Fixable

As a business journalist, Andrew Ross Sorkin writes for the New York Times DealBook, which he founded, and co-anchors Squawk Box on CNBC. In this episode, Adam and Andrew riff on what makes a great conversation and compare notes on their best and worst interviews—including when Elon Musk told Bob Iger to f*** off. They also investigate what Andrew has learned about the psychology of powerful people and explore surprising insights f...

Doing the best at your job isn't just about working harder — it’s also about connecting better, says psychologist Alyssa Birnbaum. She shares practical, research-backed tips for strengthening relationships with your coworkers (whether you’re together in person or working remotely) in order to boost engagement, fight burnout and make work better for everyone.

For the full text transcript, visit ted.com/podcasts/fixable-transcripts

Stephen J. Dubner is an award-winning journalist, bestselling author, and co-creator of Freakonomics—the cultural phenomenon that, over the past 20 years, has grown into a global franchise, changing how millions think, revealing the hidden side of everything, and challenging us to question what we know.

For the full text transcript, visit ted.com/podcasts/fixable-transcripts

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Parenthood and leadership have a shared mission to set other people up for success. Renowned “parenting whisperer” Dr. Becky Kennedy (@drbeckyatgoodinside) joins Anne and Frances to discuss the lessons that parenthood and leadership have to offer each other, from how to repair damaged relationships to the importance of embodying your authority and leading with sturdiness.​​ They also dig into some of the advice in Dr. Becky’s bests...

Relationships of any kind can be tricky—but therapists are here to help. In this special episode, Anne and Frances talk to clinical psychologist Dr. Orna Guralnik, star of the hit show Couples Therapy, to translate her advice for romantic relationships to the professional world. Together, they discuss the art of deep listening, underline the importance of patience and working through differences, and reframe relationships as a cons...

In this brand-new Fixations segment, Anne and Frances reveal the companies and tools they’ve been fixated on recently—and the lessons we can learn from what they’re getting right. Frances tells the story of how The Farmer’s Dog saved dinnertime for her pets and champions Blackmagic Design’s switcher device as a game-changer for remote presentations. Anne recounts her 5-star experience with Waymo’s self-driving cars and makes the ca...

Technologist Tristan Harris has an urgent question: What if the way we’re deploying the world’s most powerful technology — artificial intelligence — isn’t inevitable, but a choice? In this eye-opening talk, he calls on us to learn from the mistakes of social media’s catastrophic rollout and confront the predictable dangers of reckless AI development, offering a “narrow path” where power is matched with responsibility, foresight and...

In this Quick Fixes episode, Anne and Frances work to solve three callers’ tricky work problems in under 30 minutes. One listener seeks advice on stepping into a leadership role for the first time, the next struggles with feeling powerless in a middle management position, and a final caller tries to regain the support of her team after receiving some difficult feedback.

For the full text transcript, visit ted.com/podcasts/fixable-t...

We’re constantly negotiating in our everyday lives—deciding where to go to dinner, haggling with sellers on Facebook Marketplace—but when it comes to higher-stakes conversations, clinching the deal can be daunting. In today’s episode, Frances calls on her colleague Deepak Malhotra for his expert advice at the negotiating table. They discuss how to balance flexibility and assertiveness, the pivotal role of empathy in conflict resolu...

After the Minnesota Lynx were knocked out of the WNBA playoffs, star player Napheesa Collier used her exit interview to issue a scathing critique of the league’s leadership. In this installment of Unsolicited Advice, Anne and Frances coach the WNBA’s commissioner, Cathy Engelbert, on how to rebuild player trust, take full accountability for the league’s problems, and deliver an effective apology. They also address stalled progress ...

How much time do you spend commuting to and from work in your car? And do you drive alone? In the US, the transportation sector emits more carbon pollution than any other sector—but in 1991, Washington State decided to take matters into their own hands. In this episode, Ryan and Anjali talk to Brian Lagerberg, who worked on the state’s commuter trip reduction plan: a policy that required employers to provide their employees with al...

Do you find yourself overwhelmed by too many Slack messages? Or unsure how to talk so that people will listen? In this episode, Anne and Frances help a caller who finds herself in the middle of a communication breakdown between her and her colleagues. Together, they explore the power of understanding your message deeply and communicating it simply. They also discuss the benefits of frequent, intentional repetition and the value of ...

In this special Quick Fixes episode, Anne and Frances are joined by Morra Aarons-Mele, workplace mental health expert and author of The Anxious Achiever, to help three different callers with their confidence conundrums. One listener feels awkward in-person after years of remote work, the next wants to prepare his team for his exit from the company, and a final caller struggles to keep her spirits high during a frustrating job searc...

When negative feedback shakes your confidence, it can be difficult to get back to feeling like yourself at work. In this episode, Anne and Frances help a struggling listener who has spent years toning herself down in the workplace after being told that she was too assertive — now, she feels that her modest approach is holding her back. Together, they use Anne and Frances’s “trust triangle” framework to explore how empathy, authenti...

Up to 80% of people experience impostor syndrome at some point in their lives—a feeling of inadequacy and anxiety about perceived flaws. In this episode, Anne and Frances break down exactly what impostor syndrome is, why we tell ourselves stories that distort reality, and how to break free from these harmful thought patterns. They also introduce some close relatives of impostor syndrome and discuss the pathway back to confidence an...

Anne and Frances are back with a new season of Fixable to tackle a subject that impacts everyone’s experience of work: confidence. In this episode, the pair sit down with Master Fixer Ian Robertson, a professor of psychology at Trinity College Dublin and author of the new book How Confidence Works: The New Science of Self-Belief, to discuss where confidence comes from, how to inspire confidence in others, and how to deal with overc...

What’s the best way to transition back to work after going on leave? Wren is a newly minted director at a fintech company who got promoted into the role just a few months before going on maternity leave–and now she’s returning as the mom of a child with health challenges. However, her job and team have changed dramatically in her absence, and Wren doesn’t feel like the same person she was before her baby, either. Not knowing how to...

We talk a lot about doing less to get more—but in practice, most organizations end up doing the opposite. When priorities pile up, and nothing gets removed or finished, the result is a familiar kind of chaos: too many projects, too little focus, and an endless loop of adding more in hopes of getting unstuck.

This week, Rodney Evans and Sam Spurlin unpack one of the most common organizational dynamics they see: the “more-is-more”...

Criticism rarely comes wrapped in a shiny gift box, tied with a bow. As a trailblazing leader, one of Mellody Hobson’s gifts is finding the diamond in the rough. She and Adam unpack how to look for the grain of truth in any critique, when to discount feedback, and what it takes to be honest without being brutal.

This episode originally aired on June 15, 2021.

For the full text transcript, visit ted.com/podcasts/fixable-transcrip...