305: Anti-Mattering Is a Thing (And Leaders Like You Can Help End It) with Zach Mercurio
Release Date: 08/27/2025
307: Stop People-Pleasing: Lead with Clarity and Confidence with Amy Green Smith
Workday Playdate
In this episode of Workday Playdate, Erin sits down with Amy Green Smith—life coach, hypnotherapist, and boundary-setting powerhouse—to explore the fine line between being kind and being a doormat. If you’ve ever found yourself saying “yes” when every cell in your body was screaming “no,” this conversation is your wake-up call to stop people-pleasing and start leading with self-worth. Through raw insights and actionable strategies, Amy reveals how to reclaim your personal power, communicate with confidence, and finally set the boundaries you’ve been avoiding without burning...
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306: Time Batching for Baddies - More Focus, Less Burnout
Workday Playdate
In today's solo episode, Erin pulls back the curtain on how she went from chaotic multitasking to a calmer, more productive workday without adding more hours to her week. If your calendar feels like a game of Tetris you never signed up for, this episode is your permission slip to stop the scramble and start managing your time with intention. Through real-talk stories and proven strategies, Erin shares the exact methods that helped her reclaim her focus, prevent burnout, and design a schedule that works for her (not the other way around). Inside This Episode: The Power of Time Batching:...
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305: Anti-Mattering Is a Thing (And Leaders Like You Can Help End It) with Zach Mercurio
Workday Playdate
In this episode of Workday Playdate, Erin sits down with Dr. Zach Mercurio—researcher, author, and leading voice on meaningful work—to unpack a quiet crisis in today’s workplaces: anti-mattering. If you’ve ever felt invisible at work or noticed your team going through the motions, this episode will give you the language and tools to change that. Instead of brushing past the small moments, Dr. Mercurio shows how everyday interactions shape whether people feel seen, valued, and significant. With research-backed insights and practical strategies, you’ll learn how to build...
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304: How to Actually Enjoy Networking (Yes, It’s Possible)
Workday Playdate
In this episode of Workday Playdate, Erin shares her five-step play process that flips networking from “ugh” to actually fun. If the thought of walking into a room full of strangers makes you want to hide by the snack table, this is your permission slip to try networking a whole new way. Instead of dreading it, Erin shows you how to treat networking like an improv game: playful, curiosity-driven, and connection-first. With tips that blend practical strategy and improv magic, you’ll learn to leave a lasting impression without feeling salesy, stiff, or stuck in small talk. Inside...
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303: Are We Settling Without Even Knowing It? Steffani LeFevour Spills the Truth and How to Break Free
Workday Playdate
In this episode of Workday Playdate, Erin sits down with Steffani LeFevour—speaker, coach, and conscious creation educator—to unpack the surprisingly radical act of living on purpose. If you've ever felt like you're coasting through your days, stuck in default mode, or quietly settling in a career, relationship, or mindset that no longer fits, you’re not alone and you’re not stuck. This episode is your permission slip to snap out of autopilot and into alignment. From rewiring your inner dialogue to redefining networking as a tool for service, Erin and Steffani deliver soul-deep...
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302: Your New Networking Rule: Simple, Sticky & Stress-Free
Workday Playdate
In this episode of Workday Playdate, Erin tackles the career skill most of us dread but desperately need: networking. If you break into a cold sweat at the words “elevator pitch” or feel like networking is just performance in business casual, this one’s for you. Forget awkward small talk and robotic intros. Erin’s here to flip the script with her Simple, Sticky, Stress-Free Networking Rule that makes connecting with people feel more like improv night and less like a corporate casting call. Inside This Episode: Why most networking advice makes you sound like a LinkedIn bot The...
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301: Real Talk: How to Stop Guessing What Your Boss Wants and Start Managing Up with Confidence with Melody Wilding
Workday Playdate
In this episode of Workday Playdate, Erin gets real about one of the toughest career skills no one really teaches you: managing up with confidence. Because let’s be honest, trying to figure out what your boss actually wants can feel like decoding emoji hieroglyphics at 11 PM. Enter Melody Wilding: therapist-turned-career-coach, emotions researcher, and author of Managing Up. Named one of Insider’s “most innovative career coaches,” Melody is here to help you stop overthinking every Slack message and start building a relationship with your boss that’s rooted in clarity, confidence,...
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Workday Playdate Trailer
Workday Playdate
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Snack 24: How to Make Managing Up Feel Natural (Not Cringey)
Workday Playdate
In today’s snack-sized dose of Workday Playdate, Erin’s flipping the “fear your boss” script and serving up an improv-inspired reframe that’ll help you manage up with confidence, not chaos. Spoiler: It starts with a Slack message and ends with you owning your power. The Problem: You get a vague “Let’s chat” from your boss and spiral. Are you getting fired? Forgotten something? Turns out, you’re not alone. Gallup says 70% of team engagement depends on your manager... but only 30% of early-career pros feel confident talking to theirs. Most of us are winging it. Badly. The...
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300: You Found a Mentor - Now Here’s How to Keep the Relationship Thriving
Workday Playdate
In this episode of Workday Playdate, Erin tackles one of the trickiest parts of professional growth: keeping your mentor relationship alive and thriving. Finding a mentor is like landing the perfect avocado - rare, precious, and you don’t want it to spoil. This episode is packed with improv-inspired strategies to help you nurture that connection, create a two-way relationship, and turn “one coffee chat” into long-term mentorship magic. Whether you’re a new grad navigating your first job, a career changer looking for guidance, or a freshly promoted manager wondering how to level up,...
info_outlineIn this episode of Workday Playdate, Erin sits down with Dr. Zach Mercurio—researcher, author, and leading voice on meaningful work—to unpack a quiet crisis in today’s workplaces: anti-mattering. If you’ve ever felt invisible at work or noticed your team going through the motions, this episode will give you the language and tools to change that.
Instead of brushing past the small moments, Dr. Mercurio shows how everyday interactions shape whether people feel seen, valued, and significant. With research-backed insights and practical strategies, you’ll learn how to build psychological safety, boost employee engagement, and create a culture where everyone knows they matter.
Inside This Episode:
- What Is Anti-Mattering? Spot the subtle (and sometimes toxic) signals that leave employees feeling invisible.
- The Primal Need to Matter: Why being seen, heard, and valued drives everything from morale to performance.
- Psychological Safety in Practice: How leaders can create environments that invite risk-taking and authentic expression.
- The Power of Micro-Moments: Small, intentional acts that turn disengagement into dedication.
- Skills for Real Connection: The authentic leadership traits that make significance stick.
Who This Episode Is For:
- Leaders and managers who want to foster real connection, not just compliance.
- Teams struggling with disengagement, low morale, or quiet quitting.
- Anyone curious about how to build a workplace culture where people want to show up and contribute.
Tune in to learn how to make mattering a leadership habit. And if you know someone who’s ready to shift their culture from invisible to invaluable, share this episode with them.
Feeling awkward, overthinking your small talk, or wondering if you should’ve just stayed home? Grab our free Networking Without Feeling Weird toolkit. It’s your two-part confidence boost for before and during the event, packed with simple, human strategies that help you walk in clear, grounded, and ready to connect. Download it now and turn “Ugh, networking…” into “That was actually… fun?”
No, You Hang Up First (Let’s Keep Connecting)
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Connect with Dr. Zach Mercurio
- Zach’s LinkedIn
- Zach’s website
- Zach’s book, The Invisible Leader
- Zach’s book, The Power of Mattering
Connect with Erin Diehl x improve it!