In recent years, Olga Khazan had been spiraling toward an existential crisis. Though she treasured her loving relationship and her dream job, her neurotic personality often left her snatching dissatisfaction from the jaws of happiness. While her overachieving had always been a professional asset, Khazan lately felt like her brittle disposition could shatter under the weight of just one more thing—but could she really change her entire personality?

Research shows that you can alter your personality traits by behaving in ways that align with the kind of person you’d like to be—a process that can make you happier, healthier, and more successful. In Me, But Better: The Science and Promise of Personality Change, Khazan embarks on an experiment to see whether it’s possible to go from dwelling in dread to “radiating joy.” For one year, she reluctantly clicked “yes” on a bucket list of new experiences—from meditation to improv to sailing—that forced her to at least act happy. With a skeptic’s eye, Khazan brings you on her journey through the science of personality, presenting evidence-backed techniques to help you change your mind for the better. Sharply witty and deeply fascinating, Me, But Better offers a probing inquiry into what it means to live a fulfilling life, and how you can keep diving into change, no matter how uncomfortable it feels.

Khazan is a staff writer for The Atlantic and the author of the 2020 book Weird: The Power of Being an Outsider in an Insider World. She has also written for the New York Times, the Los Angeles Times, the Washington Post, Forbes, and other publications.

Khazan will be in conversation with Maria Konnikova, the author, most recently, of The Biggest Bluff, a New York Times bestseller, and the bestsellers The Confidence Game and Mastermind. She is the co-host, along with Nate Silver, of the weekly podcast Risky Business. While researching The Biggest Bluff, Konnikova became an international poker champion, a World Series of Poker Bracelet Winner, an ambassador for PokerStars Team Pro, and the winner of over $1,000,000 in tournament earnings.

BONUS AFTER-HOURS EVENT: Attendees who purchase a copy of Me, But Better from FAN’s partner bookseller The Book Stall are invited to attend an AFTER-HOURS event hosted by Khazan that will start immediately after the webinar. Details on the webinar registration page.

This event suitable for youth 12+. It will be recorded and available on FAN’s website and YouTube channel.