The self is a Transcendent mystery governed by instincts while the ego is a provisional cluster of experience that forms an individual's sense of self.

“first of all the idea of the self with a capital S to distinguish it from the ego Consciousness that is to say my conscious presence as you and I are talking right now um is a Transcendent other it's a mystery it's um essentially governed by our instincts”

She claims that she lost her identity at a young age by equating her self-worth with her professional accomplishments and external validation.

“my identity became what I did for a living and my accomplishments and my successes or failures within my career space so it took me a long time to figure out who I was or who I wanted to be”

Chris believes self-worth should be grounded in living according to one's core values rather than external metrics or outcomes, which can be fickle.

“I would say by genuinely knowing and believing that I'm living up to what my most important values are. Like for example, if I want to be a good father, if I know I'm showing up as being a good father, that's my value, that's within my control, then I feel good.”