Episode 150: From best-selling books to motivational seminars, self-help has become a billion-dollar industry, promising personal transformation and success. But behind the allure of self-improvement, there are significant ethical questions.

How do self-help gurus and authors profit from people’s vulnerabilities? What responsibilities do these leaders have towards their followers? And, as self-help encourages us to constantly strive for betterment, what pressures and potential pitfalls does this create?

Hosts Richard Kyte and Scott Rada discuss how to discern genuine guidance from exploitation, and what ethical framework should we apply when navigating this industry?

Links to stories discussed during the podcast

The true secret to happiness lies is helping others, Richard Kyte

5 problems with the self-help industry, by Mark Manson

About the hosts

Scott Rada is a digital strategist with Lee Enterprises, and Richard Kyte is the director of the D.B. Reinhart Institute for Ethics in Leadership at Viterbo University in La Crosse, Wisconsin, and author of "Finding Your Third Place: Building Happier Communities (and Making Great Friends Along the Way).