The Values Lab

Viren Thakrar

Welcome to The Values Lab, a podcast series for founders and portfolio career professionals seeking inspiration to live a more intentional, values-led life. Hosted by Viren Thakrar, Founder of In The Game and Values Map.

  1. Penelope Barr on Freedom and the 6-3-3 Concept

    2 days ago

    Penelope Barr on Freedom and the 6-3-3 Concept

    In this episode, I explore the value of freedom with Penelope Barr. Penelope shares her 633 model focused on balancing work, travel and creation.  She talks about the importance of freedom within structure. We also discuss how conversations in Paris planted the seed for working and living differently. Penelope also shares her decision criteria for saying yes to work, how she helps others design their own portfolio careers, as well as more about her book "Win the Night to Win the Day", the strategic guide for high performers to sleep well, work better and live best. Links www.linkedin.com/in/penelopebarr https://www.winthenighttowintheday.com/ About Penelope Penelope Barr is a Portfolio careerist, Advisor, Author, Technology innovator, Coach and working parent. Penelope draws on more than 25 years of executive experience to help high performers and organisations design more aligned and sustainable ways of working and living. She’s the creator of the 6:3:3 concept, focused on the connection between rest, performance, and strategic, sustainable success. Penelope’s new book “Win the Night to Win the Day. Sleep Well. Work Better. Live Best.” (Hardie Grant, 26 May 2026) is a guide created by research, interviews with global experts and years of experiments to help you design your personal best days to sleep well because your best days are made at night. Keywords freedom, structured living, personal development, portfolio careers, life design, sleep optimisation, experimentation, values, travel, work-life balance The Values Lab is brought to you by Viren Thakrar, Founder of Values Map - valuesmap.com

    35 min
  2. Jen Ryder on Growth and Intentional Discomfort

    3 July

    Jen Ryder on Growth and Intentional Discomfort

    In this episode, I explore the value of growth with Jen Ryder. Jen shares how growth evolved for her from accumulating knowledge to accumulating understanding, and how her father's lifelong learning shaped this value. We discuss seeking discomfort intentionally, from uncomfortable hikes to reading opposing viewpoints, and her morning learning ritual. Jen also shares how she creates space for business leaders to grow through peer advisory groups and why she's passionate about supporting regional Australian communities. Links Jen Ryder | LinkedIn Jen Ryder - Vistage Chair - Leadership Coach and Mentor About Jen Jen Ryder is a Vistage Chair, Fractional General Manager, and facilitator who works with business owners and leaders to create clarity, challenge thinking, and unlock growth. With a background in business operations, leadership, and professional services, Jen brings a practical and deeply human approach to leadership conversations. Known for asking thoughtful questions that cut through noise and complexity, Jen creates spaces where leaders can think more clearly, make better decisions, and reconnect with what matters most. Her work centres on the belief that leadership can be both challenging and deeply relational — and that some of the best breakthroughs come through honest conversations, shared wisdom, and values-led reflection. Based in regional Queensland, Jen works with leaders across industries through peer advisory groups, strategic facilitation, and operational advisory work. Keywords growth, values, personal development, leadership, introspection, entrepreneurship, community, learning, comfort zone, self-improvement business strategy, personal growth, marketing, peer advisory, learning, boundaries, skills development, entrepreneurship, community support, professional development The Values Lab is brought to you by Viren Thakrar, Founder of Values Map - valuesmap.com

    35 min
  3. Megan Trotter on Best Self and the Daily Intention Setting Ritual

    24 Apr

    Megan Trotter on Best Self and the Daily Intention Setting Ritual

    In this episode, I explore the value of Best Self with Megan Trotter. Megan shares how both challenging and positive life experiences have helped develop her understanding of what this value means to her. We go in-depth into her daily intention-setting practice, which helps them show up in a more values-aligned way. Megan also talks about the concept of sequencing over prioritising as a way to reframe things so it doesn't feel like you're abandoning things, but still making progress. Links www.pollinate-xd.com linkedin.com/in/megan-trotter/ https://px-dojo.group/ About Megan Meg is the founder of PollinateXD and works with growing businesses that want to increase performance without losing the culture and human-ness that made them successful in the first place. PollinateXD helps founders make their leadership team a competitive advantage by treating team performance not as a HR problem, but as a design problem. Meg combines the best practices from User Experience and Organisational psychology to empower leaders to take accountability for designing high-performing teams. In her UX days, Meg began questioning whether designing the experience of work with the same care as a customer experience could drive organisational success. She completed an MSc in Organisational Psychology and spent seven years in London, cross-pollinating the People space with UX practices across startups and complex organisations, including the BBC. Meg is now also the Co-Founder of PX Dojo, a cohort-based program for people leaders to learn how to create thriving, high-performing cultures through People Experience Design. The Values Lab is brought to you by Viren Thakrar, Founder of Values Map - valuesmap.com

    33 min

About

Welcome to The Values Lab, a podcast series for founders and portfolio career professionals seeking inspiration to live a more intentional, values-led life. Hosted by Viren Thakrar, Founder of In The Game and Values Map.