TruthWorks

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Are you ready to dive deep into the world of work, culture and leadership? Join Jessica Neal and Patty McCord each week as they chat with expert guests and explore the issues affecting the workplace — from AI and mental health, to making layoffs and combating toxic cultures. Featuring global industry leaders and specialists that are passionate about reshaping the way work today. Listen in as we redefine the rules to work for us, not against us. Episode 1 of TruthWorks launches March 19! Subscribe wherever you get your podcasts. 

  1. JAN 6

    Behind Duolingo's Multi-Billion Product Strategy, Scaling to 100M users - Cem Kansu

    How do you take a free language app and turn it into a multi billion juggernaut that users are literally addicted to? In this episode of TruthWorks, Jessica and Patty sit down with Cem Kansu, the Chief Product Officer at Duolingo. Cem has spent nearly a decade architecting the product strategy that grew Duolingo from a struggling startup into the world’s #1 education app. This isn’t just a conversation about "product-market fit." It’s a raw look at the operational culture required to run thousands of A/B tests a year without losing your soul. Cem pulls back the curtain on Duolingo’s famous "unhinged" marketing, the reality of managing a "freemium" model that actually makes money, and why they decided to make their AI mascot, Lily, a depressed teenager. Key topics discussed include: The "Mini-CEO" Mindset: Why Duolingo empowers product managers to run their own P&Ls and how that changes the culture of accountability.Monetization vs. Mission: The hard conversations and trade-offs involved in making money while keeping the core product free for millions.The Truth About Gamification: How to use streaks, leaderboards, and "passive-aggressive" notifications to drive retention without burning out your team (or your users).Hiring for Taste: Why data is critical, but product intuition is what actually builds a brand people love.Navigating the AI Shift: How Duolingo is integrating GenAI to teach effectively, not just efficiently.Whether you are scaling a product team or trying to build a culture that embraces experimentation, Cem offers a transparent look at the machinery behind the owl.

    49 min
  2. 2025-12-23

    Harvard Psychologist: The #1 Hack To REVERSE Aging & Heal Your Body!

    Is it possible to reverse aging simply by changing your mind? In this episode of Truth Works, we sit down with Dr. Ellen Langer, the legendary Harvard psychologist known as the "Mother of Mindfulness." Dr. Langer challenges everything we think we know about the mind-body connection. She breaks down her groundbreaking "Counterclockwise" study, where elderly men reversed signs of aging by living as if they were in their younger years, and the famous "Chambermaid" study, which proved that simply believing your work is exercise can lead to weight loss and lower blood pressure. If you feel stressed, burned out, or stuck on autopilot, this conversation will change how you view your health, your work, and your potential. In this episode, we cover: Mindfulness vs. Mindlessness: Why "active noticing" is the key to health and vitality.The Illusion of Absolutes: Dr. Langer explains why 1+1 doesn't always equal 2 and how context changes everything.Reversing Aging: Inside the famous study where participants improved their hearing, vision, and strength just by changing their environment.The Placebo Effect in Daily Life: How hotel maids lost weight just by being told their job counted as exercise.Managing Stress: Why prediction is an illusion and how to stop creating tragedy out of inconvenience.About the Guest: Dr. Ellen Langer is a professor of psychology at Harvard University and the author of multiple best-selling books, including The Mindful Body. She has spent 45 years researching the effects of mindfulness on health, business, and competence. About Truth Works: Hosted by Jessica Neal and Patty McCord, Truth Works digs into the nitty-gritty of leadership and work. We’re here to redefine rules to work for us, not against us.

    48 min
  3. 2025-12-02

    Never Ready, Never Alone: Suneel Gupta on Playing the Game of Now

    What if “I’m not ready” is the biggest lie holding you back? In this episode of Truth Works, Jessica Neal sits down with Suneel Gupta — once literally the “poster child for failure” in The New York Times — to unpack how failure, exhaustion, and uncertainty can become fuel for a more courageous, energized life. Suneel shares how going from failed founder and Groupon’s hyper-growth implosion to successful health-tech exit, Harvard faculty, and Amazon Prime host wasn’t about having a perfect plan — it was about playing what he calls the game of now instead of the game of “someday.” He breaks down why none of the extraordinary people he’s studied ever felt “ready,” how they acted anyway, and how they managed their energy (not just their time) to stay in the game. You’ll hear: Why “I’m not ready” quietly kills careers and ideasHow being the face of failure opened doors to Oscar winners, founders & leadersThe “game of now” vs. the “game of someday” — and how to start todayWhy courage is not the absence of fear (and why fear is required)Emotional runway vs. financial runway for founders and teamsRhythmic renewal: the 55:5 model for building breaks into every dayWhy vacations don’t fix burnout — and what actually does“Rest is not a reward, it’s a resource” — a new mantra for high performersThe simplest definition of happiness: never worry aloneIf you’ve ever felt behind, burned out, or paralyzed waiting for the perfect moment, this conversation will give you language, tools, and a different way to move forward — one small action at a time.

    45 min

About

Are you ready to dive deep into the world of work, culture and leadership? Join Jessica Neal and Patty McCord each week as they chat with expert guests and explore the issues affecting the workplace — from AI and mental health, to making layoffs and combating toxic cultures. Featuring global industry leaders and specialists that are passionate about reshaping the way work today. Listen in as we redefine the rules to work for us, not against us. Episode 1 of TruthWorks launches March 19! Subscribe wherever you get your podcasts. 

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