What Works

This is the 4th part of my series Self-Help, LLC, which I'm replaying over the summer! Enjoy!If your Instagram feed or Explore page looks anything like mine, then you likely see a preponderance of posts about personality types, conditions, or other self-knowledge. We’re hooked on learning about ourselves! And perhaps even more hooked on sharing what we’ve learned—which means that the Instagram algorithm (as well as TikTok’s and Pinterest’s algorithms) has learned to love this kind of content, too.In this episode, I explore discovering ourselves versus making ourselves, why self-knowledge is big business on Instagram, and how creating viral personality content can wreak havoc on the creator’s psyche. To dig into this with me, I invited @ninetypesco creator, Steph Barron Hall, onto the show.Footnotes:Find Steph Barron Hall on Instagram (@ninetypesco)Learn more about working with StephHow to be Authentic by Skye ClearyLearn more about the Enneagram and find your typeThe Nine Types of RestSelf-Help, INC by Micki McGee“Double consciousness”“Looking glass self”Essay versions of each episode are posted at whatworks.fyi every Thursday. ★ Support this podcast ★

This is an updated version of the 3rd installment in my series Self-Help, LLC, from 2022. Enjoy!Our quest for self-improvement requires us to decide who (or what) to trust with our time, energy, and money. What book do you decide to read next? Which coach do you hire? What accounts do you follow? Our consumer choices seem endless—so finding someone or something to put your trust in might feel like an Olympic feat.On the flip side, as business owners or independent workers whether explicitly or implicitly in the business of self-help, our goal is to cultivate trust. Why would someone trust us with their business, their marriage, or their hopes and dreams for the future?In this episode, I sit down with sociologist Patrick Sheehan to talk about his study of career coaches and the role they play with job seekers. We examine the roles that both credentialed and experience-based experts play in society and why uncertainty and instability might inspire us—for better or worse—to put our trust in prophets rather than priests.Footnotes:“We’ve stopped trusting institutions and started trusting strangers” by Rachel Botsman (TED Talk)“The Change Rules of Trust in the Digital Age” by Rachel Botsman (HBR)“Where did all the coaches come from?” by Patrick Sheehan (Work In Progress Sociology)“The new economy as multi-level marketing scheme: career coaches and unemployment in the age of uncertainty” by Patrick Sheehan (Work in Progress Sociology)“Gun Culture and Wellness Culture Come From the Same Place” by Alan Levinovitz (Huffington Post)As always, find an essay version of this episode at whatworks.fyi ★ Support this podcast ★

I’m continuing my rebroadcast of a series I did a couple of years ago called Self-Help, LLC, and asked the question, "Are we all in the self-help business now?" Today’s episode is all about the aesthetics of self-help and what my guest Kelly Diels has dubbed the female lifestyle empowerment brand. If you’ve ever fussed with your hair or outfit before taking a selfie or sought out the perfect Instagram-worthy spot on vacation, this episode is for you. And if you haven’t? Well, hopefully, this episode will put your mind at ease: you don’t need to do any of that to be successful.It’s not only self-help or entrepreneurship products that are sold as tools for “empowerment” today. It’s just about everything: makeup, clothing, workout equipment, vitamins, office supplies… Whole brands are built around the promise that a purchase won’t just solve your problem, it’ll make you a better, more fulfilled person. But empowerment isn’t for sale—only the status quo.In this episode, I talk with writer and coach Kelly Diels about empowerment marketing and what she calls the “female lifestyle empowerment brand.” You’ll also hear from independent beauty writer Jessica DeFino about how empowerment is leveraged by the beauty industry (more from her later in the series!).Footnotes:Learn more about Kelly DielsLearn more about Jessica DeFinoTrick Mirror by Jia TolentinoThick by Tressie McMillan CottomHow to be Authentic: Simone de Beauvoir and the Quest for Fulfillment by Skye ClearyHelen Gurley Brown as quoted in Self-Help, INC by Micki McGee“The Rhetoric of the Image” by Roland BarthesRead the updated essay version of this episode at whatworks.fyi Love What Works? Want to support the work of asking big questions about how we work today? Become a premium subscriber and get exclusive content and live quarterly workshops for just $7 per month. Go to whatworks.fyi/subscribe ★ Support this podcast ★

This is Part 1 of a series from 2022 called Self-Help, LLC. This summer, I’ll be republishing this series as I work on new essays and episodes. There’s a good chance this series is new to you, and if its previous reception is any indication, I think you’ll love it! If you listened to it the first time through, I’d love to know how it hits differently today. ***It’s hard to escape the language and politics of self-help today. Whether you’re browsing your LinkedIn, Instagram, or even TikTok feed, there’s a very good chance that the first post you see offers up some idea for living a better life or growing a more successful business. Shoulds and supposed-tos are cultural currency. We gain social capital by sharing advice or “giving value.” And that’s left me wondering: are we all in the self-help business now?Today’s episode kicks off an 8-part series called Self-Help, LLC which will explore that question from a number of different angles. In this episode, I’m taking a close look at a particular construction of personal growth and entrepreneurship culture: winners and losers.Footnotes:Dr. Rick for ProgressiveWhy does the insurance industry have so many mascots? on Planet MoneySelf-Help, INC by Micki McGeeMore about Marshall McLuhan (”The medium is the message”)Nixon’s universal health care plan proposalReaganism & ThatcherismThe Old is Dying & the New Cannot be Born by Nancy FraserFind the essay version of this episode at whatworks.fyi and support my work critiquing and theorizing the 21st-century economy by becoming a premium subscriber for just $7 per month! ★ Support this podcast ★

For justice-minded people, navigating the world of work in the 21st-century economy can feel... impossible. A real no-win scenario. There's a constant tension between what's good for the communities we inhabit and what's good (and necessary) for us as individuals. But it's in this tension that we find a "margin of maneuverability"—a source of hope, possibility, and creativity.That's the theme of a new book called The Myth of Making It by Samhita Mukhopadhyay, a feminist writer and editor, and the former executive editor of Teen Vogue. I sat down with Samhita to talk about the book and explore our margins of maneuverability. Footnotes:Grab your copy of The Myth of Making It by Samhita MukhopadhyayFind out more about SamhitaStar Trek II: The Wrath of Khan and more on the Kobayashi Maru in Star Trek loreThe Politics of Affect by Brian Massumi"At 20, Teen Vogue knows its readers contain multitudes" by Annie Aguiar for PoynterRelated episodes:466: Making Room for Others with Leonie Smith455: The Case for Uncertainty (and How to Navigate It)457: How to Define Hard-to-Define Work Stress450: The Will to Share Power with Tania LunaJoin me for Summer Seminar x What Works! It's an 8-week guided learning and reflection experience that provides a structure for examining your relationship with rest. Learn more and register here! ★ Support this podcast ★

Our podcast feeds and streaming services are full of real stories of real people. And not all of those stories feel... true. I mean, even if the facts are accurate, the way something is edited, packaged, and marketed can dramatically alter a story's impact.Artist and audio producer Jess Shane wanted to create a project that would expose some of the problematic elements of this booming (and highly profitable) industry. The result is a podcast series for Radiotopia Presents called Shocking, Heartbreaking, Transformative. Listening to it made me deeply uncomfortable, so I knew I needed to have her on What Works to discuss it!In this episode, you'll get the behind-the-scenes on this project. And you'll learn what happens when attention becomes a fetish.Footnotes:Listen to Shocking, Heartbreaking, Transformative from Radiotopia PresentsFind out more about Jess ShaneCurated Stories: The Uses and Misuses of Storytelling by Sujatha FernandesThe Crisis of Narration by Byung-Chul Han (00:00) - Edited for maximum shock value (03:37) - Introducing artist & audio producer Jess Shane (04:27) - Clip from Shocking, Hearthbreaking, Transformative (06:48) - Why does someone sign up to be a documentary subject? (07:50) - Curated Stories by Sujatha Fernandes (10:46) - The personal is personal? (12:23) - What is attention fetishism? (14:56) - Jess's misgivings with the documentary industry (18:16) - Rules of engagement (21:19) - The main character (23:00) - Clip from Shocking, Heartbreaking, Transformative (24:17) - We shouldn't dismiss the stories at the center of our critique (24:50) - Heeding the words of Audre Lorde (25:45) - The potential for a new beginning (26:23) - Credits ★ Support this podcast ★

Okay, this isn't really an episode about speculative investing. Well, it is. But I'm not talking about crypto or meme stocks. I'm talking about the challenges of living and working as a speculative investment.Today's episode is a brief reflection on self-speculation, the "anticipatory, speculative self," and why the second person is so ubiquitous on social media. Footnotes:"Verified: Self-presentation, identity management, and selfhood in the age of big data" by Alison Hearn in Self-(Re)presentation Now"The Truth About Influence" by Alison Hearn in Re-thinking Mediations of Post-Truth Politics and TrustPsychopolitics by Byung-Chul Han"What 'You' and 'We' Say About Me" by Ariana OrvellAs always, find an essay version of today's episode at whatworks.fyi ★ Support this podcast ★

What would happen if you archived all of your Instagram content, announced that you had taken a job at a fictional wellness company, and then got fired for disclosing your experience with company-mandated colonic hydrotherapy? Well, Leigh Stein did exactly that.Leigh wears many hats—novelist, poet, cultural critic, book coach, publishing expert. And when she realized that she wasn't wearing the hat she wanted to wear on Instagram, she decided to have some fun with a satirical performance art project.Listen for the whole story and a provocation to embrace your own social media use as a project of identity performance!Footnotes:Leigh Stein's books and cultural criticismLeigh Stein on Instagram, TikTok, and SubstackGender Trouble by Judith ButlerJudith Butler on Why Is This Happening with Chris HayesSarah Urist Green on performance art for The Art AssignmentPerformance by RoseLee Goldberg"From Work to Text" by Roland BarthesRuPaul explaining drag on The PreachersAlso in this series:Organizing Indie Labor with Chiarra Lohr of the Indie Sellers GuildFiguring Out the Creator Economy with Charlie Gilkey & Kate TysonBuilding Solidarity in the Creator Economy with Charlie Gilkey & Kate TysonRethinking Creativity: An InterludeFind an essay version of this episode at whatworks.fyi***I'm teaching a new workshop on May 15 & 16, 2024! It's called World-Building for Business Owners, and it's based on a process I've been honing for more than a decade. I'll help you apply creative, even playful thinking to your business strategy—and help you create an internally consistent business that causes fewer headaches, meets your needs more efficiently, plays to your strengths, and creates satisfying work.Click here for all the details or go to explorewhatworks.com/world (00:00) - Digital performance art? (02:27) - Identity is performative (03:11) - Gender Trouble (04:38) - Leigh doubles down (06:46) - Leigh's "Canva period" (07:24) - Autofanfiction (08:08) - "I've been fired!" (09:38) - What is performance art? (10:47) - The real vitamin company has entered the chat (12:42) - What if we embrace the performance? (14:14) - Time to sell some books (14:52) - The confession (15:42) - Witness to and participant in (19:05) - Thinking from the reader's point of view (20:29) - Leigh's other identity performances (22:59) - Learning TikTok (25:28) - The audience participates in the text (27:27) - An optimistic view of social media (28:57) - Playing the game (30:10) - Credits ★ Support this podcast ★

Good luck going anywhere today without running into a message about creativity.I was going to say, "anywhere online," but really, it's just about anywhere. We get creative in the kitchen. Creative in our workouts. Creative in bed. And of course, creative at work. Creativity is somewhat of a "cult object," as Samuel Franklin put it in his cultural history of creativity.Today, I want to get uncomfortably close to that cult object and ask, "What is our fascination with creativity hiding?" So join me as I venture onto the third rail of the 21st-century economy.Footnotes:The Cult of Creativity: A Surprisingly Recent History by Samuel W. Franklin"The Surprising Origins of Our Obsession with Creativity" by Samuel W. Franklin in Behavioral Scientist"The Origins of Creativity" by Louis Menard (book review) in The New YorkerCapitalist Realism by Mark FisherAlso in this series:Organizing Indie Labor with Chiarra Lohr of the Indie Sellers GuildFiguring Out the Creator Economy with Charlie Gilkey & Kate TysonBuilding Solidarity in the Creator Economy with Charlie Gilkey & Kate TysonFind an essay version of this episode at whatworks.fyi***I'm teaching a new workshop on May 15 & 16, 2024! It's called World-Building for Business Owners, and it's based on a process I've been honing for more than a decade. I'll help you apply creative, even playful thinking to your business strategy—and help you create an internally consistent business that causes fewer headaches, meets your needs more efficiently, plays to your strengths, and creates satisfying work.Click here for all the details or go to explorewhatworks.com/world***If you enjoy What Works, please consider supporting this work by becoming a premium subscriber for just $7 per month. (00:00) - (00:07) - Creativity is everywhere (02:04) - Introduction (03:14) - Samuel W. Franklin's Cult of Creativity (04:33) - A surprisingly recent history (06:17) - 4 reasons for the creativity explosion (09:48) - The idea of creativity cannot be separated from its political & economic valence (11:08) - Creative entanglements (12:00) - Meet, "the creative" (15:27) - Introducing "the creator" (17:15) - Creativity can still be source of radical power ★ Support this podcast ★

I'm teaching a new workshop on May 15 & 16, 2024! It's called World-Building for Business Owners, and it's based on a process I've been honing for more than a decade. I'll help you apply creative, even playful thinking to your business strategy—and help you create an internally consistent business that causes fewer headaches, meets your needs more efficiently, plays to your strengths, and creates satisfying work.Click here for all the details or go to explorewhatworks.com/world ★ Support this podcast ★

"How do I want to live?" Philosopher Rahel Jaeggi says this question is bound up in the concept of alienation. Our disconnection and dissatisfaction keep us from answering that question—but they also keep us from asking it in the first place.So in this episode, Kate, Charlie, and I ask that question—and five more. We examine how work in the creator economy can reinforce competition and individualism when what we really need is solidarity and collective action. If you're curious what you can do to join with others for your own success and theirs, this episode has some ideas.Footnotes:Kate Tyson: Whiskey Fridays (podcast), Wanderings (on Substack) and Wanderwell ConsultingCharlie Gilkey: Productive Flourishing and Better Team Habits"What the creator economy promises and what it actually does" by Kyla Chayka in The New Yorker"Surplus populations are all around us" by Tara McMullinAlienation by Rahel Jaeggi"Metrics, Incentives, and the Seduction of Clarity" by Tara McMullinCasey Newton on Decoder with Nilay Patel"Algorithms at Work" (algoactivism) by Katherine Kellogg, Melissa Valentine, and Angéle ChristinAs always, find an essay version of today's episode at whatworks.fyiAnd speaking of the creator economy, if you appreciate the work I do, I'd be so grateful if you became a premium subscriber of What Works for just $7/month. Your support makes a world of difference when it comes to my ability to do this work. (00:00) - The promise of the creator economy (00:48) - An overflow room for the surplus elite (02:31) - How do you want to live? (03:34) - Asking better questions about the creator economy (04:21) - 1. What are we willing to do to be heard? (06:23) - Creating for humans versus creating for the algo (09:40) - 2. What do we expect from platforms in return for our labor? (11:11) - A closer look at creator math (12:26) - Casey Newton, from Platformer, on the value of Substack subscribers (15:27) - Platforms can alter how we see our whole businesses--not just the marketing (16:03) - 3. How do you want to contribute to your communities? (17:11) - Charlie's switch to Substack (19:35) - The risks of going all in on a platform (22:30) - What do we want to build together? (25:58) - Creating relational layers outside of the algos & platforms (28:19) - 5. How will we organize? (28:37) - Algoactivism (31:25) - Revisiting: How do I want to live? (32:53) - Credits ★ Support this podcast ★

It seems the creator economy is booming. Or is it?And what even is the creator economy??Platforms like Instagram, YouTube, and TechTalk are quite happy to advertise the ways they support creators with features and advice. Their aspirational creator hubs give the distinct impression that becoming a creator is akin to getting paid to be yourself.But that said, when Kate Tyson told me that she doesn’t think the creator economy should exist but that she couldn’t put that in writing, I told her she was wrong—about not being able to put that in writing. Turns out, our mutual friend Charlie Gilkey had told her the same thing. So I arranged a meeting of the minds.Today's episode is Part 1 of 2 of that conversation. We get into who a creator is, how the creator economy really works, why we value what we value, and how platforms distort the market for our creative work.Footnotes:Kate Tyson: Whiskey Fridays (podcast), Wanderings (on Substack) and Wanderwell ConsultingCharlie Gilkey: Productive Flourishing and Better Team Habits"Millions work as content creators. In official records, they barely exist." by Taylor Lorenz and Drew Harwell on The Washington Post"Digital sharecropping" by Nicholas Carr"Preferential attachment" via Wikipedia"You Gotta Be in it to Win It" by Collin BrookeCapital Is Dead: Is This Something Worse? by McKenzie Wark"'Wait, I think you're platform-pilled'" by Tara McMullinCory Doctorow on 'enshittification' and platforms being 'too big to care'The Twittering Machine by Richard Seymour (00:00) - Welcome to the unwieldy conversation hour (01:15) - "I don't think the creator economy should exist" (04:53) - "People are getting confused about... am I marketing? Am I just being an artist?" (06:56) - Who is a creator? And are you one? (11:56) - What is digital sharecropping? (15:39) - What's the difference between art and content? (18:29) - "The point of making content is to get an outcome" (20:35) - Platforms run on preferential attachment (22:45) - Creator economy? Try Vector Economy. (29:03) - "To be successful in the creator economy long term, you have to become a synthesist" (31:04) - "We've created virtual social goods" (34:39) - "Feeding the algo" (39:03) - The "third elephant in the room" (42:07) - "It also distorts what we're creating" (44:36) - Conclusion: pay close attention (47:59) - Credits ★ Support this podcast ★

The labor market has undergone a sea change in the last 20 years. A full third of US workers are part of the independent workforce, including gig workers, contract workers, freelancers, and sole proprietors. And yet, key provisions in our labor regulations do not cover independent workers.What's more, platform companies have further changed our idea of work. If you sell your labor on a platform, you're not an employee of the platform—you're an entrepreneur.Well, those entrepreneurs are starting to ask questions. I am, too.Today's episode examines one organization's attempt to organize the indie workforce. The Indie Sellers Guild formed in the wake of a strike action in April 2022 by 30,000 Etsy sellers. I spoke with executive director Chiarra Lohr about what they've been up to, the challenges they face, and the victories they've already celebrated.Plus, you'll learn a bit about the history of working women's organizing in the US—starting back in the 1830s!Footnotes:Learn more about the Indie Sellers GuildWhat Works Ep 385: "Who do you work for?"The Lowell Offering by Benita EislerThe Voice of Industry digital archive"History & Culture" — Lowell National Historical ParkPlatform Capitalism by Nick SrincekMonopsony 101 via InvestopediaNational Labor Relations Act of 1935Check out the Indie Sellers Guild Convention (00:00) - April 2022 Etsy Strike (00:59) - Introduction (01:45) - More on the 2022 strike (03:18) - The Lowell mill girls and early labor organizing (07:38) - The push for a 10-hour workday (10:13) - Chiarra's origin story (11:25) - Etsy is a platform, which complicate organizing (13:26) - Platform policies impact who is on the platform, what is successful, and how businesses are structure (15:05) - Example: shipping policies (16:08) - Example: production partners (17:01) - Example: the Star Seller program (19:20) - A labor monopsony? (22:09) - Etsy passes off platform problems as individual problems (24:06) - Internal competition makes it harder to see common struggles (24:53) - How the ISG is doing things differently (26:13) - Why independent workers don't have the same rights as other workers under the NLRA (or the NLSA) (28:26) - Working in solidarity with other organizations (30:13) - Success: Fighting the reserve payments policy (32:48) - Success-in-the-making: the COOL Online Act (33:22) - Success-in-the-making: the Marketplace Accreditation Program (33:47) - The ISG is also focused on education & member enrichment (35:22) - Conclusion: we have an opportunity (36:59) - Credits ★ Support this podcast ★

The Center for Nonviolent Communication describes what they teach as "empathy in action." And so it seems fitting to close out this series on Decoding Empathy with a look at nonviolence, Nonviolent Communication, and making social spaces at work & beyond that work for more people. I talked with Leonie Smith, founder of The Thoughtful Workplace, about how she uses the tools and practices of nonviolence to help individuals and teams feel more seen and understood.Footnotes:Find out more about Leonie Smith and The Thoughtful WorkplaceWatch the Ask Leonie video seriesThe Expulsion of the Other by Byung-Chul Han"Ahimsa" on WikipediaThe Center for Nonviolent Communication"The 'Magic' of Meeting in Person" by Devon PriceThe Notebooks of Simone Weil edited and translated by Arthur WillsRelated:My conversation with Mara Glatzel on the economics of "neediness"My conversation with Charlie Gilkey about implied rules and better team habitsCheck out the full Decoding Empathy series!Every episode of What Works is also released in essay form at whatworks.fyi! (00:00) - What if meetings came with instructions? (02:54) - A bias toward sameness (07:33) - Introducing Leonie Smith, founder of The Thoughtful Workplace (08:33) - Violence is embedded in Sameness (09:36) - What is nonviolence? (11:11) - What is Nonviolent Communication? (14:08) - Example: how to request accommodation (16:54) - Welcoming diverse forms of expression (18:23) - Managing a wider range of expressions (without it getting out of control) (21:14) - "Widen our window of tolerance" for normative behavior (23:49) - How do we know if what we're doing is working? (25:49) - Leonie's vision for the thoughtful workplace of the future (27:13) - Simone Weil on reading people (29:12) - Byung-Chul Han on listening (30:20) - Credits ★ Support this podcast ★

I have learned a lot about cognitive empathy by learning copywriting. After all, copywriting is a puzzle—the puzzle of figuring out what someone is thinking or feeling and how you can connect your idea to that thought or feeling. So, it seemed only fitting that I would invite a copywriter to this series on decoding empathy to share her process and give you a behind-the-scenes look at cognitive empathy in practical application. In this episode, I get real nerdy with Samantha Pollack, a positioning strategist and copywriter, and think about how the digital doppelgangers we create via our personal brands might help us get curious about who is behind others' digital doppelgangers. Footnotes:Find out more about Samantha Pollack and Cult of PersonalityDoppelganger by Naomi Klein"The Politics of Recognition" by Charles Taylor in MulticulturalismFind every essay and episode in the Decoding Empathy series.Every episode of What Works is also released in essay form at whatworks.fyi! (00:00) - Introduction (01:16) - Doppelganger by Naomi Klein (04:58) - The tension between who we are and who we want to become (09:11) - Behind the scenes of Samantha's copywriting process (12:36) - How Samantha learns more about her client's customers (16:01) - How to write in someone else's voice (17:45) - How to write in someone else's voice (21:45) - Two more tools for learning about customers (26:08) - Sometimes people surprise you (26:54) - What's the difference between the person and the personal brand? (31:09) - Doppelgangers remind us to be curious about ourselves, others, and how we're all connected (33:07) - Credits ★ Support this podcast ★

Typically, the question of accessibility online is considered in technical terms: How does this website need to be designed? What ALT text is appropriate for this image? Are captions available for this video? And obviously, knowing the technical aspects of accessibility is important.But if accessibility stops at the technical requirements, we forget that there are people on the other side of those checklists and manuals. We forget that even the most rigorous checklist can’t account for everyone and their experiences. We forget to ask critical questions that seem obvious when it comes to a backstage pass but are readily dismissed when it comes to most other social spaces.In the 3rd episode of my 5-part series on Decoding Empathy, I talk with Erin Perkins, an accessibility educator and the founder of MabelyQ, and draw on the work of disability studies scholar Tanya Titchkosky to theorize the overlap between access and empathy—and what it means for you.Footnotes:Learn more about Erin Perkins and MabelyQThe Question of Access by Tanya TitchkoskyImpact of post-COVID symptoms on US adults via the CDCWC3's Web Accessibility Initiative tips for online content"Autism Spectrum Disorder diagnosis as biographical illumination" by Catherine Tan"Coming Out Disabled" by Tanya TitchkoskyEvery episode of What Works is also available in essay form at whatworks.fyi What Works is funded by readers and listeners. To help support this work, upgrade to a premium subscription for just $7 per month. (00:00) - Backstage Pass (03:20) - Introduction (04:21) - Accessibility is a Complex Form of Perception (06:07) - Erin's Trouble Accessing Online Content (09:06) - Recognizing Disability (11:04) - A Politics of Wonder (12:51) - The Inaccessibility Tax (15:00) - The First Steps to Accessibility (17:35) - Practicing Open-Minded Empathy (19:22) - Expanding Our Circle of Recognition (23:26) - Uncovering Our "Half and Half" Nature (25:33) - Biographical Illumination (29:03) - Credits ★ Support this podcast ★

How do you get seen in a world that doesn't see you? How do you get recognized when so many systems are designed to keep you unrecognized? Those are the questions at the heart of today's episode. In the 2nd episode in my 5-part series on decoding empathy, I talk with behavioral scientist and brand strategist N. Chloé Nwangwu about how she helps underrecognized people "emerge from the margins" and get noticed.Footnotes:Find out more about Chloé Nwangwu and Nobi WorksSister Outsider: Essays and Speeches by Audre LordeThe Question of Access by Tanya Titchkosky"Why We Should Stop Saying Underrepresented" by Chloé Nwangwu on HBR"Racial attention deficit" by Sheen Levine, et al"Forget the ambition gap, it's the ‘ambition penalty’ that's really holding women back at work" by Stefanie O'Connell Rodriguez on GlamourSpeech by Angela Bassett Every episode of What Works is also available in essay form at whatworks.fyi What Works is funded by readers and listeners. To help support this work, upgrade to a premium subscription for just $7 per month. (00:00) - Aren't we all the same? (01:42) - Introduction (02:44) - "Institutionalized rejection of difference" Audre Lorde (04:14) - The Mythical Norm (06:20) - Underrepresented vs underrecognized (09:12) - Access and recognition go hand in hand (10:27) - Visibility biases and invisibility taxes (17:38) - What is a brand? (19:09) - A brand in action on the global stage (20:45) - A "politics of wonder" (23:36) - Circle of recognition (27:02) - Conclusion ★ Support this podcast ★

Today, we peel back the layers of a term that's become ubiquitous in the business world and beyond: empathy. In this episode, empathy's origin story. Er, stories. We'll explore its philosophical roots deep in the 19th century, through my personal trials and errors with empathy, to some of the challenges we face in empathizing with people we have less in common with. Ultimately, I want to explore the ways empathy invites curiosity, leverages imagination, and recognizes our differences.This is the first in a 5-part series in which I'm decoding empathy. We'll talk brand strategy, non-violent communication, disability, and copywriting. And all throughout the series, we'll look for ways to recognize difference instead of assuming sameness.Footnotes:"Build Your Creative Confidence: Empathy Maps" via IDEOBewilderment by Richard Powers"Double empathy, explained" by Rachel Zamzow "On the Ontological Status of Autism: the 'double empathy' problem" by Damian Milton"Don't Mourn for Us" by Jim SinclairEmpathy: Philosophical and Psychological Perspectives by Amy Coplan and Peter GoldieWaiting for God by Simone WeilNot Mentioned:Anderson, Ellie , and David Peña-Guzmán. 2020. “Episode 07: What’s the Deal with Empathy?” Overthink Podcast. December 1, 2020. Ganczarek, J., Hünefeldt, T., & Olivetti Belardinelli, M. (2018). From "Einfühlung" to empathy: exploring the relationship between aesthetic and interpersonal experience. Cognitive processing, 19(2), 141–145. Every episode of What Works is also published in essay form at whatworks.fyiIf you love deep dives like this series, please consider becoming a premium subscriber. You get access to my premium columns, quarterly live workshops, and discussion thread. Visit: whatworks.fyi/subscribe (00:00) - The Language of Empathy (00:07) - Corporate Empathy (01:20) - Empathy's Origin Story (04:54) - My Empathy Engine (10:48) - Empathy in Richard Powers's Novel, Bewilderment (14:54) - The Double Empathy Problem (19:33) - No, Really: What Is Empathy?! (21:18) - 1. Empathy can be cognitive and/or affective. (22:19) - 2. Empathy is a product of imagination. (22:49) - 3. Empathy is situational. (23:44) - Recognizing Difference Is Part of Empathy (28:13) - Simone Weil's Attention (31:22) - Attention (and Empathy) Isn't Attached To Outcomes ★ Support this podcast ★

Are you waiting for a glorious day with your system, plan, or business just work? I hate to tell you this—but you will be waiting a long time.Plans, systems, and businesses evolve. Change isn't a bad thing—it's the only thing.In today's edition of This is Not Advice, I share how I recently coached Sean through a run-in with process entropy and process evolution.To get the full essay or episode, visit: https://www.whatworks.fyi/p/process-entropy-and-process-evolution ★ Support this podcast ★

Our beliefs leave an indelible mark on how we interact with others and our environment. Even when those beliefs aren't conscious. Beliefs about quality of life are a whole other can of worms. Who gets to decide the relative quality of a life? Or what lives are worth living? And how do our beliefs about quality of life and worthiness impact the way interact with others and the way we treat ourselves?In this episode, I reflect on how my beliefs about quality of life were influenced by my favorite Star Trek character, Data. I discuss technoableism, narratives of overcoming, and the unnecessary self-judgment we can put ourselves through on the path to becoming like everyone else.Footnotes:Rethink Work: An 8-week cohort-based courseStar Trek: NemesisAgainst Technoableism by Ashley Shew"Valuing Disability, Causing Disability" by Elizabeth BarnesMore on "narratives of overcoming" in my book, What WorksIf you're a sci-fi nerd like me, check out my limited podcast, Strange New Work, wherever you listen to podcasts!All new episodes of What Works are available in written essay form at whatworks.fyi***If you’re questioning your relationship to work but finding it difficult to make lasting changes, I’d love to help.I’m committed to helping you confront and deconstruct big assumptions that compete with your good intentions. And that’s exactly what we’re doing in my new 8-week cohort-based course, Rethink Work.We’ll examine the beliefs, stories, and systems that keep us hustling—even when it hurts—so you can make changes that last and create a more sustainable approach to work. (00:00) - My Nemesis (00:13) - Introduction (03:44) - Rethinking Beliefs That Impact Quality of Life (05:21) - Star Trek: Nemesis (09:45) - Human-Shaped Hole (10:36) - Technoableism (15:07) - Narratives of Overcoming (17:40) - Bad-Difference versus Mere-Difference (19:48) - You're invited to Rethink Work ★ Support this podcast ★

The proliferation of derivative nonsense on various social media platforms begs the question: Is it possible to make a TikTok video, Instagram post, or LinkedIn update that's remarkable? Is it possible for repetition to be an asset? For repetition to even be remarkable?In this episode, I take a deep dive into gimmicks—the formulaic and repetitive media that can help us think in new ways. Specifically, I'm looking at Frankie's Cultural Observations. If you don't know the series, I'm delighted to share it with you today!This is the 3rd in my series, What Makes This Remarkable, where I break down remarkable content I come across to give you new perspectives on your own work (creative or otherwise). Premium subscribers also get "Remarkable Homework"—prompts for thinking differently about your projects—and the chance to ask questions or discuss that week's lessons. Upgrade your subscription to join in!Footnotes:What Makes This Remarkable (60 Songs That Explain the '90s, Savior Complex)Frankie's Cultural Observations on YouTube"Observing Frankie McNamara's Observations" by Brandon Tauczik in Paper MagazineSandwiches of History on YouTubeGirl with the Dogs on YouTubeWorking definition for the gimmick as a medium: A gimmick is a nonsequential series of works that utilize a novel scheme, angle, or device to explore a network of ideas."Why Write In Form?" by Rebecca Hazelton via The Poetry FoundationAmusing Ourselves to Death by Neil PostmanHyperculture by Byung-Chul HanTed Nelson & "intertwingularity"The Cluetrain ManifestoAll new episodes are available in written essay form at whatworks.fyi***If you’re questioning your relationship to work but finding it difficult to make lasting changes, I’d love to help.I’m committed to helping you confront and deconstruct big assumptions that compete with your good intentions. And that’s exactly what we’re doing in my new 8-week cohort-based course, Rethink Work.We’ll examine the beliefs, stories, and systems that keep us hustling—even when it hurts—so you can make changes that last and create a more sustainable approach to work. (00:00) - Gimmicks (00:08) - Introduction (02:20) - What Makes This Remarkable: Gimmicks (03:52) - Frankie's Cultural Observations (08:37) - The Gimmick as a Medium (14:23) - Gimmicks are like Poetry (17:24) - Citing Theorists to Think About TikTok (21:33) - Intertwingularity and Hyper-rationality (24:33) - New Media Influence How We Think (26:08) - Conclusion (27:32) - You're invited to Rethink Work ★ Support this podcast ★

Last week, Vox published an article by internet culture reporter Rebecca Jennings about how everybody needs to be a self-promoter now—and we all hate it. Then, I read a response by writer and book coach Leigh Stein, who was quoted in the Vox piece, in which she admitted to actually enjoying creating her social media content. Stein said that she was considerably more optimistic about the state of things than Jennings article was.I found the exchange fascinating. I find it hard to disagree with either of their perspectives! And Stein wasn't really disagreeing with Jennings either—which left me with one thought: I don't think we're talking about the same things here.So I resurrected an old piece from July 2021 that made the case I wanted to make—that self-promotion sucks and is contentless, but that self-promotion is not the only mode for creating content that gets the job done on social media—and updated it for today's social media moment. This episode has my response to both Jennings's and Stein's articles, as well as a description of how enshittification doesn't only apply to platforms but to creators, too. And then, I share the 3 Rs of Digital Content.Footnotes:"Everyone's a sell-out now" by Rebecca Jennings on Vox"who told you it would be easy?" by Leigh Stein on The Attention Economy"autofanfic" by Leigh Stein on The Attention Economy"The 'Enshittification' of TikTok" by Cory Doctorow on Wired"Always On: The Hidden Labor We Do Everyday" by Tara McMullin on What Works"To Quit or Not to Quit Social Media" by Tara McMullin on What Works"Revisiting Remarkable Content to Consider Digital Ecology" by Tara McMullin on What WorksAll new episodes are available in written essay form at whatworks.fyi***If you’re questioning your relationship to work but finding it difficult to make lasting changes, I’d love to help.I’m committed to helping you confront and deconstruct big assumptions that compete with your good intentions. And that’s exactly what we’re doing in my new 8-week cohort-based course, Rethink Work.We’ll examine the beliefs, stories, and systems that keep us hustling—even when it hurts—so you can make changes that last and create a more sustainable approach to work. (00:00) - Introduction (01:53) - Enshittification (03:52) - Self-promotion doesn't work (08:48) - There's an alternative approach that works better (12:08) - Canva pre-designed templates offer ideas for another way (16:13) - The 3 R's of Digital Content (18:17) - 1. Respect the medium (21:18) - 2. Respect the audience (22:53) - 3. Redistribute the idea (24:24) - Next steps (26:30) - You're invited to Rethink Work ★ Support this podcast ★

Layers. Unless we're talking about cake, you can have too many layers. In today's episode, I share a recent metaphorical revelation I had about sound and sensory sensitivity. And then, I introduce you to a different way of thinking about stress that can help you identify better ways to manage it.Footnotes:Rethink Work: an 8-week cohort-based courseThe Highly Sensitive Brain by Bianca AcevedoStress: A Brief History by Cary Cooper & Philip DeweStress, Appraisal, and Coping by Richard Lazarus and Susan FolkmanEvery episode of What Works is also published in essay form at whatworks.fyi! (00:00) - Layers (00:06) - Layers of Sound (03:12) - Overstimulation and How I Cope (05:01) - Sensory Overload and Work Stress (07:31) - A New Model for Understanding Stress (Richard Lazarus & Susan Folkman) (10:50) - The Layers of Work Stress (12:58) - 6 Categories of Work Stress (18:16) - Managing Stress by Removing Layers or Asking for Accommodation (22:07) - Course Info & Credits ★ Support this podcast ★

So, you're stressed. Or work feels intense. Or you're putting more energy than you should into manifesting a day with "no surprises."But why? Even if you're not working on an especially challenging project or hustling to get in under a deadline, the work we do can be stressful in a sort of ambient and ambiguous way. And we might downplay that stress because, hey, aren't we just lucky to have a cool job like this?When we think about work, we're often dealing with an outdated metaphor—The Factory. But if you work in a creative, knowledge-based, service, or caring field, that metaphor doesn't have as much to offer as we think it does, especially when it comes to understanding work stress.Today's episode offers a way to rethink the ways your work can be stressful so you can rethink the resources you need to feel better and do more remarkable work.Footnotes:Rethink Work, an 8-week cohort-based course"Sources of intensity in work organizations" by Armand Hatchuel in Creating Sustainable Work Systems (1st ed)Every episode of What Works is also published in essay form at whatworks.fyi! (00:00) - The Factory (01:38) - The Factory Metaphor in Job Creation (03:39) - Rethink Work Course (04:35) - Why the Factory is a Sticky Metaphor (07:31) - The Factory Worker, The Bus Driver, and The Creative/Knowledge Worker (16:12) - The Problem with the Factory Metaphor (19:53) - Course Info & Credits ★ Support this podcast ★

Why is it that our bodies and brains tend to function on so much outdated code? Our personal algorithms and mental shortcuts are often stuck in a different time and place. We jump to conclusions or inadvertently flood our systems with cortisol because some stray line of code gets triggered.In this episode, I examine the tricky way that our beliefs have a way of creating our reality—not just describing it. What we believe ends up being what we see. Case in point: work-life balance.Footnotes:"Religion as a Cultural System" by Clifford GeertzThe Second Shift by Arlie Russell HochschildSystems Ultra by Georgina Voss"Understanding Mindset: Trade-offs, Heuristics, and Navigating Change" by Tara McMullin⭐️ NEW: Rethink Work, an 8-week cohort-based course ⭐️ Join me for a live and interactive course on rethinking our beliefs about work—including work-life balance, productivity, data, passion, and purpose. Get all the details here. ★ Support this podcast ★

The only sure bet is uncertainty. As we start a new year, I want to take a closer look at navigating uncertainty and how we can normalize not knowing. In this episode, I introduce you to a nerdy, wire-rimmed-glasses-wearing badass of a German pastor and guide you through 4 questions you can ask whenever you're navigating uncertainty (which is all the time...).Footnotes:Dietrich Bonhoeffer (Wikipedia overview)Letters & Papers from Prison by Dietrich BonhoefferSmall Arcs of Larger Circles by Nora Bateson"Dancing With Systems" by Donella Meadows"Sustainability in Knowledge-Based Companies" by Peter Brödner in Creating Sustainable Work SystemsOn Religion by John D. CaputoNote: I talk at length about God in this episode—but there's no evangelizing. It's about "religionless Christianity." Just trust me.Love What Works? Support the show by telling a friend about today's episode or the What Works newsletter. Or by becoming a premium subscriber for just $7 per month. Learn more!You can also read today's piece at whatworks.fyi (00:00) - Navigating Uncertainty (22:05) - ★ Support this podcast ★

Today, a short meditation on time, the end-of-year season, and how we might carry what we experience now into the next season of work.Footnotes:Dr. Who: the "Wibbly-Wobbly, Timey-Wimey" speechTime On Our Side, featuring essays by Tim Jackson and Barbara Adam (among others)Daniel Dombeck's 2018 study of mice and timeExhalation, including "The Lifecycle of Software Objects" by Ted ChiangRead today's piece at whatworks.fyiLove What Works? Support the show and my work by becoming a premium subscriber for just $7 per month. Learn more! ★ Support this podcast ★

This is the 3rd edition of Cold Pitch, an experimental project from YellowHouse.Media exploring media, curiosity, and identity. I'll be sharing one more episode from this project next week before returning to the usual What Works program in 2024!How do you feel about "showing up" in online spaces? What fears or anxieties do you have about hitting the publish button or connecting with strangers on social platforms? My husband and YHM partner Sean has long avoided the public side of working online. But that's changing.In this edition of Cold Pitch, I ask him about his fears, where they come from, and how he's getting on now that he's been a bit more public with him work. Plus, I offer some analysis on how recognition—or perhaps more importantly, misrecognition—shapes our identities. The conversation ends up in a place that neither he nor I expected but were glad to have arrived at.Footnotes:Find out more about YellowHouse.MediaDial Sean's phone tree: 1-406-200-8460Learn more about artist Tamar Ettun"The Politics of Recognition" by Charles TaylorRead the essay version of this edition ★ Support this podcast ★

Planners and project management apps reinforce linear, chronological thinking. What if we used a completely different medium to plan for growth?I'm hosting a workshop on Thursday, December 14 at 12:30pm ET/9:30am PT for premium What Works subscribers. If you'd like to learn more about planning as a learning process and make a syllabus for your next learning project, upgrade for just $7 per month: http://whatworks.fyi/subscribe ★ Support this podcast ★

This is the second edition of Cold Pitch, an experimental project from YellowHouse.Media about media, curiosity, and identity. In this edition, Sean and I talk about our favorite daily YouTube show, Good Mythical Morning. It's the backbone of our evening routine, the content we rely on to draw a thick line between the workday and rest time, and, as you'll hear, a rich text.Footnotes:Good Mythical Morning on YouTubeEar Biscuits on YouTube"Rhett McLaughlin and Link Neal" on Wikipedia"From Work to Text" by Roland Barthes"Parasocial Interaction" on Wikipedia"Mass Communication and Para-Social Interaction" by Donald Horton and R. Richard Wohl in Psychiatry"We Found Extremely Rare Toys in These Blind Boxes" on GMM"Five Guys vs. Shake Shack | FOOD FEUDS" on GMM"Our 2500th Episode!" on GMM"We React to Photos That Will Break Your Brain" on GMM (00:00) - EP 2: This YouTube Show is a Rich Text (01:11) - Cold Open (03:29) - A Rich Text (07:00) - Modeling Friendship (08:26) - From Work to Text (10:02) - Parasocial Interaction (13:18) - Audience Participation (16:27) - Four Grown Ass Adults (22:25) - Modeling Growth ★ Support this podcast ★

Over the next few weeks, I've got something a wee bit different for you! This is the very first edition of Cold Pitch, an experimental media project from YellowHouse.Media. Cold Pitch explores media, curiosity, and identity through a variety of forms and methods. In this first edition, Sean McMullin (my husband & partner at YellowHouse.Media) and I talk about, well, cold pitches. A cold pitch, simply put, is a request to a stranger to do something for you. Podcasters deal with cold pitches every single day. Most are terrible. Not only are they irrelevant and poorly executed—they most often start with an outright lie.I have feelings. Clearly.In this conversation, we talk about the social "meat space" basis of a cold pitch, the psychology of email, what you might learn from the autistic folks in your life about honest & direct communication and more.If you dig it, follow along with Cold Pitch at coldpitch.substack.comAnd you can find a written version of this edition, along with links to references, here: https://coldpitch.substack.com/p/an-inbox-full-of-liesLearn more about YellowHouse.Media, our audio production agencyFind out more about Sean McMullinSupport What Works (00:00) - Script (02:41) - Show ID (03:05) - Intro (09:56) - Context Collapse (11:45) - Medium is the Message (17:40) - Perspective-Taking (20:05) - The Honesty of a Press Release ★ Support this podcast ★

This is the final installment in Strange New Work, a series that uses speculative fiction to explore radical work futures.Power. Some fear it. Others hoard it. Some with power speak softly. Others carry a big stick. Power is charisma, or coercion, or violence. Power is name recognition, or money, or computer code.Regardless of your definition or perceptions of it, power plays a critical role in how we work.Today, we explore power—what we can do with it, how we can grow it, and, critically, how we can share it—because power in the future of work will look very different than it does today.Footnotes:Find out more about Tania LunaLead Together by Tania LunaThe Power Paradox by Dacher KeltnerThe Lathe of Heaven by Ursula K. Le Guin"The Lathe of Heaven" BBC film adaptation"Mary Parker Follett—Creativity and Democracy" by Gary M. Nelson in Human Service Organizations"There Is a Better Way to Use Power at Work. This Forgotten Business Guru Has the Secrets" by Matthew Barzun in Time Magazine"Content Decision Making" via Sociocracy For AllEmergent Strategy by adrienne maree brownThe Dispossessed by Ursula K. Le Guin"A Band of Brothers, a Stream of Sisters" by Ursula K. Le Guin ★ Support this podcast ★

This is the penultimate episode of Strange New Work, a special series from What Works that explores the future of work through the lens of speculative fiction.What's the most undervalued skill of the 21st-century economy? Moderation.I very well might be forgetting something. But with more of our lives and work showing up online every day, the way our feeds, data, and connections are moderated is critical to our daily lives. Moderation can be many things—it's how platforms are designed, how content is incentivized or de-incentivized, and how communication between people is mediated. Some moderation is done structurally, some is done with code, but lots of moderation is done by real people all over the world.In this episode, I take a close look at the skill of moderation, its role in our evolving tech futures, and the politics that complicate this essential work.Footnotes:"Welcome to hell, Elon" by Nilay Patel on The Verge"Why Elon's Twitter is in the Sh*tter with Nilay Patel" on Offline with Jon FavreauFall; Or, Dodge in Hell by Neal StephensonWork Without the Worker by Phil Jones"Content Moderation is Terrible by Design" featuring Sarah T. Roberts on Harvard Business Review"Moderating Social Media" on the agenda on YouTube"How Microwork is the Solution to War" by Ben Irwin on Preemptive Love"Reddit faces content quality concerns after its Great Mod Purge" by Scharon HardingRosie Sherry on tips for content moderation"Neal Stephenson Explains His Vision for the Digital Afterlife" on PC MagLove What Works? Become a premium subscriber for just $7 per month. Your subscription helps make my work sustainable and gets you access to twice-monthly This is Not Advice episodes, quarterly workshops, and more. Click here to learn more and preview the premium benefits! (00:00) - EP 7: Moderation is the Skill of the Future (13:34) - ★ Support this podcast ★

I've got something short, sweet, and really special for you today. Sean, my husband, my go-to extrovert shield, and the co-founder of YellowHouse.Media has a new project that is pretty cool, if I do say so myself. It's a hotline! Or rather, it's a weekly call-in prerecorded pep talk. It's sort of like a podcast, but you have to call a phone number to hear it. Trust me, this is a very Sean thing to do.Each week, he shares a fresh pep talk along with a poem, some tunes, and other audio goodies. You just select from the phone tree which you'd like to hear. Plus, you can even leave him a message yourself! You can hear this week's edition by listening to this quick episode. Or, dial 1-406-200-8460 to get the full experience. You can also learn more about Sean and grab the number from his website: seandmcmullin.com.Without further ado, here's this week's dial-in affirmation for daily living! ★ Support this podcast ★

This is the 6th installment of Strange New Work, a special series that uses speculative fiction to explore radically different work futures.Find the work you were born to do. Do what you were meant to do. Discover the work that makes you feel alive.We've all heard these messages. Crack open any career, self-help, or personal development book on your shelf, and you're sure to find a similar message. It seems pretty convenient that our "purpose" in life is work, doesn't it? In this episode, I unpack the "made for work" message, take it to its logical sci-fi ends, and draw on a key idea in the sociology of work to consider how we might shape the next 40 years into something more humane.Footnotes:"If you 'don't dream of labor,' should organize for socialism" by Caitlyn Clark for JacobinEmbassytown by China MiévilleTranslation State by Ann LeckieThe Terraformers by Annalee NewitzThe New Spirit of Capitalism by Eve Chiapello & Luc BoltanskiLove What Works? Become a premium subscriber for just $7 per month. Your subscription helps make my work sustainable and gets you access to twice-monthly This is Not Advice episodes, quarterly workshops, and more. Click here to learn more and preview the premium benefits! ★ Support this podcast ★

This is the 5th installment of Strange New Work, a special series that explores how speculative fiction can help us imagine radically different work futures.Think the future of housework looks like Rosey the Robot from The Jetsons? Or maybe just a fleet of Roombas keeping every inch of a house free of dust or dirt? Think again. Housework is ready for a much, much bigger disruption. Of course, housework is rarely portrayed in pop culture space cowboy science fiction. And when it is, it's all about the high-tech solutions to trivial issues like making dinner or scrubbing dishes. But many quieter (and more constructive) speculative stories do consider how housework might evolve in a completely different direction.How we restructure housework—domestic and reproductive labor—is key to rethinking how we approach the future of all kinds of work. How we live impacts how we work. And how we work impacts how we live. And this episode is going there.Footnotes:Frances Gabe's Self-Cleaning HouseAfter Work by Helen Hester and Nick SrincekA Closed and Common Orbit by Becky ChambersEmbassytown by China MiévilleToo Like The Lightning by Ada Palmer"What Communes and Other Radical Experiments in Living Together Reveal" on The Ezra Klein ShowEveryday Utopia by Kristen GhodseeThe Perennials by Mauro Guillén"The demographics of multigenerational households" via Pew ResearchRecord of a Spaceborn Few by Becky ChambersA Psalm for the Wild-Built (Monk and Robot) by Becky ChambersA Spectre, Haunting by China MiévilleCan't Even by Anne Helen PetersenLove What Works? Become a premium subscriber for just $7 per month. Your subscription helps make my work sustainable and gets you access to twice-monthly This is Not Advice episodes, quarterly workshops, and more. Click here to learn more and preview the premium benefits! ★ Support this podcast ★

This is the 4th installment in Strange New Work, a special series from What Works that explores how speculative fiction can help us imagine new ways of working.Social and professional norms aren't natural or innate. They're political. Those in power exert their preferences on those who aren't, and throughout history, have exerted social, cultural, and physical violence to either force subjugated people to assimilate or drive them out of society altogether.Speculative fiction is rife with tales of imperial conquest and colonization. And it's helpful for identifying the kinds of control and domination that we deal with daily, even though many of us never notice it. Speculative fiction can help us see harm for what it is, recognize the damage done by colonizers, and imagine forms of resistance. In today's episode, I dive into the harms of imperialism, how supremacy culture forms the basis of professionalism, how Indigenous futurism gives us a way to "imagine otherwise," and what coach and author Charlie Gilkey recommends for creating a culture of belonging at work through team habits.Footnotes:"Remote work gave them a reprieve. They don't want to go back" by Samantha Masunaga for LA TimesThe Imperial Radch Trilogy by Ann LeckieAnn Leckie on Geek's Guide to the Galaxy"Unsettled" in Buffalo is the New Buffalo by Chelsea Vowel"Indigenous futurism" on WeRNative.org"From growing medicine to space rockets: What is Indigenous futurism?" on CBC's Unreserved, featuring guest Grace DillonWalking the Clouds: An Anthology of Indigenous Science Fiction edited by Grace Dillon"White Supremacy Culture" by Tema OkunTeam Habits by Charlie GilkeyThe Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet by Becky ChambersSolarpunk MagazineLove What Works? Become a premium subscriber for just $7 per month. Your subscription helps make my work sustainable and gets you access to twice-monthly This is Not Advice episodes, quarterly workshops, and more. Click here to learn more and preview the premium benefits! ★ Support this podcast ★

This is the third installment in Strange New Work, a series that explores how speculative fiction can help us imagine the future of work. Today's work happens in tiny slivers of time. And we try to optimize each minute or hour for all its worth. But remarkable work? Well, that takes time. And lots of it. The kinds of work that are central to our evolving economy—care work, maintenance work, creative work—require more time rather than more optimization. In this episode, I consider how viewing work through the long-term lens can help us reimagine projects and systems in a way that's more just, equitable, and beneficial for all involved.Footnotes:Find out more about Jordan Maney Follow Jordan on Substack and InstagramFind out more about Joanna L. CeaGrab a copy of Beloved EconomiesThe Terraformers by Annalee Newitz"How to Build a Planet" on Our Opinions Are Correct"The Seven Practices" from Beloved EconomiesThe Parable of the Sower & The Parable of the Talents by Octavia Butler"A Few Rules for Predicting the Future" by Octavia ButlerLove What Works? Become a premium subscriber for just $7 per month. Your subscription helps make my work sustainable and gets you access to twice-monthly This is Not Advice episodes, quarterly workshops, and more. Click here to learn more and preview the premium benefits! ★ Support this podcast ★

This is the 11th edition of This is Not Advice, a "not advice" column for premium subscribers of What Works. In this episode and essay, I tackle the assumed quid pro quo that's at the heart of content marketing. It's that quid pro quo that causes us to see the ideas, information, and stories we share online as a favor that demands something in return—follows, subscriptions, and sales. When we say, "I'm tired of sharing all this stuff for free and not seeing sales in return," we're hinting at the quid pro quo beneath the surface.Enjoy this excerpt from the larger piece or, to hear the whole thing, go to whatworks.fyi and upgrade your subscription for just $7 per month!View the original post here. ★ Support this podcast ★

This is the second episode in my new series, "Strange New Work." Artist and writer Morgan Harper Nichols is a world-builder. She says, "Worldbuilding, for me, [is] a form of expansive hope—a necessary imagination for being alive." What is world-building? It's the process of creating secondary, fictional worlds. There's world-building in all sorts of fiction—but especially science fiction, speculative fiction, and fantasy.And world-building as a practice—a necessary imagination—can be a tool for mapping a better work environment, too.Footnotes:Find out more about Morgan Harper Nichols on Substack, her website, and Instagram.Read the piece that inspired this conversation.The Years of Rice and Salt by Kim Stanley RobinsonN.K. Jemisin on world-building on Wired and LitHubTo Write Love On Her Arms"What is capitalist realism?" by Tara McMullin, featuring Iggy PerilloEvery episode of What Works is also shared as an essay at whatworks.fyi—become a free subscriber to get weekly posts delivered to your inbox or upgrade to a premium subscription for access to bonus content and quarterly workshops for just $7 per month!All of the books I mention in this series are in the Strange New Work Bookshop list. ★ Support this podcast ★

The future of work doesn't have to be an extension of today's reality.This is the first installment in Strange New Work, a new series from What Works about imagining radically different ways of working and doing business.In this episode, I take a closer look at speculative fiction and its role in the collective imaginary. Is science fiction all space operas and apocalyptic battles? Not hardly. Science fiction isn't really about the future. It's a commentary on and reimagining of the present.Footnotes:All of the books I mention in this series can be found here.No Time to Spare by Ursula K. Le GuinThe Immortal King Rao by Vauhini VaraThe Jewel-Hinged Jaw by Samuel Delaney"The Epistemic Value of Speculative Fiction" by Johan de Smedt and Helen de Cruz"Sci-Fi Idea Bank" by Packy McCormickUrsula K. Le Guin in conversation with The Nation on YouTubeVauhini Vara on Amanpour and Company on YouTube"The Measure of a Man" Star Trek: The Next Generation (Season 2, Episode 9)Each installment in Strange New Work is published in essay form at WhatWorks.FYILove What Works? Support the show and my work by becoming a premium subscriber for just $7 per month. Learn more! ★ Support this podcast ★

Join Tara McMullin for a journey into the far future of work, and consider how we can create more humane, inclusive, and supportive work environment. The first episode of Strange New Work drops September 14! You can find Strange New Work wherever you listen to podcasts—and each new episode will drop in the What Works feed, too!Support the show at: whatworks.fyi Strange New Work is brought to you by What Works with Tara McMullin and YellowHouse.Media. ★ Support this podcast ★

Today’s episode is a sneak peek of Work In Practice, my new 12-week training program for guides of all kinds. This program offers a toolkit for identifying the beliefs and stories that make a more sustainable relationship with work possible. If you’re a coach, consultant, manager, or trainer who works with people rethinking how they work, this is for you.***"Anyone can succeed if they work hard and apply themselves!" That's the voice of meritocracy. Unfortunately, that sweet, encouraging voice can easily turn to "If anyone can succeed if they work hard and apply themselves, why aren't you working harder?!" Meritocracy sounds great when you're on the side of opportunity. However, personal setbacks and systemic oppression can easily turn meritocracy into the voice of failure.Footnotes:Students for Fair Admission v. Harvard in Slate's Juris Prudence and on 5-4Thick by Tressie McMillan Cottom"Leaving the Cult of Never Enough with Manisha Thakor" on What Works"What is Capitalism Realism?" on What WorksThe Meritocracy Trap by Daniel Markovits"'The Meritocracy Trap,' Explained" by Roge KarmaPsychopolitics by Byung-Chul HanEvery episode of What Works is also published in essay form and delivered in my newsletter: whatworks.fyiWork with me: I’m teaching a 12-week training program for coaches, managers, consultants, and guides of all kinds starting in September. The program is called Work In Practice, and it’s a deep dive into the social, political, and economic systems that impact what we believe about work.Love What Works? Support the show and help me reach more people with assumption-busting ideas about work, business, and culture by becoming a Premium Subscriber. For just $7 per month, you get access to bonus episodes, full-length interviews, and quarterly workshops ★ Support this podcast ★

There are rules you know about—and rules you don't. Some rules are written down—and other rules are "just the way things are." And there are rules that make things clear to everyone—and rules that exclude through their lack of clarity.Charlie Gilkey is on a mission to bring those unclear rules and unspoken agreements out in the open and improve the way we work in the process. His new book, Team Habits: How Small Changes Lead to Extraordinary Results, is both a treatise on better work and a detailed manual for achieving it. In this episode, I talk with Charlie about how what seems obvious often isn't—and how that negatively impacts our work environments. We also talk about how to start changing things for the better.This episode is one part of my longer conversation with Charlie! You'll hear more from him in my upcoming series, Strange New Work. Coming in September!Footnotes:Team Habits by Charlie GilkeyGet the Better Team Habits newsletter on SubstackMore about Charlie and the team at Productive FlourishingThe Art of Gathering by Priya Parker"White Supremacy Culture Characteristics" by Tema OkunEvery episode of What Works is also published in essay form and delivered in my newsletter: whatworks.fyiWork with me: I’m teaching a 12-week training program for coaches, managers, consultants, and guides of all kinds starting in September. The program is called Work In Practice, and it’s a deep dive into the social, political, and economic systems that impact what we believe about work.Love What Works? Support the show and help me reach more people with assumption-busting ideas about work, business, and culture by becoming a Premium Subscriber. For just $7 per month, you get access to bonus episodes, full-length interviews, and quarterly workshops—including August 24's Breaking the Self-Sabotage Cycle. ★ Support this podcast ★

Play, learn, work, retire—those are the four stages of what Mauro Guillén calls the sequential mode of life. In his new book, The Perennials: The Megatrends Creating a Postgenerational Society, he proposes a new story for moving through life. It's a story that actually reflects the facts on the ground—rather than our grandparents' idea of what life was supposed to look like. In this episode, I talk with Guillén about his research and his vision for how life, learning, and work could be different. Footnotes:The Perennials: The Megatrends Creating a Postgenerational Society by Mauro GuillénFind out more about Mauro GuillénEvery episode of What Works is also published in essay form and delivered in my newsletter: whatworks.fyiWork with me: I’m teaching a 12-week training program for coaches, managers, consultants, and guides of all kinds starting in September. The program is called Work In Practice, and it’s a deep dive into the social, political, and economic systems that impact what we believe about work.Love What Works? Support the show and help me reach more people with assumption-busting ideas about work, business, and culture by becoming a Premium Subscriber. For just $7 per month, you get access to bonus episodes, full-length interviews, and quarterly workshops—including August 24's Breaking the Self-Sabotage Cycle. Upgrade your subscription today! ★ Support this podcast ★

This is the 8th edition of This is Not Advice, my "not-advice" column for premium subscribers of What Works. Today, I'm talking about our over-reliance on metrics and how easily we're seduced by reductive data. When does a metric turn into an incentive for bad behavior? And why are we so happy to accept the feeling of clarity and certainty without actually understanding what's going on?Click here to upgrade your subscription and get the full episode! Or learn more about becoming a Premium Subscriber. ★ Support this podcast ★

Making work for the public seems to come with a slew of fuzzy social expectations. What do we owe our readers, listeners, viewers, and followers? What more is expected beyond the post, episode, or video? How do you navigate the tension between care and boundaries? When I came across a LinkedIn post that Randi Buckley made, I felt a wave of relief. Her answer to those questions? Nothing. We owe nothing more than we've already given. In this episode, I share wisdom from Randi, additional wisdom from Jordan Maney, and a lot of the inner workings of my own mind.Footnotes:The LinkedIn post that started it allFind out more about Randi BuckleyFind out more about Jordan ManeyNo Time to Spare by Ursula K. Le GuinLe Guin's first blog postNEW: I’m teaching a 12-week training program for coaches, managers, consultants, and guides of all kinds starting in September. The program is called Work In Practice, and it’s a deep dive into the social, political, and economic systems that impact what we believe about work.Every episode of What Works is also published in essay form and delivered in my newsletter: whatworks.fyiLove What Works? Support the show and help me reach more people with assumption-busting ideas about work, business, and culture by becoming a Premium Subscriber. For just $7 per month, you get access to bonus episodes, full-length interviews, and quarterly workshops—including August 24's Breaking the Self-Sabotage Cycle. Upgrade your subscription today! ★ Support this podcast ★

The media give us wildly exaggerated images of wealth and consumption. And even if we recognize that a tv show or an Instagram account is more fantasy than reality, those images impact what we believe we should be earning and buying. MoneyZen author Manisha Thakor calls the result Counterfeit Financial Culture and argues that it's one of the reasons we end up feeling like we're never quite enough.In this episode, Manisha details Counterfeit Financial Culture, and I offer the mimetic theory of desire as additional context for understanding the situation.Footnotes:Find out more about Manisha ThakorMoneyZen: The Secret to Finding Your Enough by Manisha ThakorWanting: The Power of Mimetic Desire in Everyday Life by Luke BurgisPsychopolitics: Neoliberalism and the New Technologies of Power by Byung-Chul HanCapitalism and Desire by Todd McGowanNEW: I’m teaching a 12-week training program for coaches, managers, consultants, and guides of all kinds starting in September. The program is called Work In Practice, and it’s a deep dive into the social, political, and economic systems that impact what we believe about work.Every episode of What Works is also published in essay form and delivered in my newsletter: whatworks.fyiLove What Works? Support the show and help me reach more people with assumption-busting ideas about work, business, and culture by becoming a Premium Subscriber. For just $7 per month, you get access to bonus episodes, full-length interviews, and quarterly workshops—including August 24's Breaking the Self-Sabotage Cycle. Upgrade your subscription today! ★ Support this podcast ★

At age 50, Manisha Thakor realized that she'd sacrificed her life at the altar of work. How did that happen? And what was she to do about it? Manisha's new book tackles how to unwind a toxic relationship with work and money.Footnotes:MoneyZen: The Secret to Finding Your Enough by Manisha ThakorFind out more about Manisha ThakorAlienation by Rahel JaeggiCapitalism and Desire by Todd McGowanWhat Works by Tara McMullinNEW: I’m teaching a 12-week training program for coaches, managers, consultants, and guides of all kinds starting in September. The program is called Work In Practice, and it’s a deep dive into the social, political, and economic systems that impact what we believe about work.Every episode of What Works is also published in essay form and delivered in my newsletter: whatworks.fyiLove What Works? Support the show and help me reach more people with assumption-busting ideas about work, business, and culture by becoming a Premium Subscriber. For just $7 per month, you get access to bonus episodes, full-length interviews, and quarterly workshops—including August 24's Breaking the Self-Sabotage Cycle. Upgrade your subscription today! (00:00) - Rough Edit (02:05) - The Cult of Never Enough (02:20) - The Roles We Play (13:40) - Money Worries versus Money Problems (18:31) - The Image of Our Dissatisfaction ★ Support this podcast ★

This is an excerpt from the 7th edition of This is Not Advice—a not-advice column exclusively for premium subscribers. In this episode, I take a closer look at flexibility. When is it a feature? When is it a bug? When does flexibility create more opportunities for learning or value? And when does it devolve into chaos?To hear the whole episode, become a premium subscriber for just $7 per month. You'll get twice monthly This is Not Advice episodes, plus (mostly) full-length interviews with the people I feature on the show, and more! Go to whatworks.fyi/subscribe ★ Support this podcast ★