Getting Over Ourselves - by Christina Congleton (Paperback)

About the Book

"We've reached a tipping point. Today's ecologically and socially precarious world is calling for new solutions to old problems. But at this time of urgency the Millennial Generation, the largest generation in the United States, is faltering. Strapped with unprecedented student debt and suffering from the double-punch of recent financial crises, the Millennial cohort of 72.1 million Americans is called a new "Lost Generation." And these economic struggles have been accompanied by a crisis in mental health. Most self-help books that encourage individuals to "hack" life--to produce more and achieve more, even to "adult" more--are not meeting the needs of our time and may be part of the problem rather than the solution. Getting Over Ourselves shows people how they can orient to something beyond the endless and exhausting striving of achievement-oriented culture. It simultaneously offers a reprieve from burnout and a provocative call to move beyond the status-quo to tackle the problems of our time. This book challenges the premise of the self-help genre--namely, that there is a separate, solitary self in need of constant improvement. Rather, it identifies our generation's preoccupation with self-improvement as a source of their suffering and uses developmental psychology to guide members of this generation toward a new level of maturity--one that reconnects them with their deepest humanity and their greatest potential to lead in a troubled world."--

Book Synopsis

2025 Nautilus Award Winner

Move beyond empty "life hacks" to connect with your deepest humanity

In Getting Over Ourselves: Moving Beyond a Culture of Burnout, Loneliness, and Narcissism, human development specialist and leadership coach Christina Congleton delivers an insightful and urgently needed discussion of how people can break out of the tired cliches of the self-help genre, and move toward new levels of connection, engagement, and capacity in navigating an uncertain world.

In the book, you'll explore how modern attitudes of individualism that were once freeing now converge with environmental destruction, inequality, and an alarming uptick in depression, substance abuse, and suicide to significantly damage the potential of people everywhere. You'll also find concrete strategies--rooted in developmental psychology--that show us new ways to approach these challenging times.

Getting Over Ourselves offers:

• Insights into why "life hacks," productivity seminars, and more "adulting" are not the solutions to the issues faced by people today
• Frameworks that reject the idea that there is a separate, solitary self in need of constant improvement, and connect you with your deepest humanity
• Effective techniques for fending off burnout and ways to move beyond the unsatisfactory status quo

An essential and timely work, Getting Over Ourselves is the antidote to the skin-deep, ineffective "self-help" material that you've been looking for.

From the Back Cover

PRAISE FOR GETTING OVER OURSELVES

"A timely and thorough exploration of how we can let go of societal expectations and connect to our true self through humility, embodiment and rediscovering a sense of awe and wonder in the world around us."
--LODRO RINZLER, author of books including The Buddha Walks into a Bar, The Buddha Walks into the Office and Take Back Your Mind: Buddhist Advice for Anxious Times, and co-founder of MNDFL meditation studios

"Congleton's touching stories, research base, and practical nudges offer an elegantly written invitation to embrace the interdependence of self and system, eschewing what has become a norm of self-striving. She gives us hope that our warm embrace will result in good company on the journey of learning, unlearning, growth, and ultimately rebuilding a thriving society for all."
--ELISE FOSTER, executive coach and co-author, The Multiplier Effect and Beautiful Questions in the Classroom

"In a world of disquiet and disconnection, this book provides a critical lens on how to focus inward so we can connect with others in more meaningful ways. Christina Congleton provides a rich tapestry of scholarship, woven together in an accessible way, with actionable guideposts, so that we can become the heroes of belonging we desperately need and yearn for. If the next generations of leaders are going to effectively navigate the challenges we will all inevitably face, we need accessible resources to support our learning, growth, and development. In Getting Over Ourselves, Christina Congleton provides one such text. As a result of her vision for and commitment to a better world, we now have a brilliant book that illuminates why change is necessary and how we each might strategically transform ourselves to be more meaningfully connected inward--and outward."
--JONATHAN KROLL, founder and executive director, Leadership Trainer; author of Preparing Leadership Educators: A Comprehensive Guide to Theories, Practices, and Facilitation Skills

About the Author

CHRISTINA CONGLETON is a human development specialist and leadership coach. Her writing has appeared in publications including Harvard Business Review. Christina coaches in private practice with Axon Leadership and partners with consultancies to deliver coaching around the world. She lives outside Denver with her family.