• 32 minutes
    Why the smartest person in the room is asking the “dumb” questions | from TED Business

    One of our favorite TED talks on TED Business is from company builder Molly Graham. She’s also the new host of WorkLife with Molly Graham, another podcast from TED. Modupe sits down with Molly at TED2026 to talk about her journey from Facebook to giving her first TED Talk to now joining TED as a podcaster. Molly shares how she quietens her inner critic whom she affectionately calls “Bob the Monster,” what she learned from working alongside influential leaders to scale companies, and why she always advises  managers to “give away their Legos.”

    For the full text transcript, visit https://www.ted.com/podcasts/worklife-transcripts

    Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    30 June 2026, 4:00 am
  • 38 minutes 1 second
    What is your company culture (and why does it matter)? with Mike Schroepfer

    Most leaders say culture matters. Far fewer can explain how it's actually built. Mike Schroepfer spent more than a decade helping build Facebook's engineering organization during some of its fastest—and messiest—years of growth. As CTO, he helped shape a culture built around learning, experimentation, and moving quickly. In this episode, Mike discusses why great cultures aren't created through values decks or mission statements, how leaders teach people what matters through their behavior, and why the difference between a learning culture and a blame culture can determine an organization’s success. If culture is what happens when something goes wrong, this conversation is about how to build one that gets stronger under pressure.


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    For the full text transcript, visit https://www.ted.com/podcasts/worklife-transcripts

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    23 June 2026, 4:00 am
  • 33 minutes 28 seconds
    Why success is never linear with Claire Hughes Johnson

    It’s easy to look at successful companies and other people’s successful careers and assume the path was obvious. The reality is that success feels messy. Claire Hughes Johnson, former COO of Stripe, joins Molly to explore how difficult moments distort our perspective and why some of the work we're proudest of often felt like failure while we were living it. Together they discuss resilience, uncertainty, leadership under pressure, and how to make decisions when you can't yet tell whether you're struggling or succeeding.

    For the full text transcript, visit https://www.ted.com/podcasts/worklife-transcripts

    Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    16 June 2026, 4:00 am
  • 41 minutes 38 seconds
    FAQ: How to disagree productively, know which hills to die on, and find your mentors with Ashley Murphy

    In fast-changing companies, some things move so fast that you rarely have time to consult the business books when questions arise. Welcome to Frequently Asked Questions, a segment on WorkLife where Molly answers questions from listeners about the topics they confront in real time. In this episode, Molly is joined by Ashley Murphy, a key member of Molly’s team and one of the people that helped create Glue Club, a leadership development community that Molly and her team run focused on helping leaders feel more confident and less lonely at work. These questions are based on common questions from the community that Molly and Ashley thought would be relevant for the WorkLife audience as well – tips for working productively with a boss you don’t always agree with, knowing when it’s time to seek out an executive coach, and struggling to pitch yourself to prospective employers if you don’t fit into a traditional box.


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    For the full text transcript, visit https://www.ted.com/podcasts/worklife-transcripts

    Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    9 June 2026, 4:00 am
  • 38 minutes 8 seconds
    How to find your purpose (w/ Master Fixer Molly Graham) | from Fixable

    What is your true purpose—and how do you find it? This month, Anne and Frances are tackling one of life’s biggest questions in search of answers for Fixers of all ages, from fresh graduates charting their first career moves to seasoned executives craving something more. In this episode, Anne sits down with Molly Graham, a former executive at Facebook and the new host of TED’s WorkLife podcast, to explore what it means to pursue meaningful work and stay open to opportunities you never saw coming. They also answer a question from a new graduate about finding your purpose somewhere between work and life. 

    For the full text transcript, visit https://www.ted.com/podcasts/worklife-transcripts

    Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    7 June 2026, 4:00 am
  • 28 minutes 45 seconds
    Why chasing the algorithm leads to burnout with Mark Rober

    If you make content online or use social media frequently for work, it may feel like what you post and how often you post it is dictated by the elusive “algorithm.” You can spend your time chasing trends and trying to keep up with the internet’s ever-changing demands, but at what point does that mean sacrificing the quality of your work? Mark Rober is one of the most successful creators on YouTube, with almost 75 million followers and over 16 billion views. For 15 years, he has only posted one carefully crafted video per month. In this episode, Molly sits down with Mark at the TED Conference to uncover how Mark built his channel to be sustainable over time by prioritizing quality over quantity and staying true to his principles. Mark also reveals his secret to making a viral video, and shares tips for avoiding burnout in a fast-paced industry.


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    For the full text transcript, visit https://www.ted.com/podcasts/worklife-transcripts

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    2 June 2026, 4:00 am
  • 30 minutes 27 seconds
    Caroline Wanga on the Career Path No One Tells You About | from Hello Monday

    Careers rarely move in a straight line, and for many people, the old roadmap no longer works. In this special feed drop from LinkedIn’s Hello Monday, host Jessi Hempel sits down with Caroline Wanga for a conversation about building a career with intention, authenticity, and room to evolve.


    As president and CEO of Essence Ventures and co-founder of Wanga Woman, Caroline has spent years helping people rethink success on their own terms. Before leading Essence, she spent 15 years at Target, rising from intern to the C-suite — a journey that taught her the value of continuously revisiting, reshaping, and even reinventing your career map.


    Jessi and Caroline discuss:

    • Why your “next right move” may not look like anyone else’s
    • Why playing with your career map, not perfecting it, leads to clarity
    • How, and when, Caroline has created her own career maps
    • The role of authenticity in leadership and life
    • What it really takes to live and work with personal purpose
    • Tools and mindsets for building a meaningful career in today’s world


    Caroline also shares insights from her memoir, I’m Highly Percent Sure, and offers a refreshing perspective for anyone questioning what comes next.


    Follow Jessi Hempel and Caroline Wanga on LinkedIn, and listen to more Hello Monday wherever you get your podcasts

    For the full text transcript, visit https://www.ted.com/podcasts/worklife-transcripts

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    28 May 2026, 4:00 am
  • 39 minutes 29 seconds
    What to do when your industry keeps changing with Manoush Zomorodi

    Uncertainty is in the air in so many industries as AI disrupts and destabilizes even the jobs that felt most secure in the past. It can be difficult to see the path forward as the ground shifts beneath your feet. But for journalist and TED Radio Hour host Manoush Zomorodi, disruption and change are nothing new. In this episode, Manoush reflects on her career and the sudden shifts she has had to adjust to as new media technology emerges—from perfecting writing a seven-minute slot on broadcast radio to building a production company on the blockchain. She also shares what she’s learned about staying adaptable when the world around you keeps changing.


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    For the full text transcript, visit https://www.ted.com/podcasts/worklife-transcripts

    Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    26 May 2026, 4:00 am
  • 39 minutes 25 seconds
    How to make AI worth your time with Max Mullen

    If you’ve tried AI and felt underwhelmed — or if the constant pressure to “just play around with it” makes you want to throw your laptop across the room — you’re not alone. But according to Max Mullen, co-founder of Instacart and one of the most practical thinkers on this technology, you might be closer to becoming an AI expert than you realize. In this episode, Max makes the case that expertise with AI isn’t about taking a course or spending your weekend trying to learn how to use it. Max talks about how to use AI to solve real problems, why you want to try it more than once, and argues that building a relationship with the tool is the key to getting better and faster results. This is the episode for anyone who’s skeptical, behind, or just exhausted by the hype.


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    For the full text transcript, visit https://www.ted.com/podcasts/worklife-transcripts

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    19 May 2026, 4:00 am
  • 36 minutes 45 seconds
    Why you should take a risk every day with Julie Zhuo

    When you think about risk, you probably think about big, dramatic moves: quitting your job, moving across the country, saying something controversial. But the people who are actually good at taking risks are the ones who practice small challenges every day. Julie Zhuo was one of the earliest product and design leaders at Facebook, and is now the co-founder of Sundial, a company that uses AI to help organizations make better decisions. In this episode, Molly and Julie dissect what it actually means to take a risk and how you can build your risk-taking skills through daily practice. Julie reflects on her own risk-taking journey, the ways she has honed her abilities to challenge fear, her thinking on when you shouldn’t take a leap, and the important distinction between courage and fearlessness.


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    For the full text transcript, visit https://www.ted.com/podcasts/worklife-transcripts

    Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    12 May 2026, 4:00 am
  • 38 minutes 41 seconds
    The secret to making the right career decisions with Patty Stonesifer

    You might think the biggest, most prestigious job is always the right career move. Patty Stonesifer — founding CEO of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and an early Amazon board member — says that’s exactly the wrong way to decide what to do next. So what should guide your career? In this episode, Patty joins Molly to share the nine-word personal mission statement she’s used for decades to filter opportunities, turn down what doesn’t fit, and speak up for what matters. Patty shares how you can write your own, and even coaches Molly through creating hers in real time.


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    For the full text transcript, visit https://www.ted.com/podcasts/worklife-transcripts

    Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    5 May 2026, 4:00 am
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