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Dan Smolen asks: should careers require a college degree?

As the graduating class of 2022 enters the workplace, many of its members will carry forward substantial student loan debt.

And the son of one friend of mine amassed $250,000 in debt to earn his Bachelor’s degree.

That is a nightmare scenario.

So how did we get to a nightmarish place where the college degree no longer ensures the American Dream?

Truth be told, we got here, because of the Vietnam War.

In this episode, Dan:

• Recalls how American men got draft deferments when they earned bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral degrees.
• Describes how a bachelor’s degree became a “must have” for everyone doing career professional work.
• Laments how, in 2022, a college degree has been rendered a economic albatross.

In the future of work, should careers require a college degree? Time will tell if the answer to that question remains “yes.”

EPISODE DATE: May 27, 2022

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 37:22 — 34.3MB)

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Dan Smolen discusses inciting a workplace revolution with guest Vinny Tafuro.

Vinny is the Founder of the Institute for Economic Evolution. He is also the author of two books, including Unlocking the Labor Cage.

For those who study the future of work, this much is clear: we are in the midst of a workplace revolution. And career professionals are inciting it.

After the past 40 years, during which shareholder value reigned supreme, stakeholder value is at last resonating in boardrooms. And people who work are taking their seats at the stakeholder table.

In a wide ranging discussion, Vinny:

• Describes the value proposition for the Institute for Economic Evolution. Starts at 4:30
• Explains the origins of the over 150 year-old 8-hour workday. Starts at 7:22
• Offers insight into how metric-driven managers can become thoughtful and intentional workplace leaders. Starts at 12:06
• Discusses the importance of benefit corporations (B-Corps) in inciting a workplace revolution. Starts at 24:46
• Lays out his future of work vision. Starts at 32:05

What is more, Vinny offers this key driver for inciting a workplace revolution:

“We’re proving what really good leaders have always known: if you treat people well, you build up your organization holistically and create a culture that doesn’t become toxic.”

About our guest:

Vinny Tafuro is a visionary thinker, writer, entrepreneur, communications theorist, and economist. Vinny earned a Bachelor of Arts in Communications from the University of Tampa and is pursuing a Masters of Science in Foresight from the University of Houston. He lives and works in Tampa, Florida.

EPISODE DATE: May 20, 2022

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 27:53 — 25.6MB)

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Dan Smolen explores mastering time for future work with guest Kris Ward.

Kris is the host of the Win the Hour, Win the Day Podcast. She counsels entrepreneurs on how to manage their time resources so that they become successful in work, but also in life.

Time mastery is critical for success in the future of work.

And to that end, Kris and Dan cover a lot of ground around time mastery including:

• The unique value proposition for Win the Hour, Win the Day. Starts at 4:13
• How the notion of working a lot of hours is believed to be good. Starts at 6:43
• A deep dive into her “Super Tool Kit” and what makes it effective. Starts at 11:07
• Why entrepreneurs and career professionals get jammed up with “time sucks.” Starts at 12:01
• Infrastruture in the future of work frame. Starts at 14:00
• The ways quality of work and life improves with time mastery. Starts at 16:50
• The powerful outcome of giving up tasks. Starts at 18:32
• In a future of work frame, getting away from the notion that the amount of time expensed in work is everything. Starts at 24:15

Mastering time for future work allows entrepreneurs and career professionals to thrive in work and life.

About our guest:

Kris Ward is a leading authority on scaling business and maximizing the resource of time. She received a Bachelor of Arts degree from Ryerson University. Kris lives and works in the province of Ontario, Canada.

EPISODE DATE: May 13, 2022

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 36:32 — 33.5MB)

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Dan Smolen meets up with Randye Spina, to discuss fostering benefit for future work.

Randye is the founder of Marketing on a Mission, LLC. And she is a self-described “business as a force for good champion.”

Her consultancy enables B-Corps and other entities to drive positive, purpose-driven brand attributes.

Now, more than ever, career professionals want to work for companies that stand for noble purpose.

Interestingly, as Randye points out, the first driver for benefit corporations is to empower their hired talent.

In a wide ranging interview, Randye:

• Defines the value proposition for Marketing on a Mission. Starts at 4:12
• Describes the allure of becoming a benefit corporation or B-Corp. Starts at 8:00
• Explains why companies and organizations should consider becoming a B-Corp. Starts at 11:42
• Offers insight as to why career professionals are positively predisposed to B-Corps. Starts at 15:30
• Considers how B-Corps create leverage with departing talent. Starts at 25:40

Almost always, when fostering benefit for future work, companies can attract and retain the best people.

About our guest:

Randye Spina received a Bachelor of Business Arts from Pace University and an MBA from the University of Dallas. She lives and works in Southern Connecticut.

EPISODE DATE: May 6, 2022

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 49:10 — 45.1MB)

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Dan Smolen asks the question: are bosses crushing worker dignity?

Answering this question, and many others, is Dr. Betty Johnson. She is the founder of Bridging the Difference LLC; it helps company leaders embrace diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) to ensure worker dignity.

As the Covid pandemic ebbs, and more of their talent work remotely, managers are using Zoom sessions in ways that they may believe are effective, but actually rid their people of dignity.

Requiring people to be “on camera” throughout long, heavily attended Zoom sessions, whether or not they participate in discussion, can have a toxic effect.

And people of color and women–especially older women–are often the-most negatively affected by such “on camera” requirements.

Dr. Johnson wants to change that.

In a wide ranging discussion, Dr. Johnson:

• Provides the unique value proposition for her company, Bridging the Difference LLC. Starts at 4:53
• Describes the misuses of Zoom sessions by managers to gather their people. Starts at 6:07
• Illustrates surface acting and its psychological impact on talent. Starts at 9:51
• Explains the positive affects of “being listened to.” Starts at 16:13
• Digs into how bosses crush worker dignity and unintentionally create “drama triangles.” Starts at 20:35
• Offers strategies for making Zoom sessions better. Starts at 27:08
• Defines Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) and provides ways to positively frame it for management to embrace. Starts at 40:35

Are bosses crushing worker dignity? Some are. But with intentional leadership from their management, people can find positive meaning in the work that they do.

About our guest:

Dr. Betty Johnson is a keen observer of people in the workplace. She earned a Bachelor of Arts in English from the University of North Carolina at Charlotte and a Ph.D. in Leadership from Antioch University. Dr. Johnson lives and works in Charlotte, North Carolina.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 36:05 — 33.1MB)

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Dan Smolen establishes a Dominatrix’s Guide to Future Work with executive coach Dana Pharant.

Dana is a former dominatrix who now uses her skill to help entrepreneurs and career professionals. They learn to overcome past traumas to live and work joyfully.

What is more, Dana’s clients apply skill to escape from ingrained behaviors that bottle up their emotions. And when they do that, they can achieve “10X” success.

In a provocative and wide-ranging discussion, Dana:

• Lays out the unique value proposition she provides her clients. Starts at 4:17
• Defines what a dominatrix does. Starts at 7:01
• Explains how “surrendering” can help many, including controlling-type people. Starts at 11:43
• Describes “sexual energy” and how it empowers career professionals. Starts at 14:56
• Supports the notion that managers need to embrace vulnerability. Starts at 20:11
• Provides a “10X” client success story. Starts at 26:11
• Guides listeners to greater future of work success. Starts at 33:03

As part of a Dominatrix’s Guide to Future Work, Dana believes we all must learn to embrace vulnerability in the workplace:

“The first thing is being vulnerable. And saying right out: this is awkward. I’ve lost my skills in how to relate to people. Just say it! Say what it is!”

About our guest: Dana Pharant grew up in a cult and survived years of every kind of abuse imaginable. After years as a dominatrix, she applied her skill into a useful and healing resource for entrepreneurs and career professionals seeking success. Dana lives and works in Barrie, Ontario (Canada).

EPISODE DATE: April 22, 2022

Social media:

– LinkedIn

– Twitter

– Website

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 28:34 — 26.2MB)

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Dan Smolen explores how to make work from anywhere work with guest John Lee.

He is the co-founder of Work From Anywhere, a resource that helps people across-the-globe to overcome international barriers-to-entry. When that happens, career professionals may live and work in the place of their dreams.

John and his family are experienced digital nomads. And recently, they seized the opportunity to relocate from Ireland to Portugal. Their new community offers lower taxes, great schools, and wonderful quality-of-life.

In a wide ranging discussion, John:

• Describes the value proposition for his brand, Work From Anywhere. Starts at 4:22
• Explains what happens when people get to live and work where they please. Starts at 5:27
• Summarizes key learning in his research with companies and career professionals. Starts at 10:13
• Identifies some of the easing barriers-to-entry. Starts at 12:37
• Discusses surprising diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) insight from Work From Anywhere’s White Paper. Starts at 18:25
• Addresses the negative impact of location bias. Starts at 20:24
• Provides examples of cool destinations for living and working. Starts at 22:08

Our best days lie ahead when we make work from anywhere work.

About our guest:

John Lee received bachelors and masters degrees in accounting from University College of Dublin. He lives and works in Cascais, Portugal.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 41:37 — 38.2MB)

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Dan Smolen digs into the WHY of building workplace leadership culture with guest Bret Packard.

Over a 30-year corporate career, Bret “crushed it” at managing large global teams tasked with scaling profits and market dominance. And, he was rewarded well for his hard work.

But Bret discovered early on that he wasn’t the leader of people that he wanted or needed to be.

Inspired by the corporate manager to whom he reported, Bret embarked on a journey to connect well with the people on his teams. And when he emerged as an effective leader, his people enjoyed better engagement and more success in their work and careers.

Bret also benefitted from a career-long commitment to journaling. Often, he refers to the 30 years of insight that fills the pages of the 89 journals that he kept. Bret draws on the wisdom in those journals to empower The Packard Network‘s followers to become effective leaders.

In a wide ranging discussion, Bret:

• Describes The Packard Network and its value to people in the workplace. Starts at 4:45
• Provides a summary of his 30-year corporate career and his journey to becoming a good and effective leader. Starts at 7:16
• Explains why building a workplace leadership culture is important now and to the future of work. Starts at 13:03
• Provides insight on why leaders must adopt new skill to empower Generation Z workforce members. Starts at 18:41
• Answers the question: are we hiring the right people to be leaders that the workplace needs? Starts at 28:11

Bret reflects on his own leadership journey, saying:

“I was a master at managing. So, things like strategy, plans, processes–that was me. But the part that I didn’t have down pat was connecting with people through vision, culture, ecosystem, and the way [that you communicate] with people.”

Building workplace leadership culture helps people to own their professional success. It truly is mission critical in the future of work.

About our guest:

Bret Packard earned a Bachelor of Science in Economics from Southeastern Oklahoma State University. He is based in Las Vegas, Nevada.

EPISODE DATE: April 8, 2022

Social media:

– LinkedIn

– Facebook

– Instagram

– Twitter

– YouTube Channel

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 41:05 — 37.7MB)

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Dan Smolen interviews Lucas Krump on supporting men in future work.

Lucas is the CEO and Co-Founder of EVRYMAN, a platform of resources, groups, retreats, and more. It empowers men to lead fuller and more connected lives.

Men struggle with their relationship to work as much as they do in expressing their emotions. What’s more, men quite often craft identities–their personal narratives–around work and career.

Now, emerging from a two-year pandemic, many men grapple with workplace disruption and figuring our their purpose.

In a wide ranging discussion, Lucas:

• Describes EVRYMAN and its value proposition. Starts at 4:15
• Relates to why it is important for men to slow down–to relax, open up, and connect. Starts at 5:55
• Provides his backstory as a young man and successful executive that led him to EVRYMAN. Starts at 6:58
• Speaks to the emotional and behavioral disconnections that men suffer. Starts at 16:00
• Discusses The American Dream and what motivates men, disconnected from work, to engage with EVRYMAN. Starts at 21:54
• Offers insight as to how the pandemic impacted the future of work for men. Starts at 25:37

Supporting men in future work is important. And yet, Lucas is most often asked this basic question: what does it mean to be a man? His response:

“EVRYMAN does not define what it means to be a man, That’s a sacred space. Instead, what men are asking is: how do I be all of myself inside the [post-pandemic] workplace?”

While this topic seemingly relates to men exclusively, it is in the interest of all of our listeners to be a part of this discussion.

We all have male friends and family members. And they may benefit in life and in the future of work with new frames for expressing emotion and engagement such as those offered by EVRYMAN.

About our guest:

Lucas Krump received a Bachelor of Arts in Journalism from the University of Kansas. He also earned an MBA from UCLA’s Anderson School of Management. Lucas lives and works in Hudson, New York.

EPISODE DATE: April 1, 2022

Social media:

– LinkedIn

– Instagram

– Twitter

– Website

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 48:22 — 44.3MB)

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Dan Smolen interviews Debra Olshan Cooper to discover how personal storytelling builds brilliant careers.

Debra is the founder and principal of Your Career Design Lab. She empowers people new to the workplace and not, to find and do the work of their dreams.

What is more, by leveraging mindfulness and neurolinguistic programming (NLP) techniques, Debra poses questions which get to the heart of her clients’ career journeys:

“What were you doing when you were truly happy, when you felt joy, when you felt passion? Let’s go back to that space!”

In a wide ranging discussion, Debra:

• Summarizes the value proposition of Your Design Career Lab. Starts at 4:05
• Illustrates how she engages with careerists who seek her guidance. Starts at 9:04
• Responds to the widespread problem of career exploration as an afterthought. Starts at 14:17
• Describes how she employs mindfulness to get her clients grounded and centered. Starts at 20:27
• Discusses how effective storytelling answers the question: who are you? Starts at 35:16

Personal storytelling builds brilliant careers and helps people to live joyful, purposeful lives.

Main podcast segment starts at 3:01

About our guest:

Before founding Your Career Design Lab, Debra Olshan Cooper enjoyed a successful career in public relations, marketing communications, and business development. She earned a Bachelor of Arts in Communications and Journalism at New York University. Debra lives and works near Miami, Florida.

EPISODE DATE: March 25, 2022

Social media:

– LinkedIn

– Instagram

– Twitter

– Website