Work And Life With Stew Friedman

Eric Barker is a University of Pennsylvania graduate and author of the popular blog Barking Up the Wrong Tree. Eric gives evidence-based answers and expert insight to questions about how to be awesome at life and he does so in a funny and practical manner. Over 300,000 people subscribe to his weekly newsletter. He is also author of the Wall Street Journal bestseller, Barking Up the Wrong Tree: Why Everything You Know About Success is (Mostly) Wrong. He’s been featured in the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, The Atlantic Monthly, and the Financial Times. In his engaging conversation with Stew, Eric discusses how people find meaningful environments in which to pursue their work. He asserts that most unhappiness in our work lives stems from a lack of personal assessment and reflection. By knowing ourselves and thinking critically, we can find success. Eric instructs listeners to intentionally seek new environments, try out new jobs, and increase interactions with new people. His advice on remaining open

Bill Taylor is co-founder and founding editor of Fast Company, which has won just about every award there is to win in the magazine world since its creation in 1995. Bill has also written three important books on leadership and change. His new book is Simply Brilliant: How Great Organizations Do Ordinary Things in Extraordinary Ways. His previous book, Mavericks at Work, was a New York Times bestseller and was named a “Business Book of the Year” by The Economist and the Financial Times. Stew and Bill dive into Bill’s book Simply Brilliant, which analyzes innovative companies in traditionally slow-moving industries like government or manufacturing. Two such companies discussed by Stew and Bill are Lincoln Electric and Pal’s Sudden Service. They talk about the smart management practices in both companies that foster such great innovation and performance. Trust in the employees is key. Special bonus: As a fellow Springsteen fanatic, Bill gives his take on how The Boss personifies the essential traits of successf

Jonelle Lesniak is a senior analyst at the management consulting firm THRUUE, seeking to create change in organizations culture. She also coaches young professionals by helping them to consider important questions that lead to self-knowledge they can put into action. Jonelle is a graduate of the Wharton School, after which she became a fellow at the Trinity Fellows Academy, where she conducted research on elite college culture. This formative experience ultimately led her to pursue a career in coaching and company culture. In this conversation, Jonelle and Stew discuss overly competitive college cultures and Jonelle’s consulting work at THRUUE. Jonelle feels students and professionals must dig deep to find their own definition of success instead of relying on cultural norms. She talks about her own experience in the the highly competitive social milieu of Wharton. Fascinating solutions addressing this problem by normalizing imperfection include the failure certificate, a new program at Smith College, and Jone

Jason Fried is Co-Founder and CEO of Basecamp, a leading project management tool that has helped over 2.5 million users improve their organizational skills. Basecamp was founded in 1999 and today it has over 2.5 million users (including, full disclosure, the Work and Life podcast team). Jason writes a monthly column for Inc. Magazine, called “Get Real,” where he discusses his points of view on business and gives advice to aspiring entrepreneurs. The Basecamp company is known for designing beautiful web applications, offering a monthly stipend for massages, encouraging employees to work no more than 40 hours per week, and paying for vacations -- not just the time off, but the actual vacations. Stew and Jason discuss the importance of being mindful and strategic about choosing how to invest your attention as a leader. They discuss the importance of uninterrupted time at work and the general unhelpfulness of meetings. Jason talks about how he and his team have positioned themselves in the “problem avoidance” bus

Sim Sitkin is the Michael W. Krzyzewski University Professor of Leadership, Founding Faculty Director of the Fuqua/Coach K Center on Leadership and Ethics at the Fuqua School of Business, and Director of the Behavioral Science and Policy Center at Duke University. His research focuses on leadership and the influence of risk taking. His publications are featured in the most prestigious academic journals and intertwine his work on leadership with topics such as accountability, acquisition processes, and innovation. In today’s episode, Stew and Sim talk about trust, leadership, building our capacity to create positive change in the world, and Sim’s mega-HBR article The Stretch Goal Paradox. Stew and Sim explore how to remain open to new information by learning to appreciate different perspectives. Sim’s decades of research offers critical insight in a world fractured by social media bubbles, political partisanship, and distrust for institutions. He makes a very useful distinction between distrust and low trust.

Monica Worline is the founder and CEO of EnlivenWork, an organization that teaches businesses how to use compassionate leadership to enliven, or humanize and energize, the work they do. She is also a research scientist at Stanford University’s Center for Compassion and Altruism Research and Education, Executive Director of CompassionLab -- the world’s leading research collaboratory focused on compassion in the workplace -- a lecturer at the Ross School of Business, and co-author of Awakening Compassion at Work: The Quiet Power that Elevates People and Organizations. Monica spoke with Stew about the impact compassion can have on improving both employees’ lives and business performance. Monica describes four steps for awakening compassion in the workplace, or in any situation. Any employee at any level who follows these steps can have a powerful effect on their organization’s culture. Stew and Monica talk about how leaders set the tone in most organizations for compassion; even the smallest adjustments can go a

Joan Williams is a Distinguished Law Professor at the University of California Hastings and Founding Director of the Center for WorkLife Law, which promotes gender and racial equality in the workplace. She’s written extensively on gender and work, including What Works For Women At Work, Reshaping The Work-Family Debate and Unbending Gender: Why Family And Work Conflict and What To Do About It. She and others at Hastings have a new initiative to help reduce bias against women and minorities at work, called Bias Interrupters. In this episode Stew and Joan discuss Joan’s new book, White Working Class: Overcoming Class Cluelessness in America. It is based on a blockbuster article in the Harvard Business Review published days after the presidential election titled What So Many People Don’t’ Get About the U.S. Working Class. They focus on the matter of dignity, an essential aspect of one’s identity that affects all aspects of one’s life. Joan believes the American elite neither understands nor appreciates the worki

Erin Bagwell is founder of Feminist Wednesday, a storytelling blog. In the summer of 2014 she launched a successful Kickstarter campaign, raising over $100,000 to produce her first feature length film Dream, Girl. In May 2016, Dream, Girl screened at the White House as part of the United State of Women Summit. Erin was named one of Oprah’s SuperSoul100, a list featuring extraordinary individuals that live life intentionally, create great social impact, and bring inspiration to others. Dream, Girl was named the number one feminist documentary to watch by the Huffington Post. In this episode, Stew and Erin talk about her struggle and eventual triumph as the director of Dream, Girl. Erin had fears and doubts when she quit her “soul-sucking” 9-to-5 job and began producing Dream, Girl. She drew on the support of others (her “tribe”), including the women entrepreneurs in her film, to gain the courage and expertise needed to succeed. In the second half of the show, Erin describes the positive impact the film has had

Marci Alboher is Vice President at Encore.org, a nonprofit making it easier for millions of older people to pursue second acts in their career. She is the author of The Encore Career Handbook: How to Make a Living and a Difference in the Second Half of Life and also One Person/Multiple Careers: The Original Guide to the Slash “/” Career. She’s a former blogger and columnist for The New York Times and serves on the board of Girls Write Now, the advisory council of Echoing Green’s Work on Purpose program, and the advisory board of The OpEd Project. In this episode, Stew and Marci focus on the many ways Encore is enabling older people to have a large impact on their communities by applying their wisdom gained from years of professional experience. One such program, called Generation to Generation, has the ambitious goal of mobilizing a million adults over 50. Marci explains how the Encore Fellowship helps experienced professionals transition to mission-driven work in the nonprofit sector. Stew and Marci also tal

Matt Schneider is a stay-at-home dad and Wharton alumnus who founded the City Dads Group, a diverse community of more than 8,000 fathers in 26 cities across the United States who are supporting each other and redefining what it means to be a dad in the 21st century. It’s the largest organized community of fathers in the United States. Matt works with reporters, commercial brands, and entertainment companies to encourage more accurate and positive portrayals of fathers and fatherhood in media and advertising. He also hosts the Modern Dads Podcast. In this episode, Matt shares his experience as a stay-at-home dad and tells the story of founding the City Dads Group. Even though male caregivers are becoming increasingly common and accepted throughout America, Matt found it difficult to find a male peer group to talk about parenting, and that’s what led to his creating the City Dads Group. Matt and Stew explore important topics related to successful male caregiving, including how to clarify expectations with your

Catherine Steiner-Adair wants to ameliorate the negative effects of social media and technology on family life. She is a clinical psychologist at Harvard Medical School and author of The Big Disconnect: Protecting Childhood and Family Relationships in the Digital Age, which examines the ways technology and media change how children learn and grow. Catherine educates parents about how to balance the benefits of technology while reducing the risks they pose. She has identified numerous ways to help parents navigate the digital age with their children. Stew and Catherine talk about the impact of technology on kids and the boundaries between work and family life. Catherine has seen in her research and counseling that parents are ignoring their children and focusing instead on their smartphones and that children have diminishing levels of self-regulation and capacity for deep play. She talks about what parents can do to to enjoy the benefits while reducing the negative impact of digital devices. Listen and learn s

Stew Friedman talks with Sam Calagione, Founder and CEO of Dogfish Head Craft Brewery and author of Off Centered Leadership. Fast Company named Sam one of The 100 Most Creative People in Business and The Wall Street Journal calls him “a pioneer of bizarre brews”. Stew and Sam discuss the unique culture he created at Dogfish emphasizing non-conformity, collaboration, and creativity. Show Notes (times when new topics start) 2:00. The off centered leadership style. At its start, Dogfish Head put an off centered spin on beer recipes to compete with the large brewers. That led Sam and Dogfish Head employees to embrace an off centered style of working. 5:05. Dogfish company culture. Dogfish champions creativity and self-expression. Sam takes beer seriously, but not himself. 7:25. Hiring at Dogfish. Sam is careful to hire people who will add creativity and authenticity to the Dogfish’s culture, not just people with the right technical skills. 9:40. Work/Life harmony at Dogfish. Sam founded Dogfis

Michael Baime is a professor of medicine at the University of Pennsylvania and founding director Director of the Penn Program for Mindfulness. Michael started the program to help professionals reduce stress and increase performance. Since 1992 the Program has trained more than 10,000 people in mindfulness-based stress management. An increasing body of research shows that it works. Michael has developed numerous courses on mindfulness meditation and mind-body medicine through the Penn Program for Mindfulness, the most popular being an eight-week stress-management course. In this conversation, Michael explains mindfulness, an often vague and misused concept, so listeners can understand how it works and why it is so useful. Stew and Michael explore the benefits of mindfulness Michael has observed as director of the Penn Program for Mindfulness. Perhaps the most important is that people find a greater sense of meaning in their lives. Just as with physical fitness, the many benefits of mindfulness are available to

Brad Harrington is Executive Director of the Boston College Center for Work & Family and leads research focusing on the changing role of fathers, career management, and work-life integration. He recently completed a series of papers collectively titled The New Dad Research that examines how fathers manage their career and parenting responsibilities. He is also author of Career Management and Work/Life Integration: Using Self-Assessment to Navigate Contemporary Careers. In this episode, Brad and Stew explore findings of The New Dad Research and discuss the changing roles of men and women in society and the workplace. Brad found that despite the upward trend of fathers as primary caregivers, there are still organizational and societal barriers to achieving equality between men and women at home and at work. This episode features three short conversations between Stew and listeners of the Work and Life radio show, each one with a unique story about fathers. Show Notes (times when new topics start) 2:30. Emer

Andy Molinsky is a professor at Brandeis University’s International Business School where he helps people develop the insights and courage necessary to act outside their personal and cultural comfort zones. He holds a Ph.D in Organizational Behavior and M.A. in Psychology from Harvard University, and M.A. in International Affairs from Columbia University. His latest book is Reach: A New Strategy to Help You Step Outside Your Comfort Zone, Rise to the Challenge and Build Confidence. In this conversation, Andy describes the five common psychological obstacles we face when trying to create change and how to overcome them to reach important goals at work and in other parts of life. Stew and Andy talk about how to reach beyond these obstacles through conviction in your beliefs, customization to your specific situation, and clarification of what is realistic. Bonus content: This episode includes a call from a couple of Stew’s radio show listeners -- Tara and her mom, as they were driving back to New York from Washi

Doug Conant is founder of Conant Leadership and former CEO of the Campbell Soup Company, where he transformed employee engagement from average into world class. Doug is also a NYT bestselling author, Chairman of the Kellogg Executive Leadership Institute at Northwestern University, co-chairman of CECP, and former Chairman of Avon Products. In this conversation, Doug describes how he lead Campbell's Soup Company from among the worst of all Fortune 500 companies in employee engagement to best-in-class. This story is so compelling because Doug emphasizes the struggles he had to overcome to make even incremental changes. Over ten years, these small improvements ended up having substantial impact. Stew and Doug also talk about the importance of reflection, particularly in how Doug overcame difficult experiences like getting fired early in his career. The big takeaway from this conversation that Doug shows so well is that we have more control than we think. Listen and learn new ways of thinking about leadership and

Arianna Huffington is on a mission to redefine success and end burnout. She is founder and CEO of Thrive Global, a corporate and consumer well-being and productivity platform aiming to change the way we work and live. She is founder of The Huffington Post, bestselling author of Thrive and The Sleep Revolution, one of Time Magazine’s 100 Most Influential People, and Forbes’ Most Powerful Women. She serves on numerous boards and describes herself as “a mother, sister, flat shoe advocate, and sleep evangelist.” Stew and Arianna talk about the cultural transformation underway in companies throughout America towards greater focus on employee well-being and Thrive Global’s aspirations for contributing to this change. Arianna advocates for setting limits on technology usage to connect to their one’s inner “wisdom, strength, and peace.” She describes recent changes she has made in her own life, which she calls “micro-steps,” and offers research-based advice on what anyone can do to increase the chances of thriving in

Scott Barry Kaufman is a cognitive psychologist who studies the messy minds of creative people. He is Scientific Director of the Imagination Institute in the Positive Psychology Center and professor of Positive Psychology at The University of Pennsylvania. He teaches the wildly popular Introduction to Positive Psychology. Scott is co-author of Wired to Create: Unraveling the Mysteries of the Creative Mind, host of The Psychology Podcast, and co-founder of The Creativity Post. In this episode, Stew and Scott talk about Scott’s inspiring personal and professional journey, including how he went from being a student with special needs to earning a Ph.D. from Yale. Scott challenges listeners to focus less on productivity and more on cultivating creative capacity by stepping outside your comfort zone, daydreaming, and committing to your passions -- harmonious but not obsessive passions, that is. He describes the method of active, open-monitoring meditation, provides guidance on how to use it, and explains how it di

Emma Seppälä is author of The Happiness Track and Science Director of the Center for Compassion and Altruism Research and Education at Stanford University. She is also Co-Director of the Yale College Emotional Intelligence Project at Yale Center for Emotional Intelligence and a Lecturer at Yale College, where she teaches The Psychology of Happiness. On top of that, Emma is founder and editor-in-chief of “Fulfillment Daily,” a popular news site dedicated to the science of happiness. Stew and Emma explore misconceptions about success and happiness. Emma describes America’s harmful culture of overwork and its consequences on our bodies and minds. She believes it is possible to cultivate a peaceful lifestyle while having ambitious career goals. They discuss Emma’s happiness research, emphasizing in this conversation steps anyone can take to calm their internal state of mind during stressful times. Emma recommends yoga-based breathing techniques that Stew and Emma explore in depth. Show Notes (times when new topic

Julie Foudy, currently an ESPN analyst and proud mother of two, is one of the most accomplished soccer players in the world. She competed in four World Cups, three Olympics, and is former Captain of the U.S. Women’s National Soccer Team. In 2007, Julie was inducted into the National Soccer Hall of Fame. Her leadership extends beyond the soccer field, both as a major advocate for gender equity in sports and as founder of the Sports Leadership Academy, a girls soccer and lacrosse leadership camp that transforms lives. Foudy’s remarkable story is featured in Stew’s book Leading the Life You Want. Stew and Julie discuss the roots of her success, what it took for her to make critical early career decisions based on what mattered most to her, and how the gender bias she experienced firsthand as a player led her to challenge the status quo, advocate for women’s rights, and devote herself to empowering young women. Julie also talks about lessons she’s learned about mentorship and how she guides young women’s growth t