Brave New Workforce

Wow, there's a lot going on in the world today! Trip, Larry, and Anna are getting back to work as life begins to ramp up. Your lovely co-hosts have decided to take a short break while they figure out their next phase in the future of work. Until then, keep creating, keep improving, and keep embracing change. It's the only way forward! Key Takeaways * Anna, Trip, and Larry have been busy! * We're taking a summer break to get our ducks in the row. * Throughout this podcast we've talked about how there's better days ahead, well guess what, they're here! * Trip is working for a 135 year old company and they are ready to embrace this new digital world. If they can do it, you can do it too. * Big shout out to our interns AnaMichele and Brian! * Also the BIGGEST shout out to Albie, our editor at Podfly! * Your co-hosts will be coming back, but as life kicks back up, they want to take a step back to see what's on the forefront of what's next. * Without a commute, podcasts have dropped off slightly. What's next for the Brave New Workforce? Perhaps video format! * Getting comfortable speaking and being on camera are critical job skills in today's world. This podcast has helped all three of your co-hosts get better at it. * You gotta put yourself out there. Larry shares an example of what that can do for you and your career. * Trip brings it full circle. The Black Death. * Whatever change comes your way, embrace it. It's only going to get faster and faster. * People are still going to have to work, because of that, Larry, Trip, and Anna will still be talking about the future of work. * Thanks for listening and we'll be back! Resources Thebraveworkforce.com Bravenewcompanies.com Email Anna: Anna@Thebraveworkforce.com Follow Larry on Twitter: @Cornett Connect with Anna: Brainminerals.co & Annachromatic.com Quotes “People no longer have tolerance for the old gatekeepers and the old models. It's changing even faster than a lot of people have anticipated.” — Larry “Ideas to leave you with, keep growing, keep watching where the puck is going.” — Trip “People were talking about how this was going to kill the economy, it did for a little while, however so many people have used what was presented in front of them, grown from it, and shifted to a more online world.” — Anna

Would you like more leverage in your career and get more opportunities without having to knock on doors? The world is opening up and it’s apparent that when it comes to the future of work, country borders are going to be less and less relevant. With remote work, it means companies are looking for the best of the best, and they’re no longer forced to look in their own backyard or for a particular zip code. Anna talks about one of her favorite things with her two co-hosts Larry and Trip, and that’s personal brand. Learn how to structure yourself in a world that just got way more competitive. Key Takeaways Trip is three Red Bulls in and has “resting dad face.” We’re talking about your personal brand today and why it’s important for the future of work! Anna tries to explain what a personal brand is, but Trip has a face. The problem with the personal brand is that it’s such a buzzword. What IS IT really? How do you get started with your personal brand? Anna shares some quick tips. People often say you should start with “what you know,” but Trip believes what you know is boring! Anna disagrees. It depends on where you are in the personal brand journey. Are you new to this? Or are you a bit seasoned? What should you be writing about? What you know vs. what you care about? Let’s break this down. Trip started writing a “remote workforce” article, realized it was bigger than he could chew, and it ended up turning into a podcast. Larry loves to tweet thoughts out there and see what gets engagement, and then turn that into an article. Let’s talk about audience quality. You can talk about a wide range of topics, but make sure you’re tying them back to your core “content.” Women’s max career earning potential hits at 40. For men, it’s 45-50. If you’re in tech, those numbers are even more dire. Ouch! Future-proofing your career becomes way more urgent now than ever before. Don’t care about personal brand? Okay, we get it. But writing skills will still be more relevant than ever before! So many people are terrible at communicating over email. You’ll get an advantage if you can structure your thoughts in a consumable way. Trip reads a lot of cover letters and resumes, etc. Man, have a personality for once! So many people are just saying the same thing about why they’re different. Resources Thebraveworkforce.com (http://thebraveworkforce.com/) Bravenewcompanies.com (http://bravenewcompanies.com/) Email Anna: Anna@Thebraveworkforce.com (mailto:Anna@Thebraveworkforce.com) Follow Larry on Twitter: @Cornett (https://twitter.com/cornett) Connect with Anna: Brainminerals.co (http://brainminerals.co/) & Annachromatic.com (http://annachromatic.com/)

Larry, Trip, and Anna bring on two hot-seat guests to show a real-life example of how behavioral interviewing works. This is the second time they’ve run a hot-seat session. These interviews give insight into what companies are looking for when they’re conducting a behavioral interview on a candidate, and what some of these tough questions tend to look like as they interview new prospects for a role. Key Takeaways Let’s do some hot seats! Tom and Flora are our victims for today’s episode. Trip gives a bit of context to how these hot-seat sessions work, and why it’s important to perfect your interviewing skills. Flora shares her story and how she got into UX design. Flora shares her biggest failure. It can be frustrating as a young candidate because you’re often not invited to the “big table.” Trip understands both perspectives. If you are a UX designer, or whatever your position might be, it’s important to create relationships that go outside of your expertise or peer group. A little bit about Tom and his background. He’s looking to do a career shift. What did Tom do when he had a conflict with a peer? Trip debriefs and shares what both hot seat participants did well, and didn’t do well. Tell me about your proudest failure? Larry always recommends picking a few of your “hero” stories so that it’s easier to pull them up no matter what the interviewer asks. Rehearse your hero stories. The goal of a behavioral interview is to identify inconsistency or consistently negative traits. Sometimes you had a bad boss or a toxic employee, but the interview process is not the place to talk about it. No one wants the crusader that’s telling other people how they’re wrong. Resources Thebraveworkforce.com Bravenewcompanies.com Email Anna: Anna@Thebraveworkforce.com Follow Larry on Twitter: @Cornett

Larry, Trip, and Anna address a common problem they’re seeing in the hiring world: Candidates getting ghosted on for no rhyme or reason. Companies and recruiters might not realize how stressful and damaging it is for a candidate to have “everything go well” and then radio silence. If you’ve been ghosted on in the past, here’s why this is happening, and your co-hosts offer advice on how you can empower yourself and prevent it from happening in the future. Key Takeaways Have you ever been ghosted? Microsoft recently ghosted on a candidate. C’mon guys. You can do better. Ghosting can be so nefarious because it could mean you didn’t get the job, it could mean you did. One of Anna’s friends got the job after a month of radio silence. Candidates want specific feedback as to why they’re not a fit. However, the lawyers get involved and don’t want liability on their hands. What makes a good recruiter or hiring manager? Here’s how to get around the pesky system and the recruiter. You need to get creative and talk to a human. The worst thing that can happen to you is getting the job, and realizing you got scammed and the culture is toxic. Interview past employees. Get the real scoop on what it’s like to work at a company. Big companies are always looking for candidates, but the automatic system filters some of the best ones. Finding the right candidate is exactly like the dating experience. Companies are trying to be on their best behavior during the interview process, so if they’re behaving badly, that’s a bad sign. Don’t work there! Pick your dumpster fire. No company is perfect. Resources Thebraveworkforce.com (http://thebraveworkforce.com/) Bravenewcompanies.com (http://bravenewcompanies.com/) Email Anna: Anna@Thebraveworkforce.com (mailto:Anna@Thebraveworkforce.com) Follow Larry on Twitter: @Cornett (https://twitter.com/cornett)

Larry, Trip, and Anna are doing something new this week! They’re conducting their very first hot seat session with two brave candidates who are eager to understand what goes through a hiring manager’s mind and why they ask questions the way they do. At the end, your co-hosts explain some of the psychological reasons behind their questions, and they share how they also filter for bias. Key Takeaways Companies are employing some shady practices when it comes to hiring a new candidate. They use “psychology” but it’s not actually real psychology. The first candidate on the hot seat is Manisha. A little bit about her and what she does. Manisha shares a time where she had a conflict with a peer. Trip asks Manisha what she thinks Larry and Trip were looking for in that interaction. Meghana joins the hot seat and shares a little bit about herself. What is Meghana’s proudest professional failure? Meghana shares a time where she had to push back on a boss. Trip breaks down how he was trained to interview candidates. Larry shares why he looks for candidates with a growth mindset. Anna emphasizes the point that you need to get good at telling stories. People remember details to the story, not necessarily facts and figures. Manisha and Meghana share their experiences of being interviewed by other companies. Trip shares how he noticed bias during the hiring process and why it’s important to weed that out really quickly. Manisha got asked the question, “Tell me why we shouldn’t hire you.” Resources Thebraveworkforce.com (http://thebraveworkforce.com/) Bravenewcompanies.com (http://bravenewcompanies.com/) Email Anna: Anna@Thebraveworkforce.com (mailto:Anna@Thebraveworkforce.com) Follow Larry on Twitter: @Cornett (https://twitter.com/cornett)

Larry and Trip discuss their experiences working for corporate America when it came to getting the clearance they needed to speak on stage and why they had to be very, very careful about what they said, even after they’ve left the company. These companies are very powerful and you have to be careful because they have the resources to blackball you from the industry. It seems more and more companies are trying to stifle employees’ expression; even when it’s outside of the standard working hours. What can we do? Key Takeaways No supervision this week! Anna is out of the office! This week, we’re talking about breaking the law… People in tech want a union! Companies are penalizing the people for doing this. It’s a tricky balance. Larry shares what he learned from his media training when he was at Yahoo. Employees at Google want to do more public speaking but because of Google’s policies, they’re unable to do so. When Trip worked for Amazon, he had to get approval before he could do a talk. He shares how he was able to manage that. Companies are afraid employees will say something that they shouldn’t at one of these talks. There are so many benefits to having an employee talk on stage. At eBay, it was one of the best ways to attract new talent. You want to retain talent? Hiding them from the public eye is not going to get you there. Trip remembers a time where Microsoft just owned everything he did. When you’re a designer, you’re only as good as your portfolio. Every company wants to see a designer’s portfolio, yet these same companies also don't want their portfolio shared. It’s a catch-22. Google employees get fired for showing Google their own biases. Lawsuit incoming? The worst hacks happen when you get a disgruntled employee. There are laws in place to protect whistleblowers. Don’t forget that. Trip has personally experienced getting pushed out of a company for saying the unpopular thing. These companies are incredibly powerful. They can blackball you and make sure you never work again. You have to be so, so careful with what you talk about. Larry shares his thoughts about unions. Big companies might look sexy, but you might want to take a step back and think about what it might actually mean for you and your career. The opportunities are charging. People are getting offers from international companies. Trip is one of them! He started a new position and it’s international! He just got back from playing lacrosse with his son. He never could have done that at an onsite company. Why would you hire someone you don’t trust? For employees, go somewhere where you will grow. Resources Thebraveworkforce.com (http://thebraveworkforce.com/) Bravenewcompanies.com (http://bravenewcompanies.com/) Email Anna: Anna@Thebraveworkforce.com (mailto:Anna@Thebraveworkforce.com) Follow Larry on Twitter: @Cornett (https://twitter.com/cornett)

Desmond Chan is the Vice President of Product Management at Zumigo Inc, where he is responsible for building a frictionless experience for users who want a better way of securing their accounts and transactions. Payments are still a pain point for a lot of us in the digital age as well as keeping our identity safe. As our data keeps getting stolen by companies who may practice reckless security measures, Desmond shares what he’s doing to build a safer way we can pay and transact online in this week’s episode. Key Takeaways Larry has a fantastic radio voice happening this week. Wow! What’s happening in the world of deep fakes? Trip does a quick recap on what an NFT is. A little bit about Desmond and what he does for Zumigo! Why use social security when we can use your phone number instead? Larry wasn’t aware of how easy it is to get your phone hacked. Trip keeps getting calls from the Chinese embassy. Anna knows the struggle is real. She has a U.S. number and no institution will recognize it because she’s outside of the U.S. Receiving international payments is the biggest problem we have today. Anna is passionate about this. Receiving payments just doesn’t work in Costa Rica. What kind of challenges does Desmond face when it comes to working with different cell phone providers? We’ve all been hacked. Our information is part of the dark web. Desmond experienced a problem where he couldn’t turn off access within his payment system. It was a nightmare. For example, Venmo was very proud that users could publicly announce what they were spending money on. It was a default feature, but it seems very invasive to announce to the whole world you bought XYZ. You don’t have a lot of control over how other people are using your data. Resources Thebraveworkforce.com (http://thebraveworkforce.com/) Bravenewcompanies.com (http://bravenewcompanies.com/) Email Anna: Anna@Thebraveworkforce.com (mailto:Anna@Thebraveworkforce.com) Follow Larry on Twitter: @Cornett (https://twitter.com/cornett) Zumigo.com (https://zumigo.com/) Desmond on LinkedIn (LinkedIn) Special Guest: Desmond Chan.

Emon Motamedi is the Founder of Florian, a community of alumni helping new students pay for school without loans and provide them with personalized mentoring to help them get ahead in their careers. Florian does more than provide student-friendly funding for tuition, they have a network of experts rooting for their students. Emon explains a bit more about what Florian does and how they're different from other competitors in the space. Key Takeaways Why did Emon leave Reddit to start his company, Florian? Emon shares what Florian does and how it helps students pay for school without going into massive debt. Florian is different compared to other student loan providers because they are tied to the outcome of the student. How much future earnings does an alumnus pay to Florian investors? So many students end up graduating from university and they don’t even know how to interview for a job. Florian closes that gap by providing critical mentoring skills to help students succeed after school. How does Emon vet the students and know that they will work towards graduating with their intended degree they’re helping sponsor? If a student wants to get out of this agreement, how can they do that? What kinds of loans is Florian competing against in this space? These students have a head start to get into a great career and improve their career earnings for the long haul. As Larry’s a parent of college-aged students, he sees a direct need for this kind of service. The sky’s the limit on the types of career paths these students can choose from. Emon has a community of over 200 volunteers helping mentor students. As Florian continues to grow, Emon is really excited about the future of the career development arm within his company and finding unique ways to improve this process to better help the students. Resources Thebraveworkforce.com (http://thebraveworkforce.com/) Bravenewcompanies.com (http://bravenewcompanies.com/) Email Anna: Anna@Thebraveworkforce.com (mailto:Anna@Thebraveworkforce.com) Follow Larry on Twitter: @Cornett (https://twitter.com/cornett) Connect with Emon: Joinflorian.com (https://www.joinflorian.com/) & LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/in/emotamedi/)

Talk is cheap, creativity is cheap, and tech is cheap. So, when everything can be replicated, copied, and shared seamlessly throughout different platforms, what’s the true value of a product? There’s a new commodity coming onto the scene where it’s bringing the concept of scarcity back into the fold, and that’s NFTs. Anna, Larry, and Trip sit down to try to understand what the heck this new thing is all about. Key Takeaways Your co-hosts are now on video! What! Podcasting is such a hustle. It’s hard. There’s nothing that can’t be pirated these days. Doesn’t that put a lot of people out of work? With the rise of automation, what happens to the people when we reach a point where the economy will be just fine without a significant portion of the population working? People say the pandemic broke the old-school way of working. Technically no, we broke it first with the invention of the internet. What’s the deal with NFTs (Non-Fungible Token)? Blockchain has introduced the concept of scarcity in a digital world where anything can be copied and replicated for free. How are musicians making their money now? By touring and selling merch. On the NFT platform, an artist just made $4 million in sales in 9 minutes. Trip doesn’t get it. Why would you want to buy digital art? Here’s why companies should be scared. Artists don’t need a gatekeeper anymore. The famous entrepreneur Gary V is excited about NFTs. Here’s why. How do people behave in a digital world vs. the real world? VC firms are betting on the future of sports players. If they win, they get a percentage of their contract earnings. NFTs are an interesting space that all three co-hosts are interested to see where it goes. Resources Thebraveworkforce.com (http://thebraveworkforce.com/) Bravenewcompanies.com (http://bravenewcompanies.com/) Email Anna: Anna@Thebraveworkforce.com (mailto:Anna@Thebraveworkforce.com) Follow Larry on Twitter: @Cornett (https://twitter.com/cornett)

Wow. How is everyone feeling lately? Things just seem to be a bit more sluggish than they were a year ago. Your three special co-hosts discuss what’s going on and how we can step up and take better care of ourselves, our families, and even our team at work. Today’s topic is mental health and burnout! Key Takeaways Your co-hosts are distracted today! Trip takes over on Anna’s lead-in… It’s been a year since lockdown. It’s been a terrible year for all of us, and it’s getting long. How are you doing? Like really? Trip has been incredibly overworked and is struggling with insomnia. Anna is struggling with her mental health. It’s tough! She’s going crazy. The positive is that she is using her new-found madness to write more creative stuff. Larry says Anna isn’t alone. People are feeling worse than ever. Trip decided to show up slightly differently at work today. He wanted to focus on how everyone was really doing. How can people be healthier with all of this isolation going on? People are feeling isolated, so what they end up doing is throw more meetings on the calendar to try and feel more connected. It’s a bad cycle. How is Anna adapting as a solopreneur in isolation? Although Larry is leaning into social media, Trip has decided to stay away from social media. Nobody is our best selves right now. The entire society is having a terrible time. Trip understands we need to connect more as a team, but he doesn’t want to have “mandatory fun” at the office, either. The people you’d meet at the bar or while you’re doing your daily walk, these “acquaintances/strangers” are no longer there in your life, and people still need that familiarity. Women are leaving the workforce in droves. Why are women leaving the workforce? Work will take all of your time and never say sorry. Larry talks about the importance of asynchronous work. How do you prevent roadblocks from happening when you need to collaborate? People need to set better boundaries. Trip is putting his foot down with his team. No more invisible work! It was a different time back then. It was common/expected to take business calls when your wife was in the delivery room. Trip had to do it. We need to revisit how we do work because people are burning out. We’re having a crisis in innovation. We have nine followers on Twitter. Thanks to our nine moms! Follow us on there. Resources Thebraveworkforce.com (http://thebraveworkforce.com/) Bravenewcompanies.com (http://bravenewcompanies.com/) Email Anna: Anna@Thebraveworkforce.com (mailto:Anna@Thebraveworkforce.com) Follow Larry on Twitter: @Cornett (https://twitter.com/cornett)

Rebecca Weaver is the Founder & CEO of HRuprise, a new platform that connects people with HR coaches to help navigate their toughest workplace challenges. In this week’s episode, Rebecca shares what prevents HR from being an effective employee advocate, what’s contributing to the lack of trust in HR, and what does real disruption look like for the new world of HR and work. Key Takeaways What’s missing in the HR conversations? When there’s a problem, HR is not your friend. As someone in HR, Rebecca agreed. What do you do when you see someone being harassed? How can you be an ally without being thrown under the bus? Rebecca shares a little bit about what HRuprise is all about. There is a huge mistrust in HR. Seventy percent of employees don’t trust HR. We’ve gotten so mixed up in the role of HR. Anna left a company because she got sexually harassed and no one, especially HR, took her seriously. A lot of people feel burned by HR. It’s a huge conflict of interest to expect the same person to investigate descrimination and career development conversations. Fifty percent of women of color said they planned to leave the workforce in the next two years because of microaggressions that aren’t so “micro.” When it comes to professional development, companies are so eager to develop their executive leaders (mostly because it’s so expensive), but they do not do the same for their managers and other talent. There is a big lack of education and communication on how to escalate problems within an organization. Harassment increased when the pandemic happened. How come? Women and men get judged differently in their performance reviews, even when they’re both doing the same actions. This is even more so with women of color. Intent vs. impact of your words. Rebecca shares some examples of how this is different. It takes a lot of courage to tell someone you’re offended and it takes a really high EQ person to listen to that feedback and adjust accordingly. Anna says that it never made sense for her to speak out when people were being rude or offensive because she didn’t want it impacting her work. There are so many reasons to not speak up than there is to speak up. Need someone in your corner? HRUprise can help. Resources Thebraveworkforce.com (http://thebraveworkforce.com/) Bravenewcompanies.com (http://bravenewcompanies.com/) Email Anna: Anna@Thebraveworkforce.com (mailto:Anna@Thebraveworkforce.com) HRuprise.com (https://www.hruprise.com/) HRuprise on Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/hruprise/) Special Guest: Rebecca Weaver.

Dr. Julie Albright is a Sociologist specializing in digital culture and communications. Dr. Julie is currently a Lecturer in the departments of Applied Psychology and Engineering at USC, where she teaches Master’s-level courses on the Psychology of Interactive Technologies and Sustainable Infrastructure. Dr. Julie is also the author of Left to Their Own Devices, which discusses how the digital transformation is impacting our economy. Dr. Julie returns in this second episode to finish her discussion on AI and ethics, upskilling workers, and more. Key Takeaways If we want to reimagine the city, we have to reconnect with green spaces, the arts, and more. There are two camps when it comes to AI: How do we replace people? vs. How do we elevate and leverage these tools? There’s a lack of boundaries that’s happening right now. What is our ethical responsibility to upskill workers? You can’t throw money at the problem. You need to have purpose. Dr. Julie has seen rich kids who have everything be completely bored out of their minds with nothing to do. Are the high depression and anxiety rates related to the lack of purpose and connection our society has? Anna believes our youth under 30 have such a sense of hopelessness because nothing they’re doing is moving the needle. How would a new society look like if we were to begin to redesign it? Where are the new jobs headed? And how do we connect the dots for the people who are in job despair? Trip’s biggest frustration as a teacher was that we weren’t rethinking how we’re teaching. A huge portion of Millennials wants to be bloggers and YouTube and only about 3% is successfully making it. You’ll know when Larry’s made it because he’ll throw his phone into the ocean and never be on social media again. Dr. Julie is also in the process of writing a new book! Resources Thebraveworkforce.com (http://thebraveworkforce.com/) Bravenewcompanies.com (http://bravenewcompanies.com/) Email Anna: Anna@Thebraveworkforce.com (mailto:Anna@Thebraveworkforce.com) Drjuliealbright.com (http://www.drjuliealbright.com/) Left to Their Own Devices: How Digital Natives Are Reshaping the American Dream, by Julie M. Albright (https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07BD2N2P4/ref=dp-kindle-redirect?_encoding=UTF8&btkr=1)

Dr. Julie Albright is a Sociologist specializing in digital culture and communications. Dr. Julie is currently a Lecturer in the departments of Applied Psychology and Engineering at USC, where she teaches Master’s-level courses on the Psychology of Interactive Technologies and Sustainable Infrastructure. Dr. Julie is also the author of Left to Their Own Device, which discusses how the digital transformation is impacting our economy. This is part one out of a two-part series with Dr. Julie! Key Takeaways Students are experiencing high levels of anxiety and depression — the highest rates in 30 years. What’s going on? Our younger generation is unhooking from social structures like family, church, clubs, etc. They are now hyper-attached to digital technology. We are becoming untethered. The pandemic turned our use of technology into a “must-have” and this has accelerated the mental health decline. Anna is making new connections online but is having a hard time following up with them and strengthening these connections. People are going back to who they know because it’s tried and true. How do we create casual moments in a digital format that builds trust? We’ve got old monkey brains with new technology. Millennials are the most likely cohort to see themselves as a citizen of the world. 48% of Millennials are freelancing, which can cut them loose from physical workplaces. Technology is truly amazing. On TikTok, Dr. Julie has been introduced to an African man showing his tribe, what he eats, and his family. We are seeing an outflow of cites on a worldwide scale. It’s not just happening in the U.S. If we had to start all over, what would life be like? Technology is there to make our lives fun and helpful, but it’s not the whole picture. Stay tuned to next week’s episode with Dr. Julie! Resources Thebraveworkforce.com (http://thebraveworkforce.com/) Bravenewcompanies.com (http://bravenewcompanies.com/) Email Anna: Anna@Thebraveworkforce.com (mailto:Anna@Thebraveworkforce.com) Drjuliealbright.com (http://www.drjuliealbright.com/) Left to Their Own Devices: How Digital Natives Are Reshaping the American Dream, by Julie M. Albright (https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07BD2N2P4/ref=dp-kindle-redirect?_encoding=UTF8&btkr=1)

Terri Rodriguez-Hong is a Silicon Valley-based product designer and specializes in accessibility. Through her own learning challenges, it’s become Terri’s mission to provide more options for the way we learn/interact with everyday products. In this episode, Terri dives into how we need to be thinking about accessibility and what challenges people face when they’re physically disabled or when our brains are just wired a bit differently. Key Takeaways Larry’s missing in action. The audacity. We have his replacement though, Terri! How does Terri define “accessibility”? What is neurodiversity? People who are autistic, have ADHD, or even those with dyslexia are often ignored when it comes to how they interact with tech. Brains work differently and there are a lot of hidden disabilities out there. Terri struggled in a variety of ways when it came to learning new technologies. Schools are designed to teach in the middle, but what about the guys on either end of the spectrum? Terri shares her experience with people undermining her because of her different learning methods/techniques. As anybody that learns differently, you have to constantly educate those around you that you need extra resources/help. Anna discovered on a recent podcast show that there are people out there who don’t know how to take notes. Trip admits he doesn’t know how to take notes. Anna has questions. Trip believes there’s a psychological advantage to his dyslexia. It is estimated that around 15-20% of the population has dyslexia, but only 8-10% of those get help in school. Terri knows she’s not a strong writer, so she has used technology to help her adapt. Terri shares the types of resources she’s dependent on to make sure she can accurately get the job done. Terri shares some of her pandemic hacks. Due to Trip’s dyslexia, he has a hard time with passwords. We are not adapting our education to the individual’s unique learning style. Resources Thebraveworkforce.com (http://thebraveworkforce.com/) Bravenewcompanies.com (http://bravenewcompanies.com/) Email Anna: Anna@Thebraveworkforce.com (mailto:Anna@Thebraveworkforce.com) Terrirodriguezhong.com (https://www.terrirodriguezhong.com/) Special Guest: Terri Rodriguez-Hong.

Trip, Anna, and Larry are back with a “solo” episode to discuss what they're hopeful for in the new year and where they see this podcast going for 2021. People are excited and they want to move where they’re treated best. It’s no longer a pipedream, so how can you get ahead of the curve before places like Austin and Miami become the next Silicon Valley? Key Takeaways The positives of 2021! Larry shares why he’s hopeful. People are hopeful! They can relocate and it’s no longer a pipedream. Majors are smart and they’re opening their arms up to the possibilities of new transplants. What’s the “new” in the Brave New Workforce? Anna recaps what last year’s theme was. Okay, “what’s next”? Let’s think proactively. Shoutout to our amazing editor — Albie! Some of our January episodes have already been released. Go back and check them out! Your co-hosts are interested in getting some crypto guys on the podcast plus more future-of-education talks and other resources. Trip and his wife are struggling with online education. Who’s getting it right in our current environment? Larry weighs in. Everyone is moving to Austin, Texas. Are you in government? It’s time to step up fast or you’ll be outbid. Elon’s moving but what’s happening with The Boring Company? How will politicians and municipalities make their city the “no duh” choice when it comes to people who are ready to vote with their feet? “Must be nice to be a knowledge worker.” What about the blue collared guy? Relocation is in your cards too! The time is now to move quickly. Google employees have now formed a union. This is the first time this has happened in tech. When you hire people in different states, questions are being asked on unemployment and IP laws. No one knows exactly how this is all going to work. We are seeing a lot more empowerment of the employee. Is Larry going to be relocating to Florida? What’s so appealing about Miami right now? Why are you waiting till retirement to live the life that you want to live? Ask bigger questions for what you want out of your career, out of life, and out of your environment. Interested in being on the show? Let us know. Let’s talk. Resources Thebraveworkforce.com (http://thebraveworkforce.com/) Bravenewcompanies.com (http://bravenewcompanies.com/) Email Anna: Anna@Thebraveworkforce.com (mailto:Anna@Thebraveworkforce.com)

Jennifer Lachs is the Owner of Digital Nomad Girls, a platform she started over five years ago when there weren’t a lot of resources for women who were interested in traveling the world and making a location-independent living. Jenny shares an important lesson about happiness-chasing and how switching from your nine-to-five job for that exotic Bali destination doesn’t cure or fix you. When we are trying to strive for more, more, more, then the question remains, when will it end? Jenny has personally seen more digital nomads getting burned out than ever before. Don’t lose perspective on what’s truly important. Key Takeaways Trip finally has his standing desk set up! Success! Jennifer Lachs is today’s amazing guest! She is the owner of Digital Nomad Girls. A little bit about Jenny and how she got started on her nomadic journey. Five years ago, there wasn’t a lot of information out there about working remotely or living abroad. Making the leap into something new can be intimidating and we might overcomplicate things when the solutions are really quite simple. In 2020, the barriers have changed. The world has opened up. Jenny thinks it comes down to how risk-averse people are. Jenny jokes that making this leap into being a digital nomad was easy because she was always a broke college student. She didn’t expect to make a ton of money, she just wanted to survive and travel. In the very beginning, Jenny’s goal was just to make $1,000 a month so she could see more of Southeast Asia. People overestimate how much it actually costs to live abroad. Because of the pandemic, Jenny and her boyfriend have set up a home base in the UK, and WOW! Talk about expensive! Money doesn’t always make you free. Jenny shares what it’s like traveling with her partner of 10 years. Jenny sees some downfalls when you’re trying to start this digital lifestyle. Not happy with your nine-to-five? Becoming a nomad might not fix that underlying unhappiness. How is Jenny’s quality of life different now that she’s in the UK for the foreseeable future? Sometimes the best moments in life are accidental, not planned, and it causes you to re-think new outcomes. If you’re looking to leave a job or leave your old life behind, don’t run away from something; run towards something instead. What is the reality of a typical “digital nomad”? Don’t let Instagram fool you. Jenny became jaded at certain points in her travels where she was not excited to be in a new country or a new place. In the United States, there is a huge cultural pressure for achieving wealth, but is that true for other cultures? Jenny shares how her road to finding what makes her happy took a lot of experimentation. The message now is you need to make seven figures or eight figures in your online business. Since when has that been the goal? Working more and more is not the goal. It’s taking a step back and going, okay, what do I want? What are our values? What’s important? What have been the hardest things to adjust to as a digital nomad? How does a digital nomad make long-lasting friendships when they’re always on the go? Resources Thebraveworkforce.com (http://thebraveworkforce.com/) Bravenewcompanies.com (http://bravenewcompanies.com/) Email Anna: Anna@Thebraveworkforce.com (mailto:Anna@Thebraveworkforce.com) Digital Nomad Girls Facebook Community (https://www.facebook.com/groups/DigitalNomadGirls) Digitalnomadgirls.com (https://digitalnomadgirls.com/) Your Money or Your Life: 9 Steps to Transforming Your Relationship with Money and Achieving Financial Independence, by Vicki Robin and Joe Dominguez (https://yourmoneyoryourlife.com/book/)

Dr. Geci Karuri-Sebina is part of the SingularityU South Africa faculty and has a focus on urban futures, which includes smart cities, networks, urban planning, governance, and development, as well as innovation systems. She has a Master’s degree in Architecture, Urban Design, and Urban Planning as well as a Ph.D. in Planning and Innovation Studies. Dr. Geci shares with us the development of cities, where it’s all headed, and how we need to be thinking differently when it comes to urban planning and the environment that we live in. Key Takeaways A little bit about Dr. Geci and her background in urban futures and urban planning. Dr.Geci shares a bit of history on how cities are developed. Is it possible to interact in your city without producing pollution? When the electricity goes out, people can’t pump gas. The whole city collapses when there is no power. There must be a better way. Where is the future of city supply chain headed? Many of us are vulnerable in our cities without realizing it. Dr. Geci shares some of the challenges cities are facing when trying to tap into a solar-powered grid. The challenge is not in generating energy, the challenge is in storing the excess energy. Dr. Geci talks about the implementation of blockchain or other technologies and how it’ll impact our cities. Each country has a different economy or way of interacting/trading. Trip shares an example. In rural communities, banks will loan money to trusted members of the community or people who will vouch for a person. The payback rates were higher than any other method the bank was using prior. Dr. Geci shares how we’re not thinking “big enough” when it comes to blockchain. We’re still trying to put new technologies into broken and inefficient systems. We need to completely rethink the way we’ve been using these things. Dr. Geci knows there are good things coming out in the blockchain space, but still hasn’t seen it implemented on a large scale for the problems we currently have. As people are leaving cities and a lot of commercial spaces are sitting vacant, what will all of this turn into 10–15 years from now? Things are not looking good for a lot of people. There is an increase in crime because people are hungry. Dr. Geci shares examples of countries that are building their cities with intentionality. People love to plan their cities in a very textbook kind of way, but the reality of how we interact with a city is very different. Who are you planning for if a majority of the population doesn’t think this way? There isn’t always a clear-cut answer. It takes time to find the right balance. Cities that mimic other cities are missing out on a big opportunity to develop an environment that matches the culture’s context. Airports are the perfect example of this. Why does each airport look the same? In Dr. Geci’s line of work, where does she encounter the most resistance? Dr. Geci wants to encourage people to experiment. City planning is difficult and not one person has the answer to all of its complexities. It’s important to band together and experiment, try new things, and find what works in the culture’s context. Resources Thebraveworkforce.com (http://thebraveworkforce.com/) Bravenewcompanies.com (http://bravenewcompanies.com/) Email Anna: Anna@Thebraveworkforce.com (mailto:Anna@Thebraveworkforce.com) Dr. Geci Singularity Faculty Bio (https://su.org/about/faculty/geci-karuri-sebina/) Dr. Geci on LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/in/gecik/detail/recent-activity/posts/) Video: What investment opportunities lie in the cities of the future? (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cILZJwDPWgA&t=615s) Special Guest: Dr. Geci Karuri-Sebina.

Ryan Kuder is the Managing Director for Techstars Anywhere, an investment and innovation group that connects entrepreneurs, investors, corporations, and city governments to solve challenges across industries and geographies. Their 13-week virtual and in-person accelerator program opens six times a year and Ryan dives into how they embrace and collaborate with a distributed workforce in this week’s episode. Key Takeaways A little bit about Ryan and what he does at Techstars Techstars was ahead of the curve when it came to cultivating remote talent. You are missing out on opportunities if you only work in your backyard. A company needs to find what works best for itself. Sometimes that means having a remote team vs. an on-site team. When you no longer have to work in an office, the types of relationships we develop will be different, how we interact with our city will also be different. What types of startups does Ryan look for? There’s still a lot of value that comes from an in-person interaction, but we can leverage technology to do this without zoom fatigue. Ryan breaks down how their accelerator program works and how startups can build a work bond while being distributed. What kind of work/life trends is Ryan seeing currently? Has Ryan noticed a difference in the people who are thriving in this new world vs. those who aren’t? What types of characteristics does Ryan look for in their startup founders? There have been some concerns about how companies are coming in and changing the local culture. Ryan shares his thoughts. The global economy will change, but to what extent? We don’t know yet. Great entrepreneurs are able to embrace the unknown, read the environment, and adapt to it. How does Ryan avoid selection bias in his founders? What is Ryan’s follow-up process with the founders after the 13-week accelerator program has ended? Ryan’s advice: Understand your strengths, your weaknesses, and get really, really good at asking for help. Resources Thebraveworkforce.com (http://thebraveworkforce.com/) Bravenewcompanies.com (Bravenewcompanies.com) Email Anna: Anna@Thebraveworkforce.com (mailto:Anna@Thebraveworkforce.com) Techstars.com (https://www.techstars.com/) Ryan on LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/in/ryankuder/) Ryan on Twitter (https://twitter.com/ryankuder?lang=en) Special Guest: Ryan Kuder.

Amina Moreau is a powerhouse of productivity. She runs several businesses including a film production company, a storytelling consulting firm, a music licensing company, and most recently Radious, which is like an Airbnb specifically for office space. She is also an avid tennis player and competes in competitions regularly. Amina shares why office space needs to have a fresh look and how her company plans to address the problems modern business people are currently facing. Key Takeaways Trip is reporting from a closet. He’s in a new house and his standing desk hasn’t arrived. Amina loves storytelling, psychology, and ethical persuasion. Although storytelling follows you wherever you go, no matter the project, Amina is finding a new space to break into and that’s office space. What’s so exciting about office space? Airbnb is often a bit overkill for a couple of founders looking to cowork together. The shared office spaces right now don’t feel very safe. Radious takes a different approach to office space. Office space concepts are outdated and do not reflect the times we’re in. Long leases? Nah. Is Radious competing with Airbnb? And, how are they different from a coworking space? How does Amina maintain quality in their workstations and spaces with their hosts? Do hosts have the right to say no to certain businesses? Amina shares her vision for the future of work and what we can expect in the coming years ahead. Are you a student that would like to learn about audio production, digital media, and more? Email Anna. Resources Thebraveworkforce.com (http://thebraveworkforce.com/) Bravenewcompanies.com (http://bravenewcompanies.com/) Email Anna: Anna@Thebraveworkforce.com (mailto:Anna@Thebraveworkforce.com) Radious.pro (https://aminamoreau.com/) Amina on LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/in/amina-moreau-78142b72) Chris Herd on Twitter (https://twitter.com/chris_herd?ref_src=twsrc%5Egoogle%7Ctwcamp%5Eserp%7Ctwgr%5Eauthor) Special Guest: Amina Moreau.

In this episode, your three co-hosts share what they’re grateful for and what they’re hopeful for in the new year. They are also going to be taking a two-week break during this holiday season, but don’t worry! They already have some great guests lined up for the new year. Everything from a digital nomad to an urban planner to a new and improved way people can co-work together. Thank you for listening and please leave us a review if you like what you heard on today’s show. Key Takeaways What are Trip, Anna, and Larry grateful for this year? A vaccine is out! Things are looking pretty promising. Trip is excited to get back to the “normal” fear. Over 80% of people don’t want to go back to the way things were. Trip was able to have dinner with his wife and kids. This is something he could have never done before! Jerry Seinfeld talks a lot about creating longevity in your career. What do success in life and your career look like? How do you go about finding these answers? This pandemic has helped us refocus our priorities on relationships and the important people in our lives. Success is about freedom and owning your time. However, there is a balance. If you have too little money, you don’t have freedom. And if you have too much money, you become trapped and lose your freedom. How do you escape the rat race while still doing something meaningful with your life? Larry knows people who would love to teach a class or speak on stage, and their employers say, “NO.” Yes, you make good money, but how free are you? It doesn’t take as much money as you think it does to achieve comfort and freedom. Anna catches Trip texting during the podcast. Sneaky sneaky! When Anna started on this path to freedom 15 years ago, people thought she was crazy and the journey to achieve this vision was very lonely. 15 years ago, Trip was happy he didn’t have to wear a suit to his job in Silicon Valley. Larry and Trip both remember the “casual Friday” days where you could wear what you wanted on a Friday. The pandemic has brought people’s mortality into focus and it’s making people question what’s really making them happy. Trip made the decision a few years back when he was in a horrible job to “stop being afraid.” As we go into 2021, what makes you afraid? High-level: Stop Being Afraid. Stop pushing it off and stop waiting for permission. People love to live in the fantasy of “what could be” and it makes people feel safe. But, why stop there? Why not make it a reality? Keep putting one foot in front of the other. Resources Thebraveworkforce.com (http://thebraveworkforce.com/) Bravenewcompanies.com (http://bravenewcompanies.com/) Email Anna: Anna@Thebraveworkforce.com (mailto:Anna@Thebraveworkforce.com) Jerry Seinfeld on the Tim Ferriss Show (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yNTmFORn3xQ)

Chett Garcia is an Associate Partner at Arete Partners, an executive search firm for VP, Head of, & Director talent at VC-backed startups. Chett is different from most recruiters because he approaches candidates with a people-first mentality. He’s been in this remote role for over three years and shares some of the challenges that have been uplifted now that we are in a more open digital economy. Key Takeaways According to the Fed, the economy as we know it might be over. It’s time to find that new dream job in this economy. Chett went from being a math teacher to a remote employee three years ago. Why did Chett decide to move out of Philly? People have life happening intermixed with their day-to-day work. Pandemic work is not technically considered remote work. As a recruiter, how does Chett approach his job differently? What’s been the landscape so far in regards to what Chett’s clients are looking for in more senior executive roles? Larry has a feeling this is only going to allow clients to attract talent outside of the U.S. in an easier fashion. It’s a big leap for a lot of executives to uproot their family and move to a different state, making it even harder to fill top-tier positions. How does Chett mitigate the risks of finding talent that’s a good culture/relocation fit for his clients? Where is this landscape headed in the next five years? Work is going to be a lot more fun! Resources Thebraveworkforce.com (http://thebraveworkforce.com/) Bravenewcompanies.com (http://bravenewcompanies.com/) Email Anna: Anna@Thebraveworkforce.com (mailto:Anna@Thebraveworkforce.com) Chett on LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/in/chettgarcia/) The economy as we knew it might be over, Fed Chairman says (https://edition.cnn.com/2020/11/12/economy/economy-after-covid-powell/index.html) Special Guest: Chett Garcia.

The world is moving, and the locals aren’t happy about it. When Larry moved to rural California, he was met with hostility. Trip experienced the same thing when he was a volunteer on an Indian reserve. Connected communities don’t like outsiders and Anna has seen how easy it is to fall into a silo with your other “outsider buddies” and never even pick up the local language in a foreign country. Each community you enter into has its own cultural language and it’s important to do a little bit of groundwork and research to properly acclimate beforehand. Key Takeaways Looking beyond Zoom towns, how will the politics and culture change as more people go home or move to a cheaper state? Trip grew up in Washington, DC, and doesn’t remember differing opinions being so divided. People just seemed to respect each other a lot more back then. Larry grew up in a town of 1,200 people. Currently, Larry lives in a rural part of California that leans red on the political spectrum. However, he’s been warned not to drive into certain states with California plates because they’re hated. Every election cycle, someone wants to move to Canada. It’s actually pretty hard to do. Anna has seen people move to new countries without doing any research on the culture or the long-term residency requirements. Buying a new iPhone in Costa Rica is double the price than what you can get in the United States. Shipping things from Amazon into the country is expensive! Trip shares a story about Trader Joe’s vs. Pirate Joe’s in Canada. When Larry first moved to this part of California, there was not one friendly person to greet him because they knew he was an outsider. Trip encountered something similar when he worked on an Indian reservation. A lot of people are moving; the key is to understand the culture you’re about to enter into and understand the locals may be hostile. Some city folk end up calling 911 when they see a bear. That’s not how things are done outside of the city. Anna went to the United States, and because it’s so diverse, she had no idea who was a friend or foe if they were walking towards her after dark. She needed a culture buddy. Larry experienced the same thing in China. He had no clue what was a safe neighborhood or not. Anna believes we’ll still be seeing silos of the “outsider folk” in a community and they won’t make an effort to get to know the heart of the community they’re moving into. You need to make an active effort to integrate with the local scene because the locals aren’t always going to welcome you with open arms. Larry believes the distribution of people will still be good for us as a whole. However, there will be some growing pains. We’ve heard about “fly-over states,” but it’s going to be “fly-into states.” It’s so easy to compare how your old life was so much better than this new or smaller community you’re now a part of, but the locals will get tired of hearing it. Believe it or not, you can find common ground with people who perceive you to be a murderer. Anna explains. Resources Thebraveworkforce.com (http://thebraveworkforce.com/) Bravenewcompanies.com (http://bravenewcompanies.com/) Email Anna: Anna@Thebraveworkforce.com (mailto:Anna@Thebraveworkforce.com) Nonviolent Communication: A Language of Life: Life-Changing Tools for Healthy Relationships, by Marshall Rosenberg (https://www.amazon.com/Nonviolent-Communication-Language-Life-Changing-Relationships/dp/189200528X)

Sarah McIlwain is the Director of Product Design at Abstract, a design collaboration tool that has a 100% distributed team. Sarah shares her insights on how a leader can build trust and connection through a digital work model and how to minimize useless meetings, and she outlines her documentation process that helps get everyone on the team seen and heard. Key Takeaways Sarah recently took on a new role at Abstract, which has a 100% distributed team. How’s it going so far? The biggest obstacle you have to overcome, and this applies to both remote and physical models, is team culture and trust. Sarah uses her one-on-one meetings to build trust and connection. Many people often hate it, but small talk goes a long way in doing that. It’s difficult to be angry with someone with whom you are breaking bread. How does Sarah manage meetings? How much of Zoom fatigue is due to just people attending useless meetings? Digital face-to-face meetings are so precious, so use as many tools as possible to get the “useless” meetings off of your team’s plate. Trip shares how he turns what was discussed in meetings into applicable action steps. A lot of meeting tools have built-in features (like transcription services) that can save an assistant’s time. It’s time to reexamine your company’s processes and tools and see if they’re still serving you. In a remote model, you have to get good at documenting. You have to be really, really intentional with connecting with your team in a remote environment. We are wired to do this in person. Lack of trust means less innovation within your organization. Doing a hybrid model can be unfair to your remote team because they get left out in the day-to-day details. Sarah shares how Abstract was able to create equality no matter where their team was. How does Sarah take her documentation notes and turn them into action plans for the team? The future really is remote. Sarah is hiring right now! Resources Thebraveworkforce.com (http://thebraveworkforce.com/) Bravenewcompanies.com (http://bravenewcompanies.com/) Email Anna: Anna@Thebraveworkforce.com (mailto:Anna@Thebraveworkforce.com) Abstract.com (https://www.abstract.com/) Sarah on Abstract (https://www.abstract.com/author/sarah-mcilwain) Sarah on LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/in/sarahmcilwain/) Special Guest: Sarah McIlwain.

When it comes to what tools we should be using for our businesses, we’re having the wrong conversation. The tool is not necessarily the solution to the problem, it’s how you want the tool to act and work within your organization so that there is no confusion among your staff. What do you want your process to be when it comes to assigning new tasks, what meeting room to use, and other tools for collaboration? It’s important to take a step back and collaborate with your department heads to build out a tool playbook to get you going and to get you organized! Key Takeaways Anna and Larry wanted to talk about what type of meeting tools to use, but Trip has other plans… Anna and Larry briefly try to troubleshoot Zoom, but Trip reminds us why we aren’t talking about specific tools today. With so many tool options, there comes a lot of confusion on which tool to use and for who. Zoom is outschool. Zoom is clanky. ZOOM is not the future! Does this really need to be a meeting? Digital meetings have not stopped the root problem of useless meetings. Trip shares a painful meeting experience he used to have that wasted so much time. Does your company have a meeting process? Each tool has its own gaps. Everybody has their own preferences and the problem is that it’s not compatible. When your hosts were trying to create this podcast, they ran into the same problem too when trying to collaborate. “Where is that document again?” CFOs are banging their heads because the company is paying for this little tool here, this little tool there, and there’s no way to connect it all. We’re six months in; it’s time to get your tools organized. Larry recommends taking a step back and creating a playbook of how you want to operate. Get your department heads involved. Don’t let your tools become “legacy” knowledge that your new onboarded employee has to go digging in the trenches to find and understand. Optimizing your workforce requires innovation and it requires design thinking. Do people really need to be at the “all hands” meeting? Is it really required? Trip loves Whereby and Calendly. Why does Larry use both Whereby and Zoom? Do these products have a “moat” around them? What does Larry mean by this? Resources Thebraveworkforce.com (http://thebraveworkforce.com/) Bravenewcompanies.com (http://bravenewcompanies.com/) Email Anna: Anna@Thebraveworkforce.com (mailto:Anna@Thebraveworkforce.com) Whereby.com (https://whereby.com/) Calendly.com (https://calendly.com/)

We don’t want to start this podcast off on a “told you so,” but that’s kind of what happened. After releasing the podcast in July, a lot of things have happened in the world, and it turns out Larry, Trip, and Anna’s predictions were all correct. (Can your hosts see the future?) Your co-hosts give a quick update on what’s been going on in the world and how to fully embrace this new remote scene we’re all faced with. Key Takeaways Is this going to be the “I Told You So” podcast? We launched our podcast in July! Let’s give an update on what’s happened since then. Remember when people said we’d have a vaccine by the end of the year? Remember when people said we’d all be “back to normal” in a few months? There’s a mass exodus from expensive cities happening right now. Not to brag, but we were right. Trip left Seattle. Larry is thinking of leaving. It’s starting to get crowded in his neck of the woods. The Zoom towns are happening. Microsoft recently announced that if employees want to work remotely forever, they can! Want to relocate internationally? They can! Dropbox announced they’re going to be a virtual-first company. Companies are converting over. The biggest hold out right now is Google. They’re not sure what to do with all of this, yet. People were unhappy that they couldn’t go into the office in the very beginning. Now that everyone is used to it, they don’t want to go back! People, in the beginning, predicted sexual harassment would go up, verbal abuse from horrible bosses, etc, turns out nope! We were right here too. It’s dropped drastically. Small entrepreneurs are holding on by their fingernails to what this new world means. Trip has been helping in this space and it’s been satisfying to see the shift. Schools still haven’t figured this out. Kids will be kids. They will party. The vaccine might not even be the “final cure” we’re all looking for. This virus could mutate. It could be like the flu virus, but instead of getting a cold, it turns deadly. Are you really going to wait to restart your career on a 50/50 chance? What people find more stressful than anything is the unknown. It’s better to swallow the bitter pill and say “this is it” so you can adapt than keep waiting for it to get better. There are going to be high rates of alcoholism, depression, and anxiety coming out of this. What does the future look like for you? Reframe your mind to see the good even in really negative and awful situations. There are a lot of benefits to this that we haven’t fully embraced yet. Stop waiting for this to be over. Stop waiting for someone to rescue you. Embrace it. You’ll be happier. Resources Thebraveworkforce.com (http://thebraveworkforce.com/) Bravenewcompanies.com (http://bravenewcompanies.com/) Email Anna: Anna@Thebraveworkforce.com (mailto:Anna@Thebraveworkforce.com)

According to Trip, Ben Carvalho is the one that got away. When Ben was interested in a career switch within corporate, he ran into some issues with the way the corporate hierarchy was structured. In this week’s episode, he details his experience — everything from having to pay out-of-pocket to visit Amazon’s facilities in a different state to having to quit, wait a period of time, and reapply for the job he wanted. Key Takeaways Ben left Amazon to become a doctor and is currently in med school. A little bit about Ben and his interest in UX design. Ben’s hometown is more rural and agriculturally focused. There wasn’t a lot of opportunity for cognitive scientists there. However, Amazon came into town. Ben shares how he became a warehouse associate at Amazon, and then later an Operations Area Manager, where he managed close to 200 employees. It was a good job, but Ben did not graduate college to be a manager at a warehouse. Since Amazon is so large, Ben wanted to switch career fields within the company to pursue what he studied. He had an interest in user experience and looked for openings at Amazon. What is “user experience” and what does that entail? Larry explains. What do people at Amazon look for in a UX designer? Trip explains. Ben reached out to an Amazon hiring manager who loved the idea and wanted Ben to shadow the UX team in Seattle. How did Ben’s logistic managers take this news? Larry used to interview students in different parts of the world and his company would always pay for them to come. Seems strange Amazon wouldn’t want to do the same for an internal employee. Trip explains what ‘Frupid’ means. So much money gets spent on finding new talent, but why not dig into your own pool and cultivate the talent you already have (and who already understands your company culture)? Trip really liked Ben’s ambition and really pushed for Amazon to hire him, but due to bureaucracy, they couldn’t make it happen. What actually happened behind the scenes? Now Ben is going to medical school. How has his learning differed due to the pandemic? Switching careers takes a lot of courage and vision. The good news to a story like Ben’s is that your career journey doesn’t have to be so linear. All three of your co-hosts have gone through similar career transitions the way Ben has. Career switchers might get a bad rep for being indecisive, but that’s not true. They have diverse experience that they can incorporate into your segment that no one else has. Take risks on people that have an outside perspective and a different skill set; you will see value from it. Resources Thebraveworkforce.com (http://thebraveworkforce.com/) Bravenewcompanies.com (http://bravenewcompanies.com/) Email Anna: Anna@Thebraveworkforce.com (mailto:Anna@Thebraveworkforce.com) Ben on LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/in/bjcarva/) Special Guest: Benjamin Carvalho.

Tom Moran is the Chief Strategy Officer at Prodoscore, an organization that uses AI to measure thousands of daily activity points across business applications to gauge employee productivity. What makes Prodoscore different from other employee engagement tools is that it’s a non-invasive way to measure employee productivity and it creates transparency throughout the whole organization. Tom dives into the platform and how it can help the remote workforce. Key Takeaways A little bit about Tom and what he does for Prodoscore. Prodoscore doesn’t do keystroke logging or screenshots through webcam, which is quite invasive. How does Prodoscore measure the softer human skills like communication, emotional intelligence, etc? How productive are annual reviews? There will be some tough conversations when you are able to see the data, but that gives you a clear opening to improve. Does Prodoscore notice the difference between time put in vs. value put in? Managers want eight hours put in, but what we’re actually seeing is not people slacking off, but getting burned out. The overall insight has been that people have been working too much. Tom and his team have been careful using predictive analytics. He explains why. Are there privacy concerns with a program like Prodoscore? Do employees feel jaded when their company is “spying” on them? Employees like the gamification aspects of this data because they can compare themselves to others. Employees were also able to see what their manager was doing and it made the organization more transparent. If an employee is working hard, they want everyone to know it. Some families are struggling. They’re going to Taco Bell or McDonald’s just to use the free WIFI. Environment plays a huge role, too, in productivity. It can often be a fine balance between metrics, data, and hitting your objectives vs. customer service and spending time getting to know a customer. What interesting insights have come out of some of Prodoscore’s clients? Sexual harassment claims have collapsed globally for some organizations. One sexual harassment lawsuit could cost an organization $300,000. All that money is being saved. Wining and dining clients has also dropped, which companies are now saving on. They can now use this money to reinvest in technology. You want to encourage the right behavior. If you introduce technology that makes people feel uncomfortable, what does that really accomplish? How is Prodoscore working against/being aware of bias? Resources Thebraveworkforce.com (http://thebraveworkforce.com/) Bravenewcompanies.com (http://bravenewcompanies.com/) Email Anna: Anna@Thebraveworkforce.com (mailto:Anna@Thebraveworkforce.com) Prodoscore.com (https://www.prodoscore.com/) Email Tom: Tom@Prodoscore.com (mailto:Tom@Prodoscore.com) Special Guest: Thomas M. Moran.

People are fleeing the city in droves and it’s driving real estate prices in these small quaint and quiet towns up by at least 24%. The infrastructure just isn’t there for such an influx of people. Larry, Anna, and Trip discuss what the future may hold for these small pieces of paradise as more “city folk” start to crowd it up. Key Takeaways Trip’s trip across the country has been a challenging one, but at least his fashion sense is on point! There’s been an increase in “Zoom towns.” What are they? A lot of people are fleeing the cities and moving into these “vacation” destinations. However, these small and quaint towns aren’t set up correctly for the large influx of people. The real estate is going bananas in these towns. There are estimates that the markets are up between 24% to 54% depending on the area. Larry is witnessing it happening in his area. What happens if everything goes back to normal? Will these people even be able to return to the city? How are companies going to manage this if things return to normal? Will they just fire everyone who doesn’t want to come back? Companies are going to have to go where the talent is going and where the talent demands where they want to live. Larry tried to do this back in ’91 but the internet just wasn’t there. Imagine now? There are so many possibilities. The inner cities are starting to collapse. Trip is having a hard time finding a house to buy because they’re getting taken off the market so fast. There’s a whole world out there that still wants to work for the next 20–30 years but can’t because they do not have the tech education/background. Before you commit to your desired vacation spot or “Zoom town,” there’s a big difference between vacationing here vs. living somewhere. People want to retire on a beach in a foreign country, but sometimes people forget that there are cultural differences everyone but you understands and you can become jaded real fast. Anna shares upcoming episodes the Brave New Workforce has lined up! Resources Thebraveworkforce.com (http://thebraveworkforce.com/) Bravenewcompanies.com (http://bravenewcompanies.com/) Email Anna: Anna@Thebraveworkforce.com (mailto:Anna@Thebraveworkforce.com) American Factory (https://www.netflix.com/cr-en/title/81090071)

Trip is in the middle of leaving Seattle to move on to greener pastures. He and his family originally moved out to Seattle for his career, but now that his career is remote, why stay? Trip and his wife made a conscious choice to move to Pennsylvania to be closer to family. He’s eating his own dog food. Anna, Larry, and Trip talk about why now is the best time than any to make the leap. Key Takeaways Trip is currently traveling through Montana! He’s leaving Seattle for good. Let’s back up, why is Trip moving? The pandemic made Trip and his wife realize that they’re really far away from family. Trip’s kids want to know where they come from. It was tough for a while because they couldn’t go anywhere and they were trapped in the house. It would be easier with family around. Economic opportunity moved to the cities, but there’s a lot of room for growth in the Midwest, where you will literally not see anybody for miles. Larry has seen farms and businesses die out when he was in Nebraska. You don’t have to live in a place where you don’t want to be. How low could your cost of living really be while also increasing your quality of life? Trip is driving through parts of the country and he sees so many people with boats in the driveways. These people have time for amazing hobbies! Your quality of life can drastically improve outside of the city. One of the best ways we can increase diversity and inclusion is through traveling the world. You can find so many similarities in people that don’t look like you. Seattle is one of the most bigoted places Trip has ever been to. He explains what he means by that. Google recently came out saying that they plan to replace college. You can take certification courses now for six months. When Larry went to college, it changed him. He was exposed to a new set of cultures and values for the very first time. Larry grew up in a town of 1,000 people and those types of towns have been dying. Remote work allows for people to have more economic opportunity throughout the world. Tech money came into Silicon Valley and it pushed a lot of working folk out. What would happen if we saw a distributed virtual working model throughout the world? Larry, Anna, and Trip offer their final takeaways. What does “great” look like to you? Resources Thebraveworkforce.com (http://thebraveworkforce.com/) Bravenewcompanies.com (http://bravenewcompanies.com/) Email Anna: Anna@Thebraveworkforce.com (mailto:Anna@Thebraveworkforce.com) American Nations Book by Colin Woodard (https://www.amazon.com/American-Nations-History-Regional-Cultures/dp/0143122029)

AnaMichele Morejon is one of The Brave New Workforce’s apprentices this summer and boy, has she learned a lot. AnaMichele is in her second year of college, but this was the first time she was given complete autonomy and ownership over the tasks she was doing with the team. And boy, has Trip’s mentoring and guidance created a monster. We find out what AnaMichele learned about working remotely! Key Takeaways AnaMichele, one of our Brave New Apprentices, joins the show to share her experiences with working remotely this summer. AnaMichele is in university currently and she is a film and TV production and theology double major with a minor in studio arts. What did AnaMichele learn this summer about working remotely? AnaMichele was happy she could focus on learning the things she wanted to learn and the Brave New Workforce was more than happy to work with her on it. Any good manager listens to their people and helps them achieve tasks they want to do. Trip has created a monster! AnaMichele’s ownership and attention to detail really excelled throughout this internship when she felt comfortable about the quality of work she was producing. AnaMichele works when she’s most productive, which happens to be very late at night. What does her family think about this? AnaMichele is excited for the future, especially now that she knows she can work remotely. Resources Thebraveworkforce.com (http://thebraveworkforce.com/) Bravenewcompanies.com (http://bravenewcompanies.com/) Email Anna: Anna@Thebraveworkforce.com (mailto:Anna@Thebraveworkforce.com) Anamichele.com (http://www.anamichele.com/) AnaMichele on LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/in/anamichele/) Behance.net/anamichele (https://www.behance.net/anamichele)

How do we find people to guide us along our careers when we’re now so dispersed all over the world? Should we go for a mentor, a coach, an advisor, or even a sponsor? What’s the difference between these four things? It’s so easy to fall into these “entrepreneurial-get-rich-quick” schemes that just seem spammy and too good to be true. The truth is, the best networks are often closed-doors and heavily guarded. So, how can an outsider break through and level up their network? Trip, Anna, and Larry discuss in this week’s episode! Key Takeaways Let’s talk about mentorship today! The word ‘mentorship’ can get a bit fuzzy. Trip defines what mentorship means to him. What’s the difference between mentorship vs. coaching vs. an advisor vs. sponsorship? Anna breaks down each of these key areas. Larry has always been seen as a father figure in a lot of the places he’s worked at because he will give advice that might not be in the best interest of the company. Do men and women network differently? Anna shares some of her thoughts. The women Trip has coached, he has had to help them redefine using “helper” language vs. “leadership” language. For women, it’s very easy to join women-only groups, but there are downsides to this. Anna shares why you need to network with everyone. The biggest mistake people make is that they tend to form a network that they’re comfortable with. A lot of people don’t feel comfortable reaching out to super senior people or people who are very advanced in their careers. Anna suggests writing down a list of strengths and achievements that you’ve done in your field so that when you approach these “superstars,” you see them as peers from a different industry. How do you find a mentor and how do you do it the right way? Want to build a connection that’s “out of your reach”? Put in the work. Read their materials and have something intelligent to say about it. Larry hates when people try to use Larry as a middle man to jump into more of his “big fish” networks. Larry isn’t going to recommend a stranger to his trusted networks. How can people find these “closed-door” networks of people? Uplevel your network. It’s the key to your success and to get that career advancement that you want. Anna struggled a lot to find these “closed-door” networks. However, she was proactive in making connections from afar. Things really changed for her a year-and-a-half ago when she read, How to Be a Power Connector. Resources Thebraveworkforce.com (http://thebraveworkforce.com/) Bravenewcompanies.com (http://bravenewcompanies.com/) Email Anna: Anna@Thebraveworkforce.com (mailto:Anna@Thebraveworkforce.com) How to Be a Power Connector: The 5+50+100 Rule for Turning Your Business Network Into Profits, by Judy Robinett (https://www.amazon.com/How-Be-Power-Connector-Business-ebook/dp/B00JZZRVD0#:~:text=In%20How%20to%20Be%20a,you%20from%20meeting%20your%20goals.) Lunchclub.ai (https://lunchclub.ai/)

Christopher Lafayette is an Emergent Technologist and a Thought Leader in Ecobiotic Diversity and Inclusion. He is an international speaker and the Founder of Black Technology Mentorship Program, a mentor/mentee program that brings underserved black communities into technology. Why do companies struggle to bring a diverse set of perspectives into their rooms? The truth is, 1. They don’t know where to find these people and 2. People end up leaving because they don’t feel like they fit in. Christopher shares how mentorship can change that. Key Takeaways How do you create on-ramps for people of color in tech? How did Christopher get into this line of work? When we think of ecosystems in a tech setting, we think of hardware and software. However, this is false. Ecosystems are people. If you ask five diversity and inclusion experts on the definition of diversity, you’re going to get five different answers. The conversation about diversity has started off wrong. What’s more important? The color of your skin or the culture? In the U.S., African American culture has been driving culture for decades in trends. A lot of people leave rooms because no one looks like them. However, this ends up being a vicious cycle. What’s the solution? Christopher has been in many rooms where he was the only black man in it. That didn’t stop him from being there. Trip shares his experience teaching on a Native American reserve and how you qualify as a Native American. People leave rooms because they don’t feel comfortable knowing no one has a similar background/values to them. Mentorship programs like Christopher’s show that you can have your differences and still be accepted. Based on the color of your skin, there is a certain expectation on what you like, how you should talk, act, and be. The feedback Christopher is getting from his mentors in the program is that they’ve wanted to meet more people who have a different background from them, but they have had trouble finding them. How do we remove our biases to stick to our own kind? The good news, you can teach and train yourself to identify bias and not let that set you back. When you’re able to be free from what other people think of you or expect of you because of your skin color, there is a liberty to that. Christopher doesn’t want handouts from Silicon Valley; in fact, he’s extending his hand out to help it. If we don’t embrace our differences in our culture, on a global scale, we have a real threat on our hands. What is the Black Technology Mentorship Program about? Interested in being a mentor? The commitment is one hour a YEAR! Resources Thebraveworkforce.com Bravenewcompanies.com Email Anna: Anna@Thebraveworkforce.com Christopherlafayette.com Christopher on LinkedIn Special Guest: Christopher Lafayette.

In this third installment of navigating a remote education, code name “Beth” joins us to discuss what it’s like being a teacher during the pandemic. She is currently teaching virtually and she and her peers are struggling. The U.S. wants teachers to go back to school, but this is a terrible idea. Beth doesn’t want to risk her life, but there is a stigma happening that it’s because she and her peers are ‘lazy.’ That’s far from the truth. Beth shares her thoughts on what’s happening and some of the problems that are occurring. Key Takeaways * Keeping schools closed is the right call. So, why is no one listening? * We have teacher “Beth” on the show to discuss her thoughts about what the school system is doing. * Why did Beth become a teacher? * When schools tried to do online learning, they were surprised to find many children did not have the internet or even computers to study on. * There were security concerns in the beginning for Beth’s school. Schools just did not know how to best manage this stuff. * No one brought in an outside consultant to help them set this stuff up securely! * It is not required for students to have their cameras and mics on and it made it impossible for Beth to teach and keep children engaged. * Anna was schooled in a digital age. How did she manage? The difference here was Anna had one-on-one teaching and she couldn’t slack off. * Beth has roughly 34 students in her class. * Anna always chose the classes she wanted to learn, so she always wanted to be there and attend. * For Larry’s kids, they don’t need to be read to or babysat. One of their teachers said he trusts they’re doing the work, and will also test them every week to verify this. * Beth had office hour classes, but it ended up turning into a big joke. * What happens if your kid doesn’t learn or doesn’t want chemistry? The key here is it’s important to teach your children how to learn. * Teachers are afraid to go back to school because they’re in a high-risk demographic. * Israel was at 100 cases a day. They thought they had it under control and opened up the schools. Within a week, everything was shut down again because kids, teachers, and parents all got sick. * Beth never thought she’d be afraid for her life, even when she taught inner city. This pandemic has changed that. * Regulations have stifled teachers where they are unable to teach outside of schools/classrooms. Larry never thought there would be ‘black market’ teaching. * The lightbulb is coming on. You can work from anywhere in the world. * The kids will be safe? They still have to come home to their parents. * The reality for most parents is they cannot leave their children at home. Both parents are working or even single parents are working. There need to be alternatives. * Teachers should not be a replacement for parent, counselor, nurse, etc. * Children raised in the ’80s know what it’s like being latchkey kids who had both parents working. They survived. * Remote schooling = more child abuse? * It takes at least 5-plus years to become a decent teacher. Resources Thebraveworkforce.com Bravenewcompanies.com Email Anna: Anna@Thebraveworkforce.com Quotes “It’s really hard to get teenagers to show up for stuff that they don’t have to be at.” — Beth “A lot of the education system, in my opinion, is throwing courses at kids that they don’t really need, they don’t want to learn.” — Beth “People think we don’t want to go back because we’re lazy. The public is now against the teachers. We’re worried for our safety!” — Beth “If you don’t have childcare, you could always know that, if you have a school-aged child, they’d be taken care of.” — Beth Special Guest: "Beth".

Rob Noble is the Founder of Group of Humans, a collective peer network that collaborates on solving complex problems in a variety of different industries. The motto for the Group of Humans is Waste Not, which means using the least amount of human hours and resources to bring the biggest amount of impact. Rob shares how his humans are able to collaborate, brainstorm, and work from all over the world in a wide variety of different time zones in a seamless and pain-free way. Key Takeaways Anna is sitting on a beach in Costa Rica as she conducts this interview. The perks of remote work! Trip introduces today’s guest, Rob! Rob’s motto is ‘Waste Not’ and he had a vision for his company about building a distributed community of the world’s best creative talent a little over two years ago. What does it really mean to ‘waste not’? You can transition into a work model where you can work with people you actually want to work with, instead of who you’re forced to work with because of ‘availability.’ Group of Humans has no employees; they are a community that picks and chooses how to work on a project and not be wasteful of other people’s time. How does Rob select the types of people to join the community and collaborate with? How does Rob empower his humans to make decisions and collaborate on a project? Rob shares some best practices they use to keep everyone on the same page despite being located all over the world. At first, Rob did not enjoy remote work and missed the office, but he soon saw the benefits like being able to see the youngest of his children walk for the first time. He missed that with his older children by not being home. Clients are surprised by how fast the humans are able to turn work around in a distributed environment. If you’re having resistance towards remote work from the client, Rob explains why it all comes down to educating the buyer. How do you set the expectations that you’re not going to be available 24/7 on these real-time communication tools like Slack? Rob shares how his humans manage time zone challenges. What resources did Rob lean on to develop this company and build this unique culture? Resources Thebraveworkforce.com (http://thebraveworkforce.com/) Bravenewcompanies.com (http://bravenewcompanies.com/) Email Anna: Anna@Thebraveworkforce.com (mailto:Anna@Thebraveworkforce.com) Groupofhumans.com (https://www.groupofhumans.com/) Caregiven.co.uk (http://www.caregiven.co.uk/) Special Guest: Rob Noble.

Our co-hosts continue their discussion about education in this second installment in the series. If you missed the first episode about education, please check out “School’s Out Forever: How Will Parents Navigate the School Year Ahead?” Today, Trip, Anna, and Larry interview one of their Brave New Apprentices, Brian Doolan, who has been working with them on podcast production, guest scheduling, and more during the summer. Brian is currently pursuing a degree in Digital Media at the University of Maryland and this is his first hands-on experience in his targeted career field. Key Takeaways Let’s talk about education. The wheels are going to come off. Larry’s got the Ph.D., what does he think about all of this? In the last four years, the cost of education has gone up 1400%. Right now with the pandemic going on, most universities cannot weather this sort of disruption. Is it worth going six figures into debt to get an education? Brian Doolan is one of our Brave New Apprentices this summer. Who is he? Brian had never produced a podcast before. Getting this real hands-on experience has been invaluable. What has Brian’s experience been like so far working with Brave New Companies and on the podcast? Larry understands the remote model works for some things in education, but not with everything. For example, what are students to do if they don’t have access to a lab to conduct experiments? Some teachers are not fully prepared to go remote and this has impacted the students. The biggest things missing right now are the social aspects of school. Larry and Trip have known each other for years and communicate on a daily basis, but they’ve only met a total of two times. Larry’s children are college-age now and he’s really questioning the cost. Larry just got a bill today. He’s being charged for campus services his daughter can’t even use! Why is college so expensive? Larry was the first person to go to college in his family. Why learn a bunch of things (at the high school level) when you know you’re never going to use it in your professional field? Do we really need a ‘foundation’ in order for us to function as individuals? Especially when the world moves so rapidly? It’s more important now than ever to learn how to learn, to learn how to teach yourself. The purpose of education is to inform how you think and how you solve problems. It’s incredibly dangerous to open schools right now. University professors are in the high-risk categories. Brian shares the takeaways he’s learned so far. Changing the traditional education model makes it more accessible to more people. Education can be fun. In a remote world, you can pick and choose teachers that you connect with and feel inspired by. Resources Thebraveworkforce.com (http://thebraveworkforce.com/) Bravenewcompanies.com (http://bravenewcompanies.com/) Email Anna: Anna@Thebraveworkforce.com (mailto:Anna@Thebraveworkforce.com) SCOTT GALLOWAY: “Top US colleges’ insistence on keeping tuition costs high and offering fall classes in-person shows that they care only about money, not the public good (https://www.businessinsider.com/scott-galloway-colleges-open-fall-care-about-money-not-students-2020-5)” Scott Galloway on Anderson Cooper 360.

We have a listener question! What can executives do to better support their people while they work from home? Distractions, children at home, house chores; it’s a lot to handle. Anna, Trip, and Larry offer suggestions on how to best navigate this and get your best work done. Do you have a question for your co-hosts? Shoot us an email. We would love to hear from you! Key Takeaways Thank you so much for your feedback and listening! Please leave a review on iTunes. It helps out the show! Trip plays an audio clip from a listener on his fancy-pants audio equipment rig. Lance asks: As an executive, how do you help make the remote transition easier on your team? There is a very real sense of isolation happening, plus you get a lot of distractions happening as work and life get mixed. Apple was the first and very last time Larry had an office. What is distraction, really? If you’re not a morning person, don’t get up at 6 a.m. You don’t have to do that. Figure out when you’re most productive. Realistically, people only get in about 20 hours of work in the office. This is why people feel incredibly tired right now because they’re working double their ‘standard’ capacity. You can give a task everything that it can possibly take, and it can want more. Pomodoro technique has worked wonders for productivity, especially when you know certain tasks are time pits. You have to educate your children on what a true emergency is. How can parents work with their children at home, but also at the same time not ignore them all day? Your co-hosts share tips on how to best manage distractions at home. Don’t worry about the timesheet, worry about the quality of work/productivity being done. Communicate with your meeting participants that you might have your kids here in the background. People are usually very understanding! You can create visible schedules for your entire household so everybody knows who’s going to be on a call or free to chat. As an executive or manager, this is not a solo effort. Talk to your teammates. Share these tips with them! This remote stuff is cheaper, but it’s not free. The money companies are saving from office locations can be reallocated into their remote team. This includes childcare and other creative solutions. These small investments can help a lot for your staff that’s struggling. Find custom ways to support them. This pandemic is far from over. Culture change requires intentionality. What can people do if they’re living in a small space or don’t have a car? Send us more audio messages! We’d love to hear your voice. Or keep the reviews coming, we’re excited to talk about important subjects that are on your mind. Seriously, reach out. We want to help people succeed with this. Lance shares his thoughts about the first Brave New Workforce episode: Viva La Revolution. Resources Thebraveworkforce.com (http://thebraveworkforce.com/) Bravenewcompanies.com (http://bravenewcompanies.com/) Email Anna: Anna@Thebraveworkforce.com (mailto:Anna@Thebraveworkforce.com) Connect with Lance: Inkslingers.travel (http://inkslingers.travel/) Special Guest: Lance Harrell M.S..

In the U.S., they want children under the age of 18 back in schools. Teachers think this is a bad idea. Universities even think this is a bad idea. If more people are remote and these physical school locations close down for good, how will parents go back to work while their kids are at home? How will 40% of school-age children, who depend on school food, get fed? We’re looking at a huge disruption happening with our education system and the impacts are going to be multigenerational. Key Takeaways Teachers will be coming back in the fall… or will they? Alice Cooper wanted to burn the whole building down. Trip is passionate about the subject. Teachers are coming back? It’s going to be a disaster. We’re not prepared for it. What’s the ROI on education, really? There are predictions happening that due to the remote model, a ton of middle to lower-end schools are going to be out of business. On Larry’s end, universities are making a call to not have his kids come back. It’s going to be all virtual for the fall semester. Why are people talking about bringing K-12 back when universities are saying it’s not safe? School is the worst childcare you can possibly imagine. We look at just the weather, hurricanes, snowstorms, etc, they are incredibly disruptive to the economy and to school. Imagine that on a national scale. The impacts of children unable to attend school are generational. Anna was homeschooled, Larry homeschooled all three of his children. It’s new territory for parents today, but familiar territory for both of them. What are they seeing? The most valuable thing Larry did was find a support network that supported homeschool education. The biggest problem right now is parents have been thrust in this world and they’re trying to figure out how to homeschool overnight. It’s hard, even when you’ve prepped for it. Trip is very fortunate to have a wife that is at home with the kids. All three of his children are dyslexic and his youngest needs extra care. However, growing up, his single mom didn’t have that luxury. There are essential workers being asked to go back to work. What happens to the kids if they’re not in school? 40% of the school-age population is eligible for Title 1, which is free and reduced school lunch, because families are struggling. It’s important to note how schools are incentivized. The schools that Larry was familiar with, they were given federal/state funding based on attendance. Can we use federal and state funding to better support the parents? Is this possible? What’s the solution? Teachers are frustrated. Cramping 20-50 kids in a classroom just isn’t the way to good, quality education. Teachers have less access to tools to make virtual learning easy. Children are plague rats and a perfect breeding ground for viruses. Overwhelmed parents with children under the age of 12 — what can they do? Keep your kids reading. There’s good screen time and bad screen time. There is such a thing as remote tutoring. Don’t wait for the schools to be ready. They’re not going to be. Do you have adult figures in your life that can help you? Child prodigies are out there. They’re everywhere in fact, but they’ve been stuck in a school learning from a textbook instead of being able to implement what they’re learning in real-time. What is school, really? Is it really used for learning or is it used to pass a state exam? If you’re a teacher or a school district. Reach out. We can help. The knowledge economy starts in a classroom. Resources Thebraveworkforce.com (http://thebraveworkforce.com/) Bravenewcompanies.com (http://bravenewcompanies.com/) Scott Galloway (https://www.businessinsider.com/scott-galloway-colleges-must-cut-costs-to-survive-covid-2020-7)

Description: Candidates with non-traditional backgrounds often get the short-end of the stick when it comes to applying for job positions. How often have we seen a company require 3-plus years of experience for an entry-level position? Does it really need to be that way? The hiring process is broken, and biased, and our co-hosts share why searching for those ‘unicorns’ or someone that checks all the boxes isn’t the best approach. Candidates have a lot more options now that everything is remote, and high-quality talent is slipping through the cracks. Here’s how you can think differently about the hiring process and adapt to this new world. Key Takeaways The hiring process is badly broken! Companies are looking for ‘unicorns’ and aren’t always realistic about their requirements. Does someone really need 10 years of experience to be considered quality talent? By being too senior-focused with your talent, you end up with a very top-heavy organization that doesn’t want to take on the smaller ‘boring’ tasks. You can’t have a team composed fully of senior unicorns if you want your organization to run effectively. One of the ways the hiring process is broken is because recruiters are looking for things you’ve already done and are not necessary looking for the right soft skills (curiosity, growth mindset, etc) that actually gets the job done. Larry has seen companies that have wanted all of their talent to have innovator mindsets. No, you don’t. Products have different life cycles and you need stability to maintain those. Anna has struggled with applying for jobs the ‘traditional’ way because she doesn’t check the right boxes and the automated system rejects her. Some of Larry’s best talent didn’t have a formal education. They were self-taught and they took on initiatives by themselves. The moment you have to upload a resume or CV onto a website, you are already going to be blocked out. A manager is there to be in charge and to help everyone be accountable, but one of the things companies have lost sight of is that a manager is also there to develop talent. Some of the dumbest people Trip has ever worked with have gone to Harvard. They were book smart but they couldn’t work well with others. Larry told his team to always look for intelligence, adaptability, and attitude. If you have those, a good candidate can do almost anything. The hiring process doesn’t stop when the employee starts. You have to court them for the long haul if you want them to stay. Why is the hiring system so broken? Why did Trip enjoy Amazon’s hiring process? He was on close to 300 interview loops at Amazon. How can managers better hire excellent talent, remotely? You also need to sell the candidate on why you’re a good company to work for. Candidates have more power than they realize! You can be picky now that working digitally has opened up. Trip has never regretted a job he didn’t get, but he has regretted a few he has gotten. He ignored the red flags. Hiring isn’t easy. It’s one of the riskiest things you can do in the business. Resources Thebraveworkforce.com Bravenewcompanies.com Quotes “10 years of experience doesn’t get you a 10X better candidate. There's a top out where you don’t get that much better at the core skill set.” — Trip “We’re not actually looking at whether a candidate has the right systems, like resilience, growth mindset, and curiosity. That’s who you want to hire. We have a tendency to filter those people out because they don’t check boxes.” — Trip “When it comes to the educational piece, if you don’t have it, it’s not a death sentence.” — Anna “You can be choosy, you don’t need to be forced through a very toxic environment just because you feel like this is the only place in your area that will hire you. As we open up into remote, there are so many more options you can pick from that will treat you well.” — Anna “We need a full spectrum of people. We want entry-level folks coming in fresh out of college, we want people who don’t have college degrees, more diversity of thought, and we want senior people.” — Larry “Some of my best talent that I ever hired did not have a formal education. They were self-taught, they bootstrapped themselves.” — Larry

Tech companies spend thousands of dollars on their campuses for fun perks that employees can enjoy, whether that be a surprise trip to the water park or the latest gaming system in the lobby. However, how much of these are actually ‘perks’ to the employee? What should companies be doing to attract top tier talent now that no one is working on-site? Trip, Larry, and Anna dive in and discuss. Key Takeaways Over-the-top perks at these tech companies are used to attract top talent. Now that companies are remote, how can they attract and retain the best talent without all these extra on-site perks? Benefits are important, especially to Americans who need healthcare. More than 50% of candidates said they considered the perks and benefits offered when considering a new job. Families are making critical decisions between taking on a lesser-paying job for better benefits and health insurance vs. taking on a higher-paying job with fewer benefits. Remote work can even the playing field. The perk culture has gotten out of control. Now that everyone is at home, perks will have to change. What kind of benefits/perks will entice someone when they’re working remotely? Anna shares her thoughts. People are valuing more of their time and they want to have the ability to choose what’s important to them. Some of these big companies have a sense of ownership on an employee’s entire life, not just their work life. One of the big invisible perks of remote work is that employees can get some of this freedom back into their life. There’s been a lot more talk about the minimalist movement — do certain items spark joy for you, etc., in recent years because people are becoming more conscious of what they want in their life. More ‘stuff’ isn’t helping people feel happy. If we’re talking about taking all the extra crap out of our personal life, it only makes sense that people are going to start shifting this mindset to their work life, too. Larry knows of several people who are afraid to take vacation time. Not because they don’t want to, but because they know there’s no one to back them up or take over their work when they’re gone. Larry didn’t take a vacation for eight years because of this! You have these perks, but you don’t even have the ability to exercise them or take advantage of them. You’re not really working when you’re home. The data doesn’t support this. People are working from home and they’re working more than ever. Larry believes we’ll see a shift in perks that are more deeply meaningful to people. What is the most valuable thing we can give people? Their time. The point of perks is to make people’s lives easier so that they’re more productive. How much do these fancy perks actually cost companies? Google is spending ridiculous $$$ on perks. Trip breaks down the numbers. Okay, staying at home forever sounds great, but what about the extroverts who love the office? What do you do if you simply can’t work at home because there are just too many distractions? How can employees talk to management about taking advantage of some of these remote perks? Anna, Larry, and Trip weigh in on their thoughts and how to best approach it. Resources Thebraveworkforce.com Bravenewcompanies.com Brilliantforge.com

Valerie Liberty is the Head Chef in the Wow Division at Balsamiq, a remote-first company. As employee #2, Valerie has seen and helped cultivate a fantastic working culture and has done all of this remotely! With nearly 12 years Balsamiq, a bootstrapped startup, she emphasizes that fun in the workplace is the least-valued commodity, but the most critical. In this episode, Valerie shares how leadership thinks differently about work, how to create culture, and how to develop a work environment you truly love to work for. Key Takeaways Valerie shares a little bit about Balsamiq’s backstory and her background. Despite having offices in Bologna, Italy, Balsamiq is a remote-first company. When Valerie started at Balsamiq, it was just the three of them. It’s since grown to 30-plus employees. Through the 12 years of working at Balsamiq, Valerie was also able to create a job that she loves. This scale and growth were intentional. How do you scale yourself as a leader? How does a younger person get to the point of discovering the things they love to do vs. hate to do? Balsamiq has a very clearly-defined culture. How did they create this culture? Anna has seen a wide variety of company cultures and shares when she knows she’s entered a good one. Enthusiasm is the most undervalued emotion on the planet. If you can tap into the enthusiasm of your colleagues, they just light up and it makes the work environment so much better. How can an employee, or someone with limited power, change their company culture? Valerie has worked terrible jobs in the past. Your attitude is critical in whatever job you’re in. Set goals, set priorities, and focus. If you can find the humanity in working with one another, by looking someone in the eye, by knowing their brother, life is just better and more fun too when everyone cares about each other! What are the tell-tale signs that the job you’re about to say yes to has good company culture vs. a toxic work environment? Tony Hsieh, CEO of Zappos, has said that he wished he started working on company culture since day one. Culture permeates everything. How you work with each other, how you communicate to customers, how you hire, etc. People are watching who gets rewarded. Trip shares his experience with Amazon’s culture. An observation from Balsamiq’s founder, Peldi Guilizzoni, was that American companies measure their success in quarters, but in Italy, they measure their success in generations. Good leaders listen more than they dictate. Valerie shares what Balsamiq did when COVID-19 hit Italy. Valerie offers two takeaways for leadership and for the employee on how they can better take ownership of their company culture. Fun at work is underrated. Larry and Anna also offer their advice on how leadership and employees can develop better culture. Resources Thebraveworkforce.com (http://thebraveworkforce.com/) Bravenewcompanies.com (Bravenewcompanies.com) Balsamiq.com (https://balsamiq.com/) Valerie on Twitter (https://twitter.com/balsamiqval?lang=en) Valerie on LinkedIn (Valerie on LinkedIn) Special Guest: Valerie Liberty.

Meeting fatigue is very real now that we’re all doing things digitally. If you’re on the job market and looking to get hired remotely, Larry, Trip, and Anna share their tips on how to give a good first digital impression. They cover how to practice for an interview, to improve your energy levels, and to think about having a backup plan when technology fails. Key Takeaways How do you present yourself in a positive light while conducting job interviews remotely? Some people in tech look down on you because you wore a tie to an in-person interview! Anna shares how you can make a good first impression from a distance. Why shower for a video meeting? What are the subtle differences between a remote interview vs. an in-person interview? 15-20 minutes before a meeting, Anna will make sure all her equipment (sound, camera, etc) is working. It might not come naturally, but being able to express yourself/emote while looking at a screen can go a long way. Move your body. The voice reacts to your movements. How do you convey who you actually are over video? Larry positions the webcam strategically so that you’re looking at the person when talking to them. Larry has had software and computers fail him; he offers tips on how to properly prepare for that. Power stances help greatly to build confidence and bring positive energy. Trip finds when you’re prepared, you have more confidence and you’re ready to tackle what’s thrown at you. It’s important to remember that forgiveness needs to happen on both sides. From a manager’s side, does it really matter if your employee or teammate is not smiling on the video? As a hiring manager, you’re interviewing hundreds of people, the candidate might not be as familiar with this online stuff as you are. Do all meetings have to have video required? Record yourself to get the video practice you need. Practice makes perfect. Resources Thebraveworkforce.com (http://thebraveworkforce.com/) Bravenewcompanies.com (http://bravenewcompanies.com/) TED Talk — Your Body Language May Shape Who You Are (https://www.ted.com/talks/amy_cuddy_your_body_language_may_shape_who_you_are?language=en)

There are some negative things coming out in the news about remote work. Do they have some merit or are they coming from a place of inexperience? Larry, Trip, and Anna have been working remotely for a long time and they’ve seen the true reality of what remote work can do for an organization, both good and bad. They share some of the negative counterpoints that have been said about remote work and offer advice on how leaders, and other people, can best adapt to this new environment. Key Takeaways The negative connotations about remote work. Invested interest or valid points? Remote work isn’t new, but it’s become a larger issue because we’re all now forced to work remotely. Does remote work stifle innovation and creativity? Are remote employees not as respected as their peers in the office? Trip argues the technicalities and the word definition of ‘remote.’ We are having Zoom fatigue and that’s because our meeting culture is broken. Companies that are successful in being a remote company will be the ones who are innovating within their culture. Remote work is a completely different animal. You have to adapt to a new medium instead of trying to fit a physical model (what you used to know) into a digital model. You can build a culture to make everyone working for you accountable for their work. You, as a leader, don’t want to be so critical that your team can accomplish nothing without you. It’s easier in a physical setting to have things slip through the cracks or people forget important to-dos after a meeting. In a remote setting, there is often a paper trail and it’s harder for people to take a back seat to the team. A recent study came out that there was an eight-percent jump in people violating ethical standards when shifting to a remote model. What’s going on here? Poor behavior will improve dramatically when everyone knows you can’t get away with harassment and bullying anymore. At Amazon, Trip experienced a very collaborative environment where leadership empowered their teams to act. Are people not being as productive at home vs. the office? Leaders and executives will be asking how they can help create boundaries for their staff so that they can have a better work/life balance. Anna knows the struggles of balancing work and life. She has to be conscious of when life is going too far to the right or too far to the left on the work/life scale. Trip has worked with teams in India. It’s hard. Shifting your life by 11 hours is tough, especially when you do need to communicate. Larry has also had to manage and talk to teams in different time zones. He shares how he best navigated this. Anna shares her experience on how you can use time zones to your advantage. Culture eats strategy for breakfast. Remote work has to be a cultural change within your company. How can you empower your people to be more independent in their work? For leaders, how can they become more adaptable and flexible so they’re not out of a job in six months? Either you and your leadership adapt or a company that’s more flexible will take over. Remote work isn’t going to go away. This pandemic might not end as soon as you think. Remote work doesn’t have to be completely black and white. You have the control to design a life you want. You no longer need a company to design it for you. Remote work allows you to choose what you value. Resources Thebraveworkforce.com (http://thebraveworkforce.com/) Bravenewcompanies.com (http://bravenewcompanies.com/)

Companies calculate a Cost of Living Adjustment (COLA) whenever one of their staff relocates and moves to a state that either has an incredibly high cost of living (California) or a low one (Iowa). However, as more companies become remote and people get to decide where to live, is COLA still relevant, and more importantly, is it still fair for the employee? Companies are saving thousands in commercial real estate and retention perks by having their employees go remote, so why are they so picky about COLA? Anna, Larry, and Trip discuss. Key Takeaways What is COLA? Trip left the Bay Area as an economic refugee. He didn’t want to choose between paying rent vs. having another child. Anna lives in Costa Rica, a vacation spot. It must be incredibly expensive to live there? Not so fast. Major tech companies are announcing that you can work remotely… permanently. What’s happening here? Companies are saving so much money on real estate alone right now. Larry doesn’t think it’s right that just because you move from an expensive area to a less expensive area, you should get paid less for the same amount of work. Companies are willing to spend big $$$ on all these crazy perks, like massages and free food because they want to retain you. Zapier offered employees $10,000 to leave California. They knew the quality of life was going down. They wanted their employees to be happy, they wanted them to stay with them, so they asked them to leave the state. An amazing retention strategy could very well be giving your employees the freedom of choice to live wherever they want. These perks that Silicon Valley companies offer, they do not work! The average tenure for an employee is 13–24 months. The cost to replace an employee is about half of their annual salary. Trip makes a counter-argument about relocation. What happens if you get 53 more days back in your life (by not sitting in traffic) and you can use those days however you want? We’ll just pay you a little less compensation-wise. Anna used to sit in traffic for five hours a day. Now that she’s remote, she cooks her own meals, she is learning a new language, there’s so much time now to work on and do cool things! If all of your companies are remote, do you stop subsidizing people to live in specific places? And, see compensation normalizing on a global level? Income inequity is a big problem in the United States and a remote workforce could level the playing field. Larry sees people leaving big cities and going back to rural communities. He thinks it’s a rebalancing of what happened during the Industrial Revolution. We should be reinvesting in smaller communities. Larry believes by going to where the talent is, instead of having the talent coming to you, we will see a bigger boom in cultural and cognitive diversity. Anna shares her experience working with diverse and remote teams throughout her career. It’s been interesting to see some of the companies struggling right now. The ones thriving are the ones solving real problems for people and their staff. The ones that are having challenges are detached from what people really need and are offering them cool scooters to zip around in. Whenever Larry had to consider a new hire, they always asked if they had enough ‘relo’ budget to bring someone out-of-state in. Trip’s father and grandfather’s generation, they worked to get a gold watch. That was their career moment. If you value diversity, you have to invest and take risks, and grow people. Ideally, you want to hire the most qualified person for the job and also have the added benefit they’re different from you. Anna has seen it where employers hire someone based on race or gender because they’re just trying to fill a quota or box and their lack of skills or quality brings the whole team down. College degrees used to open doors. That’s changing now. Companies have to up their game. Trip has hired several people who didn’t have a college education because they had skillsets that were unique and highly sought after. He also compares it to the ivy league graduates who have walked through his door. Where is COLA and all of this going to be five years from now? Trip, Anna, and Larry weigh in. Resources Thebraveworkforce.com (http://thebraveworkforce.com/) Bravenewcompanies.com (http://bravenewcompanies.com/)

Tom Pizzica is in the food business. When the pandemic hit, so many places had to shut their doors;not Tom. He trusted in his food and doubled down on a new way of serving his customers without taking on the challenges of take out that every chef secretly dreads. That meant tackling new problems in unfamiliar areas like logistics, and changing the way he thought about the business of food...that’s where we come in. Brave New Companies’ Trip O’Dell, Anna Codina, and Larry Cornett learn about Tom’s business model and share their expertise on how Philly Hots can optimize, automate, and streamline how Tom’s business works more efficiently and profitably while doing more of what he loves. Key Takeaways Tom shares how he fell in love with food and his early years in the business Tom’s experiences in restaurants as a chef and owner, his experience with corporate catering helped him understand the business of food, and prepared him for his new endeavor. The Pandemic helped Tom discover a new way to do what he loves, making it easier to bring families together with practical, family meals prepared fresh and ready to heat. Right now, it’s just Tom and another team member helping him prep the food. Tom likes that he is running a lean team. The biggest challenge for Tom tailoring his menus for foods is automating parts of the business like ordering process and getting the word, so he can focus on the parts of the business he cares about most. How Tom is building his customer base? Tom is unsure when to schedule the cut-off time for new orders coming in. It’s been a struggle because he wants more orders, but he can only order so much food before cooking day. Anna recaps some of the struggles Tom is having: 1. Reduce ordering friction 2. Accurate measuring of the quantity of food 3. Grow the business beyond friends and family How is Tom accepting payments? Tom is unsure about doing a subscription model this early on in his business. The good news is the problems that Tom is facing are the exact same problems companies like eBay and Amazon are facing, just at a smaller scale. How does Tom manage his margins? The goal would be for Tom to focus on being a creative chef and not stress out over the numbers. Larry recommends to actively seek out partnerships in your community. What other local products would compliment your products? Trip is a huge advocate of getting your data in order first. When that’s disorganized, it’s very hard to see clearly what’s the next step. Tom right now is tracking all of his customers in his head. He knows that’s not the best way to do it. Larry talks about the life cycle of a customer and how to best understand that in any business. He also offers recommendations to build customer loyalty. Trip believes in creating small tests within the business to understand where it makes sense to grow and scale, based on the results you’re generating. Tom tracks inventory in a simple spreadsheet. He doesn’t have a lot of time to mess with tools and technology. The good news here is that he can automate this process! You don’t have to boil the ocean overnight. Tom knows that his life would be simplified if he hired one more person, but he is hesitant to bring someone in, due to COVID-19. Anna, Trip, and Larry offer advice on easy ways Tom can simplify his business so that he can focus on what he does best. Small businesses are the heart of the economy. That’s why Larry, Trip, and Anna are here to help. No one wants to see a family man go out of business. Trip, Larry, and Anna share their final key takeaway that business owners can do today to optimize their business. Stay tuned to next week’s episode, where your co-hosts talk about the cost of living adjustments. You can work remotely from anywhere… but you also get a pay cut — is that fair? Resources Thebraveworkforce.com (http://thebraveworkforce.com/) Bravenewcompanies.com (http://bravenewcompanies.com/) Bctbellyburgers.com (http://www.bctbellyburgers.com/) Tom Pizzica on Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/bigcheftom/?hl=en) Special Guest: Tom Pizzica.

Welcome to The Brave New Workforce Podcast! Your hosts Trip O’Dell, Anna Codina, and Larry Cornett give a quick teaser on what’s to come and why they’re excited for the future of work. The way we’ve been working is outdated and it’s time we re-examine how we can optimize this so that we live happier lives without having to make substantial career and lifestyle sacrifices. This podcast is about finding happiness, balance, and ultimately, living a quality life filled with freedom. Key Takeaways Our traditional way of working is broken, now what? Disaster is commonplace in our society. We’ll adapt. Remote work is one of those adaptations. This podcast is about optimizing your happiness so that you can have the freedom to do the things you want to do. Introductions: Who are your co-hosts? Anna goes first and shares her story and her background. Who is Larry? Larry shares how he got his start into remote work and consulting. Who is Trip? Trip shares his story. Self-proclaimed as ‘Forrest Gump: The Sequel.’ Why is Trip excited about this podcast? There are a lot of things about work that are broken, but these are easy problems to fix! Larry’s excited because we’re in the middle of a revolution. Larry had to leave his family in the midwest to have a career. We don’t have to do that anymore. Are Millennials the unluckiest generation in history? Anna shares why she’s excited about the future. Resources Thebraveworkforce.com Bravenewcompanies.com