Entrepreneurs Stacey Abrams and Lara Hodgson share hard-won lessons from starting and running three companies together. They reflect on what makes their long-term partnership work and how they manage self-doubt and guilt. They also give tips for networking, hiring and retaining employees, learning the ins and outs of finance, and developing an exit strategy.
Feb 21, 2022•40 min•Transcript available on Metacast A satisfying career requires that we make thoughtful decisions, through self-reflection and strategic planning. But sometimes (like in 2021) plowing through our jobs day after day is the only thing that feels manageable. A reunion with three guests starts a conversation about the tension between wanting to fulfill our potential and needing to conserve what’s left of our energy.
Dec 16, 2021•47 min•Ep 10•Transcript available on Metacast What are the psychological and social skills freelancers need to achieve the self-made career they envisioned? Two researchers break down the common existential and interpersonal challenges that come with working in the gig economy. They share routines and practices that help independent workers keep themselves motivated, productive, and developing professionally.
Dec 06, 2021•35 min•Ep 9•Transcript available on Metacast Which feelings (and shoes) are work-appropriate these days? An expert on authenticity joins us to share impressions of how professional behavior and dress are changing, plus advice for deciding how transparent and comfortable to be.
Nov 29, 2021•25 min•Ep 8•Transcript available on Metacast How can you be seen as a leader, especially when you’re not even “seeing” the people you work with? We revisit an interview with two leadership development experts — essential listening for any woman who’s ready to step up — and share an update on how their advice applies in the context of remote and hybrid work.
Nov 22, 2021•40 min•Ep 7•Transcript available on Metacast How are women who started a job remotely during the pandemic faring? We hear from several new hires about the hurdles they encountered and how they overcame them with the support of their managers. Then, HR executive Amelia Ransom and management professor Beth Schinoff share advice for onboarding, whether you’re starting a new position yourself or supporting a new member of your team.
Nov 15, 2021•39 min•Ep 6•Transcript available on Metacast One way to help close the gender earnings gap? Deliberate redundancy at work, according to economic historian Claudia Goldin. Claudia expands on this idea and shares other insights about the U.S. female labor force. Emily and the Amys reflect on the career-family decisions they’ve made (or plan to make) and imagine what it would be like to have a colleague who could fill in for them whenever they needed time off.
Nov 08, 2021•41 min•Ep 5•Transcript available on Metacast How can you be confident that quitting your job is a good move for your career? And how do you handle the feelings — guilt, fear, anxiety — that come up? These are questions we’ll all face at some point, so we talk through which factors to consider before making the decision and best practices for giving your notice when it’s time.
Nov 01, 2021•30 min•Ep 4•Transcript available on Metacast Managers are told that when an employee resigns, they should be professional, reassure their team, and wish the person well. But we also know that resignations bring up a lot of feelings: panic, loss, self-doubt. Five managers acknowledge those emotions and share how they’ve learned to cope.
Oct 25, 2021•27 min•Ep 3•Transcript available on Metacast In leading their teams and organizations through a crisis, women have repeatedly stepped up to the plate. We celebrate four of these women and highlight the ways they’ve been resetting priorities, demonstrating resilience and agility, and communicating effectively. Then, leadership coach Muriel Wilkins gives advice for taking care of yourself while taking care of the people you manage.
Oct 18, 2021•44 min•Ep 2•Transcript available on Metacast If you’re looking to upgrade your work life, know that it’s possible, manageable, and worth the effort. Two women reflect on the actions they took that ended up elevating not only their careers but also their all-around satisfaction.
Oct 11, 2021•37 min•Ep 1•Transcript available on Metacast Starting October 11, a new collection of perspectives to learn from, advice to act on, and takeaways that buoy you up.
Oct 04, 2021•3 min•Transcript available on Metacast 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.
May 24, 2021•40 min•Transcript available on Metacast Alice Boyes, a writer and former clinical psychologist, shares the principles and practices that keep her creative and productive, but not busy. She gives Emily and a social worker guidance on where to focus their energy, as well as paring down their (and your) to-dos to what’s feasible? and actually worth doing.
May 17, 2021•26 min•Transcript available on Metacast A nurse practitioner joins Amy B and an expert on workplace well-being to discuss different aspects of stress, plus principles and practices for managing it.
May 10, 2021•31 min•Transcript available on Metacast Giving feedback is critical 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 essential skill? Amy G is joined by a school principal to interview a feedback expert.
May 03, 2021•32 min•Transcript available on Metacast 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.
Apr 26, 2021•30 min•Transcript available on Metacast 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.
Apr 19, 2021•22 min•Transcript available on Metacast Everyday joys can boost our energy and productivity, so long as we’re able to notice and appreciate them. 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 getting into a mindset that primes us to experience joy and function better all around.
Apr 12, 2021•28 min•Transcript available on Metacast Erica and Kevin show snapshots of life for them these days — basically, frantically working when not giving their all to childcare. They discuss how they’re handling the latest challenges working parenthood has thrown at them, highlighting tools and tips that are helping them cope.
Apr 05, 2021•19 min•Transcript available on Metacast Amy Gallo introduces Erica Truxler and Kevin Evers, two HBR editors hosting a series in which they confront the challenges of managing everything and everyone.
Mar 31, 2021•5 min•Transcript available on Metacast Leadership coach Muriel Wilkins has shared her wisdom on our show multiple times. Now you can listen to and grow from it regularly through Muriel’s new podcast, Coaching Real Leaders. The show takes you inside real-life coaching sessions with executives who’ve hit a bump in the road. In this episode, Muriel speaks with a VP who’s been passed over for a promotion and needs help figuring out how to overcome the setback and get to where she wants to be.
Feb 01, 2021•40 min•Transcript available on Metacast We talk through questions from listeners seeking advice on the challenges they’re facing early in their career — from being excluded from meetings to how to be more assertive.
Dec 21, 2020•22 min•Transcript available on Metacast Coming back to work after parental leave, after having a baby during a pandemic, when you and your colleagues are still working remotely — is complicated. Our colleague describes how she’s approaching remote reentry, and we turn to an expert on all things career and motherhood for guidance on handling childcare, boundaries, and professional relationships during this transition.
Dec 14, 2020•41 min•Ep 11•Transcript available on Metacast After a team member of ours faced a serious medical problem, we recognized how little guidance there was for communicating a health crisis or chronic illness. We talk through common decisions, fears, and conversations.
Dec 07, 2020•31 min•Ep 10•Transcript available on Metacast As we wait for company leaders to make good on the anti-racism commitments they made earlier this year, we check in with four Black women about how their work lives have and haven’t changed. Then we talk with an expert who helps us understand how to keep pushing forward and supporting our Black colleagues while we wait for long-overdue change.
Nov 30, 2020•55 min•Ep 9•Transcript available on Metacast Sometimes you want to make a career change, like a big one. We hear from a woman who is in the process of navigating a bold transition. Then we talk with an expert about how to clarify your goals and ask for what you need to make your next move.
Nov 23, 2020•30 min•Ep 8•Transcript available on Metacast With the help of an expert in side gigs, Emily confronts the hobbies, projects, and pursuits that she’s neglected, in hopes of helping herself and others invest in interests outside of a full-time job.
Nov 16, 2020•36 min•Ep 7•Transcript available on Metacast We’re wiped out and finding it tough to stay focused, present, and optimistic. So we decided to revisit conversations that explore how and why we get worn out and that have advice for building ourselves back up.
Nov 09, 2020•58 min•Ep 6•Transcript available on Metacast Three women who’ve lost work because of the pandemic open up about how they’re processing what's happened and finding a way forward
Nov 02, 2020•25 min•Ep 5•Transcript available on Metacast