The CoolTimeLife Podcast
The CoolTimeLife podcast focuses on surviving and thriving in a world of work, technology, and change. Some of the episodes deal with practical things like "how to run better meetings," others look at human things like creativity, critical thinking and stress management, while still others investigate new and exciting trends in work and life, like flipped schooling, AR/VR enhanced workplaces, digital transformation and the future of work. The episodes routinely edited to be "evergreen" to remain relevant as time goes by.
You can also check out the podcast series and easily subscribe through Apple iTunes, Stitcher, Google, Spotify, Amazon, Audible, and others or by visiting my podcast host page at Blubrry here. I have also posted transcripts of many the podcasts on LinkedIn. If you find value in these episodes, consider supporting them through Patreon.
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Breaking Free of Destructive Energy at Work - An interview with Rebecca Ahmed. The most recent State of the Global Workforce Report from the Gallup Organization says that less than one-quarter of the U.S. workforce is engaged at work, and traditional methods to engage workers clearly aren’t working, especially when it comes to attracting and retaining Gen Z workers. Some might say it has always been that way, but it doesn’t need to be, and Rebecca Ahmed is leading the charge to restore energy into work culture.
Why Are So Many Businesses Really, Really Bad At Culture? - For decades, companies have been spending money on culture and training and have very little to show for it. Why? Because they have been going about it all wrong. They have been ignoring the concept that Drew Jones and others call “the collective brain” which is more organic, a lot easier, and tends to stick a whole lot more easily.
Tags/Keywords: management, leadership, culture, activity based work, Microsoft, Satya Nadella, Morningstar, Macquarie Bank, open office
Why is 1950s Leadership Still a Thing? - Far too much of our leadership practices are based on thinking developed as far back as the 1950s. Lori Mazan says this needs to change, but there are many reasons why it takes so long, including a lack of anything better. Lori is co-founder, president, and chief coaching officer of Sounding Board Inc., a center for leadership development. She is also author of a new book, Leadership Revolution: The Future of Developing Dynamic Leaders.
Tags/Keywords: leadership, change management, innovation
Lead and Let Live: leadership strategies for the hybrid workspace - Barbie Brewer has held executive positions at Netflix and GitHub and has been instrumental in establishing successful hybrid work environments at both places. In this interview she talks bout what she learned, how it affected her own life and what she recommends for leaders who are struggling with the concept of hybrid work at their own locations.
Tags/Keywords: work from home, leadership, Silicon Valley, hybrid work
I’d Love To Attend – Put Me Down as a “No” - Whenever events and get-togethers occur, they come up against a big problem – people’s time. We’re just not as available as we used to be, and frankly we don’t always want to go. So, what’s to be done? Are get togethers worth it anymore? Can we do some of them ascynchronously? | Podcast | Read on LinkedIn
Tags/Keywords: meetings, networking, time management, overload
The Problem with Rockstar CEOs - Many high-profile companies these days are reflections of their superstar CEOs – people like Elon Musk and Jamie Dimon. Author Thomas Keil suggests that although they may be good for branding, just like regular rock stars, they can’t truly do it alone. | Podcast
Tags/Keywords: leadership, CEOs
FORTUNE's Bearded Slacker - In June 2023, FORTUNE magazine published a piece entitled "Bosses are fed up with remote work for 4 main reasons. Some of them are undeniable." Well, I'm going to deny them. | Podcast | LinkedIn article
Tags/Keywords: remote work, work from home, gig economy, slacker, hybrid work, return to office
Your Personal Career Steering Wheel - A career never should be a clear, straight highway laid out by someone else for you to follow. This is increasingly true in this age, where career mobility and self-determination are more valuable and more appreciated than ever. There has never been a better time to explore your options and Chris Fontanella is here to share his story and his wisdom. | Podcast
Tags/Keywords: career, networking, mentorship, life, Chris Fontanella
Welcome to the Officeverse - Have you ever thought of the word office as a verb? It changes everything, shining a light on the work we do rather than the place we do it. This is just one of many great ideas presented by futurist Bob Johansen in his new book, Office Shock. In this conversation, he shares his views on the future of work, the impact of AI on careers, the way we handle change, and much more, all through the lens of his special brand of future-back thinking. | Podcast | LinkedIn
Tags/Keywords: future of work, office, careers Bob Johansen, office shock
Respectful Leadership - Why we need it now more than ever - One of the ways the workplace has changed is an increase in disrespectful leadership. Where did such disrespect come from, and what can leaders to to reverse the trend? Here’s my interview with author and leadership expert Gregg Ward. | Podcast | LinkedIn
Tags/Keywords: leadership, respect, influence, Gregg Ward
ChatGPT and the Bruce Springsteen Paradox – ChatGPT took the world by storm in early 2023. But it’s not what you think it is. Steve takes a look at what it does and how it might affect you. This episode might seem a little dated since everyone learned what ChatGPT was pretty quickly, but the Bruce Springsteen story is still a memorable lesson about the strengths and weaknesses of this technology. | Podcast | LinkedInTags/Keywords: ChatGPT, Bruce Springsteen
The 40 Hour Workweek meets the 40-Day Year - The 40 hour workweek is a myth in term of productivity expectations. The reality is people in knowledge work positions get far less than 40 hours of work done per week, in fact you’re lucky if you get 40 days’ worth or work done in a year. This episode looks at the numbers and a suggests it’s time for a better way for employers to assess what work actually is. | Podcast | LinkedIn
Tags/Keywords: work, workweek, face time, output, productivity
Can People Really Handle VR Workplaces? - The pandemic got everyone onto video chat faster than they may have wanted. As convenient as it may be it lacked a certain three-dimensionality But there are new environments available in which your avatar can walk around and be more natural as we spend time together. Are you ready for it? Is the world ready for it? I know I am. | Podcast | LinkedIn
Tags/Keywords: VR, Virbela, Toucan.com, virtual reality
The Slacker Barista - The "slacker barista." The "McJob." The Liberal Arts "Basket Weaving" degree. These terms are routinely used to make fun of people who work hard in the food service industry, or who pursue education that does not seem to have a direct path to a set career. In all cases, these people are thought of as unmotivated and unsuccessful. But despite the fact they are working hard to make a living, there is great career potential that can come from the experiences gained in the food service, and through broad education. | Podcast | LinkedInTags/Keywords: mcjob, barista, slacker, gig economy, solopreneur, networking, career
Upgrading to a One-Week Meeting – Email and meetings have been uncomfortable necessities for decades, and they both harken back to a time when communication was formal, hierarchical and had to occur at a set time and place. But the fluid nature of collaboration technologies like Slack is a game changer. | Podcast | LinkedInTags/Keywords: meetings, collaboration, productivity, Slack, Microsoft Teams, asynchronous
Getting Back on Track with Slack – Email and meetings have been uncomfortable necessities for decades, and they both harken back to a time when communication was formal and hierarchical. The fluid nature of collaboration technologies like Slack is a game changer. | Podcast | LinkedInTags/Keywords: Slack, collaboration, collaborative, productivity, communication, asynchronous, meetings, time management, organization
The Future of Fear - How Human Reflex Stands in the Way of Digital Transformation - Hidden behind the term digital transformation is the word change, but this doesn’t sit well with most people because change represents a threat that strikes at the heart of our greatest fear – losing our job. Learn more about how deep-rooted and impactful fear can be. This podcast is about my book, published in 2022. Tags/Keywords: digital transformation, future of workplace fear, office, culture, leadership, change management, technology | Podcast | LinkedIn
Crossing the Equator with Alberto – Managing Distributed Teams – There’s a big difference between “remote work” teams and “distributed teams,” and this has as much to do with workplace innovation as with how the team members interact from their separate locations. Author Alberto Silveira chats with me about his book and his career to date, and he provides timely advice on how to build successful companies by employing people who work somewhere other than the office. | PodcastTags/Keywords: remote work, distributed work, hybrid work, office, teams, leadership, iron triangle
Life as a night owl: the challenges and bright future for those wired for the night – Night owls have always had it tougher in a workday designed by and made for “morning people.” So why are some people aligned to a later body clock and what does the new normal hold for them? It’s good news. | Podcast | LinkedInTags/Keywords: time management, night owl, circadian rhythm, sleep, nightshift
Making the Case for Microlearning: we don't need multi-hour classes - The multi hour classroom session never really worked. It was too much information delivered in the wrong way, to a range of people with vastly different learning styles. The better, more effective way is upon us, and it’s called microlearning. | Podcast | LinkedIn
Forgetting How to Hitch Up a Plough: Virtual career management - One of the chief pushbacks to virtual presence technology and the work-from-home lifestyle has been that people will miss out on networking and career enhancement opportunities. This is incorrect, and is the same type of argument that comes with every new innovation. | Podcast | LinkedIn
Tags/Keywords: future of work, work from home, hybrid work, new normal
The Unbearable Lightness of Being Virtual - There will soon be a time when many more of us will question why we ever packed ourselves into cars, trains and subways twice a day, just to do work that we can do from home. The Virtual Workplace is not about endless Zoom meetings. It’s about establishing a presence where work and socializing can occur. And it’s here now. | Podcast | LinkedIn
Tags:/Keywords: virtual environment, Virbela, metaverse, work from home, work from anywhere, future of work, VR
The Madness of Crowds: why does mob mentality happen? – Why do people lose their individual mindsets and join the flow of a mob? Have they been swayed by tribal momentum to do things they otherwise would not do? It’s a phenomenon that was as common 500 years ago as it is now. | Podcast | LinkedInTags/Keywords: mob mentality, January 6, bubble, mania, madness of crowds
The War in My Kitchen: Food in the 1940's - What did people eat back in the 1930s and 1940s? How did they cook? Becky Brillon has done the research and has created a website, TheWarInMyKitchen.com, as well as a companion cookbook, Generations Cookbook. She discusses what inspired her to research foodie life in the era of the Great Depression and wartime rationing and its impact on us today. | Podcast
Tags/Keywords: war, Becky Brillon, kitchen, cooking rationing, victory garden
I Know What You Did: how politicians and others use guilt to influence – “I know what you did” is a type of leading phrase that cuts right through to your hidden guilt and fear. It gives the accuser enormous power over you, even if they know nothing about what you actually did. It has been used as a source of power throughout history and continues to be so, especially in politics and religion. In this podcast Steve looks at its enormous influential power. | Podcast | LinkedIn
Tags/Keywords: influence, guilt, domination, politics, religion
The Importance of Knowing What You Don’t Know – What do purple Jeeps represent for mental acuity? It’s about turning passive awareness into an active information gathering tool. If you decide one day to buy a purple Jeep, you will start noticing them everywhere. That technique is vital for maintaining “tuned-in” mind. | Podcast | LinkedIn
Tags/Keywords: mental acuity, awareness, know, reticular activation, purple jeep
Influence: The Ultimate Productivity Tool – At the end of every problem, task or opportunity, there is a person waiting for something. This means that the best way to manage stress, time and actual productivity is to ensure you focus on the needs and expectations of that person, and not just the work itself. In this podcast, you will learn four essential techniques for learning how to influence people to help ensure a more productive and healthier workday. Podcast | LinkedInTags/Keywords: influence, productivity, time management, Robert Cialdini
Nutrition for Busy People: How to Become an Elite Eating Athlete – Food and exercise. How often have you had to deal with these twin pressures – somehow in the midst of a busy day, we have to find the time and discipline to eat right and get more exercise? According to executive health and longevity expert Tim Bean, there are five key principles of effective nutrition. Get these easy tips down and you will be burning calories like an elite athlete. | PodcastTags/Keywords: diet, exercise, weight loss, health longevity, calories, Tim Bean
Your Body: Rocket Science and Weightlifting - If you think you have no time to get to the gym, or if the idea of 20 minutes on the elliptical bores you, think about lifting weights instead. Executive health expert Tim Bean says that this not only makes you look better now, it's a major investment against frailty and ill health in later years. Strong people stay young. | Podcast
Tags/Keywords: health, longevity, frailty, aging, weightlifting, Tim Bean
Workaholism, Presenteeism and Economics 101 - Are you a workaholic? Do you want to be? Workaholism is not the same thing as being driven or dedicated, and it’s certainly not the same as being efficient and productive. It springs from a dark well of anger, and is an addiction, plain and simple. This episode of CoolTimeLife looks at the triple threat to productivity: workaholism, presenteeism, and the law of diminishing returns, and how becoming aware of these pitfalls will make you more successful in work and life. | Podcast
The Slow Approach Gets You There Faster (aka Driving Me Crazy) – People are getting locked inside a loop of surface-level urgencies and are losing the ability to connect creatively with mentors, clients, even their managers. Working days are getting longer, and the separation between work and life is eroding. This, I call, “death-in-harness.” The irony is, you can actually get further, faster, by going slower. This episode takes a look at the Slow movement that is popular in Japan and Europe, and asks whether it could possibly take root here, and how it could help. | PodcastTags/Keywords: time management, stress management, slow movement, highway driving, creativity
Your Brain is Like a Bath Sponge - We live in a go-go-go world, where taking breaks or signing off for the day both seem like a cop-out. But your brain and body operate on a set of rules far older than our technologies. When you learn to recognize the power of breaks, decompression, and stepping over that line between work and life, that's when you can truly capitalize on your metabolic strengths and be the best you can be. | Podcast | LinkedIn
How To Make Things Go Your Way – Influence is a power that any of us can learn and use to make things go our way more often. It’s about getting people to want to do what you want them to do, through relationship and respect. Sometimes, as Michelangelo, the renowned scientist and artist, can teach us, influence can be wielded in surprising ways. | Podcast | LinkedIn
The Value of Your Time - It is easy to undervalue your time. But your time has great value. Every moment you spend at work is the product of years of study and practice. This has a tangible value. So why are we so ready to give it away, by waiting patiently for late meetings to start, wasting valuable time on emails, and working without a plan? This podcast discusses how to value your time and how to ensure it is never wasted. Learn how time invested in planning pays off, how to make the 80/20 rule lessen your workload while increasing productivity, even how to use Twitter/X as a timely tool for learning, and how even the biggest, scariest projects can be taken care of, simply by understanding the value of this absolutely finite resource. | Podcast | LinkedIn
Tags/Keywords: time management, value, self worth, furnace repair technician
Managing Your Metabolism - Imagine yourself on a two-week vacation at an all-inclusive spa: no alarm clocks, no kids, no meetings. After you catch up on your sleep deficit, do you see yourself waking up with the sunrise for tennis or dancing the night away and ordering brunch? Knowing your natural metabolism – the one that exists despite all our rules – is key to day-to-day productivity and career satisfaction. | Podcast | LinkedInTags/Keywords: metabolism, night owl, morning person, circadian rhythm, productivity
Are You Conscious? - Being "in the moment" mentally can be one of your greatest advantages. The problem is, most of us live our lives in reactive mode, which greatly erodes our ability to prioritize, negotiate, influence people, and thrive. This podcast explains what happens to your brain and body when you are under stress and in reactive modem and describes a number of ways for you to take control and actually write the history of your immediate future. Along the way I'll show you how to remember someone's name upon first hearing it, and what pickpockets can teach us about crimes of opportunity like phishing emails. | Podcast | LinkedIn
Tags/Keywords: memory, proactive, reactive, pickpockets, conscious, networking, awareness
The Box of Time: how to get more done through influence - Sounds like a science fiction movie, doesn’t it? But it’s not. At least not here. A box of time is a highly powerful way of influencing people and managing time, simply by managing expectations and giving people an alternative to fearing the unknown. It will allow you to be left alone to focus, and also get people to show up when you want them to. It will give you some ideas on how to best structure your day and even lighten your load by no longer being the path of least resistance. |Podcast | LinkedIn
EARLIER EPISODES
NUTRITION, PHYSIOLOGY AND HEALTH
Light & Dark & Winter Months: how light affects your body and your health | Podcast
PRODUCTIVITY and TIME MANAGEMENT
Dynamic Email and Calendar Management: using your calendar and email as proactive tools | Podcast | LinkedIn
(The) Rising Bar of Expectation: how getting more done leads to ergonomic inflation | Podcast | LinkedIn
(The) Value of Your Time: 6 ways to get more done | Podcast | LinkedIn
Workaholism, Presenteeism and Economics 101: how overwork leads to the law of diminishing returns | Podcast
SOCIETAL CHANGE
Daylight Savings Time and Net 60 Both Need to Die: my proposal to do away with archaic practices | PodcastSurviving in a Trustless Society: Podcast | LinkedIn
TECHNOLOGY-RELATED SKILLS/FUTURE OF WORK
Digital Literacy - A Critical Survival Skill: the ability to parse information as a vital life skill | Podcast | LinkedIn(The) Future of Work & the Gig Economy: why freelancing will become more important | Podcast | LinkedIn
Why is Cyberhygiene so Hard? a look at why people hate changing passwords | Podcast | LinkedIn
INFLUENCE AND SOCIAL INTERACTIONHow to Make More Things Go Your Way: techniques of influence | Podcast | LinkedIn
SELF MANAGEMENT AND PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT
Driving Me Crazy: why driving or working faster doesn't work - a look at the Slow movement Podcast Modern Music and Critical Thinking: how the change in how we buy music affects thinking | Podcast | LinkedInYour Brain is Like a Bath Sponge: how balance comes from letting your brain re-expand. Creativity does not come from staring at a blank Microsoft Word page. Your brain needs to re-expand to work properly. This is why taking breaks and walking around are such powerful contributing factors to productivity. Check out my podcast: | Podcast | LinkedIn