Meaningful Work

Ep 229. Diana Kapp: Girls Who Green the World

Ep 229. Diana Kapp: Girls Who Green the World

Diana Kapp is the author of Girls Who Run the World and now Girls Who Green the World; Thirty-Four Rebel Women Out To Save Our Planet. Stew and Diana discuss the biggest work/life issue we can imagine, climate change. Diana shares stories of inspiring women who, in the face of our rapidly failing natural environment, are taking action to make things better. These powerful narratives detail creative experiments abounding in our midst, and offer empowering ideas for how each and every one of us can do something good for our world…[Click for more]

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Ep 224. Kevin Hancock: A CEO Discovers His True Voice

Ep 224. Kevin Hancock: A CEO Discovers His True Voice

Kevin Hancock is the CEO of Hancock Lumber Company, one of the oldest and best-known family businesses in America and 8-time consecutive Best Places to Work in Maine, and author of The Seventh Power: One CEO’s Journey into the Business of Shared Leadership. Stew talks with Kevin about how the loss of his own voice due to a rare illness and his immersion in the culture and values of indigenous peoples radically revised leadership style…[Click for more]

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Ep 216. Jen Fisher: How to Work Better Together

Ep 216. Jen Fisher: How to Work Better Together

Jen Fisher is Deloitte’s chief well-being officer in the United States and the co-author of Work Better Together: How to Cultivate Strong Relationships to Maximize Well-Being and Boost Bottom Lines. Stew talks with Jen about relationships at work, how the pandemic as well as technology have had an impact on work connections and performance, and why it’s crucial to care for yourself if you’re going to succeed…[Click for more]

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Ep 191. Amina Gautier: A Writer's Work and Life

Ep 191. Amina Gautier: A Writer's Work and Life

Dr. Amina Gautier is an associate professor in the Master of Fine Arts program at the University of Miami and a graduate of Stanford University and the University of Pennsylvania. She’s published one hundred and twenty-nine short stories, including three award-winning short story collections -- Now We Will Be Happy, The Loss of All Lost Things, and At-Risk: Stories. Among her many honors, she’s been the recipient of writing awards, prizes, and fellowships. Stew and Amina talk about her creative process, especially the importance of managing boundaries…[Click for more]

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Ep 188. Carol Cone: Purpose Drives Performance

Ep 188. Carol Cone: Purpose Drives Performance

Carol Cone is the Founder and CEO of Carol Cone ON PURPOSE and author of Breakthrough NonProfit Branding. Stew and Carol talk about the history of incorporating social causes in corporate strategies…[Click for more]

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Ep 161. Tom Rath: Life's Great Question

Ep 161. Tom Rath: Life's Great Question

Tom Rath, #1 bestselling author of non-fiction books in history, has a new book, Life’s Great Question: Discover How You Contribute to the World. Stew and Tom discuss the importance — for one’s own health and well-being — of being focused helping others and contributing to the greater good…[Click for more]

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Ep 157. David Fajgenbaum: Turning Hope Into Action

Ep 157. David Fajgenbaum: Turning Hope Into Action

David Fajgenbaum is Assistant Professor of Medicine, Translational Medicine & Human Genetics at the University of Pennsylvania and the author of a memoir called Chasing My Cure: A Doctor’s Race to Turn Hope Into Action. Diagnosed with Castleman’s disease while in medical school, David has dedicated his life to discovering new treatments and cures for deadly disorders like Castleman disease. Stew and David explore what it takes to successfully confront the trials we each face in life with hope, perseverance, and the critical importance of social support…[Click for more]

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Ep 147. Monique Valcour: Sustainable Careers

Ep 147. Monique Valcour: Sustainable Careers

Monique Valcour is an executive coach with expertise in careers, work-life integration, human resource management, and practices that support well-being and performance in organizations. She holds a doctorate from Cornell University in Organizational Behavior and and a Masters in Education from Harvard University. Formerly, she was a Professor of Management at EDHEC Business School in Nice, France and also served on the faculty of the Carroll School of Management at Boston College. Stew and Monique talk about the importance of continual learning..[Click for more]

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Ep 126. Shawn Askinosie: Meaningful Work

Ep 126. Shawn Askinosie: Meaningful Work

Shawn Askinosie is CEO and Founder of Askinosie Chocolate as well as author of Meaningful Work: A Quest to Do Great Business, Find Your Calling, and Feed Your Soul. Askinosie Chocolate is a small batch, award-winning chocolate factory sourcing 100% of their beans directly from farmers in regions all over the world and sharing the profits with them. Its mission is to serve farmers, their neighborhoods, their customers, and each other by leaving the world a better place than they found it. The company has been named by Forbes as “One of the 25 Best Small Companies in America” and Shawn was also named by O, The Oprah Magazine, as “One of 15 Guys Who Are Saving the World.” Stew and Shawn discuss Shawn’s remarkable personal journey from being a phenomenally successful criminal lawyer, who never lost a case…[Click for more]

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Ep 123. Reem Kassis: An MBA Returns to Her Palestinian Roots

Ep 123. Reem Kassis: An MBA Returns to Her Palestinian Roots

Reem Kassis, a Wharton alum and former McKinsey consultant, is a Palestinian writer and her debut book, The Palestinian Table, was nominated for a James Beard award, short-listed for the Andre Simon Award and the Edward Stanford Award, and won The Guild of Food Writers First Book Award, received rave reviews from Anthony Bourdain and Michael Solomonov, and was named one of NPR’s best books of 2017. Reem is using the power of food and storytelling to share the Palestinian narrative with the world. Stew and Reem discuss the courage that it takes to step off the standard track and to realize the power of taking small steps…[Click for more]

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Ep 121. Julia King Pool: How Positive Psychology Helps Teachers Thrive

Ep 121. Julia King Pool: How Positive Psychology Helps Teachers Thrive

Julia King Pool is on the faculty, of the University of Pennsylvania’s Master of Applied Positive Psychology (MAPP) program and she is Founder and CEO of Burn-In Mindset. Julia worked in urban education for a decade. And she has received numerous awards including the Sue Lehmann Excellence in Teaching Award from Teach For America and 2013 DC Teacher of the Year. Stew and Julia discuss the extraordinary stress and strain experienced by teachers in K- 12 that too often results in exhaustion, and unnecessary, expensive turnover. They explore the ways in which positive psychology can help teachers to remain strong, healthy, resilient and engaged…[Click for more]

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Ep 120. Gretchen Spreitzer: Thriving at Work

Ep 120. Gretchen Spreitzer: Thriving at Work

Gretchen Spreitzer is the Keith E. and Valerie J. Alessi Professor of Business Administration at the Ross School of Business at the University of Michigan. Her research focuses on employee empowerment and leadership development, particularly within a context of organizational change and decline. Her recent research examines how organizations can enable thriving. Gretchen co-authored How to Be a Positive Leader: Small Actions, Big Impact with Jane Dutton. Stew and Gretchen discuss the ways in which we have more control and discretion than we believe we have in order to make small, meaningful changes in our work, no matter what work we do and no matter where we fall in an organizational hierarchy…[Click for more]

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Ep 112. Rebecca Henderson: Reimagining Capitalism

Ep 112. Rebecca Henderson: Reimagining Capitalism

Rebecca Henderson is the John and Natty McArthur University Professor at Harvard University, where she has a joint appointment at the Harvard Business School. Her research explores the degree to which the private sector can play a major role in building a more sustainable economy, focusing particularly on the relationships between organizational purpose and innovation and productivity in high performance organizations. She teaches Reimagining Capitalism: Business & the Big Problems at Harvard, a course that has grown from 28 students to over 300, and is under contract for a book tentatively titled “Reimagining Capitalism in a World on Fire.” Why is she hopeful…[Click for more]

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Ep 110. Phil Mirvis: Enrich Employees' Lives via Social Innovation

Ep 110. Phil Mirvis: Enrich Employees' Lives via Social Innovation

Phil Mirvis is Senior Research Fellow at both the Global Network on Corporate Citizenship and the Babson Social Innovation Lab. He has authored or edited twelve books, including the acclaimed study of the national mood, The Cynical Americans, and a study of corporate human resource investments, Building the Competitive Workforce. His latest work, with Brad Googins, is The New Business of Business: Innovation for a Better World. Stew and Phil talk about the increasing importance of social innovation in today’s workplace for energizing employees and boosting business results…[Click for more]

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Ep 107. Paul Rupert: Respectful Exits

Ep 107. Paul Rupert: Respectful Exits

Paul Rupert is the Founder and CEO of Rupert Organizational Design as well as CEO of the advocacy start-up Respectful Exits, a company promoting the rights of aging workers by improving retirement options including online guidance and training for all forms of flexible work, including Phased Retirement…[Click for more]

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Ep 106. Marc Freedman: The Power and Beauty of Intergenerational Connections

Ep 106. Marc Freedman: The Power and Beauty of Intergenerational Connections

Marc Freedman is the President and CEO of Encore.org; one of the nation’s leading experts on the longevity revolution; member of the Wall Street Journal’s “Experts” panel and the author of several books including Encore: Finding Work that Matters in the Second Half of Life and The Big Shift: Navigating the New Stage Beyond Midlife. Freedman co-founded, with AARP, Experience Corps to mobilize people over 50 to improve the school performance and prospects of low-income elementary school students; spearheaded the creation of the Encore Fellowships program, a one-year internship for grownups as well as the Purpose Prize (now run by AARP). Marc and Stew talk about his latest book, How to Live Forever: The Enduring Power of Connecting the Generations…[Click for more]

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Ep 99. Tom Gardner: For the Long Run

Ep 99. Tom Gardner: For the Long Run

Tom Gardner is CEO of The Motley Fool, twice ranked the #1 place to work by Glassdoor. Tom discusses the keys to success in investing as well as how The Motley Fool strives to help all its stakeholders feel cared for, in the long run, and achieve real autonomy so they can thrive…[Click for more]

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Ep 89. Amy Edmondson: Creating the Fearless Organization

Ep 89. Amy Edmondson: Creating the Fearless Organization

Amy Edmondson is the Novartis Professor of Leadership and Management at Harvard Business School. Her work on teaming, psychological safety, and leadership influences corporate and academic audiences around the world. In November Wiley will publish her latest book, which is called The Fearless Organization: Creating Psychological Safety in the Workplace For Learning, Innovation and Growth. Stew and Amy discuss how to increase psychological safety at work…[Click for more]

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Ep 86. Guy Spier: A Quest for Wealth, Wisdom, and Enlightenment

Ep 86. Guy Spier: A Quest for Wealth, Wisdom, and Enlightenment

Guy Spier is an investor based in Zurich and author of The Education of a Value Investor: My Transformative Quest for Wealth, Wisdom and Enlightenment. Guy and Stew talk about finding the courage to be honest at work and in one’s life, the real story of failures and achievements... [Click here for more]

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Ep 85. Morra Aarons-Mele: Hermit Entrepreneur

Ep 85. Morra Aarons-Mele: Hermit Entrepreneur

Morra Aarons-Mele is founder of the award-winning social impact agency Women Online and The Mission List, a social change influencer database. She has worked on the online campaigns of Hillary Clinton, President Obama and the UN and many others. She and Stew discuss her book, Hiding in the Bathroom, the narrow view of success in our society…[click for more]

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