Learn the Secrets of Successful Virtual Communication with Andrew Brodsky
Your Working Life with Caroline Dowd-Higgins
Release Date: 08/03/2025
Your Working Life with Caroline Dowd-Higgins
In this episode, Caroline sits down with Dr. Rebecca Hinds, Stanford-trained organizational behavior expert to discuss one of the workplace's most universal frustrations: unproductive meetings. In her new book, , Rebecca reveals how outdated meeting practices are costing American companies $1.4 trillion annually—and offers a research-backed framework to fix them. Drawing on her work with Fortune 500 companies and her leadership of Asana's Work Innovation Lab, she shares actionable principles like measuring Return on Time Invested, creating "Meeting Doomsday" audits, and designing gatherings...
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When the pandemic started in 2020, many employees learned how to work from home for the first time. But six years later, what is the state of work-from-home and is it working? In this episode, Caroline welcomes Dr. Ranya Nehmeh, senior HR strategist and co-author of . The book explains what the evidence actually shows about when in-office, remote, and hybrid arrangements work best—and when they don't. Drawing on real data about career advancement, organizational culture, and employee wellbeing, Ranya offers practical guidance for leaders and employees navigating the future of work, with...
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In this episode, Caroline sits down with Kathy Miller, a manufacturing executive turned leadership coach and author of . Kathy has led multi-billion-dollar operations across aerospace, automotive, and industrial sectors, and she brings a unique perspective on building high-performance cultures where people genuinely thrive. Drawing from both her decades in the C-suite and her master's degree in applied positive psychology, she reveals the science-backed strategies that connect meaningful work, optimism, and strong relationships to operational excellence. Whether you're leading from the plant...
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In this episode Caroline interviews Debra Clary, author of the new book The Curiosity Curve: A Leader's Guide to Growth and Transformation through Bold Questions. Clary believes curiosity isn't just a nice-to-have soft skill but a competitive edge that drives agility, innovation and collaboration. Drawing from more than three decades of executive experience, she shows leaders how to turn "quiet quitters" into passionate advocates by creating cultures where structured exploration and bold questioning are woven into daily operations. Learn more about Deb and order her book at . More...
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If you can tell a good story, you can persuade someone of something. That’s the premise of strategic storytelling expert Sally Perkins’s new book, From Story to Action. In this episode, Sally and Caroline talk about how neuroscience research shows well-told stories literally sync the brains of listeners with the storyteller—creating shared experiences that drive decisions and inspire action. More from Sally Perkins: Order Sally’s book and read more about her work at More from Caroline Dowd-Higgins: Head to to , check out or .
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In this episode, Caroline interviews Eveline Shen, a social change strategist who teaches leaders how to navigate oppression, adversity, and complex challenges without compromising their values or burning out. In her new book, Choosing to Lead Against the Current: The Courageous Operating System for Changemakers, Shen shares her revolutionary framework for helping leaders cultivate sustainable power, turn setbacks into sources of strength, and redefine success on their own terms. More from Eveline Shen: Order her book and learn more about her work at her website More from Caroline...
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After Steph Wagner experienced financial devastation following an unexpected divorce—despite being financially savvy person—she transformed her pain into purpose, dedicating her career to ensuring other women never feel financially powerless. In her new book, FLY! A Woman's Guide to Financial Freedom and Building a Life You Love, Wagner tackles a sobering reality: 80% of women will manage their finances alone at some point, yet half still defer financial planning to partners. Drawing from both her professional expertise and personal journey, she offers women an empowering, tools-based...
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Kate Lowry is a CEO coach, venture capitalist, and author who has made it her mission to help people not just survive but thrive under toxic leadership. In this episode, Caroline interviews Kate about her new book, Unbreakable: How to Thrive Under Fear-Based Leaders, where Lowry explains why domineering, manipulative leadership is making a troubling comeback—and offers tactical strategies for maintaining your autonomy when working under such leaders. Drawing from her own experience growing up in a hierarchical family and working in high-pressure environments at McKinsey, Meta, and Insight...
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What if the key to sparking real innovation isn't unlimited freedom—but strategic constraints? In this episode, Caroline sits down with Sheri Jacobs, author and innovation strategist, to explore this counterintuitive fact: boundaries don't stifle creativity, they fuel it. In her latest book, The Unexpected Power of Boundaries: Rethinking the Rules, Risks, and Real Drivers of Innovation, Sheri challenges conventional wisdom about creativity and shares practical strategies for making innovation a repeatable habit rather than a lucky accident. Through stories from Pixar to polar expeditions,...
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What if the very thing we've been taught drives success is actually holding us back? In this episode, Caroline sits down with Ruchika T. Malhotra, founder of global inclusion strategy firm Candour and author of the groundbreaking new book UNCOMPETE: Rejecting Competition to Unlock Success. Ruchika challenges one of the workplace's most fundamental assumptions: that competition is necessary for excellence. Drawing on her extensive work with major corporations, insights from business leaders, and cutting-edge research, she makes a compelling case that our obsession with competing is actually...
info_outlineOn this episdoe of Your Working Life, Caroline talks to Andrew Brodsky, an award-winning business professor and management consultant at The University of Texas at Austin's McCombs School of Business. Andrew specializes in virtual communication and workplace technology, and wrote a new book called "PING: The Secrets of Successful Virtual Communication". He and Caroline talk abbout his actionable framework for mastering modern workplace interactions across all communication platforms.
Social Media/Links:
Music credits for this episode:
Week Thirteen by Ben von Wildenhause, Free Music Archive (CC BY)
Week Thirteen by Ben von Wildenhause, Free Music Archive (CC BY)
Social Media/Links:
· Book Link for 'Ping: The Secrets of Successful Virtual Communication: https://www.amazon.com/Ping-Secrets-Successful-Virtual-Communication/dp/1668055244
· LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/andrewsbrodsky/
· Personal Website: https://abrodsky.com/
· Ping Group: https://pinggroup.org/
PING:
The Secrets of Successful Virtual Communication
by Award-Winning Professor and Virtual Communication Expert
Andrew Brodsky, PhD
We’ve all been there—sitting through a meeting that could’ve easily been an email. And that email? Maybe it should have been a quick voice note. And your camera? It’s okay to turn it off. In fact, sometimes it’s even better.
Andrew Brodsky—a Harvard Business School doctoral graduate, award-winning business professor, management consultant, and expert in virtual communication at The University of Texas at Austin—has dedicated his career to unraveling the intricacies of virtual communication. Diagnosed with cancer as a teenager, his treatment led to a lifelong immune deficiency, which has resulted in years of his life being confined primarily to the virtual realm. This personal experience has given him a unique understanding of the challenges and nuances of communicating from a distance.
In his forthcoming book, PING: The Secrets of Successful Virtual Communication (Simon Element/Simon Acumen; February 11, 2025), Brodsky explores the complexities of modern workplace interactions and provides an actionable framework for mastering virtual communication. His research shows how to make the most out of communication technology from video calls to instant messaging, offering practical strategies for navigating all workplaces from in-person to remote and everything in-between.
Featuring compelling stories, insights from top business leaders, and Brodsky’s groundbreaking research on virtual communication tools, PING is the essential guide to mastering virtual communication—enhancing productivity, amplifying influence, and forging deeper connections.
Andrew Brodsky is an award-winning professor, management consultant and virtual communications expert at the McCombs School of Business at The University of Texas at Austin. Poets&Quants selected Andrew as one of the “World’s 40 Best Business School Professors Under 40.” He is an expert in workplace technology, communication and productivity and serves as the CEO of Ping Group. Andrew earned a PhD in organizational behavior from Harvard Business School and BS from The Wharton School. He currently lives with his wife and two rescue dogs in Austin.