Maddie Quinlan - Unearthing and Sculpting the Self

Maddie has a Masters in Behavioral Science from the London School of Economics. She is the co-founder and director of Salient, which is a behavioral science consultancy, and she is head of membership at the newly formed Global Association of Applied Behavioral Scientists. Maddie also enjoys teaching yoga whenever she can.

Tune in to hear:

- Western philosophy tends to think of the self as static and immutable, while Eastern philosophy thinks about the self in more contextual ways. Which conception of self is most conducive to self-growth or are there positive takeaways from both perspectives?

- In existential philosophy there is a thought that existence precedes essence. In practice, does it seem like we unearth a “true” self that has always been there, or do we shape and define our selves as we move through live?

- How do we scrape away the behavioral biases that keep us from seeing who we really are?

- Behavioral biases do serve a positive purpose when they aren’t over extended; they protect our ego and help us be self-confident. As we start to chip away at these, to get a more honest picture of our self, how do we push through the discomfort and desire to retreat from the uncomfortable truths we discover?

- What roles do others play in the road to self-discovery and what are some hallmark characteristics of someone in one’s life that can help them better understand themselves?

- Ideally one’s personality would inform the type of work they do, but is this a privilege that few can enjoy or is this in grasp for most people?

- How can one balance a desire to make systemic, global change and the equally important role of making micro resolutions that help those who are geographically and emotionally closest?

Twitter: @maddiequinlan
Web: www.thisissalient.com