Busy is a badge we never asked for—and it’s time to put it down.
In this episode of Hard at Work, Ellen sits down with speaker, strategist, coach, and author Kishshana Palmer to talk about what it really means to lead without burning out—and why “busy” has become the badge no one actually wants to wear -- all topics covered in Kishshana's new book, Busy Is a Four Letter Word.
Kishshana shares stories from building her own boutique firm and managing 40-person teams across time zones, showing us how you can create humane, high-performing work cultures—even inside giant bureaucracies. They talk about the power of micro-cultures, why middle managers carry the heaviest loads, and how to build trust on a team without losing yourself in the process.
From pop culture references to practical delegation tips to a love letter to The Golden Girls, this episode is full of perspective-shifting ideas that challenge what leadership is supposed to look like—and what’s possible when we center people, not performance optics.
🎧 You’ll hear about:
📥 Plus: Why every team should do a quarterly step-back, how to let go of busywork, and why showing up with empathy is a strategy, not a soft skill.
Stuff You Should Know
If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.
Dateline NBC
Current and classic episodes, featuring compelling true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations. Special Summer Offer: Exclusively on Apple Podcasts, try our Dateline Premium subscription completely free for one month! With Dateline Premium, you get every episode ad-free plus exclusive bonus content.
On Purpose with Jay Shetty
I’m Jay Shetty host of On Purpose the worlds #1 Mental Health podcast and I’m so grateful you found us. I started this podcast 5 years ago to invite you into conversations and workshops that are designed to help make you happier, healthier and more healed. I believe that when you (yes you) feel seen, heard and understood you’re able to deal with relationship struggles, work challenges and life’s ups and downs with more ease and grace. I interview experts, celebrities, thought leaders and athletes so that we can grow our mindset, build better habits and uncover a side of them we’ve never seen before. New episodes every Monday and Friday. Your support means the world to me and I don’t take it for granted — click the follow button and leave a review to help us spread the love with On Purpose. I can’t wait for you to listen to your first or 500th episode!