When we buy something, it's not necessarily about the *thing*. Oftentimes we are buying into a story about ourselves; namely, what we simply must fix as we seek to get one step closer to our aspirational, in-a-perfect-world self.

Important truth time: You are not a perpetual self-improvement project, and no product can fix what was never broken in the first place. On today's show: A conversation with author Cait Flanders about why she broke up with self-help content and flaws-first marketing messages (and why, too, she never looked back).

Here's a preview:

[5:00] Buying stuff to escape your feelings? (Me too.)

[10:00] The "there's something wrong with you" messaging starts in childhood, my friends

[13:00] Where's the line between prioritizing self-growth versus living in that perpetually sad place of 'less than'?

[20:00] Here's how your life may change if you stopped spending $$ on products to fix what you've been told is broken

[26:00] Musings on letting go of our aspirational selves once and for all

Resources mentioned:

• The Year Of Less
• The Mindful Consumer on Substack
• Set Boundaries, Find Peace: A Guide To Reclaiming Yourself (by Nedra Glover Tawwab)

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