

What Works
Tara McMullin
Work is central to the human experience. It helps us shape our identities, care for those we love, and contribute to our communities. Work can be a source of power and a catalyst for change. Unfortunately, that's not how most of us experience work—even those who work for themselves. Our labor and creative spirit are used to enrich others and maintain the status quo. It's time for an intervention. What Works is a show about rethinking work, business, and leadership for the 21st-century economy. Host Tara McMullin covers money, management, culture, media, philosophy, and more to figure out what's working (and what's not) today. Tara offers a distinctly interdisciplinary approach to deep-dive analysis of how we work and how work shapes us.
Episodes
Mentioned books

Jan 25, 2024 • 24min
EP 458: How many layers are too many?
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
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Jan 18, 2024 • 22min
EP 457: How to Define Hard-to-Define Work Stress
Explore the stress and challenges of creative and knowledge work. Rethink the outdated factory model. Introduce a new course to challenge outdated beliefs about work.

Jan 16, 2024 • 21min
EP 456: Reprogramming Our Source Code
Explore the outdated mental code we operate on, how beliefs shape reality, and the impact on work-life balance. Dive into parental anxiety, gender roles, decision-making, and reprogramming beliefs for better productivity.

11 snips
Jan 4, 2024 • 29min
EP 455: The Case for Uncertainty (And How to Navigate It)
Meet Dietrich Bonhoeffer, a nerdy, wire-rimmed-glasses-wearing badass of a German pastor. Explore his radical writings and resistance group in Nazi Germany. Understand the relevance of Christianity in modernity and the challenges of understanding God amidst technology and oppression. Embrace uncertainty and navigate complexity by accepting unknown variables. Discover Dietrich Bonhoeffer's concept of God as a working hypothesis and the importance of human relationships. Support the podcast and its indigenous production team.

Dec 21, 2023 • 13min
EP 454: Wibbly-Wobbly, Timey-Wimey Stuff
The podcast explores the perception of time, including how pets and mice perceive time. It discusses the complexities of time in various aspects of our lives, the influence of time on productivity and creativity, and the value of experience and attention over productivity. It suggests embracing the non-linear nature of time and incorporating the end-of-year experience into our year-round experience.

Dec 15, 2023 • 44min
EP 453: Fear of Loathing in Lancaster
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
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Dec 12, 2023 • 9min
This is Not Advice: How a Syllabus Could Change the Way You Plan
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
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Dec 7, 2023 • 25min
EP 452: This Daily YouTube Show is a Rich Text
In this podcast, the hosts discuss their love for Good Mythical Morning and its cultural impact. They explore the concept of parasocial relationships and reflect on the joy of playing with children's toys. They also talk about taste test competitions and the unique friendship between Rhett and Link.

Nov 30, 2023 • 31min
EP 451: An Inbox Full of Lies
In this podcast, the hosts discuss the concept of cold pitches and their experience with receiving them. They delve into the irrelevance and dishonesty of these pitches, while also exploring the evolution of email inboxes. They emphasize the importance of warm pitches and wrap up by introducing their podcast 'Coldpitch' and sharing links to their projects.

8 snips
Nov 2, 2023 • 33min
EP 450: The Will to Share Power with Tania Luna
Tania Luna, an expert on power and its role in the workplace, joins the podcast to discuss power sharing and its importance in the future of work. The hosts explore the different perceptions of power across cultures and contrast it with Western notions of coercion and control. They also delve into the concept of power over versus power with, emphasizing the inefficiency of operating in a power over paradigm. Additionally, they discuss feminist solidarity, questioning power dynamics, and advocating for power sharing, interdependence, and freedom.


