OptimalWork Applications at the K-12 Level

Summary

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Podcast Summary: OptimalWork Applications at the K-12 Level

Podcast: Hillsdale College K-12 Classical Education Podcast
Host: Scott Bertram
Guest: Colin Mullaney, Director of Operations, Hillsdale College’s K-12 Education Office
Date: October 13, 2025
Duration: ~15 minutes (main content)

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Episode Overview

This episode explores the concept and practical applications of OptimalWork, an online platform rooted in classical and modern approaches to human flourishing, particularly within K-12 education. Host Scott Bertram interviews Colin Mullaney about the program’s origins, core principles, and how its tools can empower both students and educators to develop self-mastery, resilience, and deeper engagement with their work.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. What is OptimalWork?

• Origin: Developed by Harvard psychiatrist Dr. Kevin Majors and Sharif Yunus, OptimalWork goes beyond standard productivity tools by focusing on personal growth and flourishing.
• Core Idea: Work is more than a task to complete—it's an opportunity for growth, self-mastery, and serving others.
  • Quote (Colin Mullaney, 02:10):

  “Our work is really is always an opportunity to practice living our ideals... when we can tap into those things... it opens up just tremendous possibilities as well as energy and excitement about what we're doing.”

2. What Makes OptimalWork Unique?

• Multi-Faceted Approach: Blends Aristotelian virtue ethics, modern psychology (cognitive behavioral therapy), and neuroscience.
  • Quote (Colin Mullaney, 04:08):

  “It's a unique synthesis of ancient Aristotelian virtue ethics combined with modern psychology and especially cognitive behavioral therapy and then cutting-edge neuroscience... all mutually supportive.”

3. Core Principles of OptimalWork

• Definition of Flourishing:
  • Flourishing is a continual process of growing in one’s ideals and relationships.
  • The journey itself counts as flourishing; there is no final endpoint.
• Three Aspects of Self-Mastery:
  1. Attitude
  2. Attention
  3. Next Action
  • Quote (Colin Mullaney, 05:09):

  "Self mastery is broken down into three areas: mastery of one's attitude, mastery of one's attention, and... mastery of one's next action."

4. Practical Tools for Mastery

• Reframer:
  • Helps individuals see opportunities within challenges by intentionally shifting perspective.
  • Reframing is not about minimizing real challenges, but about finding potential for growth.
  • Quote (Colin Mullaney, 06:24):

  “The idea of reframing is simply about seeing the opportunity that is hidden within each challenge.”

• Mindfulness and Attention:
  • Techniques to build focus and engagement; can result in the psychological state of “flow” (total focus, associated with happiness and fulfillment).
• Golden Hour:
  • An integrative tool for applying attitude, attention, and action in one structured, deliberate process (setting intention, reframing, outlining steps, engaging deeply).
  • Quote (Colin Mullaney, 14:23):

  “The Golden Hour’s simplicity is powerful... those small activities... really expand one's imagination of what you’re doing.”

5. Understanding Challenge

• Opportunity vs. Threat:
  • Challenges can be perceived either way; making the conscious choice to see them as opportunities enables growth.
• Neuroscientific Element:
  • The amygdala’s alarm response can be “retrained” by how a person reacts to perceived threats, reducing future stress or avoidance.
  • Quote (Colin Mullaney, 08:51):

  “Your own brain is watching how you respond... if you avoid that thing, your amygdala says, ‘Oh, that is a threat...’ [but] if you lean into it... you’re teaching your amygdala to reduce that alarm sounding.”

6. Applications in K-12 Education

• For Younger Students:
  • Teachers and parents can learn and model OptimalWork principles, using child-friendly language and everyday situations (e.g. focusing, reframing).
• For Older Students (Junior High and High School):
  • Students can be taught OptimalWork frameworks and tools directly (especially the Golden Hour).
  • Example: Using the Golden Hour to set intentions before homework or tests increases engagement and decreases anxiety.
  • Quote (Colin Mullaney, 10:50):

  “As their children are facing challenges, helping them understand this opportunity to reframe... as kids get into junior high, high school, I think they're at an age where they can be taught these directly...”

7. Bringing Ideals and Agency into Each Day

• Ownership of Growth:
  • Students learn that they have agency over their virtue development; they can choose virtues to develop and act towards them daily.
  • Quote (Colin Mullaney, 12:41):

  “We can show students that they in fact, have agency over their own growth, over their own development of virtue... and provides the support to actually help them make that growth.”

8. Enhancing Interpersonal Skills and Classroom Culture

• Centrality of Relationships:
  • OptimalWork places “bonds” or relationships as the highest ideal, encouraging work in service of others and attentive community-building.
  • Implications for classroom management, positive peer interactions, and modeling respectful behavior.

9. Colin Mullaney’s Personal Experience

• Golden Hour and Reframer:
  • Stopping to set attitude and attention before starting tasks yields better clarity and fulfillment.
  • Reframing helps to overcome negative ruminations and find growth in setbacks.
  • Quote (Colin Mullaney, 14:23):

  “It’s surprising in simplicity and also really amazing in its power.”

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On the myth of “arrival” in flourishing:

  “You never check the box that now I'm flourishing... whenever we're engaged in that process, we actually are flourishing.”
  (Colin Mullaney, 05:09)

• On practical impact for teachers and parents:

  “There's a real opportunity for teachers and parents to learn these principles... and then to play those out in real time with their kids.”
  (Colin Mullaney, 10:50)

• On reframing regular frustrations:

  “You can be... in a traffic jam... and you can find an opportunity in there. The opportunity might include practicing patience... If we find that opportunity through reframing, then we can actually grow.”
  (Colin Mullaney, 06:24)

• On relationships as the highest good:

  “Optimal work rates bonds or relationships as the highest thing above ideals... growing as part of a relationship and a community...”
  (Colin Mullaney, 13:41)

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Segment Timestamps

• Introduction of Guest & Topic: 01:48–02:10
• What is OptimalWork?: 02:10–03:57
• What Makes It Unique?: 04:08–05:01
• Core Principles (Flourishing & Self-Mastery): 05:09–06:18
• Tools: Reframer, Mindfulness, Golden Hour: 06:24–08:43, 14:23–15:45
• Understanding Challenge & Neuroscience: 08:51–10:28
• Applications at K-12 Level: 10:50–12:26
• Ideals and Student Agency: 12:41–13:29
• Interpersonal Skills & Classroom Community: 13:41–14:15
• Personal Testimony: 14:23–15:45

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Conclusion

This episode provides a practical and philosophical overview of OptimalWork, emphasizing its alignment with classical education values and its powerful applicability in K-12 classrooms. Whether through reframing challenges, fostering mindfulness, or cultivating student agency, OptimalWork offers actionable strategies for flourishing—benefiting both teachers and students in the classical tradition.

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Transcript

[Mark Levin]

Hello America. I'm thrilled, thrilled to announce my new 10 part podcast series, Liberty and Learning with Mark Levin and Larry Arne. Join me and my dear friend Dr. Larry Arne, President of Hillsdale College, as we dive deep into the founding principles of our great nation. In these challenging times, understanding our history and the ideals of self government is more crucial than ever. We'll explore the core of America's current crises, the changes in our government and what it means for our lives and liberties. From education to borders, citizenship to the separation of powers will cover it all. Tune in to Liberty and Learning with Mark Levin and Larry Arn of Hillsdale College. So subscribe now and join us on this wonderful journey to rediscover the principles that made America the freest, most prosperous nation in history. Don't miss it.

[Scott Bertram]

Listen right now to Liberty and Learning with Mark Levin and Larry Arne at podcast hillsdale.edu. that's podcast hillsdale or wherever you find your audio.

Welcome to The Hillsdale College K12 classical education podcast, bringing you insight into classical education and its unique emphasis on human virtue and moral character, responsible citizenship, content, rich curricula and teacher led classrooms. Now your host, Scott Bertram.

Thanks for listening. The Hillsdale College K12 Classical Education Podcast is part of the Hillsdale College Podcast Network. More episodes at podcast hillsdale.edu or wherever you get your audio. You also can find more information on topics and ideas discussed on this show at our website, k12 hillsdale.edu.

We'Re joined by Colin Mullaney. He's director of Operations for Hillsdale College's K12 education office. Colin, thanks so much for joining us.

[Colin Mullaney]

Yeah, thanks for having me Scott.

[Scott Bertram]

Good to have you back again. This time we're going to talk a bit about Optimal Work and a little about K12 education. For those who are not familiar, what is optimal work? Where does it come from?

[Colin Mullaney]

Yeah, Optimal Work is an online platform created by Harvard psychiatrist Dr. Kevin Majors and his associate Sharif Yunus, who helped create this platform. But it's a platform that is designed, you know, as the name applies, to help people work or live optimally. So on its surface it seems like it is a, like a work efficiency program, which in fact it's very effective at that. But it's much more than that because it's much deeper. What it really does is helps guide people in learning to master themselves and to really live out their ideals in a way that is designed and results in actual human flourishing. And so the core kind of piece of Optimal Work is that our work is really is always an opportunity to practice living our ideals. And in fact, kind of one of the starting points for optimal work is that one of the biggest mistakes that people make, and it's everywhere, it's everyone is diving into your work without thinking about it and thinking of work simply as something to get done versus finding the deeper opportunities for growth in the work and the deeper meaning and ability to serve others through work. And when we can tap into to those things, we can step back from work and think about it as a way for us to grow and to serve others, then it opens up just tremendous possibilities as well as energy and excitement about what we're doing Now.

[Scott Bertram]

There's no shortage of programs and platforms that try to help you understand yourself or understand others. So what makes optimal work so unique in this sphere?

[Colin Mullaney]

Yeah, it really is an interesting approach. It's a unique synthesis of ancient Aristotelian virtue ethics combined with modern psychology and especially cognitive behavioral therapy and then cutting edge neuroscience. And so those three things are brought together in a way that they're all mutually supportive, which is really fun because people might not think that they are. But as the program talks about developing ideals, which could be interpreted virtue, it talks about using techniques that have been developed by cognitive behavioral therapy, and it talks about what's going on within your brain. And all of those are saying the same thing, are all well aligned. It makes the program fascinating just to listen to, but also very effective.

[Scott Bertram]

Talking with Colin Mullaney about optimal work, what are some of the core principles involved in optimal work?

[Colin Mullaney]

So optimal work is all about human flourishing. And the definition of flourishing that it uses is that flourishing is a process of continually growing in one's ideals and relationships or bonds. And that process implies a couple things, or the definition including that it's a process is that we never get there. You never check the box that now I'm flourishing. At the same time, we're not far from beginning that as soon as we start the process, or whenever we're engaged in that process, we actually are flourishing. And so the concepts of optimal work are about achieving that flourishing through self mastery. And that self mastery is broken down into three areas. That's mastery of one's attitude, mastery of one's attention, and then mastery of one's next action. And so it follows those three steps. And in doing those things, then we are making an intentional choice to live out who we choose to be, who live out our ideals.

[Scott Bertram]

The principles sound good. How does the program actually help people attain mastery in those areas?

[Colin Mullaney]

Yeah, so the principles come with Related tools that are very effective and interesting. So the idea of mastery. I'm sorry, the idea of mastery of attitude comes with a tool called the reframer. And the idea of reframing is simply about seeing the opportunity that is hidden within each challenge. And so there are different ways we can approach opportunities, and really that ways we can approach a challenge. But the way we approach a challenge really defines a lot of who we are or show ourselves to be. And so that reframing is all about expanding our vision to see something that's even truer than what we're already seeing and finding that opportunity that's hidden within it. And it's important to say a couple things with that, with this finding the opportunity. Those always exist. Every challenge has that opportunity. But that's not to say that every challenge is good. So this doesn't whitewash the idea that people have real difficulties, some of them, some of them minor, some of them really significant. But you can be. You find yourself sitting in traffic, in a traffic jam, and it's a pain in the neck, and you're late, and you can find an opportunity in there. And the opportunity might include practicing patience, depending on your circumstance. There are a variety of different potential opportunities there. But if we focus on what the negative aspect of that challenge is, we don't take that opportunity to grow, but if we find that opportunity through reframing, then we can actually grow, and then the others have similar ways to grow. So as we are mastering our attention, then there are tools and techniques for mindfulness, and those, in fact, can lead to flow. So this total focus on the task at hand, that in fact equates to happiness in some psychological studies. So it's by learning to break down a task and to pay specific attention to one thing at a time, we can really achieve a sense of happiness and engagement that is really fulfilling.

[Scott Bertram]

This idea of challenge seems like an important one inside of optimal work. What more do you want to say about that?

[Colin Mullaney]

Yeah, you're exactly right. It's very important. And it's all about the way we view a challenge and learning to view a challenge as an opportunity versus a threat. And so every time any of us have a challenge in front of us, which is all of us all the time, on a regular basis, we can view this in two different ways. And if we view it as an opportunity, then it actually, physiologically our minds and the adrenaline within us prepares us to make the most of that opportunity. And in fact, to talk about some of the neuroscience really briefly, our amygdala in our brain is designed to do three things, and one of those is to to detect a threat, to sound an alarm, and then to watch our response. And that's the part that's really fascinating is your own brain is watching how you respond. And so when you see something that is perhaps your amygdala says it's a threat. If you avoid that thing, your amygdala says, oh, I realize that is a threat, and I'll sound the alarm even louder next time. In the reverse, though, if you lean into it and say, I'm going to ignore that alarm, I'm going to advance, whether it's a barking dog or speaking in public or whatever it might be, I'm going to do the thing anyway. I'm going to lean into it. You're teaching your amygdala to reduce that alarm sounding, and so you actually can train yourself to train yourself that, hey, that's not actually a threat.

[Scott Bertram]

As we talk about optimal work, it's a K12 podcast. So let's zoom out a bit from Optimal Work and get a little bigger. Are there ways that you think that the principles of optimal work in the program can be applied at the K12 level? There are challenges and opportunities all over the place there to help students flourish.

[Colin Mullaney]

Absolutely. I think one of the main ways, and of course, students come in many different ages, so at the younger grades, I think there's a real opportunity for teachers and parents to learn these principles of optimal work, to learn the language of that, to really learn the underlying principles, and then to play those out in real time with their kids. And so as their children are facing challenges, helping them understand this opportunity to reframe as children, and I've worked with my own son on some of the mindfulness things as children are distracted or helping them find ways to practice focusing. As kids get into junior high, high school, I think they're at an age where they can be taught these directly from this program or something that translates it like it, so that they can use the actual tools that are created. One of the central tools that I haven't spoken about so far is called the golden hour. And the golden hour is a way that the three areas of mastery are brought together. It starts by quick reframing and then focusing and then jumping into the work that you've outlined step by step. And this is so applicable for all of us. But you think of kids doing their homework and taking a second or a minute even to set their focus, to set their attitude, to identify what they're Doing and get to work, it can make a real difference.

[Scott Bertram]

There's a note on some of the material that says helping students bring their highest ideals into each day. The thought of a perspective or approach and the importance of that to anyone's success, but specifically a student success. Talk about that.

[Colin Mullaney]

Yeah. What's really important for students to understand is that we have the chance to both identify the ideals that we hold valuable and to grow in those. And so if we, through this program, we can show students that they in fact, have agency over their own growth, over their own development of virtue. And that's Aristotelian as well, that we learn virtue by doing virtuous things. And so optimal work provides a framework for people to choose those virtues that they want to grow in and provides the support to actually help them make that growth.

[Scott Bertram]

Are there some ways optimal work also can help to interpersonal skills inside the classroom and perhaps that classroom environment that a teacher wants to set?

[Colin Mullaney]

I think it can. Optimal work rates bonds or relationships as the highest thing above ideals. And so this idea of doing our work in service to others and as part of and growing as part of a relationship and a community, I think is central to optimal work and can really translate well into the classroom and can translate well into the language that a teacher uses in just communicating with the classroom about what's proper behavior and proper interaction.

[Scott Bertram]

What about your personal experience with optimal work? What have you found and what have you perhaps been able to apply in your life?

[Colin Mullaney]

Yeah, I've used all of it and find it very helpful. I will say the golden hour is its simplicity is powerful. The idea all of us, I think I certainly fall into the trap of wanting to jump into my work. And I get to work and want to hit it running. And by doing the practice of stopping and checking my attitude and reframing, if necessary, setting my attention, outlining the particular tasks. Those small activities include the way the the Golden Hour's designed. Thoughts or questions about what ideals do I want to develop as I'm doing this? Who can I serve in this? And it in a remarkable way really expands one's imagination of what you're doing. So I have found that really valuable. I found the reframing tool valuable. And times when I am ruminating on something and kind of can't get over a negative thought of it, to go through the short process and think, okay, what way can I grow from? This is again, simple. It's surprising in simplicity and also really amazing in its power.

[Scott Bertram]

Colin Mullaney is director of operations for Hillsdale College's K12 education office as we talked today about optimal work. Colin, thanks so much for joining us here on the Hillsdale College K12 Classical Education Podcast.

[Colin Mullaney]

Scott thank you so much for having me.

[Scott Bertram]

I'm Scott Bertram. We invite you to like us on Facebook search for Hillsdale College K12 classical education. You also can follow us on Instagram hillsdalek12. That's hillsdalek12 on Instagram. Thank you for listening to The Hillsdale College K12 classical education podcast, part of the Hillsdale College Podcast Network. More at Podcast Hillsdale Edu or wherever you get your audio.