The Lonely Office

The Lonely Office

Welcome to The Lonely Office: an award winning podcast about making sense of the increasingly blurry line between work and life, brought to you by Glassdoor. We tackle real workplace stories sourced from anonymous firsthand accounts—like the rise of job ghosting, the truth behind unlimited PTO, and dealing with a nightmare boss. We also share insider advice on layoffs, severance negotiations, and wild work stories, from candidates vaping in interviews to employees fired over free speech. The professional world can be chaotic, but you don’t have to navigate it alone TLO is hosted by Matt Sunbulli (serial tech entrepreneur, Founder @ Fishbowl and First Draft AI), Aaron Calafato (Storyteller, Narrative Designer & Content Strategist), and Leah Ova (content creator and advertising executive), with special appearances from industry thought leaders and economists.

Episodes

The Hypocrite Workaholic: TLO Stories “Heard at Work”

June 28, 2025 • 2 mins
A workaholic dad catches his daughter scrolling at midnight—then realizes he’s the real problem. A short story about screen time, guilt, and modern parenting. Written by: ⁠Matt Sunbulli ⁠ ⁠Aaron Calafato ⁠ Narrated by: Aaron Calafato Hosts: ⁠Leah Ova⁠ Matt Sunbulli Aaron Calafato Sound Design: ⁠Isaac Gehring ⁠ Editorial: Matt Sunbulli Brooks Borden Ken Wendt
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Why Building a Personal Brand Is the Best Career Insurance

June 25, 2025 • 26 mins
This week, we sit down with the Podcast Princess herself, Hala Taha, to discuss why, in today’s “do more with less” AI economy, your personal brand is your best insurance policy. Hala shares her own journey—from dropping out of college, working for free at Hot 97 for three years of no paycheck, no benefits, even babysitting the host’s kid) to now running YAP Media, a podcasting juggernaut. Special Guest: Hala Taha Hosts: ...
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Confessions of a Paycheck Phantom

June 18, 2025 • 23 mins
James Leonidas Klusaritz spent four months as a management consultant doing absolutely nothing before quitting to become a TikTok star. This week he joins us to discuss his viral "Paycheck Phantom" series - exploring how employees get lost in corporate bureaucracy and survive by mastering the art of invisibility. From nap rooms hidden behind filing cabinets to conference room whiteboard theater, we investigate the corporate cockroa...
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Why HR Needs a Divorce Policy

June 11, 2025 • 25 mins
Aaron lied in his job interview when asked if he was happily married - weeks later, he was navigating a new job, fatherhood, and divorce simultaneously. This week, we explore why divorce is the only major life event companies don't support, featuring divorce expert Christina Hawke. From co-founders whose splits nearly tank startups to choreographers with 43% divorce rates, we investigate when work destroys marriages and why no one ...
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TLO Stories “Heard at Work”: Company Selling PTO?!

June 7, 2025 • 2 mins
Introducing a new short story series in your TLO feed. TLO: Heard at Work delivers short, punchy stories with immersive soundscapes that drop you into the messy moments where work and life collide. When a struggling employee at a major credit card company faces a brutal performance review, he makes an unexpected move—gifting PTO days to his boss. Was it a bold act of workplace generosity or clever corporate bribery? In this short ...
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Ok, Boomer, Time's Up: Retirement Is Calling

June 4, 2025 • 25 mins
This week, we explore the tensions around aging in the workplace: from Warren Buffett finally stepping down at 94 to younger employees frustrated by older workers who can't afford retirement. When Gary fake-retires as a prank, colleagues suddenly realize he's been playing the long game. But at what point does experience turn from wisdom into a roadblock? Hosts: Matt Sunbulli ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/sunbulli/⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠...
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Mouse Jigglers vs. Corporate Spying Tools

May 28, 2025 • 35 mins
This week, we investigate the rise of employee monitoring software through Manny's story - a Big Four accountant whose daily productivity walks were derailed by tracking tools meant to "prevent burnout." From mouse jigglers to heart rate monitors, we explore how surveillance software doubled during the pandemic and why companies are spending resources to monitor if employees are wasting resources. Hosts: Matt Sunbulli ⁠⁠⁠h...
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Feeling Chaos Fatigue? Adam Grant Explains Why and Who’s Really to Blame for Burnout

May 21, 2025 • 24 mins
This week, organizational psychologist and Glassdoor’s Chief Worklife Expert, Adam Grant, joins us to discuss why constant change is exhausting today's workforce. Grant offers practical resilience strategies, including mental time travel techniques and rejecting the "three Ps" of personalization, pervasiveness, and permanence. From millennials facing their "fourth once-in-a-lifetime recession" to the surprising research showing car...
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10 Work Personalities AI Can’t Replace Soon Enough

May 14, 2025 • 26 mins
This week we count down the 10 workplace personalities ready for AI replacement first. From the Faux CTO who draws cloud diagrams but never writes code to the Google Drive Gatekeeper who hasn't shown their face in two years, which corporate characters most deserve automation? And which one might you secretly be yourself? With AI project managers already in development, the office archetypes on our hit list should be watching their ...
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Digital Nomad Visas Are Booming. What They're Not Telling You.

May 7, 2025 • 28 mins
With nearly 18 million Americans now identifying as digital nomads, is working from exotic locations truly the dream job? This week we investigate what happens when Addie meets a potential romance in Iceland, only to find herself uploading massive files from a freezing rental car to meet a deadline. From loneliness topping the list of nomad complaints to 14% of employees going global without telling their bosses, we explore whether...
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The Art of Getting Ahead Without Working

April 30, 2025 • 33 mins
Maria shows up to work four times a year, just for the quarterly presentation, then vanishes. Yet leadership loves her. This week, we investigate why charismatic communicators advance faster than dedicated workers - and what that means in an AI-driven workplace. From walking briskly with papers to scheduling empty whiteboard sessions, we explore the corporate caricatures who excel at performing more than doing, and why that might...
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Digital Hypocrisy: Why Our Kids Won't Put Down Their Phones

April 23, 2025 • 27 mins
With 42% of kids owning smartphones by age 10, is it time to confront our digital hypocrisy as parents? Adam cut bedtime reading short to answer work messages—only to catch his daughter secretly scrolling Instagram. When we're expected to be always online yet limit our kids' screen time, who's setting the example—and who are we really protecting? Hosts: Matt Sunbulli https://www.linkedin.com/in/sunbulli/ https://www.firstdraft.v...
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From Intern to CEO — Nike's Fairytale Ending

April 16, 2025 • 32 mins
We kick things off with Glassdoor’s Chris Martin, who shares insights from a recent internship analysis. Then, we shift to a story that feels more relevant than ever: is the classic “mailroom to boardroom” path still alive? Zach thinks so—until he tries to follow in the footsteps of Nike’s new CEO, who rose from intern to corner office over 32 years. But there’s a catch: the unpaid internship Zach’s eyeing already requires two year...
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PTO for Sale: A New Workplace Trend?

April 9, 2025 • 23 mins
This week we investigate the growing trend of PTO marketplaces, where 10% of companies now allow employees to buy, sell, and even gift vacation days. From Ben bribing his boss with three PTO days before a performance review to employees purchasing extra time to care for aging parents, we explore whether these programs offer genuine flexibility or just another way for companies to offload responsibility. Are these exchanges the next...
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I Hired a $6,000 Career Coach — And Still Got Laid Off

April 2, 2025 • 28 mins
This week we investigate the $3 billion career coaching industry that's exploded to 70,000 coaches worldwide. From 23-year-olds giving life advice to vague promises about "audacious visions," we examine what happens when professionals like Jamie spend $6,000 on advice like "eat a healthy breakfast" only to lose their job anyway. With advertising veteran Cindy Gallop, we explore whether the problem is really you needing "fixing" or ...
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Is the ‘’Act Your Wage’ Economy’ Over?

March 26, 2025 • 22 mins
When promotions go to office politicians instead of high performers, more workers are choosing to do exactly what they're paid for - and nothing more. With 52% of young professionals now doing exactly what they're paid for and nothing more, we explore whether "acting your wage" is sustainable in today's challenging job market. Hosts: Matt Sunbulli https://www.linkedin.com/in/sunbulli/ https://www.firstdraft.vc Aaron Calafato Li...
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Corporate Psyops: How Companies Control Narratives

March 19, 2025 • 22 mins
This week we explore corporate messaging tactics that walk the line between strategic communication and outright manipulation. When a seemingly doomed company announces they're "facing unexpected challenges" but miraculously recovers days later, should employees feel relieved or manipulated? From mysteriously "secured" contracts to stress balls instead of bonuses, companies are experts at controlling their narrative. We explore the...
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When Humans Start Dating the Machine

March 12, 2025 • 24 mins
With searches for "AI girlfriend" up 2400% and one in five men on dating apps trying AI companions, are we witnessing the next evolution of human connection, or just a temporary stop on the journey to finding real love? When Vince loses his job after turning Slack into his personal dating playground, he finds an unexpected solution: an AI chatbot named Dolly. From workplace romances gone wrong to the surprising statistics behind AI...
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The Bro Culture Reset: Why Corporate Masculinity is Back in Business

March 5, 2025 • 25 mins
From CEOs embracing "masculine energy" to workers claiming they can't "be themselves" anymore, something's triggering a masculinity crisis at work. This week, we explore what happens when men feel their identity is challenged in the modern workplace. Hosts: Matt Sunbulli https://www.linkedin.com/in/sunbulli/ https://www.threads.net/@mattsunbulli https://www.firstdraft.vc Aaron Calafato Listen to Aaron's 7 Minute Stories Leah ...
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The Email That Shook Washington: Workforce Audit or Federal Worker Purge?

February 26, 2025 • 12 mins
A weekend email from DOGE—titled What Did You Do Last Week? —hit millions of federal employees’ inboxes, sparking confusion, panic, and speculation about a mass downsizing effort. Was it a routine check-in on government efficiency or a strategic move to force resignations and trim the workforce? In this episode, we break down the chaos, agency responses, and what this moment reveals about the evolving nature of job security. Hosts...
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