We live in a generation obsessed with self-improvement. Bullet Journaling, juice cleanses, cold plunges. And, of course, much of it works. Many of us have achieved far more than our parents or grandparents could have dreamt of.

And yet, the focus on self-improvement has a dark side. We become anxious about our performance. We obsess over the small details of our sleep, diet, exercise, mental health, and habits. Our world feels smaller. Some of us have burnt ourselves out in the pursuit of perfection. And even when you make the gains, you’re left wondering what’s next.

On Tuesday, 20th May 2025, we hosted Salt Live with speaker Daniel Ogbonna. In a room full of curious Londoners, he unpacked the perils of our collective perfectionism and explored what ancient Christian wisdom has to say to our hunger for self-improvement.