367 episodes

"Work" is broken. We're overcommitted, underutilized, and out of whack. But it doesn't have to be this way. What Works is a podcast about rethinking work, business, and leadership as we navigate the 21st-century economy. When you're an entrepreneur, independent worker, or employee who doesn't want to lose yourself to the whims of late-stage capitalism, this show is for you. 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.

What Works Tara McMullin

    • Business
    • 4.8 • 26 Ratings

"Work" is broken. We're overcommitted, underutilized, and out of whack. But it doesn't have to be this way. What Works is a podcast about rethinking work, business, and leadership as we navigate the 21st-century economy. When you're an entrepreneur, independent worker, or employee who doesn't want to lose yourself to the whims of late-stage capitalism, this show is for you. 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.

    EP 466: Making Room for Others with Leonie Smith

    EP 466: Making Room for Others with Leonie Smith

    The Center for Nonviolent Communication describes what they teach as "empathy in action." And so it seems fitting to close out this series on Decoding Empathy with a look at nonviolence, Nonviolent Communication, and making social spaces at work & beyond that work for more people.
    I talked with Leonie Smith, founder of The Thoughtful Workplace, about how she uses the tools and practices of nonviolence to help individuals and teams feel more seen and understood.
    Footnotes:
    Find out more about Leonie Smith and The Thoughtful WorkplaceWatch the Ask Leonie video seriesThe Expulsion of the Other by Byung-Chul Han"Ahimsa" on WikipediaThe Center for Nonviolent Communication"The 'Magic' of Meeting in Person" by Devon PriceThe Notebooks of Simone Weil edited and translated by Arthur WillsRelated:
    My conversation with Mara Glatzel on the economics of "neediness"My conversation with Charlie Gilkey about implied rules and better team habitsCheck out the full Decoding Empathy series!Every episode of What Works is also released in essay form at whatworks.fyi!



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    • 32 min
    EP 465: Learning Empathy from Copywriters & Doppelgangers with Samantha Pollack

    EP 465: Learning Empathy from Copywriters & Doppelgangers with Samantha Pollack

    I have learned a lot about cognitive empathy by learning copywriting. After all, copywriting is a puzzle—the puzzle of figuring out what someone is thinking or feeling and how you can connect your idea to that thought or feeling.
    So, it seemed only fitting that I would invite a copywriter to this series on decoding empathy to share her process and give you a behind-the-scenes look at cognitive empathy in practical application. In this episode, I get real nerdy with Samantha Pollack, a positioning strategist and copywriter, and think about how the digital doppelgangers we create via our personal brands might help us get curious about who is behind others' digital doppelgangers.
    Footnotes:
    Find out more about Samantha Pollack and Cult of PersonalityDoppelganger by Naomi Klein"The Politics of Recognition" by Charles Taylor in MulticulturalismFind every essay and episode in the Decoding Empathy series.
    Every episode of What Works is also released in essay form at whatworks.fyi!


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    • 35 min
    EP 464: Decoding Accessibility with Erin Perkins

    EP 464: Decoding Accessibility with Erin Perkins

    Typically, the question of accessibility online is considered in technical terms: How does this website need to be designed? What ALT text is appropriate for this image? Are captions available for this video? And obviously, knowing the technical aspects of accessibility is important.
    But if accessibility stops at the technical requirements, we forget that there are people on the other side of those checklists and manuals. We forget that even the most rigorous checklist can’t account for everyone and their experiences. We forget to ask critical questions that seem obvious when it comes to a backstage pass but are readily dismissed when it comes to most other social spaces.
    In the 3rd episode of my 5-part series on Decoding Empathy, I talk with Erin Perkins, an accessibility educator and the founder of MabelyQ, and draw on the work of disability studies scholar Tanya Titchkosky to theorize the overlap between access and empathy—and what it means for you.
    Footnotes:
    Learn more about Erin Perkins and MabelyQThe Question of Access by Tanya TitchkoskyImpact of post-COVID symptoms on US adults via the CDCWC3's Web Accessibility Initiative tips for online content"Autism Spectrum Disorder diagnosis as biographical illumination" by Catherine Tan"Coming Out Disabled" by Tanya TitchkoskyEvery episode of What Works is also available in essay form at whatworks.fyi 
    What Works is funded by readers and listeners. To help support this work, upgrade to a premium subscription for just $7 per month.


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    • 31 min
    EP 463: A Brand is a Constellation with N. Chloé Nwangwu

    EP 463: A Brand is a Constellation with N. Chloé Nwangwu

    How do you get seen in a world that doesn't see you? How do you get recognized when so many systems are designed to keep you unrecognized? Those are the questions at the heart of today's episode. In the 2nd episode in my 5-part series on decoding empathy, I talk with behavioral scientist and brand strategist N. Chloé Nwangwu about how she helps underrecognized people "emerge from the margins" and get noticed.
    Footnotes:
    Find out more about Chloé Nwangwu and Nobi WorksSister Outsider: Essays and Speeches by Audre LordeThe Question of Access by Tanya Titchkosky"Why We Should Stop Saying Underrepresented" by Chloé Nwangwu on HBR"Racial attention deficit" by Sheen Levine, et al"Forget the ambition gap, it's the ‘ambition penalty’ that's really holding women back at work" by Stefanie O'Connell Rodriguez on GlamourSpeech by Angela Bassett Every episode of What Works is also available in essay form at whatworks.fyi 
    What Works is funded by readers and listeners. To help support this work, upgrade to a premium subscription for just $7 per month.


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    • 30 min
    EP 462: Decoding the Language of Empathy

    EP 462: Decoding the Language of Empathy

    Today, we peel back the layers of a term that's become ubiquitous in the business world and beyond: empathy.
    In this episode, empathy's origin story. Er, stories. We'll explore its philosophical roots deep in the 19th century, through my personal trials and errors with empathy, to some of the challenges we face in empathizing with people we have less in common with. Ultimately, I want to explore the ways empathy invites curiosity, leverages imagination, and recognizes our differences.
    This is the first in a 5-part series in which I'm decoding empathy. We'll talk brand strategy, non-violent communication, disability, and copywriting. And all throughout the series, we'll look for ways to recognize difference instead of assuming sameness.
    Footnotes:
    "Build Your Creative Confidence: Empathy Maps" via IDEOBewilderment by Richard Powers"Double empathy, explained" by Rachel Zamzow "On the Ontological Status of Autism: the 'double empathy' problem" by Damian Milton"Don't Mourn for Us" by Jim SinclairEmpathy: Philosophical and Psychological Perspectives by Amy Coplan and Peter GoldieWaiting for God by Simone WeilNot Mentioned:
    Anderson, Ellie , and David Peña-Guzmán. 2020. “Episode 07: What’s the Deal with Empathy?” Overthink Podcast. December 1, 2020. Ganczarek, J., Hünefeldt, T., & Olivetti Belardinelli, M. (2018). From "Einfühlung" to empathy: exploring the relationship between aesthetic and interpersonal experience. Cognitive processing, 19(2), 141–145. Every episode of What Works is also published in essay form at whatworks.fyi
    If you love deep dives like this series, please consider becoming a premium subscriber. You get access to my premium columns, quarterly live workshops, and discussion thread. Visit: whatworks.fyi/subscribe



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    • 34 min
    This is Not Advice: Process Entropy & Process Evolution

    This is Not Advice: Process Entropy & Process Evolution

    Are you waiting for a glorious day with your system, plan, or business just work? I hate to tell you this—but you will be waiting a long time.
    Plans, systems, and businesses evolve. Change isn't a bad thing—it's the only thing.
    In today's edition of This is Not Advice, I share how I recently coached Sean through a run-in with process entropy and process evolution.
    To get the full essay or episode, visit: https://www.whatworks.fyi/p/process-entropy-and-process-evolution


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    • 11 min

Customer Reviews

4.8 out of 5
26 Ratings

26 Ratings

mijustin ,

Incredibly compelling

Tara puts into words concepts, ideas, and critiques for the modern era of creative work.

Really well produced and written. Highly recommended!

Corinna-is-a-superstar ,

Brilliant!

I’ve been listening to What Works for years and never miss an episode. I love how the older episodes really dig into the nitty gritty of how business owners run their businesses, and equally love the thought-provoking deep questions Tara asks about business and work in the newer episodes. One of my absolute favourite podcasts

Michelle_Daniel ,

Brilliant!

An eye-opening, crazy smart podcast. It’s like philosophy for online business owners. I’m consistently impressed by the quality of Tara McMullin’s writing.

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