Podcast
What Works
Hosted by Tara McMullin · EN
Work is central to the human experience. It helps us shape our identities, care for those we love, and contribute to our communities. Work can be a source of power and a catalyst for change. Unfortunately, that's not how most of us experience work—even those who work for themselves. Our labor and creative spirit are used to enrich others and maintain the status quo. It's time for an intervention. What Works is a show about rethinking work, business, and leadership for the 21st-century economy. Host Tara McMullin covers money, management, culture, media, philosophy, and more to figure out what's working (and what's not) today. Tara offers a distinctly interdisciplinary approach to deep-dive analysis of how we work and how work shapes us.
30episodes
Episodes
Newest firstAll episodes
3 Ways I Make Sense of the Unexpected & Perplexing
Aug 7, 202500:30:40Tap to summarizeIn the last episode (written version), we talked about how "sensemaking starts with chaos" and that chaos arises when our expectations don't match reality. That mismatch occurs because the mental model we have that creates our expectations doesn't work for the situation at hand. To alleviate the frustration (or at least make sense of it), we need a new mental model.Well, in this episode, I want to share 3 mental models that I use to make sense of things that frustrate people I care about.These models aren’t even the tip of the iceberg when it comes to all the different ways we can make sense of the world. But I do think they’re ones you can apply broadly and start using quickly. Or, you might notice that they’re models you’re already using and now can be more conscious of how you deploy them.Speaking of which, if you want to communicate with more clarity, create more persuasive messaging, and stand out from the crowd with rigorous thinking, check out Making Sense. Making Sense is my 8-week interactive workshop that walks you step-by-step through creating media that helps others make sense of the world. Whether you’re a writer, podcaster, creator, academic, marketer, or any other kind of media maker, you’ll learn new tools for producing content that offers others some relief from the confusion and frustration they feel.To learn more and register, go to makingsense.fyi.Footnotes:Read the written version of this episode."Wait, I Think You're Platform-Pilled" by Tara McMullin"Normalization" via Wikipedia"Buying Freedom and the Freedom to Buy" by Tara McMullin"Refund Policies" by Tara McMullin"The Dark Side of Fitness Trackers" by John Toner"Value Capture" by C. Thi Nguyen (00:00) - Introduction (05:38) - "Man Behind the Curtain" Framework (12:53) - The Process of Normalization (19:50) - The Theory of Value Capture (27:33) - Last Thing (29:14) - Making Sense: An 8-Week Interactive Workshop (29:57) - Credits ★ Support this podcast ★
Transcribe →Make It Make Sense
Jul 31, 202500:17:15Tap to summarize"Sensemaking starts with chaos," says organizational theorist Karl Weick. Chaos is the confusion and frustration we feel when things don't turn out the way we expect them to. To make sense of the chaos, we have to look past the results and examine how we came to expect what we did. This is the first part in a miniseries on sensemaking and media. Next week, I'll share some of the mental models I use to make sense of what feel chaotic to me.This miniseries is good on its own—and even better with MAKING SENSE, an 8-part interactive workshop about turning meaningful ideas into remarkable media. Learn more about the program here!FootnotesRead the written version of this episode.Karl Weick ★ Support this podcast ★
Transcribe →EP 500: What if you're not off track... and never have been?
Jul 24, 202500:40:16Tap to summarizeIf you're like me, you often think about what you would have done to prepare for... this job, this economy, this political climate, this financial situation, etc... if only you'd known. But you didn't know (I didn't know). And you (I) couldn't know. Some of the loudest shoulds and supposed-tos we face are those we couldn't have achieved due to the time we were born or the family we grew up in.In this episode, I reflect on the rapid changes occurring in work and the economy in the 21st century and how they relate to how I guide my now 17-year-old daughter. Then, I share my interview with sociologist and political economist Mauro Guillén about his book The Perennials: The Megatrends Creating a Postgenerational Society.Footnotes:Read the written version of this episode.The Perennials by Mauro GuillénThe Folded Sky by Elizabeth BearMidlife by Kieran Setiya***Making Sense is back!This 8-week online seminar is a step-by-step framework for turning your meaningful ideas into remarkable media—and helping others make sense of our complex and often confusing world. Whether you're a creator, academic, marketer, speaker, podcaster, or any other kind of communicator, this program is for you.The program is limited to 15 participants and runs from September 16 to November 4.Enrollment opens soon! ★ Support this podcast ★
Transcribe →EP 499: Reduction in Force
Jul 17, 202500:19:22Tap to summarizeNo job is safer than a government job, right? Well, not anymore. At least not in the US. I’m paying special attention to the fight over government jobs (or, as the administration might put it, “bloat and inefficiency”) because it’s part of a more comprehensive narrative project—one that shapes how we think and talk about work, and therefore think and talk about who we are and how we fit into society. Questioning the narrative that government workers are lazy or that bureaucracy is bloated and unnecessary is one way to question the narratives we perpetuate in our own work lives. And that's what today's episode is all about.Footnotes:Read the essay version of this episode at whatworks.fyiJustice Jackson's dissent in Trump v American Federation of Government Workers (7.11.25)Michael Lewis on Cautionary Tales and his new book, Who Is Government?The Partnership for Public Service"Breaking the Validation Spiral" by Tara McMullin"All Parasites Have Value" by Tara McMullinAstra Taylor's book The Age of Insecurity and her interview on the Current Affairs podcastMythocracy by Yves Citton ★ Support this podcast ★
Transcribe →INTERLUDE: The Pleasure & Promise of Re-Reading
Jun 26, 202500:11:32Tap to summarizeI wanted to drop in with a quiet interlude about re-reading (or re-watching, or re-listening) and its value in a world obsessed with new and different.Footnotes:Read the essay version of this episode."Murderbot Gets Us In Ways Humans Don't" by Tara McMullin on Motley Bloom"Broken Links" by Tara McMullinLiquid Modernity by Zygmunt BaumanCapital is Dead: Is This Something Worse? by Mackenzie Wark ★ Support this podcast ★
Transcribe →EP 498: Breaking The Validation Spiral
Jun 5, 202500:24:04Tap to summarizeWhy is it that it seems like no amount of work, accolades, or achievement is enough? Why do we keep signing up for more, even as our capacity becomes ever more depleted? Why do we settle for mediocrity when we yearn for excellence?In today's episode, I revisit an idea from my book—the validation spiral—and provide a framework for understanding why we become stuck in it and how we can break free. Add to that a healthy dose of Audre Lorde's feminist theory, and you've got a satisfying mental model for rethinking your commitments.Summer Seminar starts Monday, June 9! Learn more about this flexible, brain-tickling program that combines speculative fiction with systems thinking: click here!Footnotes:Read the written version of this essay (with visuals!)"The Uses of the Erotic: The Erotic as Power" by Audre Lorde from Sister OutsiderWhat Works: A Comprehensive Framework to Change the Way You Approach Goal-Setting by Tara McMullinMelissa Febos on The Feminist Present ★ Support this podcast ★
Transcribe →EP 497: Please Support My Work
May 29, 202500:27:00Tap to summarizeIf you subscribe to newsletters, listen to podcasts, or watch videos on YouTube, I've no doubt that you’ve been asked to support the person or people who created them. You can always support with a like or a share, of course. But generally, the support they’re looking for is financial.And for good reason, life is expensive. Jobs with good pay and decent benefit packages can be hard to find—especially in the culture industry.But I gotta tell you, I’ve always been a little irked by the word “support.” It’s not inaccurate. Not unethical. Not even gauche. I just think it’s the wrong word. Today's episode is in 3 parts: The first examines an article in the New York Times from May 10 about how much money we’re paying for newsletters. The second part considers a manifesto of sorts about the future of media organizations written by Substack co-founder Hamish McKenzie in April. And the third part will draw on a new English translation of Mythocracy by Yves Citton to make sense of it all. Whether or not you identify as a “creator,” whether or not you buy from creators, whether or not you even follow creators on Substack, YouTube, TikTok, or Instagram, I promise this will be relevant to you. Because, regardless of your personal or professional relationship with Substack and the so-called creator economy, their very existence and continued growth reveal a great deal about how we all work and consume in the 21st century.Footnotes:Read the essay version of today's episode."How Much Are We Paying For Newsletters? $50, $100... How About $3,000 Per Year." by Logan Sachon in The New York Times (gift link)Hope in the Dark by Rebecca Solnit"U.S. newsroom employment has fallen by 26% since 2008" from Pew Research Center"A Simple Vision for the Future of Media Organizations" by Hamish McKenzieMythocracy by Yves CittonLet's (re)think systems this summer!Join me for Summer Seminar, a 7-week program that combines speculative fiction with curiosity about our own lives and work. This year, we're reading Sofia Samatar's The Practice, The Horizon, and The Chain and venturing through 6 explorations of systems thinking. Learn more and register with choose-your-own pricing. ★ Support this podcast ★
Transcribe →EP 496: What to Do When Things Get Messy
May 22, 202500:20:05Tap to summarizeNo matter how fastidious you are about creating and executing a plan, working toward any big goal will require adjustments. No matter how diligent you are about documentation and maintenance, any process will break down over time. The work we do is always changing—whether because of the people we work with, the market we operate in, or the cultural context our work is received in. Even when it seems like smooth sailing is just one standard operating procedure away, things will shift.That can feel like failure, or at least like you're not doing quite as well as you should be. But really, it's an opportunity. You can embrace the confusion, the entropy, the breakdown... and learn. Today, I've unlocked and revised an episode I put out in February 2024 for premium subscribers. If you like it, you'll love Summer Seminar, a 7-week program that combines speculative fiction with curiosity about our own lives and work. This year, we're reading Sofia Samatar's The Practice, The Horizon, and The Chain and venturing through 6 explorations of systems thinking. Learn more and register with choose-your-own pricing.Footnotes:Read the written version of this episode.Learn more about Summer Seminar.Learn more about YellowHouse.Media (we currently have openings for new podcasts)."The Many Functions of Should" by Tara McMullinThe Donella Meadows ProjectSmall Arcs of Larger Circles by Nora BatesonThinking In Systems: A Primer by Donella Meadows (00:00) - Process Entropy & Evolution (19:26) - Credits ★ Support this podcast ★
Transcribe →EP 495: Ann Leckie vs. The "Well, Actually" Bros
May 8, 202501:01:44Tap to summarizeIs an AI chatbot, like ChatGPT, a search engine? Does it scour the internet for helpful information so that it can respond to user queries? These questions were at the heart of a small kerfuffle on Bluesky last week between decorated speculative fiction writer Ann Leckie and a few prominent tech thinkers. Honestly, it bummed me out. But I found that the next morning, I had a lot to say about it. So I enlisted my dear husband, Sean, and I talked him through it.This episode is different than the last 6 months or so of episodes. If you have the same taste in podcasts that I do, you'll recognize the format. I've been wanting to try it for a long time, and this was the perfect topic to give it a go. It's far more casual than the last 15+ episodes, but just as rigorous. If you like it, reach out on Bluesky, and let me know! Sean is already asking when we can do it again.Footnotes:Read the essay version of this episode.Ann Leckie's original postCasey Newton's postAnil Dash's post (in response to someone agreeing with Leckie)Courtney Milan's post about the "card catalog effect"The Medium is the Massage by Marshall McLuhan with Quentin Fiore"On the Dangers of Stochastic Parrots: Can Language Models Be Too Big? 🦜" by Emily W. Bender and Timnit GebruJOIN ME FOR SUMMER SEMINAR!Summer Seminar is an intellectual oasis for creative thinkers and curious adventurers.It combines speculative fiction, big questions, and practical application. For Summer 2025, we’re reading Sofia Samatar’s critically acclaimed novella The Practice, The Horizon, and The Chain.We’ll pair it with adventures in systems thinking and cultural analysis. And we’ll apply what we discover by reflecting on the systems we create and encounter in our own lives and work.Summer Seminar is designed to fit into any schedule and explores critical thinking skills you can apply to any goal or challenge.To learn more, visit whatworks.fyi/summer ★ Support this podcast ★
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EP 427: The Trust-Profit Paradox
May 25, 2023Tap to summarizeToday's episode is all about trust and responsibility—and how those qualities impact the cost of doing business and the work that's required for any company to be successful. And specifically, it's about something I'm calling the Trust-Profit Paradox. Simply put, you can't build trust and optimize for profit at the same time. After losing my ish listening to The Verge's Nilay Patel stump Airbnb's Brian Chesky with a question about AI-generated images on the Decoder podcast, I started to think about the responsibility that companies like Airbnb have (or, rather, avoid). From there, my research took me to some truly unexpected places—like into mainstream management theory. Footnotes:"The Pope Francis Puffer Photo Was Real In Our Hearts" by Eileen Cartter on GQ"'I can't make products just for 41-year-old tech founders': Airbnb CEO Brian Chesky is taking it back to basics" on Decoder with Nilay Patel (audio & transcript available)"The Delusion of Profit" by Peter Drucker in Wall Street Journal"Cost of Capital" on the Harvard Business School blog"If you're getting ripped off, it's not surprising" featuring Niko Matouschek at Kellogg School of Management, Northwestern"The Age of Customer Capitalism" by Roger Martin in Harvard Business Review"'Is Substack Notes a Twitter clone?': We asked CEO Chris Best" on Decoder with Nilay PatelJoin me for a workshop called "Tending Your Media Ecosystem" on Wednesday, May 31st at 1:30pm ET/10:30am PT—exclusively for paid subscribers to What Works. Get started for just $7/month! ★ Support this podcast ★
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