How To Be Fine With Jolenta Greenberg And Kristen Meinzer

Fine is just fine.

That's the premise of a book and podcast taking aim at the self-development and wellness industries.

Marketresearch.com estimates the self-improvement industry is worth more than $10 billion a year. It exploded virtually during the pandemic.

Jolenta Greenberg, a comedian and self-described reality TV historian, and Kristen Meinzer, a culture critic, lived by 100 self-improvement books. They evaluated the good, the bad and the truly ridiculous.

Their adventures were the basis for a podcast called "By the Book."

Their big conclusion? Being fine is just fine.

Greenberg and Meinzer went on to write the book "How to be Fine" and now co-host a podcast by the same name that offers advice to listeners while tackling other wellness trends.

"Look at the credentials of who is giving you advice. That's my first pointer, and the first thing I sort of learned to do once I started really reading some advice that was out there. Look at the source. Is the person a doctor? Is it an honorary doctorate? Did they actually go to school to become a doctor? Just make sure the person who's giving you advice is someone you actually trust before you jump all in," Greenberg said.

 

On this Dying to Ask:

• The danger of "positive thinking" your way out of jams.
• How to evaluate a motivational speaker.
• Techniques to critically evaluate whether a self-help program is worth your time and money
• Jolenta and Kristen's picks for the worst self-help books on the NY Times Best Seller's List (hint: you'll recognize a few!)