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Note: Event start time is Central Time (CT).
NO REGISTRATION REQUIRED.
Post-event reception in ETHS’s Alumni Hall, open to all.
David Epstein
Science writer and best-selling author
Megan Twohey
Pulitzer Prize-winning investigative reporter for The New York Times
Inside the Box: How Constraints Make Us Better
Book Giveaway: FAN is giving away copies of Inside the Box to attendees, while supplies last.
We live in a world that gives us seemingly infinite choices and prizes freedom above all else. We have an unprecedented number of options regarding what to do, who to be, and how to spend our time. All that choice is wonderful; it is also overwhelming. The irony is that total freedom can be paralyzing, and unlimited resources don’t necessarily lead to the biggest breakthroughs. In fact, overvaluing complete freedom can be disastrous for everything from starting a company to harnessing creativity to finding personal satisfaction.
In his new book, Inside the Box: How Constraints Make Us Better, bestselling author David Epstein (FAN ’16, ’20) argues that all of us—individuals, businesses, institutions, even societies—can benefit from narrowing our options. He dives into the science and practice of constraints, exploring exactly when and how guardrails can be beneficial, whether we’re working with limited resources or using self-imposed boundaries to tap unexpected wells of focus and innovation.
Original, galvanizing, and deeply researched, Inside the Box tells absorbing stories of people and organizations that embraced constraints to transform themselves, and the world—as well as a few that struggled from a lack of limits. Epstein reveals how boundaries create breakthroughs, and how setting the right constraints can help you become the most creative, productive, and satisfied version of yourself.
Epstein will be in conversation with Megan Twohey, an investigative reporter at The New York Times who seeks to expose hidden truths and hold powerful individuals and institutions to account. She is the co-author, with Jodi Kantor (FAN ’26), of She Said: Breaking the Sexual Harassment Story that Helped Ignite a Movement, which takes readers behind the scenes of the Harvey Weinstein investigation and was adapted into a film. Twohey and Kantor shared a Pulitzer Prize for public service for their reporting.
Both featured guests are ETHS alums: Epstein is ‘98, and Twohey is ‘94.
This event is suitable for youth ages 12 and up. It will be recorded but not live streamed and available on FAN’s website and YouTube channel.
NO REGISTRATION REQUIRED.
Post-event reception in ETHS’s Alumni Hall, open to all.
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Upcoming Events
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Mary Claire Haver, MD
Board-certified OB/GYN, founder of The 'Pause Wellness, and #1 New York Times bestselling author
Heidi Stevens
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Regina Dominican High School, O'Shaughnessy Theater
Note: Event start time is Central Time (CT).
NO REGISTRATION REQUIRED.
Inside the Box: How Constraints Make Us Better
David Epstein
Science writer and best-selling author
Megan Twohey
Pulitzer Prize-winning investigative reporter for The New York Times
Evanston Township High School Auditorium
Note: Event start time is Central Time (CT).
NO REGISTRATION REQUIRED.
Post-event reception in ETHS’s Alumni Hall, open to all.