Julie Lythcott-Haims is deeply invested in humanity and interested in what gets in our way. Her work encompasses writing, speaking, teaching, mentoring, and activism. She is the New York Times bestselling author of How to Raise an Adult, which gave rise to her widely popular TED Talk with over 2.5 million views; her second book is the critically-acclaimed and award-winning prose poetry memoir Real American, which illustrates her experience as a Black and biracial person in white spaces; and her third and most recent book, Your Turn: How to Be an Adult, has been called a “groundbreakingly frank” guide to adulthood. Julie is a former Stanford dean of freshmen and undergraduate advising, and currently serves on the boards of Common Sense Media, Black Women’s Health Imperative, Narrative Magazine, and the advisory boards of LeanIn.Org, and Parents magazine.

In this episode of Intersections, Prof. Hitendra Wadhwa has a conversation with Julie Lythcott-Haims on the topic “The Real Indicators of Human Progress”.

What are the most important elements of living a life well lived? What is America’s higher education system getting right, and where does it need reform? How do we become adults who can advance to our full potential and live our best life? And what lessons do these reflections have for how we raise our children?

“Imagine one single day on Planet Earth when every human alive expressed only love to themselves and to all others...we'd make a quantum leap forward in our existence.”

Julie Lythcott-Haims

The episode “The Real Indicators of Human Progress” offers key insights on:

• A crucial gap in America’s education system that is leading to more disillusionment and unhappiness in our youth

• The urgent changes educators and leaders need to institute that will help create not just productive, but more resilient, purpose-driven and caring human beings

• A profound secret to transforming ourselves and our relationships, and becoming the master of our own destinies

• Three key principles for breaking free from the trap of overparenting, and raising children consciously that in-turn helps them live their best lives

• And some very moving stories from the lives of heroic individuals that can help us find clarity on our own life choices and move us towards a more unified world