The Tightrope With Dan Smolen

Future of Work Sherpa Dan Smolen interviews author Daniel Pink to discuss what drives us to work. Daniel is The New York Times’ best-selling author of several books, including DRIVE: The Surprising Truth of What Motivates Us. In good economies and bad, what drives us to work remains unchanged. During the pandemic, millions in the … Continue reading What Drives Us to Work? →

Future of Work Sherpa Dan Smolen uncovers a culture of workplace empathy with podcast guest Hannah Jew. Hannah Jew (last name pronounced “Joe”) is an empathy building brand strategist for Scotts Miracle-Gro, the nation’s leading lawn and garden care company. A culture of workplace empathy is central to how Hannah does her job; it helps … Continue reading A Culture of Workplace Empathy →

Future of Work Sherpa Dan Smolen meets with Nina Froriep to discuss how video storytelling drives career success. Nina is a veteran video marketer and principal of Clock Wise Productions. She helps people across the globe to promote themselves and their brands effectively on social media. We have all experienced massive disruption caused by the … Continue reading Video Storytelling Drives Career Success →

Future of Work Sherpa Dan Smolen meets with marketing expert Amanda Blair Davis who experienced The Great Resignation turned Great Empowerment. Amanda built a successful career as a corporate marketing executive. During the pandemic, she thrived working remotely. But, in 2021, when her company called people back to the office, she resigned. Undaunted, she built a … Continue reading The Great Resignation Turned Great Empowerment →

Future of Work Sherpa Dan Smolen interviews Genein Letford to discuss the case for intercultural creativity at work. Genein Letford is a public speaker, podcaster, and thought-leader in intercultural creativity. She works with hiring managers to help them create thriving workplaces. When people at work collaborate, they often pair up with others who are most … Continue reading The Case for Intercultural Creativity →

Future of Work Sherpa Dan Smolen interviews Dr. Dan Hill, who believes that “blah, blah, blah” hurts the workplace and career professionals. And in Blah, Blah, Blah: A Snarky Guide to Office Lingo, Dr. Hill and co-author Dr. Howard Moskowitz crowd-sourced over 600 examples of workplace jargon that are typically dismissive, patriarchal, and toxic. One … Continue reading Blah, Blah, Blah Hurts the Workplace →

Future of Work Sherpa Dan Smolen unpacks the Power of Hybrid Professional Identities with Sarabeth Berk, Ph.D. Dr. Berk is a self-described Chief Creative Disruptor. She believes that hybrid professional identities help people in the workplace to project their unique value to hiring managers. When asked: “what do you do for a living?,” most people … Continue reading The Power of Hybrid Professional Identities →

A stand-up comedian and workplace culture expert answers the burning question: Is the future of work funny? David Horning is the principal of Water Cooler Comedy. He works closely with organizations to inject humor into the workplace, to help them build strong, positive, and enduring cultures. As a young child, David discovered that he could … Continue reading Is the Future of Work Funny? →

Future of Work Sherpa Dan Smolen interviews Andrea Koppel, who is helping people pivot from college to career. Andrea is a former CNN correspondent, PR and nonprofit sector corporate executive. She draws on those amazing professional experiences to empower 1 million students to turn their degrees into careers they will love. Each week, she hosts and executive … Continue reading Pivot From College to Career →

Future of Work Sherpa Dan Smolen meets a tech career strategist who helps people get unstuck for the future of work. Raj Subrameyer arrived in the US for graduate study. He was an introverted South Indian student who pursued the lofty career goals that others expected him to follow. Raj says he applied for over … Continue reading Get Unstuck for the Future of Work →

Future of Work Sherpa Dan Smolen meets with Rob Citronberg MD to discuss the pandemic and the workplace. Dr. Citronberg is Advocate Aurora Health Care’s Executive Director of Infectious Disease and Prevention. What is more, he leads his healthcare system’s Covid-19 response and addresses the needs of hospitalized Covid patients. Beyond his hospital responsibilities, Dr. … Continue reading The Pandemic and the Workplace →

Future of Work Sherpa Dan Smolen believes that Career and Technical Education or CTE is key for future work. As students across the U.S. return to the classroom, more school systems are delivering STEAM instruction and career and technical education or CTE. STEAM and CTE are key for future work. Provided together, they help students … Continue reading CTE is Key for Future Work →

Podcaster and Future of Work Sherpa Dan Smolen believes that times like these are perfect to turn crisis into career opportunity. It takes a steeled spine to log onto the New York Times‘ website and read so much grim news. However, it is in times of deep crisis that people can connect with the dream … Continue reading Turn Crisis Into Career Opportunity →

Future of Work Sherpa Dan Smolen discusses how the Code Red for Humanity’s future work will deal with existential crisis. The UN’s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change concludes that humans have changed Earth in ways both dire and irreversible. The IPCC calls this a “code red for humanity.” Without intervention, during the next 20 years, … Continue reading Code Red for Humanity’s Future Work →

Podcaster Dan Smolen is in awe of Gymnast Simone Biles‘ future of work masterclass. By far, the biggest story to emerge from the Tokyo Olympic Games has been mindfulness of elite athletes. And American Gymnast Simone Biles is the face of mindfulness at these games. Biles exited team competition when her mind and body fell … Continue reading Simone Biles’ Future Work Masterclass →

Crisis and the future of work are now intertwined. And, the effects of climate change and the pandemic altered the work that we do and hope to do. During each day, practically everyone in the workforce addresses issues. Often, these are time and place-related included in the job spec. For instance: a marketing manager’s task … Continue reading Crisis and the Future of Work →

Podcaster Dan Smolen sees future work in local food production. We have a serious food problem. And, according to the International Monetary Fund, the price of food has jumped 47 percent in the past year. Our once reliable agricultural model scaled a food pipeline driven on abundant water, millions of acres of rich farmland, a … Continue reading Future Work in Local Food Production →

Future of work podcaster Dan Smolen says that the time has come for healing an emotionally distressed workforce. Gallup’s latest workforce study is out, and it indicates that workers across the globe are suffering. And Jim Clifton, the Chairman and CEO of Gallup, minces no words: “What if the next global crisis is a mental … Continue reading Healing an Emotionally Distressed Workforce →

Future of work podcaster Dan Smolen asks: do our best days lie ahead? Lately, some workplace observers have taken me to task for the tagline of this podcast: our best days lie ahead. With pandemic restrictions eased, we are in the midst of the biggest workforce and workplace disruption in over 100 years. Now, a … Continue reading Do Our Best Days Lie Ahead? →

In this episode, Dan discusses becoming the future of work sherpa: Months ago, I challenged myself to come up with a succinct value statement to explain the scope of my work. I also sought to differentiate myself from other experts in future of work. And that is how I arrived at the notion that I … Continue reading The Future of Work Sherpa →