality determine the things that you do in life.”
– OLGA KHAZAN
Today, we discuss:
- Olga’s Miami Breakdown & Personality Wake-Up Call
- The Big Five Traits & Her Shocking Test Result
- Why Anxiety Isn’t Your Superpower
- Improv, Awkward Conversations & Uncomfortable Growth
- The Science of Personality Change & Mutability
For those who prefer a visual experience, the conversation is available on YouTube. As always, the audio version streams wild and free on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.
Peace + Plants,
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- Connect With Olga: Website | Instagram | LinkedIn | X | Substack
- The Atlantic: Bio
- Book: Me, But Better: The Science and Promise of Personality Change
- Watch: CBS Sunday Morning: The Science of Redesigning Your Personality
- Read on Substack: Are Our Personalities Getting Worse?
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