Help Wanted – “My Company Is Changing and I Don’t Like It. Help!”

Podcast: Help Wanted
Hosts: Jason Feifer & Nicole Lapin
Release Date: December 23, 2025

Episode Overview

In this episode, Jason Feifer (Entrepreneur Magazine Editor-in-Chief) and money expert Nicole Lapin take a call from Kevin, a longtime program manager working in IT, who is grappling with changes at his company. As new leadership shifts focus from customer satisfaction to profit, Kevin feels disconnected from the original purpose that motivated him. The discussion centers on how to navigate organizational change without sacrificing personal meaning or the desire for stability in one's career.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The Challenge: When Company Purpose Shifts

• Kevin’s Background:
  • Eighteen years at the same company; 10–11 years as a program manager (10:15)
  • Enjoyed being "100% dedicated" to customer needs, which fueled his professional purpose (03:55, 05:10)
• The Pivot Point:
  • Leadership change directs focus toward profits over customers (03:55–05:10)
  • Kevin expresses, "It became more about the company rather than the customer." (05:00)
• Emotional Impact:
  • Feels "a little bait and switch" (06:17)
  • New reporting structures and anticipation of rigid productivity tracking (07:20)
  • Kevin experiences stress at work for the first time in his career (06:39–06:49)

2. Reframing Work as Organizational Change Unfolds

• Analyzing the “Toll” vs “Scam” Framework:
  • Jason introduces the concept of distinguishing necessary job discomfort (“toll”) from unproductive, unrewarding stress (“scam”) (07:46)
    • Quote: "All work, even good work, has tolls. ... The distinction is whether or not something is a toll ... or a scam, which is to spend for nothing." (08:00-08:40)
    • Kevin estimates the “toll” is currently 30-40% of his workday (09:53)
• Staying vs. Leaving Decision:
  • Kevin isn’t ready to leave; wants to "figure out how to make it work" rather than quitting (10:07–11:01)
  • Nicole: "We're basically just solving for X. ... Reframing that role is never going to come from anybody else but you." (11:15–12:01)

3. Finding Purpose — “The Why” at Work

• Identifying Your Real Role:
  • Nicole shares research on hospital janitors who reframed their job as "ambassadors for health," finding motivation despite undesirable tasks (12:15)
  • Quote (Nicole): “Having a purpose or having a why ... is the thing that leads to happiness, longevity, satisfaction, all of the warm, fuzzy, delightful things that can come from work.” (11:15)
• Crafting a Personal Mission Statement:
  • Jason encourages focusing on a purpose not easily changed by a job title (13:25–16:51)
    • His own: “I tell stories in my own voice.” (13:36)
    • Advises Kevin: “I’m a stable force for people.” (17:04)
    • Kevin agrees and starts to embrace this as his core value (17:08)
• Practical Steps:
  • Suggests Kevin speak with his manager about aligning duties with his “why” (17:10)

4. Barriers to Advocacy & Opportunities for Growth

• Self-Imposed Limits:
  • Kevin admits passing up opportunities to stay close to customers, possibly hindering his career growth (17:41–17:50)
  • Acknowledges not advocating his needs or ambitions to management over 18 years (22:22)
  • Jason: "The downside to that is that you've trained your company: 'Kevin will do whatever.' ... That's the thing you need to fix." (18:33)
• Empathy for Leadership:
  • Nicole advises recognizing the stress and priorities managers face, advocating for empathy in workplace conversations (23:32)
  • Quote: “Behind [corporate decisions] is just people just trying to feed their families … and ultimately run a business because it’s a business and not a nonprofit.” (23:32)

5. The Role of “Good Stress”

• Eustress vs. Distress:
  • Nicole reintroduces the concept of positive stress (“eustress”) and its benefits (25:10)
  • Helpful for motivation and engagement, not always to be avoided
  • “Excitement and nervousness...two sides of the same coin.” (25:15)

6. Taking Incremental Control

• Small But Meaningful Changes:
  • Jason emphasizes that Kevin doesn’t need dramatic changes, but should seize opportunities for input in his role (26:47–27:34)
  • Encourages initiating conversations with management for small changes toward greater satisfaction (27:34)

7. Reflection and Acceptance

• Satisfaction With Career Trajectory:
  • Kevin expresses contentment with his choices despite not advancing up the corporate ladder (27:42–28:23)
  • Recognizes risk of being removed from his “why” if promoted too far away from customers (27:59–29:23)
  • Jason addresses the “curse of ambition” and notes that Kevin has chosen a path suited to his values (29:23)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Purpose at Work:
  • Nicole (11:15): “Having a purpose or having a why ... is the thing that leads to happiness, longevity, satisfaction, all of the warm, fuzzy, delightful things that can come from work.”
• On Job Reframing:
  • Jason (13:36): “I tell stories in my own voice.”
  • Jason (17:04): “I'm a stable force for people.”
• On Missing Out by Not Speaking Up:
  • Jason (18:33): “The downside to that is that you've trained your company: 'Kevin will do whatever.' ... That's the thing you need to fix.”
• Empathy for Leadership:
  • Nicole (23:32): “Behind [corporate decisions] is just people just trying to feed their families … and ultimately run a business because it’s a business and not a nonprofit.”
• On Good Stress:
  • Nicole (25:10): “We used to have a different word for good stress. It was called eustress. ... Some of that stress is good. Sometimes these emotions are two sides of the same coin.”
• On Contentment:
  • Jason (29:23): “You’ve taken a different path and there’s nothing to be regretful for that. It sounds like it’s afforded you a happy life with what you want and some course corrections can come along the way, but it’s kind of a you do you situation.”

Key Timestamps

• 03:55 – Kevin introduces his dilemma, describing the company’s shift in focus
• 05:10 – Jason reframes Kevin’s problem: feeling like an engine for profit, not people
• 07:46 – Jason explains the “toll or scam” framework for workplace trade-offs
• 09:53 – Kevin quantifies “the toll” at 30-40% of his day
• 11:15 – Nicole: The importance of “why” and reframing your role
• 13:25 – Jason’s exercise: describe your mission without your job title
• 17:04 – Boiling down Kevin’s value: “I’m a stable force for people.”
• 18:33 – The risk of never communicating career needs to management
• 22:22 – Kevin reflects on not advocating for his own growth
• 23:32 – Nicole advocates for empathy for managers and leaders
• 25:10 – Nicole distinguishes between good (“eustress”) and bad stress
• 27:34 – Jason: encourage small changes for greater control and satisfaction
• 29:23 – The "curse of ambition" vs. contentment

Tone and Style

The hosts maintain a warm, supportive, and practical tone throughout, mixing direct advice with empathy and humor. Their approach is consultative, giving actionable ideas while validating Kevin’s concerns and values.

Summary Takeaways

• Personal mission matters: Reframing your job according to your deeper “why” can bring renewed satisfaction even when the environment changes.
• Communication is key: Don’t assume leaders know your ambitions or dissatisfactions; proactively share them to open potential new paths.
• Empathy goes both ways: Recognizing the pressures leaders are under can foster more constructive workplace conversations.
• Incremental action, not radical change: Even small steps towards expressing needs and adjusting roles can make a meaningful difference.

Kevin’s story is familiar to anyone who’s stayed at a company through major change: the anxiety of losing sight of what makes your work meaningful, and the struggle to reclaim agency without burning career bridges. Jason and Nicole offer a roadmap to regaining purpose and satisfaction by shifting internal perspectives, embracing communication, and balancing personal stability with incremental growth.