SPOS #980 – Tamara Myles On Making Work Actually Matter
Release Date: 04/20/2025
Unlocking The Best In People With Ashley Herd - TWMJ #1036
Thinking With Mitch Joel
Welcome to episode #1036 of Thinking With Mitch Joel (formerly Six Pixels of Separation). did not set out to become a management expert. Trained as an employment lawyer and later serving in senior HR and leadership roles supporting organizations including , Ashley built her career at the intersection of people, performance and workplace culture. What began as practical leadership advice shared through short-form social media videos evolved into a , with hundreds of thousands of managers turning to her for direct, actionable guidance on how to lead teams without burning people out. Her new...
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Modern Marketing With MichaelAaron Flicker - TWMJ #1035
Thinking With Mitch Joel
Welcome to episode #1035 of Thinking With Mitch Joel (formerly Six Pixels of Separation). At a time when marketers have more data, more technology and more precision than ever before… consumer trust, attention and loyalty somehow feel more fragile than ever. Few people are exploring that paradox more deeply than . An entrepreneur who started his company at just fourteen years old, Michael has spent years studying the intersection of marketing, behavioral science and human decision-making (he runs an agency, vventure capital firm and leads several other businesses). His book, (along with...
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The Business Of Culture And Art With Douglas Woodham - TWMJ #1034
Thinking With Mitch Joel
Welcome to episode #1034 of Thinking With Mitch Joel (formerly Six Pixels of Separation). At a time when the lines between culture, commerce and identity feel increasingly blurred, few people understand how value is actually constructed… and reconstructed… better than . A former President of the Americas at and a longtime advisor through his firm , Doug brings a rare dual lens to the conversation… equal parts economist and art obsessive. With a PhD in economics and decades spent inside the machinery of the global art market, he has seen firsthand how artists move from obscurity to icon...
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Revolutionizing Humanity And Tech With Pablos Holman - TWMJ #1033
Thinking With Mitch Joel
Welcome to episode #1033 of Thinking With Mitch Joel (formerly Six Pixels of Separation). We spent the last twenty-five years calling software “technology,” which was convenient, profitable and just a little bit delusional. Apps got smarter. Feeds got stickier. Ads got creepier. Dashboards got dashboards. Meanwhile, the real world kept asking harder questions. How do we produce enough clean energy for eight billion people? How do we build things again? How do we manufacture without waste? How do we use AI for science, not just better chatbots and faster slop? has spent his career living...
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Unlocking Creativity And Productivity With Natalie Nixon - TWMJ #1032
Thinking With Mitch Joel
Welcome to episode #1032 of Thinking With Mitch Joel (formerly Six Pixels of Separation). At a time when productivity is still measured in speed, output and constant motion, few voices are pushing for a more human… and ultimately more effective… way of working than . A creativity strategist, keynote speaker and founder of , Natalie has built her career helping leaders unlock the business value of imagination… not as a soft skill, but as a strategic capability. Her work sits at the intersection of design thinking, anthropology and business innovation, and her previous book, , positioned...
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New Business Transformations With Joseph Pine - TWMJ #1031
Thinking With Mitch Joel
Welcome to episode #1031 of Thinking With Mitch Joel (formerly Six Pixels of Separation). At a time when businesses are still trying to wrap their heads around “customer experience,” few thinkers have shaped that conversation… and pushed it forward… as much as As cofounder of , Joe has spent decades helping organizations understand how economic value evolves… from commodities to goods, to services, to experiences… and now, to something far more ambitious. Best known for , Joe didn’t just introduce a concept… he gave leaders a new language to describe how businesses compete for...
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Thinking At The Edge Of What's Possible With Avinash Kaushik - TWMJ #1030
Thinking With Mitch Joel
Welcome to episode #1030 of Thinking With Mitch Joel (formerly Six Pixels of Separation). At a time when marketing (and AI) feels both hyper-measurable and strangely uncertain, few voices bring as much clarity… and lived perspective… as . A longtime friend (and he’s also available for your next meeting at e) of the show and one of the most influential thinkers in marketing and technology, Avinash first rose to prominence as the analytics evangelist at , where he helped bring web analytics into the mainstream and reshape how businesses think about measurement and decision-making. He is...
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Navigating The Near Future With David Armano - TWMJ #1029
Thinking With Mitch Joel
Welcome to episode #1029 of Thinking With Mitch Joel (formerly Six Pixels of Separation). These days, technology feels both familiar… and completely unrecognizable. Few voices bring the kind of clarity and grounded perspective that does. A longtime digital strategist, advisor, self-proclaimed futurist and friend, David has spent decades at the front lines of transformation… helping organizations navigate everything from the rise of social media to the mobile-first revolution, and now the seismic shift of artificial intelligence. In his current role at , he works directly with enterprises...
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Belief, Potential And Breakthroughs With Nir Eyal - TWMJ #1028
Thinking With Mitch Joel
Welcome to episode #1028 of Thinking With Mitch Joel (formerly Six Pixels of Separation). In a world increasingly defined by information overload and ideological certainty, the ability to change one’s mind may be the most undervalued skill of all… and few thinkers have explored that terrain as deeply as my friend, . A bestselling author, behavioral design expert and former lecturer, Nir has built a career examining how habits are formed, how attention is controlled and how human behavior can be shaped both externally and from within. His previous works, and , established him as a leading...
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The Science Of Storytelling With Will Storr - TWMJ #1027
Thinking With Mitch Joel
Welcome to episode #1027 of Thinking With Mitch Joel (formerly Six Pixels of Separation). is an award-winning author, journalist and storytelling researcher whose work explores one of the most powerful forces shaping human behavior… the stories we tell ourselves about the world. Over the course of a career that blends psychology, neuroscience, investigative journalism and narrative craft, Will has become one of the most compelling voices examining how stories shape identity, belief and culture. His bestselling books include , , and , each offering a deeper look at the hidden forces driving...
info_outlineWelcome to episode #980 of Six Pixels of Separation - The ThinkersOne Podcast.
Tamara Myles is one of the world’s leading experts on meaningful work, with a career that bridges research, leadership consulting, and positive psychology. She’s the author of The Secret To Peak Productivity, a sought-after speaker and advisor to companies like Microsoft and KPMG, and one of the first 600 people in the world to earn a master’s in Applied Positive Psychology from the University of Pennsylvania. In her new book, Meaningful Work - How To Ignite Passion And Performance In Every Employee (co-authored with Wes Adams), Tamara brings both scientific rigor and real-world empathy to one of the most pressing challenges of our time: how to make work feel like it matters. In this conversation, Tamara shares the results of her multi-year study - the first of its kind - on how leaders influence meaning in the workplace. She introduces the three core drivers of meaningful work: community, contribution, and challenge, and explains why they’re more relevant than ever in a world grappling with burnout, disconnection, and shifting values around work. We also talk about the lasting impact of the pandemic, the rise of employee apathy, and how social media has warped our collective expectations about fulfillment. Tamara, who teaches at both the University of Pennsylvania and Boston College, blends her academic insight with a deeply human perspective - reminding us that meaning is not just a nice-to-have, but a business imperative. Whether you're leading a team or trying to reconnect with your own sense of purpose, this episode offers a much-needed compass. Enjoy the conversation...
- Running time: 58:29.
- Hello from beautiful Montreal.
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- ...or on X.
- Here is my conversation with Tamara Myles.
- Meaningful Work - How To Ignite Passion And Performance In Every Employee.
- The Secret To Peak Productivity.
- Applied Positive Psychology.
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- Follow Tamara on Instagram.
Chapters:
(00:00) - Introduction to Positive Psychology and Meaningful Work.
(02:58) - The Importance of Meaning in Work.
(05:57) - The Misconception of Meaningful Work.
(09:03) - The Role of Leaders in Creating Meaning.
(11:59) - The Impact of the Pandemic on Work Meaning.
(14:58) - Transactional Work vs. Meaningful Work.
(18:10) - The Dual Responsibility of Leaders and Employees.
(21:04) - Hiring for Meaning in Organizations.
(24:13) - Common Sense vs. Common Practice in Work Meaning.
(26:59) - Expectations and Realities of Work Today.
(31:46) - The Impact of Social Media on Expectations.
(34:33) - Generational Perspectives on Meaningful Work.
(37:47) - Work-Life Balance and Productivity.
(39:08) - The Loneliness Epidemic Post-Covid.
(43:39) - Creating Meaningful Work Environments.
(46:58) - AI's Role in the Future of Work.
(50:15) - Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion in the Workplace.
(52:28) - Overcoming Apathy in the Workplace.