The Stacking Benjamins Show

Episode SB1739: Work Less, Live More AND Perform Better at Your Job

Date: September 24, 2025

Episode Overview

In this lively episode of The Stacking Benjamins Show, hosts Joe Saul-Sehy and OG sit down with Shemin Nur Muhammad, an accomplished executive and author of "The Paris Paradox," to explore how adopting French attitudes towards work-life balance can allow us to work less, perform better, and simply enjoy life more. Drawing from her cross-continental career and personal life lessons, Shemin challenges the American tendency to glorify overwork, sharing practical strategies to recharge, connect, and restructure both professional and personal lives for richer, fuller living.

The episode also features insights into what you should do if your financial advisor changes firms—a common event that can leave clients confused or concerned. As always, plenty of humor, previewed banter, listener community shoutouts, and finance trivia keep things engaging.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The True Cost of Wasted Vacation (07:13)

• Statistic Highlight: Americans waste a staggering 765 million vacation days per year, according to Forbes.
• Main Impact: Shemin emphasizes the personal and business costs, citing mental health consequences and massive losses in productivity and dollars.

  “I think it’s burnout...much more personal cost which then costs also the business billions of dollars…In fact, I had to go individual by individual, making sure they [my team] took some so that we could work as a group correctly.”
  — Shemin Nur Muhammad (07:46)

2. Learning from French Work Culture (08:30–12:39)

• Shemin’s Story: Her supposed honeymoon trip to Vancouver became a surprise move to Paris without her ability to work, launching her on the journey that inspired her research and new book.
• First Impressions: Initial resistance to French annual leave—the entire country seeming to "shut down" in August—gave way to appreciation for how slowing down improved relationships and well-being.

  “I just thought, what kind of backward culture have I come into? But you did feel a lot more laid back. People were enjoying time with each other…took the time to smell the roses…”
  — Shemin Nur Muhammad (11:25)

3. The Paradox: More Time Off, Greater Productivity (13:20–18:35)

• French Paradox: France systematically ranks as one of the world’s most productive countries—even with their generous vacation policies.
• The Power of Lunch: Shemin shares a formative experience at IBM in Paris, where extended, cross-functional lunches fostered personal connections and solved work problems much faster.

  “As I sat down…people just didn’t want to talk about work. They wanted to connect in some way... almost like a 70/30 rule—70% the conversation’s really around a personal subject and then 30% around work. What was really shocking—my predecessor couldn’t solve [a problem] in four months, and yet…in a 90-minute lunch, it was solved.”
  — Shemin Nur Muhammad (15:24, 17:57)

4. Unlocking the Benefits of True Time Away (20:13–23:32)

• French Rule: French employees must take three consecutive weeks off in summer, a shock for most Americans.
• Three-Week Vacation Structure:
  • Week 1: Unwind
  • Week 2: Pure relaxation and innovative thinking
  • Week 3: Prepare to return
• Workplace Impact: Rested teams debate more productively and collaborate better:

  “When you’ve had those three weeks…it is incredible, the breakthrough thinking, the innovative thinking that occurs because your two hemispheres of your brain start to connect in a different way…Once I had everyone well rested…the type of team that we created together was a powerhouse.”
  — Shemin Nur Muhammad (21:56, 23:17)

5. How to Advocate for (and Structure) Extended Time Off (24:01–28:38)

• Don’t Dump on Your Boss: Set up backup structures among colleagues. Leaders benefit from seeing who’s ready to step up.
• Vacation Buddy System: Pair with another employee to ensure coverage and cross-train.
• Small Business Insights: French bakeries close for weeks, believing that short-term losses are outweighed by preserved health and quality.

  “Anything you can delegate, you should…only the things where you can personally make a difference—those are the meetings you should be in.”
  — Shemin Nur Muhammad (30:24)

6. Leverage, Connection, and the “Who Not How” Principle (32:25–37:24)

• Schedule Thinking Time: Shemin shares Lou Gerstner’s advice to block work time for deep thinking, not just meetings.
• Reclaiming Weekends: Use tools and social connections to create real downtime—utilize online ordering, share tasks with friends.

  “Anywhere you can use leverage, I would use it…We would, we would share the workload. So it’s just finding those moments…Because a lot of times I find here in the US people don’t want to ask for help.”
  — Shemin Nur Muhammad (33:43, 35:07)

7. Tapping into Social Connections at Work and in Life (36:16–45:10)

• Easier Than You Think: Building community starts with small gestures; Shemin’s neighborly example turned an awkward introduction into mutual support.
• Professional Relationships: True connections, not transactionality, create long-lasting career opportunities.

  “The more you can be the antithesis of [transactional relationships] and the more French-like you can be…the first contacts after this transition were from France because they kept a lookout…relationships will be long term.”
  — Shemin Nur Muhammad (41:52)

8. Audience Q&A & Book Recommendation (45:39)

• Book Title Correction: The book is “The Paris Paradox: Embracing French Ideals of Leisure to Transform American Work-Life Balance.”

  “Initially, the title was supposed to be Why the French Always Have Time For Lunch. But…we went with The Paris Paradox, which I love.”
  — Shemin Nur Muhammad (45:13)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• “We experience so much loneliness, we feel isolated…yet it was the personal connection…that did it. Ask who, not how.”
  — Joe Saul-Sehy (18:35)

• “You have to start saying no to things in order for people to value your time.”
  — Shemin Nur Muhammad (30:24)

• “If you have a good relationship with your advisor…you should say, ‘Okay.’ But hopefully it’s something very simple, like we can do this at a lower cost for you.”
  — OG on financial advisors changing firms (58:39)

Important Segments & Timestamps

• [07:02] Interview with Shemin Nur Muhammad begins
• [07:46] The real cost of unused vacation time
• [13:20] Productivity paradox: How French get more done, work less
• [14:40] The 90-Minute French Lunch—connection over efficiency
• [20:13] Why 3-week vacations are transformative
• [24:01] Structuring time off so your boss (and team) love it
• [32:25] Scheduling “thinking time” and reclaiming the weekend
• [36:16] Building meaningful connections (neighbors, coworkers)
• [41:52] Career-long value of genuine professional relationships
• [45:10] “The Paris Paradox” book discussion

Financial Headline: What to Do When Your Advisor Changes Firms (52:20–63:18)

• Understanding the Process: Advisors can only bring basic contact info when moving. Clients typically get outreach from both old and new firms.

• Key Considerations:

  • Assess if your relationship with the advisor is valuable enough to warrant following them.
  • Be aware of potential tax consequences, especially around proprietary products.
  • OG’s advice: If your advisor is an important part of your financial team, it’s about them, not the firm.

  “If the advisor moves from UBS to LPL and it is a valuable relationship, it should be a no brainer. It should have nothing to do with UBS or LPL.”
  — Joe Saul-Sehy (62:48)

• Helpful Litmus Test:

  “If you feel like this is a person I want to have a couple beers with or I would trust to take care of my dog over the weekend, then that's probably somebody that you match up well with.”
  — Doug (63:29)

Listener Community & Fun (64:13 onward)

• Hosts highlight engaging stories and posts from the show's vibrant Facebook community.
• Topics include skepticism about “rules-of-thumb” for retirement savings, the value of fan fiction and pop finance, and the importance of non-transactional relationships (with lots of playful banter).

Tone & Style

Lighthearted, conversational, and full of practical wisdom. The approach is to make financial literacy fun and emotionally resonant, blending data with anecdotes (French vacations, neighborly chocolate, and all). Humor and relatability keep even technical discussions approachable.

Key Takeaways

• Vacations & Breaks Aren’t Indulgences—They’re Essential: They lead to real productivity, innovation, and resilience at work.
• Connection Beats Transaction: Sharing lunch—and life—with coworkers and neighbors lays the groundwork for happier, more effective work and community life.
• Be Proactive in Creating Balance: Take the lead on structuring your own time off and building support systems.
• Reevaluate Workplace Norms: More hours don’t mean more output; saying “no” and delegating are crucial.
• Financial Relationships Are About Trust, Not Brand: When your advisor moves, focus on who supports your goals—not just the institution.

Further Resources

• “The Paris Paradox: Embracing French Ideals of Leisure to Transform American Work-Life Balance” by Shemin Nur Muhammad — now available.
• StackingBenjamins.com — for show notes and community
• Podcast Facebook Group — join the conversation

For further support and episode details, refer to the official show notes at stackingbenjamins.com.