Meaningful Work Matters

What does it mean to live, and work, a life worth living?

In this episode, Andrew Soren speaks with Dr. Alan Waterman, Professor Emeritus of Psychology at The College of New Jersey and one of the earliest psychologists to empirically distinguish eudaimonia from hedonia.

Al shares how a life grounded in self-realization, rather than external rewards or fleeting happiness, can guide our career choices, work orientations, and even our u...

What does it take to grow into a new professional identity—especially when the role doesn’t yet feel like your own?

In this episode of Meaningful Work Matters, Andrew is joined by Dr. Latika Nirula, Director of the Centre for Faculty Development at the Temerty Faculty of Medicine at the University of Toronto. Latika supports healthcare professionals as they step into the role of educator (often for the first time) and helps them nav...

What if a good life (or a good job) isn’t just about pleasure or purpose—but about complexity, depth, and surprise?

In this episode of Meaningful Work Matters, Andrew is joined by Shige Oishi, Professor of Psychology at the University of Chicago, to explore his research on psychological richness. Shige challenges the longstanding view that happiness and meaning are the primary ingredients of well-being, and makes the case for a thir...

Has work ever felt like dodging a storm of flying bricks?

In this episode of Meaningful Work Matters, Andrew is joined by Jordan Friesen, occupational therapist and President of Mindset Mental Health Strategy. Jordan draws on both lived experience and years of consulting with organizations across Canada to challenge a common assumption: that workplace mental health is something employees should manage alone.

Together, they explore wh...

What is purpose, and how do we discover, develop, and sustain it—especially in a world full of distraction and complexity?

In this episode, Andrew is joined by Kendall Cotton Bronk, Professor of Psychology at Claremont Graduate University and a leading expert in positive youth development. For over two decades, Kendall has studied how purpose emerges across life stages, why it’s essential for well-being, and how character and virtue...

What does it mean to live well—and does that definition change depending on where you’re from?

In this episode of Meaningful Work Matters, Andrew Soren is joined by Dr. Mohsen Joshanloo, a cross-cultural psychologist and social scientist based in South Korea. Mohsen’s research challenges dominant Western models of well-being and explores how culture shapes our experiences of happiness, autonomy, and purpose.

Grounded in both theory a...

In this episode, Sara Wolkenfeld, Chief Learning Officer at Sefaria, joins Andrew to explore how ancient Jewish wisdom can guide our relationship with emerging technologies like AI.

Drawing from traditional texts and her experience making Jewish wisdom accessible through digital tools, Sara offers insights on maintaining our humanity while embracing technological progress.

Key Takeaways:

• Jewish tradition distinguishes be...

In this episode of Meaningful Work Matters, Andrew sits down with Petra Kipfelsberger, Associate Professor for Leadership and Organizational Behaviour at BI Norwegian Business School. Andrew and Petra explore how leaders can inspire meaningful work through authentic communication and visionary leadership while avoiding behaviors that diminish employees' sense of purpose.

Key Takeaways:

• Leaders offer opportunities for mea...

In this episode of Meaningful Work Matters, host Andrew Soren sits down with Rob Baker, founder of Tailored Thinking and a leading voice on job crafting. They explore how individuals can shape their work to better align with their strengths and values, making small but meaningful changes that measurably boost performance, well-being, and job satisfaction.

Key Takeaways:

• Job crafting involves personalizing your work in fi...

Collaboration and generosity are essential for meaningful work, but what happens when they become too much of a good thing? Could saying yes too often be holding you back?

In part two of our conversation with Reb Rebele, we explore the hidden costs of collaboration and generosity in the workplace. Building on last week's discussion about personality dynamics, Reb shares why organizations face ‘collaborative overload’, how helpful em...

What if your personality isn't as fixed as you think?

In this Meaningful Work Matters two-part episode, psychological scientist and organizational behavior expert Reb Rebele joins Andrew to explore how understanding personality dynamics can help us navigate meaningful work more effectively.

Drawing from research at the University of Pennsylvania and the University of Melbourne, Reb challenges common assumptions about authenticity and...

In this episode of Meaningful Work Matters, host Andrew Soren sits down with Dr. Adam Murry and Alvan Yuan from the University of Calgary to explore Indigenous perspectives on meaningful work within settler institutions, particularly in post-secondary settings across Western Canada.

Key Takeaways:

• Indigenous employees derive meaning from work through three core elements:
  • A sense of belonging and contribution to a gene...

In this episode of Meaningful Work Matters, Andrew explores the complex relationship between perfectionism, meaningful work, and personal fulfillment with Sonya Looney, a world champion mountain biker, podcast host, and positive psychology researcher.

Through her personal journey from achievement-focused athlete to purpose-driven leader, Sonya shares insights from her research on how perfectionists can find deeper satisfaction by fo...

This is a special crossover episode where we're sharing a recent conversation between Andrew Soren and Sonya Looney from her podcast, The Sonya Looney Show.

In this episode, Andrew takes the guest seat as Sonya interviews him about the complex relationship between meaningful work and well-being, exploring why work that feels deeply important can sometimes lead to exploitation or burnout.

Key topics discussed:

• Understandin...

In part two of her conversation on Meaningful Work Matters, Dr. Anne Brafford explores Self-Determination Theory (SDT) and its profound implications for creating meaningful work environments.

[Click here to listen to Part One, where Anne discusses identity and meaning in the legal profession]

As both a former Big Law equity partner and organizational psychologist, Brafford offers unique insights into how understanding and supporting ...

In this first installment of a two-part conversation, Andrew explores the complex intersection of identity, ethics, and meaningful work with Anne Brafford, a former Big Law partner turned well-being consultant and researcher.

Drawing from her two-decade career as an employment lawyer and subsequent academic work, Brafford shares her insights about how personal values, professional identity, and moral courage shape our experience of ...

In this episode of Meaningful Work Matters, Andrew sits down with Dr. Gitima Sharma to explore the intersection of purpose, well-being, and meaningful work through both Eastern and Western perspectives.

From her early years in India grappling with family mental health challenges to her current role as leading purpose researcher and coach, Sharma shares how Buddhist philosophy and academic research have shaped her understanding of pu...

In this episode of Meaningful Work Matters, Andrew sits down with Zach Mercurio to explore the fundamental human need to matter.

As both a researcher and practitioner in organizational psychology, Mercurio shares profound insights into how the experience of mattering shapes workplace behavior, engagement, and well-being. Through compelling stories and research-backed observations, he explains how mattering isn't just about feeling v...

In Part 2 of our conversation with Dr. Carrie Oelberger on Meaningful Work Matters, we explore the "myth of agency" in mission-driven work and discover how rethinking our approach to helping professions can lead to more sustainable and effective outcomes for both workers and those they serve.

Dr. Oelberger shares her research about frontline workers in caring professions, introducing a revolutionary approach called "human accompanim...