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In 2021, the rise of independent work will benefit people who compete for business with large firms and agencies.

Laura Marella co-founded Overflow to help solo-entrepreneur marketing and strategy professionals succeed.

As a business accelerator and professional community, Overflow provides independent professionals with specialized tools and resources that they need to compete effectively with big enterprises. What is more, Overflow connects “indies” to a large and growing ecosystem of likeminded people.

Truly, Overflow is ready to empower this growing part of the American workforce to succeed in a future of work doing meaningful work.

“Instead of being a marketplace of consultants, [we wanted] to create a marketplace for consultants.”

In this episode, Laura:

• Introduces Overflow. Starts at 2:25
• Explains how Overflow members may overcome their skill gaps or cavities. Starts at 11:48
• Describes how a growing sector of independent workers will benefit from the Gig Economy. Starts at 14:21
• Supports her belief in Stakeholder Capitalism. Starts at 18:43
• Recalls how experience as a “corporate escapee” informs her current work as an independent strategist. Starts at 23:25

Laura also explains the reason why Overflow founded as a public benefit corporation:

“[We formed] Overflow as a public benefit corporation [b corp]. We joined a growing global network of companies that places social and environmental issues at the core of what we do. What’s more, we adhere to very strict standards of accountability and transparency as we do that.”

About our guest:

Laura Marella received a Bachelor of Science in Communications Management from Ithaca College’s Park School of Communications. During her years in the agency space, Laura gained a national reputation for excellence in multi-cultural marketing. She lives and works in Southern California.

EPISODE DATE: January 29, 2021

Social media:

– Overflow Website

– LinkedIn Page

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 23:10 — 31.9MB)

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Volunteer programs benefit careers and extend corporate social responsibility.

As the CEO of Realized Worth, Angela Parker leads an organization that inspires professionals at AT&T, Deloitte, Microsoft, Walmart and other companies with meaningful volunteer program engagements.

“Volunteering can be a safe and non-threatening space where we encounter our own humanity.”

Nearly one year separated from workplace colleagues, people who work are seeking involvement in meaningful leadership opportunities. Oftentimes, volunteerism gets them there.

In this episode, Angela describes:

• Realized Worth’s unique value proposition and mission. Starts at 2:22
• How the pandemic changed volunteerism. Starts at 4:14
• The role of skill in driving volunteer programs. Starts at 7:14
• Ways that volunteerism helps to retain workforce members. Starts at 11:03
• Stakeholder value and how it drives corporate social responsibility. Starts at 17:07

When envisioned and executed well, volunteer programs benefit careers and make work and lives meaningful.

“We have to do volunteering better. We have to assume that companies that have corporate volunteering programs [must be] driving social movements with these programs. Anything less is not good enough.”

About our guest:

Angela Parker is a nationally recognized thought-leader in corporate volunteerism. She earned a Bachelor of Arts in Communications and Media Studies from Taylor University and an MBA in Entrepreneurial Studies from IE University. Angela lives and works in Baltimore, Maryland.

EPISODE DATE: January 22, 2021

Social media:

– Website

– Facebook

– LinkedIn

– Twitter

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 42:09 — 57.9MB)

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Following a year of workforce disruption, career coaching empowers professionals to succeed in life and work.

Rich Gee is arguably one of the-most successful career coaches in the United States.

As principal the of Rich Gee High Performance Coaching, he empowers professionals to improve their on-the-job results and career outcomes.

Incidentally, when he encounters clients for the first time, Rich asks a bold question:

“[There are] people who make things happen. And there are people who watch things happen. And there are people who wonder what happened. Who are you going to be in 2021?”

In this episode, Rich:

• Tees up his company and the value provided to clients. Starts at 2:18
• Describes the high-performers he coaches. Starts at 3:47
• Speaks to the mental and emotional constrains of the pandemic on people who work. Starts at 8:31
• Discusses the pivot to remote or hybrid workplaces and how he gets “old school” hiring managers to support them. Starts at 14:24
• Embraces the four-day work week. Starts at 23:22
• Touts the benefits of gig work and sole-proprietorship. Starts at 28:56

Why does career coaching empower workforce professionals? According to Rich, it is because “they are one bad decision away from losing [their] job.”

Emerging from the pandemic, people who work need sound strategy to succeed. In 2021, more of them will recognize that career coaching empowers professionals.

About our guest:

Rich Gee was a successful executive in the market research space before finding his bliss as a nationally recognized career coach and principal of Rich Gee High Performance Coaching. He earned a Bachelor of Arts from Ripon College and certification from Coach University. Rich lives and works in Stamford, Connecticut.

EPISODE DATE: January 15, 2021

Social media:

– Website

– LinkedIn

– Twitter

– Rich Gee Podcast

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 37:19 — 51.3MB)

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Darren Murph works to unleash the remote workforce.

As GitLab’s Director of Remote Work, Darren is “the voice in the room” that evangelizes the trailblazing company’s remote work operating model.

What is more, he authored The GitLab Remote Work Playbook, which over 80,000 people around the globe have downloaded.

As 2021 unfolds, positive forces of change will unleash the remote workforce.

Those forces will enable millions of people to live and work wherever they please. And in doing so, they will support happier professionals who enjoy doing work that is part of the day and not the day.

To unleash the remote workforce is central to GitLab’s mission.

In this episode, Darren describes:

• GitLab and his role as Director of Remote Work. Starts at 2:26
• Why GitLab is a 100 percent distributed (remote) workforce. Starts at 4:27
• How he and the company found each other and his role materialized. Starts at 6:07
• Opportunities and challenges inherent in framing a remote work value proposition for recruited talent. Starts at 7:28
• The revolutionary aspects of living and working anywhere. Starts at 14:02
• Reengineering relocation to places where people want to live and work. Starts at 26:44
• The localistic benefits of livable communities unleashed when remote work is encouraged. Starts at 30:34

Amazing outcomes happen when you unleash the remote workforce. Darren says:

“For hundreds of years, we have fit life around the rigid confines of work. But, when you achieve remote work at scale, you can live your life and then fit work into it.”

About our guest:

Quite possibly, Darren Murph is the world’s first Director of Remote Work. He received a Bachelor of Science in Logistics, Materials, and Supply Chain Management from NC State and an MBA from Campbell University. He lives and works remotely in North Carolina.

EPISODE DATE: January 8, 2021

Social media:

– Darren Murph on LinkedIn

– Darren Murph on Twitter

– Living the Remote Dream (Amazon.com book page)

– GitLab Website

– The GitLab Remote Playbook

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 4:10 — 5.8MB)

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The new year and the pandemic inform how we use space to live and work.

It turns out that one good thing happened in 2020. Because we sheltered in place for weeks and months, we discovered that we could work successfully from home or in a hybrid combination of traditional and untraditional work spaces.

In 2021, how we use space to live and work will be entirely up to us.

During the early pandemic months, millions of people left big cities for anywhere else. They bought homes in suburbs, exurbs, and rural communities. What is more, they are reimagining their new places as professionally designed TV studios for Zoom sessions.

By living and working remotely, people slashed their monthly out-of-pocket commuting costs. The hours of time recovered by not commuting provided people opportunities to engage with family members, rest, or increase their productivity.

Yes, in 2020, people became more productive on the job.

In the past 12 months, animal shelters emptied as people adopted dogs and cats. Surely, the happiest heartbeats in the home belong to our new furry family members.

Surely, we are in, or are about to enter, the worst part of the Covid pandemic. During the next weeks and months, we will lose more people, everyday, than died on 9/11. And Covid will, for the foreseeable future, be our leading cause of death.

But when we get through Covid, we will be a stronger, more agile, and happier workforce. And that is because we will have more say in the work that we do and our space to live and work.

EPISODE DATE: January 1, 2021