The Hard at Work Podcast – Details, episodes & analysis

Podcast details

Technical and general information from the podcast's RSS feed.

The Hard at Work Podcast

Ellen Whitlock Baker

Business

Frequency: 1 episode/9d. Total Eps: 44

I’m Ellen Whitlock Baker, and I’m a 20 year survivor of many different workplaces, from the good to the bad to the ugly. I created the Hard at Work podcast to help you navigate…and maybe even update… the workplace, which wasn’t made for most of us. Hard at Work is the show for people who are ready to challenge workplace norms, advocate for themselves and others, and create a more equitable, healthier work culture.

Recent rankings

Latest chart positions across Apple Podcasts and Spotify rankings.

Apple Podcasts

Spotify

No recent rankings available

Shared links between episodes and podcasts

Links found in episode descriptions and other podcasts that share them.

See all

RSS feed quality and score

Technical evaluation of the podcast's RSS feed quality and structure.

See all

RSS feed quality

To improve

Score global : 38%

Publication history

Monthly episode publishing history over the past years.

Year

Latest published episodes

Recent episodes with titles, durations, and descriptions.

See all

43. Trust Overload: How Workplace Intimacy Masks Inequity with Sarah Mosseri

Season 2 · Episode 43

Wednesday, May 20, 2026 • Duration 33:42

The hidden costs of workplace intimacy and how to navigate systemic betrayal.

Episode Summary

We are often told that trust is the foundation of a healthy workplace, but what happens when that trust is used to mask deep-seated inequity? In this episode, sociologist and author Sarah Mosseri joins host Ellen Whitlock Baker to discuss her book, Trust Fall: How Workplace Relationships Fail Us. Sarah shares the "weird puzzle" that sparked her research: while institutional trust in America is at an all-time low, over 80% of workers still claim to trust their managers and peers. Through over 1,200 hours of ethnographic observation across tech startups, restaurants, and the gig economy, Sarah reveals why we cling to these bonds even when the underlying systems are increasingly insecure.

The conversation dives deep into the phenomenon of "trust overload," where personal relationships are forced to do the work that fair rules and structural protections should be doing. Sarah explains how "Maverick Managers"—often white, cis-gender men who use plain talk or "endearing incompetence"—can build intense loyalty while women and people of color are often denied that same latitude (think Michael Scott from The Office). Ellen and Sarah explore how these dynamics shift risk onto the most vulnerable employees, making workplace betrayal not just personal, but systemic.

Finally, Sarah offers a way forward using her MAP framework: naming the Moment, Analyzing the pattern, and finding your People. Ellen and Sarah discuss the power of collective action, the lessons learned from ride-hail drivers who fought back against platform invisibility, and the importance of building community outside of our primary job. Whether you are a leader looking to build genuine accountability or a worker trying to "unlearn" toxic norms, this episode provides a necessary reality check on what it really means to trust at work.

Keywords

trust in workplace, organizational culture, workplace inequality, management practices, employee relationships, ethnography, workplace trust, systemic bias, leadership, workplace research

Key Topics

The paradox of trust in workplaces with low institutional trust

Ethnographic research across diverse workplaces

How managerial practices influence trust and betrayal

The role of systemic inequality in workplace trust

Strategies for building genuine trust and community

Resources

Trust Fall by Sarah Mosseri - https://www.smosseri.com/trust-fall

Sarah Mosseri's Website - https://www.sarahmosseri.com

Work Fails (Substack) - https://workfails.substack.com

Read moreCollapse

42. Curing the Culture: Why Healthcare Burnout is Solvable with Dr. Laura Suttin

Season 2 · Episode 42

Wednesday, May 13, 2026 • Duration 34:20

In this episode of the Hard at Work podcast, host Ellen Whitlock Baker sits down with Dr. Laura Suttin, a family physician, consultant, coach, and author of The Purposeful MD, to tackle the crisis of healthcare burnout.

While the medical field often treats self-sacrifice as a "badge of honor," Dr. Suttin argues that the current level of clinician fatigue is a solvable systemic issue rather than an individual failure. They dive into the reality of modern medicine, from the burdens of Electronic Medical Records (EMRs) designed for billing rather than care, to the staggering statistic that a typical family physician would need 27 hours in a day just to manage their patient panel effectively.

Dr. Suttin shares practical, high-impact solutions for healthcare leadership, emphasizing that the "system" is ultimately made of people who have the collective power to demand change. The conversation explores the promise of AI in healthcare to reduce charting burdens and the importance of "practicing at the top of your license" through team-based care.

Whether you are a clinician looking to lead without guilt or a leader striving to build a sustainable workplace culture, this episode offers a hopeful roadmap for moving beyond survival mode and reclaiming purpose in the medical profession.

What’s Inside the Episode:

The "Badge of Honor" Trap: Why the medical culture of self-sacrifice—often neglecting basic needs like food and sleep—is unsustainable and how to shift the narrative.

The 27-Hour Workday: A look at the staggering data showing that family physicians would need 27 hours in a day to manage their patient panels under current systems.

EMRs vs. Care: Understanding why Electronic Medical Records were built for billing rather than doctors, and how AI tools are starting to reduce the charting burden.

Practicing at the "Top of Your License": The importance of team-based care and why doctors shouldn't have to be the social worker and mental health professional in every visit.

41. Solo - When Rest Feels Like a Risk: Overcoming the Guilt of Doing "Nothing"

Wednesday, May 6, 2026 • Duration 16:14

Have you ever sat down to rest, only to find your brain spinning with a mile-long to-do list and a heavy dose of guilt? You aren’t alone. In this episode, Ellen dives deep into the "insidious inability to rest" and why our brains view healthy changes—like setting boundaries or recovering from surgery—as a threat to our comfort zones. Even as a coach who teaches burnout prevention, Ellen reveals her recent struggle with the "itch" of productivity and why choosing yourself can often feel countercultural.

It’s time to unlearn the belief that rest is a reward you have to earn. Ellen shares a practical, three-step process to navigate uncomfortable feelings: naming the emotion, locating it in the body, and using Susan David’s "what the func?" method to understand what your brain is trying to tell you. Whether you’re recovering from a setback or just trying to survive a Tuesday without a meltdown, this episode offers a compassionate roadmap for unravelling yourself from toxic productivity—one color-by-number page at a time.

Key Takeaways & Links:

The Science of Naming: Why labeling your emotions makes them easier to manage.

What the func?: Understanding the function and purpose behind your emotions.

Practical Mindfulness: How simple acts (like coloring) can quiet a spinning mind.

Show Notes:

Tricia Hersey's Rest is Resistance and The Nap Ministry
Tricia Hersey's Rest Deck
Listen to Episode 13 of Hard at Work, "When Rest Feels Wrong"

40. Solo - Your Team Isn't Listening To You. They're Watching You.

Season 2 · Episode 10

Friday, March 20, 2026 • Duration 22:26

Is your "experience" actually creating rigidity? In her first solo episode of Season 2, Ellen Whitlock Baker dives deep into the essential leadership skill of modeling. While many leaders espouse the importance of work-life balance and behavioral health, Ellen challenges us to look in the mirror: Are you actually living the values you’re teaching, or are you a "do as I say, not as I do" leader?

Drawing on insights from past guests like Kira Mauseth, Trystan Reese, and Britt Frank, Ellen breaks down why the "old school" management books from 20 years ago don’t cut it in today’s reality—especially when it comes to managing Gen Z and rejecting toxic, "always-on" work cultures.

The Hidden Cost of After-Hours Communication: Why sending that "quick" 2:00 AM email ruins your team's ability to disconnect, and how to use delayed send or notes apps to protect your boundaries.
The Science of the Nervous System: How true out-of-office time (no lurking on Slack!) is clinically necessary to move from "fight or flight" into a restorative parasympathetic state.
The "Meeting Overload" Trap: Why a schedule with no breathing room makes you unavailable to your team and leads to systemic burnout.
Micro Yeses for Leaders: Using Britt Frank’s philosophy to reclaim your calendar one hour at a time—without the world falling apart.

This episode offers you the ability to find one tiny, actionable thing you can do tomorrow to make your workplace healthier for everyone.

Tags: Leadership Development, Empathetic Leadership, Modern Management, Servant Leadership, Executive Coaching, Healthy Workplace, Toxic Productivity, Burnout Prevention, Work-Life Balance , Behavioral Health , Modeling Behavior , Micro Yeses , Time Management , Reducing Meetings , Out of Office Best Practices , Gen Z in the Workplace , Managing Younger Generations , Kira Mauseth , Trystan Reese , Britt Frank

39: Emotions as a Tool for Connection: Trystan Reese on Leading Bravely

Season 2 · Episode 7

Thursday, March 12, 2026 • Duration 52:05

In this episode of the Hard at Work podcast, host Ellen Whitlock Baker sits down with award-winning author, facilitator, and coach Trystan Reese to explore the transformative power of "adaptation skills" in the modern workplace.

Reese challenges the prevailing "throwaway culture" by arguing that no employee is truly disposable, particularly when harm is caused unwillingly due to a lack of awareness or a steep learning curve. By moving away from shame-based reactions and toward restorative coaching, organizations can help leaders transition from causing harm to becoming genuine accomplices in building more inclusive environments.

Reese introduces the "farming for dissent" framework—a strategy used by leaders like Barack Obama—to proactively seek out and reward disagreement as a means of building trust and improving project outcomes. Listeners will learn how to implement "pre-mortems" to identify risks before they become failures, turning potential workplace disasters into opportunities for collective growth.

For people who struggle with receiving feedback, Reese provides a masterclass on navigating rejection sensitivity and the physiological "tunnel" of emotional triggers. He shares practical "nervous system hacks," such as the power of starting a difficult conversation with a simple "thank you" to signal safety to both the speaker and the receiver.

The episode also highlights the importance of modeling self-awareness by allowing leaders to "tap out" of conversations when they are too emotionally activated to respond productively.

Finally, the discussion reframes the goal of workplace culture from "psychological safety" to "brave leadership". Reese explains that while safety can be misconstrued as mere comfort, bravery allows for the discomfort necessary to dismantle systemic biases and foster real change. By centering dignity and curiosity over defense mechanisms, teams can create higher-trust environments.

#BraveLeadership #WorkplaceCulture #ConflictResolution #TrystanReese #InclusionAndBelonging #FeedbackSkills #PsychologicalSafety #HardAtWorkPodcast #LeadershipDevelopment #FarmingForDissent

38. The Work Beneath the Work — with Dr. Merary Simeon

Wednesday, March 4, 2026 • Duration 49:04

How burnout shows up when success is fueled by old wounds

What if the hardest part of being “hard at work” isn’t your workload — it’s everything underneath it? In this episode, Dr. Merary Simeon joins Ellen Whitlock Baker to talk about the invisible drivers that fuel ambition: old messages, past pain, and the pressure to prove you’re “enough.” Merary shares the moment she realized her success was being powered by survival mode — and why burnout often shows up when your body finally refuses to keep carrying what your mind has normalized.

Merary walks us through H.E.R.A.C.T., her framework for doing the work beneath the work: Healing, Elevating your mindset, Respect, Achieving confidence, and Transformation. Together, Ellen and Merary unpack why so many of us want to skip the healing step (because it’s personal, messy, and confronting) — and why it’s also the most freeing. They talk about grief, guilt, perfectionism, microaggressions, and the way “constant availability” gets confused with effectiveness… until it becomes burnout in disguise.

They also zoom out to what needs to change inside workplaces — not just inside individuals — including the power of sponsorship, sharing power, and building real relationships across difference. If you’ve ever felt trapped by a job, haunted by what work has taken from you, or stuck in a loop of trying harder while feeling worse, this conversation offers a grounded path forward — and one unforgettable reframe: forgiveness is the hidden reset button.

Tags: Dr. Merary Simeon, Hard at Work Podcast, The Work Beneath the Work, HER ACT Framework, Multicultural Women in Power, Executive Leadership, Inner Work, Burnout Recovery, Healing at Work, Leadership Development, Diversity and Inclusion, Career Transformation, Sponsorship vs Mentorship, Professional Growth, Overcoming Adversity, Work-Life Integration, Women of Color in Leadership, Code AM, Forgiveness as a Reset, Holistic Leadership, Ending Constant Availability, Sharing Power

Chapters:

00:00 – The Work Beneath the Work Dr. Merary introduces the concept of inner healing and doing the "invisible" work required to show up strong in the professional world.

A candid discussion on how burnout manifests physically and the importance of being intentional about resetting over and over again.

37. The A-Student Trap: Why “Doing Everything Right” Still Leaves You Unhappy — with Lauree Ostrofsky

Season 2 · Episode 7

Wednesday, February 25, 2026 • Duration 38:31

How people-pleasers stop outsourcing their decisions and reconnect with their inner knowing

For anyone who has ever hit every goal and received all the praise yet still felt profoundly miserable, this episode offers a roadmap out of the "A-student" trap. Host Ellen Whitlock Baker is joined by Lauree Ostrofsky—coach, business and marketing consultant, and two-time author—to explore what happens when high achievers realize their current career no longer fits. Ellen and Lauree dig into the classic people-pleaser trap: being valued for one set of skills while the work that lights you up gets sidelined—and how that disconnect can keep you stuck longer than you want to admit.

Lauree shares the reinvention lessons she’s seen in her most successful clients, including: “find the linchpin.” She and Ellen talk about the small, crucial people and moments that bolt your next chapter into place (even when you don’t have a perfect plan), how gratitude helps you notice new doors, and why change doesn’t have to be a brutal, hustle-y leap off a cliff. If you’re burned out on overthinking and constantly needing a second opinion, you’ll love Lauree’s take on building self-trust and making decisions without outsourcing your confidence.

The "Linchpin" Strategy: Lauree breaks down how to identify the small, crucial moments and people that anchor a new chapter, just like a linchpin holds parts of a car together. By practicing gratitude for past "linchpins," listeners can open themselves up to noticing the new doors and connections appearing in their current lives.
Building Self-Trust: A look at how to stop "outsourcing confidence" and overthinking every move. Lauree shares a challenge from her own coach that forced her to send proposals without a second opinion, highlighting how ingrained the need for permission can be.
Fear with Compassion: Lauree explains the origin of her mantra, "I’m scared, but I’m doing it anyway." This philosophy was born from a life-altering brain tumor diagnosis at age 28, which forced her to redefine what was truly scary versus what was merely uncomfortable.
Instead of "muscling through" fear, Lauree suggests treating your inner anxious self like a child on their first day of school—offering snacks, comfort, and kind words to move gently over the start line.

36. Step Zero: Reclaiming Your Narrative and Redesigning Your Career with Aleenah Ansari

Season 2 · Episode 6

Wednesday, February 18, 2026 • Duration 01:00:43

Whether you’ve spent 20 years in one field and realized you’re unfulfilled, or you’re just a few years into your first job and realizing the path you were "supposed" to take doesn't fit who you are, this episode is for you. Ellen is joined by Aleenah Ansari—a writer, content creator, and strategic creative who specializes in helping people find and amplify their own stories.

Ellen and Aleenah dive deep into "Step Zero" of a career pivot: reclaiming your narrative. Aleenah shares why jealousy might actually be your most honest career coach and how to perform a skills audit that honors your humanity, not just your job titles. They also explore how to apply human-centered design to the workplace, reimagining our environments to work for us rather than feeling like something we need to escape.

This conversation is a masterclass in owning your story before someone else writes it for you. They discuss how to make networking feel authentic to the current version of you and why being honest about being in transition is the key to building a supportive community. For anyone ready to stop starting from scratch and start designing a career with agency, Aleenah’s insights provide the roadmap to get there.

In this episode, Ellen and Aleenah discuss:

Step Zero: How to reclaim your professional narrative during a career transition.
The Jealousy Compass: Using envy as a data point to identify what you actually value.
Skills Auditing: Why you aren't starting at zero and how to identify your transferable "human" skills.
Human-Centered Design: Applying design thinking to your career and your workplace.
Authentic Networking: Building a community that supports the version of you that exists today.

Show Notes:

Aleenah’s Website: AleenahAnsari.com

Aleenah’s TEDx Talk: "How to Reclaim Your Narrative"

Book: by Ruchika Malhotra

35. Magic, Myth, and the Mess: Reimagining Nonprofits with Vu Le

Season 2 · Episode 5

Wednesday, February 11, 2026 • Duration 54:55

What if the nonprofit sector isn’t broken because people don’t care—but because we’ve been taught a whole lot of nonsense about how work, funding, and leadership are “supposed” to function? In this episode of Hard at Work, Ellen is joined by writer, activist, and nonprofit truth-teller Vu Le, author of Unicorns Unite and the mind behind the long-running blog Nonprofit AF, for a wide-ranging, funny, and deeply honest conversation about why nonprofit work is exhausting—and how it could be radically better.

Vu breaks down the biggest myths holding the sector back: risk aversion driven by short-term funding, performative accountability obsessed with metrics instead of impact, and workplace structures borrowed from corporate culture that burn people out instead of supporting them. Together, they explore alternatives like four-day workweeks, co-director leadership models, advice-based decision making, and community-centric fundraising—approaches that prioritize trust, expertise, and shared power rather than hierarchy and control. Vu also names how philanthropy’s refusal to fund operations, salaries, and long-term work keeps nonprofits stuck in survival mode while pretending that’s “responsible.”

This episode is especially for fundraisers, nonprofit leaders, and mission-driven professionals who feel tired, disillusioned, or trapped in systems that don’t align with their values. It’s also a reminder that hope doesn’t only live inside institutions. Vu shares powerful examples of community-led action, mutual aid, and collective care that exist beyond nonprofit status—and why reconnecting to community is often the antidote to burnout. Expect laughter, righteous frustration, praise of the Oxford comma, and a new way of thinking about the future of work.

Show Notes

Get Vu's book, Reimagining Nonprofits and Philanthropy, here
Check out Vu's blog, Nonprofit AF

34. Stop Performing “Authenticity” at Work — with Jodi-Ann Burey

Season 2 · Episode 4

Wednesday, January 28, 2026 • Duration 59:55

In this episode of Hard at Work, Ellen is joined by critic, speaker, and author Jodi-Ann Burey (Authentic: The Myth of Bringing Your Full Self to Work) for an honest conversation about why “bring your whole self to work” has become one of the most misleading—and dangerous—ideas in modern workplace culture.

Jodi-Ann shares that she wrote the book because she wanted to have a conversation about authenticity that she could recognize. She explains the concept of "ops," or the "agents of the status quo," who she describes are the people in the workplace who help to keep things the same when they really need to change. Ellen and Jodi-Ann get into how the fear of losing power keeps these agents of the status quo working against the best interests of employees, and leads them instead to practices like employee monitoring (checking badge swipes, whether you're active on teams), which, instead of creating productivity, create an environment of unease and distrust.

Jodi-Ann explains that when we ask people to "bring their whole self to work" we are pushing off the work of creating a protective environment to the individuals who are most vulnerable to the workplace's harms. Ellen and Jodi-Ann also discuss how toxic and corrosive the nonprofit sector can be, particularly for people of color, whose individual stories Jodi-Ann shares in the book.

How do you avoid being an op? Jodi-Ann suggests building community connections and performing an audit of your personal and professional life -- asking yourself what communities are you connected with? Who are you getting feedback from? Who might be missing? And answering honestly.

If you're in the workplace in 2026, especially if you're a leader, this is an episode not to miss. It may be uncomfortable to investigate your own history with asking team members to bring their whole self to work, or encourage authenticity for everyone, but Jodi-Ann's thought leadership helps us all more deeply understand why it's time for change in the workplace.

Show Notes

Buy Jodi-Ann's book here

The Hard at Work Podcast – Details, episodes & analysis

Podcast details

Recent rankings

Apple Podcasts

Spotify

Shared links between episodes and podcasts

RSS feed quality and score

Publication history

Latest published episodes

Related Shows Based on Content Similarities

Apple Podcasts

Spotify

Related Shows Based on Content Similarities

The Hard at Work Podcast – Details, episodes & analysis

Podcast details

Recent rankings

Apple Podcasts

Spotify

Shared links between episodes and podcasts

Other46

LinkedIn8

Instagram5

RSS feed quality and score

Publication history

Latest published episodes

Similar podcasts and content

Related Shows Based on Content Similarities

Apple Podcasts

Spotify

Related Shows Based on Content Similarities

Other46

LinkedIn8

Instagram5