Reconsidering

In this special, live episode from the Config conference at the Moscone Center in San Francisco, Jesse James Garrett recounts his significant career co-founding Adaptive Path, pioneering foundational processes in software design, and navigating strange waters as his company was sold to Capital One. Just as he was finding his footing as a design executive coach, he got a cancer diagnosis that reshaped his view on work and life. Now on the other side of cancer, he shares what he learned. Transcript and show notes: http://reconsidering.org

Being nice is a virtue—until it's not. Compulsively helping and staying positive to the detriment to your sanity and needs can lead to resentment and broken relationships. Dr Aziz Gazipura, author of Not Nice: Stop People Pleasing, Staying Silent, and Feeling Guilty... And Start Speaking Up, Saying No, Asking Boldly, And Unapologetically Being Yourself (https://bookshop.org/p/books/not-nice-stop-people-pleasing-staying-silent-feeling-guilty-and-start-speaking-up-saying-no-asking-boldly-and-unapolo-aziz-gazipura/14231194?ean=9780988979871), wants to help us rethink what it means to be "nice". In this episode, we talk with Dr Aziz about his personal journey from habitual people pleasing to setting boundaries and learning to communicate honestly. He shares practical guidance about how you can be kind, which is different than being nice, while still being true to yourself and your needs. Show notes and transcript: http://reconsidering.substack.com

Americans love a hard worker. The employee who toils eighteen-hour days and eats meals on the run between appointments is usually viewed with a combination of respect and awe. But for many, this lifestyle leads to family problems, a decline in work productivity, and, ultimately, physical and mental burnout. Bryan Robinson, author of Chained to the Desk in a Hybrid World, knows a thing or two about work addiction. He spent years hiding and repressing destructive addition to his work, which took a toll on his relationships. Today, he's helping other break the chain including Allanis Morriset who has “greatly benefited from his guidance, experience, knowledge and wisdom on the topic of healing from what I consider to be the quietest and most insidious (and often praised) addiction in today's times.” Shownotes and transcript: https://reconsidering.substack.com/p/work-addiction-with-bryan-robinson

It's the Thanksgiving holiday break in the US, so we're re-broadcasting one of our favorite episodes about friendship and community, which is very timely as we approach the holiday season. Living in isolation for two years without the support of community clarified for many of us just how nourishing and essential relationships are to us. Now that we're starting to re-enter the world, how might we be more intentional about cultivating community? Tina Roth-Eisenberg—Swissmiss to her hundreds of thousands of followers on the web—has thought about this deeply. She's the founder of Creative Mornings, a global creative community in 224 cities and 67 countries that welcomes thousands of people each month to inspiring events. She's also a master at bringing small groups together for support, and as you'll hear in this episode, pretty clever at building new friendships. Show notes and transcript: https://reconsidering.org/episodes/15

Katherine May first joined us on Reconsidering in 2020, during the height of the pandemic, to talk about her book Wintering: The Power of Rest and Retreat in Difficult Times (https://bookshop.org/p/books/wintering-the-power-of-rest-and-retreat-in-difficult-times-katherine-may/16519711?ean=9780593189481). It was a timely topic and a memorable conversation as most of us were confronting one of the most challenging and isolating holidays seasons of our lifetimes. With that moment now thankfully behind us, Katherine has returned with a new book, Enchantment: Awakening Wonder in an Anxious Age (https://bookshop.org/p/books/enchantment-awakening-wonder-in-an-anxious-age-katherine-may/18582677?ean=9780593329993). This time around, she turns our attention to fundamental questions about how else we might live and in particular how might we find a way to reconnect in a quiet and intimate way with the natural and immediate world that surrounds us all. It's an important question, a wonderful book, and a rich starting point for our conversation. Thanks for listening. Show notes and transcript: http://reconsidering.org/episodes/37

It's time to confront one of life's most certain yet most avoided topics: the end of life. While death eventually greets us all, most of us skirt around the topic and what it means for us and our loved ones. In this illuminating conversation, we aim to demystify this phase of life and empower you to approach it with a sense of preparedness and dignity. Our guest, Shoshana Berger, (https://www.linkedin.com/in/shoshanaberger/) serves as the Global Editorial Director at Ideo (https://www.ideo.com/) and brings a unique expertise to the table. She's worked on transformative projects with Zen Hospice (https://zencaregiving.org/) to improve end-of-life experiences and is also the co-author of the pivotal book 'A Beginner's Guide to the End: Practical Advice for Living Life and Facing Death (https://bookshop.org/p/books/a-beginner-s-guide-to-the-end-practical-advice-for-living-life-and-facing-death-shoshana-berger/6690808?ean=9781501157219)' with Dr. BJ Miller (https://www.ted.com/talks/bj_miller_what_really_matters_at_the_end_of_life?language=en). Together, we'll explore why people are so hesitant to talk about facing death, arm caregivers with essential knowledge for this stage, and discuss how to articulate your own wishes for this profound chapter of life. Show notes and transcript: https://reconsidering.org/episodes/36

In the bestselling book Radical Candor, author Kim Scott laid out a simple framework for how to create, foster, and thrive in a culture that effectively gives and receives feedback—direct, clear, concise, and actionable. However, when you write a book about feedback, well, you get a lot of feedback, and indeed she did. Rather than ignoring or hiding from it, however, Kim decided to do the hard work of internalizing and processing it with the result being her latest book, Just Work. We had the pleasure of talking with Kim about just work, as well as hearing about the personal journey and experiences that motivated her to write it. Show notes and transcript: https://reconsidering.org/episodes/35

Think your job is stressful? Try being an emergency response physician at the Mayo Clinic, one of the top hospitals in the US that sees some of the most extreme emergencies. Dr Richard Winters has been responding under pressure in chaotic situations for a long time, and it's taught him valuable lessons about decision making and leadership. In his book, You're the Leader. Now What?, Richard distills his knowledge into simple frameworks and practical tactics that can help us lead colleagues and communities with confidence and make decisions with clarity. Show notes and transcript: http://reconsidering.org/episodes/34

An apology can mend old wounds, reunite people, and heal communities. Despite the potential power it can have, a good apology is hard to find. There's a simple structure to a good apology we should all have memorized along with the traits of a bad apology that will only lead us into pain and misery. In this episode, we're going to the apology experts for guidance, Marjorie Ingall and Susan McCarthy, authors of the book “Sorry Sorry Sorry: The Case for a good apology” and founders of SorryWatch.com. Marjorie and Susan teach us how to make a good apology and give examples of bad ones. Learning this essential skill will help you preserve and strengthen the most consequential relationships in your life. What could be more important?

Like it or not, change is inevitable. Your career, relationships, body, health, mood are all in constant motion. We can fight it but it's unproductive and leads to suffering. Our pal Brad Stulberg is back on the show to help us look at change differently. His new book Master of Change: How To Excel When Everything Is Changing - Including You is full of deeply researched wisdom from science and philosophy that will help you become more resilient and adaptable. Show notes and transcript: https://reconsidering.org/episodes/32

There's a point in our lives when we're told it's time to grow up and stop playing games. To move away from the trivial pursuits of childhood and get serious about how we spend our time. But what if that advice is wrong? What if games are actually one of the best ways to spend our time and one of our best opportunities to learn about our world and even ourselves? Why are games so embedded in the human experience and how should we think about them as part of our own lives? That's the topic of our discussion today with author Oliver Roeder. Oliver is a senior data journalist at the Financial Times who has also written for the Wall Street Journal, FiveThirtyEight, and the Economist. He is also the author of “Seven Games” – a book about the history and culture of seven of the most popular games in the world today: checkers, chess, go, backgammon, poker, scrabble, and bridge. Show notes, a transcript, and links from this episode are at: http://reconsidering.org/episodes/31

Friendship is something that's easy to take for granted. Meeting friends in our early years might have come easy but as we age friends move away, people couple off, careers and families start and suddenly making friends isn't as easy as it used to be. As many studies have shown, if you want to live a longer, more fulfilling life you'll need to invest in friendships now. In this episode we speak with friendship expert and author of We should get together: The secret to cultivating friendships, Kat Vellos. Kat shares practical guidance to jumpstart and strengthen your friendships. Show notes, a transcript, and links from this episode are at: http://reconsidering.org/episodes/30

Are you one of those people who thrives off a check-list? It feels satisfying to complete things, but the satisfaction only lasts for a fleeting moment as a cleared check-list invites more tasks. It's an exhausting treadmill that inevitably gives rise to guilt and shame when we can't keep up. Madeleine Dore, author of “I Didn't Do the Thing Today; letting go of productivity guilt” joins us to talk about giving yourself permission to let go to focus on what really matters. We'll talk about the difference between happiness and satisfaction, burnout and how to spot it, and how to create your own user manual so we can live a more energized and rewarding life that's tailored just for us. Show notes and links for this episode are at http://reconsidering.org/episodes/29

A few years ago, most of us were still heading into the office five days a week. But the pandemic changed the workplace dramatically. Most of us now work from home or are working in a hybrid environment, which has introduced challanges in our both our personal and professional lives. How do we navigate these changes? Annie Jarvis, Vice President of Product at Indeed, joins us to talk about the future of remote work, what she's seen working at Indeed during the pandemic, and her experiences as a leader working in a remote environment. Show notes and links from this show: http://reconsidering.org/episodes/28

Mentorship can be a powerful force that improves life but it's often hard to come by. Most of us struggle to ask, “will you be my mentor” and may not even know what kind of support or commitment we're asking for. Felix Lee, founder of a thriving community of mentors and mentees called ADP List, saw a lot of people losing their jobs and looking for guidance and support during the pandemic. He also recognized that the crisis had caused people to raise their hand to support those in need. At just 25 years-old, Felix founded an organization that's connecting mentors and mentees in the design and technology industry around the world and chaning the trajectory of thousands of careers. In this episode, Felix Lee shares the power of being a mentor, the rewards of receiving mentorship and how people can come together to enrich and improve their lives. This episode is brought to you by Indeed Design (http://indeed.design), a resource for designers, researchers, and all UX professionals who do design work that matters. Show notes and links: http://reconsidering.org/episodes/27

High school sucks. It's socially awkward, culturally confusing, and academically irrelevant. And though the first two might largely be an inescapable part of the teenage experience, the third is of critical concern to both the stability of society and the health of the economy. Which is why we wanted to spend some time learning more about what's happening in the world of primary education and the ways in which it's affecting the future of work. In this episode, we're joined by Connie Liu, founder of Project Invent – a non-profit who's stated mission is to “…empower students with the 21st-century skills to succeed individually and make an impact globally, through invention… creating a generation of fearless, compassionate problem solvers.” A graduate of both MIT and Stanford, as well as a former high-school teacher at the Nueva School in Silicon Valley, Connie has been a part of some of the most innovative educational institutions in the world. That's given her a unique perspective about both the current state and the future of high school education. Her insights and observations highlight the challenges, opportunities, and promise of where primary education is headed and what that means for us all. This episode is brought to you by Indeed Design (http://indeed.design), a resource for designers, researchers, and all UX professionals who do design work that matters.

As recently as a decade ago, most of Western culture dismissed meditation as a sort of “touchy-feely” pursuit with no real value. Thanks in large part to the rise of meditation apps like Headspace however, that attitude has dramatically shifted from one of skepticism to one of curiosity heading towards broad acceptance. And just in time too as the pandemic and lockdown revealed for all of us the perilous state of the mental health system and the importance of emotional self-care. Our guest today is Leslie Witt, the Chief Product and Designer Officer at Headspace. In this episode we'll touch on the importance of preventive mental health as well as the challenges of taking care of yourself when you're also struggling with the demands of being a business executive, a mom, and of course—your own full person. Show notes and transcript: http://reconsidering.org/episodes/25 This episode is brought to you by Indeed Design, a resource for designers, researchers, and all UX professionals who do design work that matters. Learn more at http://indeed.design

John Maeda would rather be curious than afraid, despite the tectonic shifts in our world. AI—artificial intelligence—is reaching new milestones that foreshadow big changes in many careers. Some ignore what's on the horizon, others acknowledge what's to come but are paralyzed by fear. John Maeda takes a different approach: he just keeps reinventing himself. John jumped from MIT where he was a professor deeply invested in technology to the Rhode Island School of Design where he shook up the traditional notions of creativity. He then went on to Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers where he brought design and venture capital closer together. In this episode, John shares why he's always starting over and reconsidering his assumptions and he lays out some of his principles for embracing career and life changes. Show notes and links: http://reconsidering.org/episodes/24 This episode is proudly sponsored by Indeed.design.

Life is hard. We want to think that isn't the case but again and again, the universe shows us we're wrong. We face loss, periods of illness and infirmity, and failure. Such is the human condition and there is no escaping these essential truths. Where better to turn for comfort, insight, and wisdom than the great minds of philosophy that came before us? Our guest, Kieren Setiya, professor of philosophy at MIT, has been on the show before and he's back to share what he's learned writing his most recent book, Life is Hard: How Philosophy Can Help Us Find our Way. Kieren's writings have appeared in London Review of Books, The New York Times, Aeon, and elsewhere. Kieren's unique and thoughtful writings and teaching won't necessarily make life any less hard but they will give you some tools, frameworks, and perspective to think differently about the challenges of life and in the end, what other kind of comfort is there? Show notes and links: http://reconsidering.org/episodes/23

“No regrets.” You've heard people proclaim it as a philosophy of life. That's nonsense, even dangerous, says Dan Pink in his latest book The Power of Regret. Everybody has regrets. They're a fundamental part of our lives. And if we reckon with them in fresh and imaginative ways, we can enlist our regrets to make smarter decisions, perform better at work and school, and deepen our sense of meaning and purpose. In this episode, NYTimes best selling author Dan Pink shares what he learned from his World Regret Survey that collected data from more than 16,000 people in 105 countries. Four core regrets emerged that most people have, and Dan breaks each one down. He also tells us how we can make better life decisions to avoid the most unforgiving of regrets. Show notes and resources mentioned in this episode: http://reconsidering.org/episodes/22

Now that season 2 has wrapped, the Reconsidering team is taking a break. Season 3 is already coming together with exciting new interviews that will further illuminate the elements of a satisfying life. Kieran Setiya will be back to talk about his new book, Life is hard, which explores philosophical insights that can set us on the right path. Dan Pink will share the power of regret and how it can actually help us live a more fulfilling life. And we're working on a special 5 episode series in partnership with our friends at Indeed that will feature inspiring people like Leslie Witt of Headspace and John Maeda. It's going to be an epic season and we're launching September 20. If you have any feedback that will help us improve the show or you just want to say hi, shoot us a message at http://reconsidering.org/contact. We'll be back on September 20 with season 3 of Reconsidering.

In sports, the coach plays the important role of guiding players and delivering the feedback they need to operate at their best. But in our professional lives we almost never have the guidance and support of a coach, which makes it challenging to reach our full potential and at times leaves us trapped in negative behavior cycles. Ed Batista has spent years coaching senior leaders who are facing a series of challenges or seeking greater fulfillment in their role. He's distilled decades of guidance into a self-coaching course at Stanford as well as a book entitled The Art of Self Coaching. In our conversation with Ed, he unpacks the self-coaching methodology and how to shift our aggressive, self-interested warrior approach to work to that of a humble, curious sage. Show notes and a full transcript: https://reconsidering.org/episodes/21

Starting early in childhood, creativity is slowly extracted from our lives. It becomes the domain of the select few of exceptional talent. But creativity can and should be an important part of everyone's life. In this episode of Reconsidering we're going to explore an entirely different way of approaching creative expression—one that sees it not as a destination that yields a singular artifact but rather one that imagines creativity as an essential tool for learning—one that not only tolerates but actually encourages mistakes, feedback, and unjudged curiosity. Our guest is Kaushik Panchal, a designer, writer, and creative director. Over the past few years, he's developed and delivered an amazing workshop that helps teams and individuals reconceptualize the act of creating into a journey of learning and discovery. It's a powerful message and one that we hope will resonate with you as you perhaps reconsider new ways of expressing yourself be that writing, cooking, painting, pottery, or any of other hundreds of forms of art that make life worth living. Show notes and transcript: http://reconsidering.org/episodes/20

If the past few years have taught us anything it is this: don't get too attached to your plans. Or as Patricia Ryan Madson might put it, “Life is something we all make up as we go along.” For many of us, the improvisational life can feel awkward, uncomfortable, and even frightening. But with some practice, reflection, and a slight shift in attitude, it can lead us to a life filled with YES! One where opportunities and adventures flow naturally into our lives—ones that we willingly embrace and follow just to see where they might lead us next. In this episode we're going to learn about the practice of improv from Patricia Ryan Madson, author of “Improve Wisdom: Don't Prepare, Just Show Up”. Over a career that spans some four decades, Patricia has taught improv to thousands of students at Stanford, online, and at the storied Esalen Institute in Northern California. It's going to be a great conversation…wherever it might go. Show notes and transcripts can be found at: https://reconsidering.org/episodes/19

In this special rewind episode, we re-air one of our most popular interviews that guests on the show have often cited as a favorite. In it Brad Stulberg shares practical guidance to get out of the grind and build a more grounded life. Hustle culture keeps us grinding, busy, overcommitted, rushed, and subsequently ungrounded. It's a phenomenon Brad Stulberg calls “heroic individualism” and it's something he knows all too well from his own life and his performance coaching work with people doing their best to reach their peak. Brad wants to shake us out of the hustle mindset and help us find a more grounded, sustainable existence. His book The Practice of Groundedness provides the framework. In our conversation with Brad he shows us how to neutralize negative talk, be present in the moment, and recognize that how we spend our time day to day is ultimately how we spend our life. Transcript, links, and show notes: https://reconsidering.org/episodes/7

At some point we all struggle with stress, anxiety, and incessant overthinking. Meredith Arthur, author of Get Out of My Head, is on a mission to help us find strategies for defusing these emotional bombs. Meredith founded Beautiful Voyager, an online community where people discuss mental health challenges and support one another on their journey. In this episode we talk with Meredith about her own struggles with mental health and how to muster the courage to admit to our own limitations so we can find a more peaceful path. You'll find a transcript and links to all resources mentioned at http://reconsidering.org/episodes/18

In his New York Times bestselling book Four Thousand Weeks, Oliver Burkeman writes, “The average human lifespan is absurdly, terrifyingly, insultingly short. But that isn't a reason for unremitting despair, or for living in an anxiety-fueled panic about making the most of your limited time. It's a cause for relief. You get to give up on something that was always impossible – the quest to become the optimized, infinitely capable, emotionally invincible, fully independent person you're officially supposed to be. Then you get to roll up your sleeves and start work on what's gloriously possible instead.” In this episode Burkeman presents us with an entirely different way of thinking about time management and our futile attempt to squeeze every ounce of productivity from our already short lives – telling us instead to relax and embrace what is possible, acknowledging and accepting the fact that doing it all was never really an option anyway. You'll find the show notes and a transcript of our conversation at https://reconsidering.org/episodes/16

Though most people pass through a midlife malaise or crisis, few have studied the phenomenon as closely as M.I.T Philosophy Professor Kieran Setiya. As Kieran shares in his book Midlife: A Philosophical Guide, people as far back as ancient Greece have written about midlife crises and searched for answers to life's big questions. In this episode, Kieran Setiya boils down what happens to us at midlife and exposes the wisdom of those who have come before us and found satisfaction as they entered the second half of life. Find the show notes and transcript at http://reconsidering.org/episodes/16

Living in isolation for two years without the support of community clarified for many of us just how nourishing and essential relationships are to us. Now that we're starting to re-enter the world, how might we be more intentional about cultivating community? Tina Roth-Eisenberg—Swissmiss to her hundreds of thousands of followers on the web—has thought about this deeply. She's the founder of Creative Mornings, a global creative community in 224 cities and 67 countries that welcomes thousands of people each month to inspiring events. She's also a master at bringing small groups together for support, and as you'll hear in this episode, pretty clever at building new friendships. Show notes and transcript: https://reconsidering.org/episodes/15

Too often we've been told that the workplace is an arena of competition, a zero-sum game where the strong thrive and the rest barely survive. If we're going to reconsider anything, it's hard to imagine a better place to start than this outdated, outmoded, and destructive model of the workplace. In this episode, Scott Shute, the former Head of Mindfulness and Compassion at LinkedIn and the author of the book, “The Full Body Yes”, shares stories and insights from his experience leading a large-scale mindfulness initiative at a major corporation. We'll also learn about the power of compassion and hear some of his insights about how to start following our own path rather than being buffeted about by the demands and expectations of others. Show notes and transcript: https://reconsidering.org/episodes/14

It's no secret that many of us feel pushed to the limit, rushed, overwhelmed, and perennially behind. We keep our heads down, focused on an endless to-do list without a moment to breathe. How can we break out of this vicious cycle of short-term thinking and create the kind of interesting, meaningful lives we all seek? Dori Clark, Duke University professor and author of The Long Game, wants to help us reorient ourselves towards big picture thinking that will help us make small changes today that will have enormous impact on our future success. Show notes and transcript: https://reconsidering.org/episodes/13

Now that season 1 is wrapped, we're bringing you a special mini-episode to tide you over while we work on season 2. The tables are turned as Bob Baxley and Meredith Black interview their co-host Aarron Walter to uncover his origin story and why the themes of Reconsidering are important to his personal journey. Show notes and transcript: https://reconsidering.org/episodes/12

Now that season 1 is wrapped, we're bringing you a special mini-episode to tide you over while we work on season 2. The tables are turned as Bob Baxley and Aarron Walter interview their co-host Meredith Black to uncover her origin story and why the themes of Reconsidering are important to her personal journey. Show notes and transcript: https://reconsidering.org/episodes/11

Now that season 1 is wrapped, we're bringing you a special mini-episode to tide you over while we work on season 2. The tables are turned as Meredith Black and Aarron Walter interview their co-host Bob Baxley to uncover his origin story and why the themes of Reconsidering are important to his personal journey. Show notes and transcript: https://reconsidering.org/episodes/10

Shanti Brien received a phone call from her husband that changed everything. Authorities started a criminal investigation into her own husband's company and he needed a lawyer to defend him. As a criminal defense attorney, Shanti knew how to navigate these situations but not when it was her own husband facing jail time that could tear her family apart. In this episode, Shanti shares how this moment of crisis and reflection helped her rethink her career as an attorney and inspired her to start a non-profit called Fogbreak Justice and write a book called Almost Innocent. Show notes and transcript: https://reconsidering.org/episodes/9

Katherine May is a mother, nature lover, writing teacher, and a New York Times best selling author. She's also been knocked down many times in her life and found a way forward by embracing the coldest passages of life. Katherine's personal struggle is the subject of her most recent book Wintering, which has influenced many with wisdom about the power of rest and retreat to help us through difficult times. On this episode of Reconsidering, we talk with Katherine about work addiction, illness, guilt about not being productive, and how sometimes we have to accept a period of “wintering” to transform and come out the other side to a life you may not have anticipated. Show notes and transcript: https://reconsidering.org/episodes/8

Hustle culture keeps us grinding, busy, overcommitted, rushed, and subsequently ungrounded. It's a phenomenon Brad Stulberg calls “heroic individualism” and it's something he knows all too well from his own life and his performance coaching work with people doing their best to reach their peak. Brad wants to shake us out of the hustle mindset and help us find a more grounded, sustainable existence. His book The Practice of Groundedness provides the framework. In our conversation with Brad he shows us how to neutralize negative talk, be present in the moment, and recognize that how we spend our time day to day is ultimately how we spend our life. Show notes and transcript: https://reconsidering.org/episodes/7

We all have those moments of uncertainty where we don't know if we should stay put at our careers or jump ship. And sometimes we don't have a choice and are forced to jump. It can lead to an existential crisis. Who am I now? Do I have anything left to offer? What's next? These are all questions pop up in our conversation with our guest, Maria Giudice, who has navigated career change many times with grace.  Maria Giudice is a design executive who has had quite the career in Silicon Valley. She had her own design firm Hot Studio for over 15 years, sold it to Facebook and then went on to lead global design teams at Facebook and Autodesk. After all that time working with executives and championing design, she started to reconsider what her next career chapter was going to look like. Her journey is relatable and honest and full of twists and as you'll find out towards the end of the discussion, also a surprising turn. Show notes and transcript: https://reconsidering.org/episodes/6

Listening. It's a skill that is hard to perfect in a world filled with distractions. But cultivating a satisfying life filled with rich relationships, growth, and connection requires this foundational skill. Getting good at listening to others can also help you tune into your own inner dialogue and emotional state. In this episode, Ximena Vengeochea, author of “Listen like you mean it” explains the art of listening and why it makes us better thought partners at work and at home, provide us with some tips for cultivating the listening mindset, and shares how we can become more empathetic listeners. We also talk about how listening can change the way we build lasting relationships—handy for many of us after a pandemic has stunted our social skills. Show notes and transcript: https://reconsidering.org/episodes/5

For many of us, time slips by mysteriously. It's gobbled up by email, social media infinity pools, and the flotsum and jetsum of life. At the end of the day we're left wondering, “uh, what did I do today?” John Zertasky, co-author of Make Time, wants us to be more aware of and intentional about how we spend our most precious resource—our time. John spent years working at Google and GV, the venture capital arm of Google. With that sort of background you might think John's perspective on time management slants towards productivity and optimizing output, but you'd be wrong. Years in the tech industry grind where attention is fragmented and speed is fetishized have given John clarity that a laser focus on what's important is the path to satisfaction and balance. John's perspective will help you reflect on what's most important in your life so you can allocate your time accordingly and find highlights every day. Show notes and transcript: https://reconsidering.org/episodes/4

Careers, careers, is there anything else so central to our lives that is so ill-defined and largely misunderstood? Academic career, sports careers, college careers. It seems we're awash in careers, and yet when it comes to our professional career, the one that really matters, many of us feel somewhere between uncertain and confused. Unable to see or appreciate the common patterns or longer arcs that might allow us to understand, process, and position our own ambitions, successes, and disappointments. On this episode we talk with Judy Wert, co-founder of Wert & Company, an executive recruiting and search firm that specializes in creative and business leaders. Trained as a designer, Judy has a unique and powerful perspective— one that's been honed over her 25 years of talking to designers, building relationships, cataloging conversations, and coming to understand the journey, challenges and patterns many of us move through as we evolve in both our personal and professional lives. Show notes and transcript: https://reconsidering.org/episodes/3

Nearly 50% of the US workforce is reconsidering their career and thinking about leaving their current job. Was the pandemic the driving force behind this? What does this mean for employees right now? We dive into this with Vipula Gandhi, Head of US Enterprise and Managing Partner at Gallup Inc and the author of a very popular article that some of you may have read called The 'Great Resignation' Is Really the 'Great Discontent'. We talk in detail with Vipula about why people are re-evaluating their current jobs, what employers need to do about it, and what the future of the workplace actually looks like. Show notes and transcript: https://reconsidering.org/episodes/2

For most people the ingredients that go into a satisfying life are mysterious. Certainly career and relationships play a big role but they don't always go as planned which makes satisfaction and happiness mercurial. Bill Burnett, Executive Director of the Design Program at Stanford, founder of Stanford's Life Design Lab, and co-author of two best selling books Designing Your Life and Designing Your Work Life, thinks of life as a design problem that can be prototyped and iterated upon using design thinking. Maybe you're the type of person who already has a life plan. Congrats, you're a rare breed. The problem with most life plans is that our pathway in life is ever changing. How do we plan for the unexpected? In our conversation with Bill he helps us see that change in life is a feature, not a bug. It creates opportunities for incremental improvements and growth. After a historic year of transformation we are all well positioned to rethink life and design something new for ourselves with clarity of convictions and a recognition of what's real. Bill's approach to life design will help you get started in your own process. Show notes and transcript: https://reconsidering.org/episodes/1

The pandemic has forced many of us to step back and reflect on what's important. Reconsidering, a new podcast launching Sept 14 from Meredith Black, Aarron Walter, and Bob Baxley, explores how to navigate big transitions in your career, relationships, and values to help you learn how to make a life while making a living.