# Only At Stern: Professor Dolly Chugh on Becoming the Person You Mean to Be

1 School News March 25, 2024>

[Dolly Chugh](https://www.stern.nyu.edu/faculty/bio/dolly-chugh) is a management professor at NYU Stern and a social psychologist. She studies the psychology of good people.

In 2018, Professor Chugh delivered [a groundbreaking TED Talk](https://www.ted.com/talks/dolly_chugh_how_to_let_go_of_being_a_good_person_and_become_a_better_person), exploring how to let go of being a "good" person — and instead acknowledge mistakes to continue growing, what she coined as “good-ish.” It was one of the most popular TED Talks of 2018 and has more than 5 million views. That same year, Professor Chugh published her acclaimed debut book, “[The Person You Mean To Be: How Good People Fight Bias.](https://tinyurl.com/bwwtjpap)” The book highlights how to confront difficult issues so that you can make the world and yourself better.

Her most recent book, “[A More Just Future: Psychological Tools For Reckoning With Our Past And Driving Social Change](https://tinyurl.com/smjyxs5e),” is an evidence-based guide for confronting US history and building a better future. Professor Chugh expanded on these themes as a featured speaker at SXSW 2023, discussing can we love a country with a complicated past?

Her research focuses on allyship, mindset, and bias has been published by top journals, and her newsletter, “[Dear Good People](https://www.dollychugh.com/newsletter),” reaches almost 10,000 people every month

Learn more about Professor Chugh in this video:

**Noteworthy media coverage featuring Professor Chugh’s work:**

- *Phil in the Blanks* | “[The Psychology Of Good People](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FaoRAy_Ndk8)” | 12/30/2022

- *TODAY Show* | “[Finding the value of being a ‘good-ish’ person](https://www.today.com/video/finding-the-value-of-being-a-good-ish-person-62087749579)” | 6/17/2019

- *Ten Percent Happier Podcast* | “[The Many Benefits of a “Paradox Mindset | Dolly Chugh](https://www.tenpercent.com/tph/podcast-episode/dolly-chugh-568)” | 3/8/2023
- *The Wall Street Journal* op-ed | “[U.S. History Has Plenty of Good and Bad. Here’s How to See Both.](https://www.wsj.com/articles/u-s-history-teaching-good-and-bad-11670111812?fbclid=IwAR0BltmC4vWamXylaIUag0aySBAdT_zMK8oIJHSEIzwJQJshFevZRJvxt1o)” | 12/4/2022
- *CNN* | “[How to Rethink What It Means to Be a Patriot, According to a Social Psychologist](https://www.cnn.com/2022/11/03/health/activist-patriotism-history-dolly-chugh-wellness/index.html)” | 11/9/2022
- *Fast Company* op-ed | “[How the Oldest Brewery in New Orleans Renamed Itself to Be More Inclusive and Competitive](https://www.fastcompany.com/90796594/how-the-oldest-brewery-in-new-orleans-renamed-itself-to-be-more-inclusive-and-competitive)” | 10/18/2022
- *The New York Times* op-ed | “[What to Do When You’re the Only Woman in the Room](https://www.nytimes.com/guides/working-womans-handbook/token-woman-in-room)” | 6/27/2019
- *CNBC* | “[Business books recommended by Bill Gates, Barack Obama and Other Successful People](https://www.cnbc.com/2018/12/17/10-great-business-books-recommended-in-2018-by-bill-gates-mark-cuban-barack-obama.html)” | 12/17/2018
- *Inc* | “[12 New Books Packed With Fresh Ideas, Courtesy of Adam Grant](https://www.inc.com/jessica-stillman/12-books-that-will-get-you-thinking-differently-this-fall-courtesy-adam-grant.html)” | 9/11/2018

**Professor Chugh’s Books:**
[A More Just Future: Psychological Tools For Reckoning With Our Past And Driving Social Change](https://tinyurl.com/smjyxs5e)

![The cover for "A More Just Future"](/sites/default/files/styles/large_825px_wide/public/2024-03/a_more_just_future.jpg.webp?itok=Gxte679E)

[The Person You Mean To Be: How Good People Fight Bias](https://tinyurl.com/bwwtjpap)

![The cover for "The Person You Mean to Be"](/sites/default/files/styles/large_825px_wide/public/2024-03/the_person_you_mean_to_be.jpg.webp?itok=S6-fI9mH)