There are thousands of books, podcasts, and social media posts about how to be more productive, strengthen your relationships, find your purpose, and be your all-around bestself. And there are legions of programs and seminars out there designed to help you improve your life. All together,self-help represents a multi-billion dollarindustry. But despite its ubiquity and cultural influence, you may never have thought about the deeper underpinnings ofself-improvement. My guest has. In fact, her research led her to add being a life coach to her academicwork as a professor of cultural history, surely creating one of the most unique career combinations. Her name is Anna Schaffner and she's the author ofThe Art ofSelf-Improvement: Ten Timeless Truths.