So many of us are either at a turning point professionally or managing life on the threshold. We’re weighing whether or not it’s time to change jobs. Grappling with team members resigning one after another. Trying to settle in and succeed as a new hire. Finding our way as a freelancer. This next season is about making the most of these transitional and initial stages, leading positive change, and forging ahead in our careers. Email the show team: womenatwork@hbr.org Sign up for the Women at Work newsletter.

How can we get better at negotiating? We hear from a butter maker and entrepreneur about a sensitive deal she recently navigated and then use that experience to draw out the principles and practices essential to any negotiation. Ashleigh Shelby Rosette, a professor who studies and teaches negotiations, gives advice on achieving our objectives in a deal, no matter the context.

Why is it that we often wake up with big plans — and seemingly enough energy to complete the tasks on our to-do list — and go to bed lamenting all the unfinished work? A social worker joins Emily to pose questions about productivity to Alice Boyes, a former clinical psychologist. Alice shares the planning, creativity, and decision making that her success and satisfaction hinges on — and how she manages to ignore everything else. She highlights mental mistakes that prevent people from accomplishing their most meaningful work, and she gives guidance for overcoming them. Guests: Alice Boyes, a former clinical psychologist, is the author of two books on mental health, The Anxiety Toolkit and The Healthy Mind Toolkit. She’s writing her third book about productivity. Kate Troutman is a social worker. Resources: “5 Mental Mistakes That Kill Your Productivity,” by Alice Boyes “Don’t Let Perfection Be the Enemy of Productivity,” by Alice Boyes Getting Work Done, by Harvard Business Review HBR Guide to Being More Productive, by Harvard Business Review HBR Guide to Getting the Right Work Done, by Harvard Business Review Getting It All Done, by Harvard Business Review Sign up for the Women at Work newsletter. Email us: womenatwork@hbr.org

Stress affects everyone, but we all express and experience it differently. Hearing how a nurse practitioner responds to the various stressors of her job reveals how stress works at a fundamental level. Workplace well-being researcher Mandy O’Neill says that we’re more likely to feel stressed when there is an imbalance between the threat we’re facing and the resources we have to prevent damage or danger. When the current threat feels greater than our available resources, we become — understandably — mentally and emotionally strained. The two of them join Amy B to discuss the constant challenge of managing stress, as well as actions that help control tension and anxiety — or, even better, the stressors themselves. Guests: Sarah Rose Lamport is a nurse practitioner. Olivia (Mandy) O’Neill is an associate professor of management in the George Mason University School of Business and a senior scientist at the university’s Center for the Advancement of Well-Being. Resources: HBR Guide to Managing Stress at Work, by Harvard Business Review “To Lead Better Under Stress, Understand Your Three Selves,” by Tony Schwartz et al. “5 Mistakes We Make When We’re Overwhelmed,” by Alice Boyes “Research: Why Breathing Is So Effective at Reducing Stress,” by Emma Seppälä et al. “Managing Burnout,” by Women at Work Sign up for the Women at Work newsletter. Email us: womenatwork@hbr.org

This is the first episode in a new series called The Essentials, where we invite women from essential sectors (think health care and education) to join us in interviewing experts on essential career topics (think negotiating and managing stress). In this episode, we tackle giving feedback — something we know is important to being a good manager, somebody people look up to and not just report to. But very few of us actually like to do it. So how can we get better at this critical skill? How can we deliver feedback in a way that motivates a team member rather than demoralizes them? Which pieces of feedback do we prioritize? And how do you make room in your already busy schedule to have these difficult conversations? Amy G is joined by a school principal from Southern California to interview Therese Huston, a social scientist and feedback expert. They talk about three different types of feedback conversations, how to make time to share feedback with team members, and tips for giving feedback remotely. Guests: Jessica Gomez is an elementary school principal in Southern California. Therese Huston is the author of Let’s Talk: Make Effective Feedback Your Superpower and the founding director of Seattle University’s Center for Faculty Development. Resources: “We Deserve Better Than ‘Attagirl’” by Women at Work “Research: Men Get More Actionable Feedback Than Women,” by Elena Doldor, et al “Giving Critical Feedback Is Even Harder Remotely,” by Therese Huston “Everything You Need to Know About Giving Negative Feedback,” by Sarah Green Carmichael HBR Guide to Delivering Effective Feedback, by Harvard Business Review Sign up for the Women at Work newsletter. Email us: womenatwork@hbr.org

As more and more people get vaccinated against Covid-19, how do you lead your family through this safer but not coronavirus-free new world? Two parents in Israel — a child psychologist and an infectious disease doctor — describe the approach they’ve been taking with their three kids. Because when only one child is old enough to receive the vaccine, making your way out of lockdown is even more of a process. Guests: Orit Yafeh is a clinical child psychologist. Ran Nir-Paz is an infectious disease physician. Resources: “What Will Work-Life Balance Look Like After the Pandemic?” by Bobbi Thomason and Heather Williams “A Way Forward for Working Parents,” by Daisy Dowling “Leading into the Post-Covid Recovery,” by Merete Wedell-Wedellsborg “How to Prepare Yourself for a Return to the Office,” by Ron Carucci “Resilience Is About How You Recharge, Not How You Endure,” by Shawn Achor and Michelle Gielan Give feedback on the series: hbr.org/podcastsurvey Email us: familymanagement@hbr.org

We get inside the head of a woman whose due date is just days away. She shares with Erica her worries, hopes, and questions about how having a baby will change her career. Erica offers practical advice for managing a new identity and new work-family demands. Guest: Elainy Mata is a multimedia producer at HBR. Resources: “A Working Parent’s Survival Guide,” by Daisy Dowling “New Mothers, Let’s Talk About Your Professional Identity Crisis,” by Janna Koretz “How to Return to Work After Taking Parental Leave,” by Rebecca Knight “Managing Parental Leave (Yours or Someone Else’s),” by Women at Work “The Upside of Working Motherhood,” by Women at Work “What Managers Should Know About Postpartum Depression,” by Julia Beck

Before Kevin had kids, he believed they’d bring him pure joy. So after the birth of his first child, he was blindsided by how little joy he actually felt. The big emotions, which people had gushed to him about, never arrived. Instead, he felt exhausted, overwhelmed, and confused. But, over time, he’s learned that joy — at work and at home — is bite-sized and to be savored.   Kevin reflects on the presence of joy in his life and what keeps him from feeling it. Then, leadership development coach Amy Jen Su gives advice for how to get into a state of mind where appreciating the everyday joys of working parenthood comes more easily. Guest: Amy Jen Su is the co-founder of the executive coaching and leadership development firm Paravis Partners and the author of The Leader You Want to Be. Resources: The Leader You Want to Be: Five Essential Principles for Bringing Out Your Best Self — Every Day, by Amy Jen Su “Making Joy a Priority at Work,” by Alex Liu “A Simple Way to Increase Your Joy,” by Tony Schwartz “How to Refuel When You’re Feeling Emotionally Drained,” by Monique Valcour

Erica and Kevin share their experiences and struggles of being working parents during the pandemic, providing tips and resources to cope. They discuss the emotional toll and challenges of balancing work and family life, including finding alone time and setting boundaries with children.

By this point in the pandemic, parents are running on fumes. Amy Gallo introduces two HBR editors who want to help lift spirits and keep careers advancing through a four-episode series we’re presenting called Family Management. Erica Truxler and Kevin Evers will talk openly about moving in with their parents to get help with childcare, hiding from their toddlers during Zoom calls, and feeling like bad parents when they’re overwhelmed with work and their kids are crying for attention. They’ll also interview other parents, parents-to-be, and management experts. In every conversation, they’ll share tips and lessons for strengthening self-compassion and resilience. Email the series team: familymanagement@hbr.org Email the Women at Work team: womenatwork@hbr.org Sign up for the Women at Work newsletter.