Fixable Podcast – "Fixations: Farmer’s Dog, Waymo, Switchers, and Manila Folders"

Hosted by Anne Morriss & Frances Frei, TED
Date: November 17, 2025

Episode Overview

In this special inaugural "Fixations" episode, leadership coaches Frances Frei and Anne Morriss share the ideas, products, and tools they've been "fixated on" lately—swapping stories and insights for the first time live on air. They take turns highlighting companies, technologies, and rituals that exemplify their core show theme: practical ways to fix workplace (and life) friction. The structure is spontaneous and conversational, designed to surface actionable wisdom and spark curiosity for listeners' own organizational and professional lives.

1. The "Fixations" Format: Why Try It?

• A fresh format: Rather than caller Q&A, today's episode spotlights what’s inspiring and energizing Frances and Anne in the moment.
• Rules: Each shares three "fixations" they've not revealed to each other beforehand for genuine surprise and real-time reactions.
• Objective: As Anne puts it, “These fixations can be anything. An idea, a company, a tool, a leader that's inspiring us, a food that's helping us get through the day.” (Anne, 01:47)
• Goal: Deliver actionable, relatable insights listeners can use to "fix things" in work and life.

2. Key Discussion Points & Insights

A. Organizations That Captivate

Frances: The Farmer’s Dog – Transforming Pet Food

[03:14–13:35]

• Personal Story: Frances shares a moving journey of struggling to get one of their dogs to eat, spending 2–4 hours per day for over a year.
• Turning Point: Trying Farmer’s Dog, a direct-to-consumer, fresh pet food company, transformed the experience. Their dog devoured the food immediately, providing emotional relief.
• Customer Experience: Frances mentions the proactive and personal customer support, including sending recipes and instructions when there was a shipping delay.
  • "So they sent...instructions. I believe, Anne Morriss, you have seen me cook just once or just for one period...mixing the chicken and putting in the rice and the potatoes." (Frances, 05:12)
• Business Lessons:
  • Origin story: The founders were personally motivated by a need to solve an urgent problem (dogs with eating/digestive issues).
  • Needs-Based Innovation:
    • "To me, a needs based. A dramatic needs based. If something isn't there, don't stop looking..." (Frances, 07:13)
  • Painkiller > Vitamin: Solve real, acute problems—don’t just offer incremental improvement.
    • "You want to be in the painkiller business, not the vitamin business. You want to be in the business of solving somebody's urgent, acute problem." (Anne, 08:29)
  • Segmentation & Direct-to-Consumer: Focusing on the most passionate customer segment expands later.
  • Relational Value: Direct relationships (not intermediated by stores) enable customization and deep customer care.
    • "I text them once a month...I text them and I'm like, oh, my dog has gained two pounds. Can you adjust the packages?" (Frances, 11:16)
• Broad Lesson: Start with deeply felt, acute pain. Fix that first before expanding to broader markets (“start with painkiller, add vitamins later”).
• Disclaimer: No investments/advisory relationships—just “superfans.”

Anne: Waymo – Riding in the Future

[13:35–20:06]

• First Experience: Anne describes her first solo ride in a Waymo self-driving taxi in San Francisco—and the unexpected emotional impact.
  • "It is my first experience with technology in a long time that really captured my imagination and really made me excited about the future." (Anne, 13:44)
• Safety & Inclusivity:
  • Profound sense of safety and relaxation, especially as a woman traveling alone at night. She waited 45 minutes for a Waymo rather than use a standard rideshare.
    • "There’s a value proposition around self driving cars that I think is specific to women and people who feel vulnerable...you walk around with a certain amount of armor...for the 20 minutes I’m in the car, I get to take off my urban armor." (Anne, 16:04/17:56)
  • Frances highlights that the original target audience likely wasn’t “people for whom it’s a painkiller, not a vitamin.”
• Designing for All: Both note the importance of having diverse voices in the room—otherwise, critical value propositions (like safety or child impact in social media) are missed.
  • "If you don’t carry around armor of safety, you don’t know it exists." (Frances, 19:17)
• Diffusion of Innovation: Anne references Everett Rogers' model—stressing the need to focus on non-tech (human) aspects of adoption.
• Lesson: Innovations may have unexpected, deeply human benefits unnoticed by designers. Diverse design/testing teams reveal these.

B. Tools That Change the Game

Frances: The Switcher (Blackmagic Design ATEM Mini)

[23:14–29:14]

• What is it? A "prosumer" video tool allowing dynamic switching among cameras, slides, and devices for presentations/Zoom.
  • "It allows you to switch the inputs that are showing when you're on zoom calls...camera, iPad, slides...I can design them any way I want." (Frances, 23:14/25:08)
• Why Use It?
  • No need to use screen sharing in clunky or unpredictable ways—viewers see a polished, blended feed decided by the presenter.
  • Gives the presenter creative control—design the visual experience for teaching, sales, coaching.
    • "If you're in sales and you're sharing screen, you are leaving so much on the table...Now you can do it in so much more of a professional way." (Frances, 26:30)
• Accessibility: Formerly a “broadcast-level” tool, now affordable ($250–$2,000). “Prosumers” are regular people doing professional-like virtual events.
• User Experience:
  • "They took professional and made it available for consumers... Blackmagic has had people for decades testing their stuff. They're just simplifying it for consumers. It always works. It's not finicky at all." (Frances, 28:03/28:37)
• Lesson: Thoughtful tools can "democratize" professional-grade experiences, leveling up communication for everyone.

Anne: The Manila Folder – Physical Rituals to Tame Chaos

[31:36–36:54]

• Old-School Solution: Anne advocates for the overlooked power of physical manila folders to bring order and ritual to work (and life).
  • "I really need rituals that allowed me to put work away...it's the tactile experience of putting work into the folder and up on the shelf...my brain is convinced that I’m actually done." (Anne, 32:07)
• Why It Matters:
  • Tangible, deliberate acts signal transitions ("work is done for now") the digital world can’t replicate.
  • Reduces anxiety and creates boundaries in an always-on culture.
• Example System: Folders aren’t just for vital documents, but for every project (e.g., a folder labeled "Interview" for podcast prep materials). - "Anytime I'm being interviewed, you go to the folder interview and you open it up and it has useful things that you don't have to rely on memorizing." (Frances, 36:51)
• Contrast with Frances: Frances jokes about her own scatter of papers, prompting Anne to point out the anxiety from physical chaos.
• Lesson:
  • Find and ritualize your own transition cues—physical or digital.
  • "Find something that signals to you that your life is under control and work is done...the payoff, the nervous system payoff, is invaluable." (Anne, 35:12)

3. Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Painkiller vs. Vitamin:
  • "You want to be in the painkiller business, not the vitamin business." (Anne, 08:29)
  • "It's much easier to build a painkiller business because your customers will gnaw off a limb to get to you." (Frances, 08:52)
• On Diverse Design:
  • "If you don’t carry around armor of safety, you don’t know it exists." (Frances, 19:17)
  • "It’s just cognitively impossible to imagine what that experience feels like and then to be surprised when that sensation goes away." (Anne, 19:37)
• On Rituals for Sanity:
  • "I really need rituals that allow me to put work away...it's the tactile experience of putting work into [a] folder and up on the shelf." (Anne, 32:07)
• On Prosumer Tools:
  • "They took a professional thing and made it available to consumers...now you can do it in so much more of a professional way." (Frances, 27:24)
  • "I never do anything...I don't ever touch Share Screen in any of these things and hope it works." (Frances, 25:24)

4. Timestamps for Key Segments

• Intro & "Fixations" Format: 01:41–03:07
• Farmer’s Dog Fixation & Lessons: 03:14–13:35
• Waymo Fixation & Safety Insight: 13:35–20:06
• Switcher Tool (Blackmagic ATEM Mini): 23:14–29:14
• Manila Folder Rituals: 31:36–36:54

5. Tone and Style

Conversational, spontaneous, and witty, with the friendly banter and warmth of a couple who live and work together. The hosts deliver practical, no-nonsense wisdom shot through with humor, humility, and a relentless focus on "fixing" what doesn't serve us.

6. Takeaways for Listeners

• Find systems, products, and rituals that solve acute pains—not just for you, but for those you serve (customers, employees, even pets).
• Inclusive design is more than a buzzword; people’s lived experiences surface hidden needs and opportunities.
• Democratized tools (physical and digital) empower everyone to work better—whether that’s a professional video switcher or a humble manila folder.
• Ritual and intentional transitions (digital or physical) can support sanity and well-being in an always-on world.

Want more episodes like this? The hosts invite listener fixations, feedback, and workplace dilemmas for future episodes.