Working Conversations

Episode 200: A Personal Manifesto: Dr. Anderson’s Three-Part Life Philosophy Revealed In this milestone 200th episode, Dr. Janel Anderson delves into her personal manifesto for a meaningful life and fulfilling work. She introduces her guiding philosophy: know yourself, find meaningful work, and share it with others. Reflecting on her journey, Dr. Anderson highlights the significance of self-awaren...

Episode 199: Boundary Setting for Better Work-Life Balance In this episode, Dr. Janel Anderson dives into the importance of setting boundaries in order to maintain balance and personal integrity. This is especially true in a remote or hybrid work environment. She discusses why boundaries matter, how they get blurred, and the impact on well-being when they're not maintained. Drawing from person...

Episode 198: Key Skills for the 2025 Workplace In this episode, Dr. Janel Anderson discusses the nine essential skills needed for thriving in the 2025 workplace. From mastering AI literacy and digital collaboration to developing empathy and future-focused decision-making, she provides research-backed strategies for both employees and leaders. Dr. Anderson categorizes these skills into three key bu...

Episode 197: 2025 Workplace Predictions In this episode, Dr. Janel Anderson dives into her top three predictions for the workplace in 2025. She discusses how hybrid work is set to finally normalize, generative AI becomes a mainstream staple of work, and a new focus emerges on bringing humanity back into the workplace. Reflecting on last year's predictions, she provides insights into how the wo...

Episode 196: Encore Episode: Do This Instead of New Year’s Resolutions In this encore episode of Working Conversations, we revisit one of our most transformative topics: ditching New Year’s resolutions for something far more effective. Millions of resolutions fail within weeks, but Dr. Janel Anderson shares a proven alternative: Your Life: An Annual Inventory . This time-tested process helps you r...

Episode 195: Finding Your People: Why Community Matters in Work and Life In this episode, Dr. Janel Anderson emphasizes the importance of finding your people for both personal well-being and professional success. Drawing from her transformative experience at a recent conference for Certified Speaking Professionals, she underscores the sense of validation, support, inspiration, and connection that...

Episode 194: Tackling the Toxic 'Meeting After the Meeting' In this episode, Dr. Janel Anderson delves into the toxic phenomenon of "the meeting after the meeting" at work. She defines it as a clandestine gathering where employees criticize the outcome of a previous meeting, thereby undermining trust and eroding workplace culture. Drawing from her experiences working with organizat...

Episode 193: Paid Paid Vacation: A Game-Changer for Employee Retention In this episode, Dr. Janel Anderson dives into the concept of "paid paid vacation," a unique perk where companies not only provide paid time off but also cover travel expenses. Through a mix of historical insights and real-world examples, including anecdotes from her nephew’s experience, she explores how this benefit co...

Episode 192: Putting My Advice About Workplace Friendship to the Test In this episode, Dr. Janel Anderson and her guest Carolyn Strauss explore the intricate world of forging adult friendships, especially in professional settings. They delve into the importance of mutual interests and social connections in developing meaningful relationships. They share how their friendship evolved and grew, and y...

Episode 191: Collaborating with AI: Creating Stunning Slides In this episode, Dr. Janel Anderson explores the innovative use of AI tools for creating dynamic slide presentations. Sharing her recent experience with Gamma.app, she details how the AI-powered tool transformed her slide creation process, making it faster and more efficient. She discusses the collaborative dynamic between herself and Ga...

Episode 190: The Subtle Benefits of Office Hive Mentality at Work In this episode, Dr. Janel Anderson delves into the "hive mentality" and its significance in the workplace. Unlike mere conformity, hive mentality leverages the collective environment's subtle benefits, functioning much like bees in a hive. She explores contrasting experiences of in-office and remote workers, highlightin...

Episode 189: Why We Are Nicer to Siri Than to Our Co-Workers In this episode, Dr. Janel Anderson delves into the intriguing ways we interact with technology and each other in the digital world. Exploring findings from classic and recent studies, she discusses our tendency towards "mindless politeness" with machines while being less courteous to fellow humans online. Dr. Anderson revisits t...

Episode 188: Making Sense of RTO Mandates In this episode, Dr. Janel Anderson discusses the current trend of return-to-office mandates sweeping corporate America and explores how a user experience engineering approach can foster a successful transition. She introduces four employee archetypes to illustrate diverse perspectives on returning to the office and emphasizes the importance of a “pull” ra...

Episode 187: The Business Case for Taking a Vacation In this episode, Dr. Janel Anderson dives into the importance of taking vacations and the broader implications for both mental and physical well-being. She discusses how stepping away from work allows our brains to reset, reducing stress and improving productivity. Dr. Janel also highlights the evolving trends in vacationing, from workcations to...

Episode 186: Unveiling AI's Realism: My Keynote Summarized by Avatars In this episode, Dr. Janel Anderson delves into the fascinating world of AI-generated content, showcasing a realistic, AI-generated discussion that interpreted her keynote, Take Charge of Your Future. Two incredibly realistic AI “people” capture the essence of her speech, from the importance of continuous learning to making...

Episode 185: Glossing: Unmasking Fake Positivity at Work In this episode, Dr. Janel Anderson dives into the topic of "glossing" in the workplace, where leaders avoid addressing real issues by presenting a facade of positivity. Dr. Anderson explains why this toxic habit can harm both employees and managers, leading to disengagement and eroded trust. She also provides actionable strategies f...

Episode 184: Remote Work's Impact on Women's Careers In this episode, Dr. Janel Anderson delves into the complexities of remote and hybrid work and their impact on women's careers. While flexibility in work arrangements seems like a win, proximity bias and increased household responsibilities can hinder women's career advancement. Backed by research from McKinsey and Deloitte, Dr....

Episode 183: The Hidden Dangers of Looking Busy In this episode, Dr. Janel Anderson delves into the concept of "fauxductivity" or faux productivity – the act of appearing busy even when you’re not accomplishing meaningful work. She explores how technological tools in today's remote and hybrid work environments foster this phenomenon, leading to burnout and eroded trust between managers...

Episode 182: How “Busy Bragging” Sabotages Your Career In this episode, Dr. Janel Anderson explores the phenomenon of busy bragging or stress bragging, a behavior where individuals boast about their busyness and stress as a badge of honor. Highlighting recent research from the University of Georgia, she discusses the negative impacts of this habit on workplace relationships and career growth. By s...

Episode 181: Understanding the Surgeon General's Workplace Mental Health Framework In this episode, Dr. Janel Anderson delves into the Surgeon General's Framework for Workplace Mental Health and Well-being. She discusses the significant impact of mental health on the future of work and outlines the five key areas in the Surgeon General’s framework: protection from harm, connection and comm...

Episode 180: How to Tackle Digital Clutter In this episode, Dr. Janel Anderson explores the impact of digital clutter on productivity and mental well-being. She shares her personal struggles with inbox overload and excessive browser tabs and offers three tactical strategies to manage digital chaos. From managing inbox clutter with the two-minute rule to consolidating digital files using the "o...

Episode 179: AI in the Workplace: Will it Replace Humans? In this episode, Dr. Janel Anderson explores the rising integration of generative AI in the workplace. Drawing parallels to the adoption of personal computers in the late 1980s, she emphasizes that AI's true potential lies in its ability to enhance, not replace, human capabilities. Through personal anecdotes and real-world examples, she...

Episode 178: Mastering Generative AI In this episode, Dr. Janel Anderson delves into the art of writing effective prompts to elicit specific and useful responses from generative AI technologies like Chat-GPT. She emphasizes the importance of detailed prompts, comparing the AI to a smart intern that needs clear guidance. Dr. Anderson also discusses key strategies such as starting new conversations...

Episode 177: Harnessing Human Energy: The Secret Fuel Found in Interaction In this episode, Dr. Janel Anderson discusses the powerful human energy that emerges when people come together in shared workspaces. Drawing parallels to the movie Monsters, Inc., she explores concepts like emotional contagion, social facilitation, and collective effervescence to highlight the intangible but potent force th...

Episode 176: AMA: Goals, Productivity, Boundaries, and Mindset In this behind-the-scenes episode, Dr. Janel Anderson shares her personal strategies for productivity, mindset, and work-life balance. She reveals her go-to tools for managing tasks, from wall calendars to planners, and outlines her daily practices of journaling, meditation and visualization to maintain a positive growth mindset. Dr. A...