In this eye-opening episode of The WorkWell Podcast™, Jen Fisher sits down with researcher Tamara Myles, who studied over 2,000 workers across 25 industries and discovered this: your job doesn't actually suck—you just haven't unlocked its potential yet.
Forget "follow your passion." Tamara reveals the real science behind work that matters, including why a hairstylist who sees herself as a "day maker" literally saved a client's life, and how a simple 40-second interaction can transform your entire workplace experience. Whether you're flipping burgers or running boardrooms, this conversation will change how you think about Monday mornings forever.
Episode Highlights:
- Debunking meaningful work myths: Why it's less about what you do and more about how you experience what you do
- The crucial difference between purpose and meaning: Why mission-driven nonprofits still struggle with burnout
- The Three C's framework: Community, Contribution, and Challenge as the building blocks of meaningful work
- The 40-second connection rule: How micro-moments build workplace belonging
- The power of recognition: Why one weekly "thank you" cuts burnout and disengagement in half
- On stage, backstage, and after the show: A framework for meaningful appreciation
- The goldfish principle: Why humans are "indeterminate growers" shaped by their environment
- Burnout vs. bore-out: The surprising ways people disengage from work
Quotable Moment:
"Meaningful work is less about what you do and more about how you experience what you do—and every job can, and should be meaningful." - Tamara Myles
