Fixable

Sometimes the best way to fix a work problem is by taking a vacation. Yet, people tend to not use all their paid time off. This week, we have an episode of WorkLife for you that explores why vacation and actual rest time on the weekends can help you be your most productive and happiest self at work. Host Adam Grant examines the evidence on recovery and burnout, and might help you learn to turn on...

How do I send my message clearly when put on the spot? How do I write emails to get my point across? How can I easily convey complex information? How do I manage my reputation? Whether you’re giving a toast or presenting in a meeting, communication is critical to success in business and in life. This is an episode of Think Fast, Talk Smart from Stanford Graduate School of Business. Join Matt Abrah...

This is an episode of Design Matters featuring Fixable hosts Anne Morriss and Frances Frei. You'll receive a deep dive into the lives of them both, learning how they became the influential leaders they are today, as well as their process writing their new book, Move Fast and Fix Things.  Design Matters with Debbie Millman is one of the world's very first podcasts. Broadcasting independently for ov...

Here on Fixable, we've addressed countless tough problems people face at work. One of the toughest problems companies deal with is when leaders don't see eye to eye. We know you enjoyed our previous episode about OpenAI, so we thought we'd share more insight into how the company behind ChatGPT went about solving their leadership problem on this episode from The TED AI Show, a new podcast from the...

If you listen to Fixable, then maybe you've sometime wished someone would just help you figure out your life. John Paul Brammer’s job is to do exactly that – he’s the writer behind the hit advice column Hola Papi. Today, in an episode from another podcast in the TED Audio Collective, How to Be a Better Human, John talks about how he's helped all kinds of people on topics big and small. John reveal...

This is an episode of another podcast we think you'll enjoy, A Slight Change of Plans, hosted by former TED Speaker Dr. Maya Shankar. Brené Brown is a bestselling author and social scientist known for her work on complex emotions like shame and vulnerability. She opens up to Maya about the evolution of some of her most important identities: big sister, recovering perfectionist, and reluctant publi...

Whether it's a hiccup at your job or a systemic issue that affects everyone you know, we've all encountered obstacles that just seem impossible to overcome. This week, Anne and Frances are joined by Master Fixer, journalist, and Revisionist History host Malcolm Gladwell, who shares his experience tackling big, complex challenges -- from rethinking homelessness in America to dysfunction in college...

Experience is not always seen as an asset in a world that equates innovation and youth, particularly in fast-moving industries like tech and art. How do you convince others that your work still matters…now more than ever? This week, Anne and Frances help digital artist and TED Fellow Julie Freeman break free from her own story about aging and relevance. What problems are you dealing with at work r...

This week, we wanted to give you a chance to check out another amazing show from the TED Audio Collective, The TED AI Show – a podcast meant to guide us through the mystifying world of artificial intelligence. We heard you when you said you enjoyed our AI episode with A.J. Jacobs – so we think this is going to be right up your alley. Our host and creative technologist, Bilawal Sidhu, sits down wit...

It happens all the time - new leaders come in and make big changes. So how do we adapt to new styles and strategies? And protect the things we don’t want to change? This week, Anne and Frances help a senior executive build a more resilient future for his organization. Our listener leaves with a plan of action that is relevant for anyone who wants to leave a legacy they’re proud of. What problems a...

Starbucks’ stock price dropped sharply after the company reported a significant slowdown in visits to its stores in both the U.S. and China, its two biggest markets. Sales and profits are also not going in the right direction. Everybody seems to be worked up about company performance, especially former chairman and CEO Howard Schultz. Anne and Frances spill the tea (er, coffee) on how Starbucks an...

In a new Quick Fixes segment, Anne and Frances swiftly tackle the work problems of not one but two listeners, delivering relatable advice for both hard-working professionals in under 20 minutes. One listener struggles with how to quit gracefully, and another is challenged by their team’s slow pace. Both issues require a shift in perspective to understand how other people experience us in the workp...

Listen to Fixable ’s first live show at TED2024! Anne and Frances sat down with NYU professor, entrepreneur, best-selling author and celebrity podcaster Scott “Prof G” Galloway for a fascinating conversation on loneliness, resilience, inclusion in the workplace, raising healthy boys and what it takes to be personally and financially successful. Stick around to the end to hear how Scott learned to...

What do you do when there’s too much work but not enough people to do it? Bring in some support! This week, Anne and Frances talk to a listener whose expert sales team can no longer keep up with everything the company offers. Together, Anne and Frances outline ways to simplify work for a stressed out team—including the use of AI to reduce complexity and increase capacity. They also offer advice fo...

This is an episode of The TED Interview, another podcast from the TED Audio Collective, that we think you'll enjoy. To get a free copy of the Infectious Generosity book, visit ted.com/generosity Bill Gates, the founder of Microsoft and the co-chair of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, is one of the top ten richest people in the world. But since 2008, he has traded his day-to-day role with M...

Bullies can’t bully alone – they need other people to participate in their campaigns to shame, discredit, and exclude their targets. This means that we often have more power than we realize to stop bullying in the workplace. In Part 2 of Anne and Frances’s conversation with Master Fixer and social psychologist Amy Cuddy, they explore smart, simple actions all of us can take to prevent bullying and...

(Note: This is an updated version of this episode – if you previously downloaded audio and got a different podcast, thanks for your patience as we deliver you the right episode, which is this one! The original episode is also updated and you can find it in this same feed.) Where do bullies go when they grow up? New research shows they just move from the playground to the workplace. This week, Mast...

Where do bullies go when they grow up? New research shows they just move from the playground to the workplace. This week, Master Fixer and social psychologist Amy Cuddy joins Anne and Frances to walk us through the strikingly stable patterns bullies follow to undermine and ostracize their targets – patterns that are way more common than you might think. Stay tuned for part two where Cuddy details...

Multiple deadly crashes, a door flying off mid-flight, a CEO forced to step down Boeing has had more than a few disasters. And in case anyone at Boeing is listening, Anne and Frances have some advice to offer for our first ever “Unsolicited Advice” episode. How can a company redeem itself after so many appalling headlines? Where does the leadership team go from here? Listen for valuable takeaways...

How do you retain good people – and set them up for success in a dynamic, fast-moving environment? Promotion, job design, and clear career pathways are all part of the answer. This week, a pastor leading a growing church wants to know when is the right time to promote people and how to make sure they don't burn out. Anne and Frances deliver advice to help leaders embrace uncertainty and chart a co...

Whatever happens off-the-job comes with us to work, including our mental health. And having the right tools to talk about it is crucial to improving our experience of work. In this episode, Master Fixer and Harvard Business School professor Lauren Cohen joins Anne and Frances to deliver some surprising statistics on mental health and why it’s vital to have conversations about wellness in the workp...

Do ideas have the freedom to run in your workplace, or do they get caught in internal complexity? As companies grow, they tend to have more processes and stakeholders slowing down change. So what can you do to get things done? In this week’s episode, Anne and Frances help a rockstar Chief People Officer avoid her company’s bureaucratic tendencies and stay on the fast track to success. Tune in to l...

Do you feel like you’re hitting a wall at work? This week, Anne and Frances are joined by Master Fixers Bob Sutton and Huggy Rao. Bob and Huggy are professors at Stanford University and authors of “The Friction Project: How Smart Leaders Make the Right Things Easier and the Wrong Things Harder”. Together, the four discuss how anyone can eliminate the obstacles to doing their best work—and create c...

You have a fantastic idea, but you're going to need help with execution. Thankfully, that’s what your network is for. In this week’s episode, a listener who developed her own pilates equipment business comes to Anne and Frances for advice on how to turn a successful product into a scalable company. With a little help from Anne and Frances, Bree learns actionable ways to ask the right people for he...

You know what they say about unsolicited advice (don’t give it!) but when it comes to SOLICITED feedback, author and executive coach Kim Scott says: bring it on. Kim believes that when it comes to improving your life at home, work, and anywhere in between, it helps to ask for – and provide – kind, but radical, candor. In this episode, Kim shares what she’s learned about embracing candidness and ca...