Why Does It Feel So Wrong To Be Human At Work?

Local Wisdom
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Pinaki Kathiari & Chris Lee challenge traditional best practices in the workplace

  1. 1D AGO

    Your Employees Are Already Triggered Before They Open Their Laptops | Ellen Griley

    Your employees are arriving at work already on edge. Not because of anything you did. Because of everything else — the news, the economy, the climate, the layoffs, the AI uncertainty, the 6 a.m. email they checked before they even got out of bed. They walk in already in threat mode. And then you send an urgent Slack with an exclamation point. In this Between the Seasons episode of Why Does It Feel So Wrong to Be Human at Work?, Pinaki Kathiari and Chris Lee are joined by producer Bree Bartos and Ellen Griley, founder of Equilibrious Communications and creator of Internal Calms, for a conversation about mental health, polycrisis, and what it actually looks like to communicate with people who are carrying more than you know. Ellen just published Shifting Ground: Internal Communications in an Age of Polycrisis — her first research report under Equilibrious, released the morning this episode was recorded. And she brought the framework, the data, and a lot of hard-won wisdom from her own experience as both a communicator and a person. In this episode, they discuss: •       What polycrisis actually means — and why it's indistinguishable from the environment your employees walk into every day •       The amygdala, the prefrontal cortex, and why chronic stress works the same way trauma does on the brain •       Why the individual onus to "set better boundaries" isn't a solution — it's an abdication •       Ellen on how her own anxiety was showing up for her employees before she understood what was happening •       The schedule send as an act of respect •       Why work communication flows one way — into the home — but employees can't always bring what they're carrying back into the workplace •       The STEADY framework: Safety, Trust, Environment, Agency, Dialogue, and You •       What Ellen found when she surveyed 24 senior IC practitioners: 100% had managed through at least three crises in 18 months It's Mental Health Awareness Month. And this episode is a good place to start. Check out Ellen's Links: internal-calms.comRead Shifting GroundConnect with Ellen on LinkedIn---Connect with Us Pinaki Kathiari – LinkedIn  | Local Wisdom Chris Lee – LinkedIn | Gallagher Communication Bree Bartos – LinkedIn | Local Wisdom Special thanks to digital communication agency Local Wisdom (www.localwisdom.com) for really believing in our mission and making this podcast possible.  If this episode made you think differently, laugh, or even yell out loud, we want to hear about it! Connect with us on LinkedIn, and don’t forget to rate, review, and share – maybe with your work bestie… or even your boss if you're feeling bold.   We also bring these important conversations to conferences and private workshops, creating space for real, meaningful change. Take the first step at www.whydoesitfeelsowrong.com.

    30 min

  2. MAY 7

    Radical Acceptance Isn't About Giving Up | Dr. Matt Zakreski

    The Reddit post was titled: "Having a job and autistic ADHD burnout is killing me." And it read exactly like you'd expect — work is exhausting, home is falling apart, hobbies are gone, and a therapist suggested radically accepting the situation. Which OP heard as: just accept that this is your life forever. That's not what radical acceptance means. And that misunderstanding is exactly where this episode starts. In this Reacting to Reddit at Work episode of Why Does It Feel So Wrong to Be Human at Work?, hosts Pinaki Kathiari and Chris Lee are joined by producer Bree Bartos and Dr. Matt Zakreski, clinical psychologist and founder of the Neurodiversity Collective, for a conversation about burnout, the struggle switch, lizard brain versus wizard brain, and what it actually looks like for managers and organizations to show up for neurodivergent employees. Bree's sink falls apart during the episode. Pinaki references Nonviolent Communication. Dr. Matt describes the erectile dysfunction stages of grief. It goes places. In this episode, they discuss: •       What radical acceptance actually means — and why the therapy world's version got lost in translation •       The struggle switch: why it's not the emotion that gets you, it's the feeling about the feeling about the feeling •       Lizard brain vs. wizard brain, and what managers can do before a hard conversation to keep both parties in the right headspace •       Why the OP has been fired 20 times and what Pinaki thinks is actually going on •       What psychological safety has to do with body swaying, tattoos, and doing your job with full commitment •       Metacommunication: naming what you're doing so your employee's nervous system has a runway •       Pinaki's mental palate cleanser — the meeting opener that isn't 'how's your day?' •       What managers can actually do when they suspect someone on their team is neurodivergent •       Dr. Matt on the dance of relationships: when you need more, you get more — and how to stop keeping score If you've ever felt like the job was designed for someone else's brain — you're probably right. And this episode is for you. ---Connect with Us Pinaki Kathiari – LinkedIn  | Local Wisdom Chris Lee – LinkedIn | Gallagher Communication Bree Bartos – LinkedIn | Local Wisdom Special thanks to digital communication agency Local Wisdom (www.localwisdom.com) for really believing in our mission and making this podcast possible.  If this episode made you think differently, laugh, or even yell out loud, we want to hear about it! Connect with us on LinkedIn, and don’t forget to rate, review, and share – maybe with your work bestie… or even your boss if you're feeling bold.   We also bring these important conversations to conferences and private workshops, creating space for real, meaningful change. Take the first step at www.whydoesitfeelsowrong.com.

    40 min

  3. APR 30

    Be Curious, Not Furious | Dr. Matt Zakreski

    One in five people are neurodivergent. Which means right now, roughly 20% of your organization's brains are working differently than the systems around them were designed for. And most of those people are just quietly struggling — wondering what's wrong with them — while the organization wonders what's wrong with them right back. In this Between the Seasons episode of Why Does It Feel So Wrong to Be Human at Work?, Pinaki Kathiari and Chris Lee sit down with Dr. Matt Zakreski, clinical psychologist at the Neurodiversity Collective and author of The Neurodiversity Playbook, for a conversation about what it actually looks like to build workplaces where different kinds of brains can do their best work. Dr. Matt brings the research, the analogies, and a lot of really good pizza metaphors. Bree admits she can't send emails without a dopamine boost. Chris shares his ADHD diagnosis. Pinaki wonders, out loud, if he's on a spectrum of something. And everyone agrees: the world was built by neurotypical people, and that's a problem worth fixing. In this episode, they discuss: •       What neurodivergence actually is — and why it is not a choice •       The pizza dinner party analogy: inclusion isn't about throwing away what works, it's about making sure there's something for everyone at the table •       Steve, the guy who holds the office together but isn't hitting his sales numbers — and what organizations get wrong about him •       Body doubling, expense report happy hour, and free solutions to executive functioning challenges •       Be curious, not furious: why asking why before assuming intent changes everything •       The difference between intention and impact, and why owning that gap matters •       What to do when someone is truly not a fit — and how to do the warmest possible handoff •       Dr. Matt's book, The Neurodiversity Playbook, and why he wrote it as a play-by-play guide, not a cover-to-cover read If you've ever felt like you were playing the game on hard mode without knowing why, this one's for you. Check out Dr. Matt and his work: LinkedIn: https://bit.ly/4t4056aBuy his book, Neurodiversity Playbook: https://amzn.to/4n0sKrp The Neurodiversity Collective: https://bit.ly/4eS4vd1  https://www.drmattzakreski.com/---Connect with Us Pinaki Kathiari – LinkedIn  | Local Wisdom Chris Lee – LinkedIn | Gallagher Communication Bree Bartos – LinkedIn | Local Wisdom Special thanks to digital communication agency Local Wisdom (www.localwisdom.com) for really believing in our mission and making this podcast possible.  If this episode made you think differently, laugh, or even yell out loud, we want to hear about it! Connect with us on LinkedIn, and don’t forget to rate, review, and share – maybe with your work bestie… or even your boss if you're feeling bold.   We also bring these important conversations to conferences and private workshops, creating space for real, meaningful change. Take the first step at www.whydoesitfeelsowrong.com.

    39 min

  4. APR 23

    My Job Is Depending on Me Too Much | Reddit at Work | Jen Samuel

    You're training new hires, flying out to meet clients, handling escalations, and you just finished a three-month certification on your own time. Your title hasn't changed. Your pay hasn't changed. And your manager keeps giving you vague answers about what growth even looks like. That's the Reddit post at the center of this Between the Seasons episode. And every single person at the table has lived a version of it. In this Reacting to Reddit at Work episode of Why Does It Feel So Wrong to Be Human at Work?, hosts Pinaki Kathiari and Chris Lee are joined by producer Bree Bartos and Senior Account Manager Jen Samuel, who's back for round two with another round of stories that hit uncomfortably close to home. The conversation covers scope creep, why managers avoid hard conversations, what it actually takes to advocate for yourself, rejection therapy, and the phantom laptop problem — the deeply relatable experience of going on vacation and not knowing what to do with your hands because you didn't bring your work computer for the first time in years. In this episode, they discuss: •       Why managers avoid giving straight answers about raises and career growth •       The difference between complaining about workload and making a direct business case for yourself •       Pinaki's advice: ask for the no — and why rejection therapy is actually a skill worth building •       Jen on writing talking points for herself like she'd write them for someone else •       Chris on Never Split the Difference and what FBI hostage negotiation tactics have to do with your next performance review •       Why organizations are always caught by surprise when great people leave — and who that's really on •       Bree applied to 200+ jobs after her layoff. Local Wisdom was the only company where a human reached out. •       Jen's phantom laptop problem, and the boss who told her to leave it at home If you've ever been asked to do more without being offered more in return, this one's going to feel very familiar. ---Connect with Us Pinaki Kathiari – LinkedIn  | Local Wisdom Chris Lee – LinkedIn | Gallagher Communication Bree Bartos – LinkedIn | Local Wisdom Special thanks to digital communication agency Local Wisdom (www.localwisdom.com) for really believing in our mission and making this podcast possible.  If this episode made you think differently, laugh, or even yell out loud, we want to hear about it! Connect with us on LinkedIn, and don’t forget to rate, review, and share – maybe with your work bestie… or even your boss if you're feeling bold.   We also bring these important conversations to conferences and private workshops, creating space for real, meaningful change. Take the first step at www.whydoesitfeelsowrong.com.

    34 min

  5. APR 16

    A Team of One Is Not a Team | Jen Samuel

    What does it actually cost to be a team of one — not just in productivity, but in your mental health, your sense of self, and your ability to do the work you were hired to do? Jen Samuel knows that cost intimately. With over 20 years in internal communications — starting at a young, people-centric airline and spending most of that time as the only person in the room doing her job — she's lived through the burnout, the scope creep, the "be strategic but also update the website" contradiction, and the quiet weight of feeling like no one really understands what you do or what it takes. In this episode, Pinaki and Chris welcome Jen to Between the Seasons (and to the Local Wisdom team) for a conversation about what it's really like to work alone in a field that exists to connect everyone else. They talk about how being a team of one shapes your identity over time, why the busyness-as-virtue culture makes it so hard to step back, and what it means to finally land somewhere that lets you just be human. Bree joins in too — and her perspective as a fellow recent Local Wisdom addition brings the conversation home. In this episode, they discuss: What 20+ years as a team of one in internal comms actually looks likeHow burnout builds when there's no one to hand things off to — even at a funeralChris on The Tyranny of Work and the idea that busyness has become morally virtuousWhy internal comms teams of one are being asked to be strategic advisors and postmasters at the same time — and why that math doesn't workThe moment Jen realized other communicators felt exactly the same way (and the community that changed everything)Bree on what it felt like to go from isolation to a team that actually checks inWhat good looks like — at Local Wisdom, at Gallagher, and everywhere in betweenPinaki's call to action: if you're a team of one, find your people ---Connect with Us Pinaki Kathiari – LinkedIn  | Local Wisdom Chris Lee – LinkedIn | Gallagher Communication Bree Bartos – LinkedIn | Local Wisdom Special thanks to digital communication agency Local Wisdom (www.localwisdom.com) for really believing in our mission and making this podcast possible.  If this episode made you think differently, laugh, or even yell out loud, we want to hear about it! Connect with us on LinkedIn, and don’t forget to rate, review, and share – maybe with your work bestie… or even your boss if you're feeling bold.   We also bring these important conversations to conferences and private workshops, creating space for real, meaningful change. Take the first step at www.whydoesitfeelsowrong.com.

    28 min

  6. APR 9

    My Best Friend Tried To Steal My Job | Part 2

    Last week, Bree read a Reddit story about a young creative whose best friend went to their manager and used her private insecurities against her to try to take her job. Chris and Pinaki reacted in real time. Then Bree told them: that was my story. This week, we pick up right where we left off. Now that Chris and Pinaki know it’s Bree’s own experience, the conversation shifts — from advice to something more honest. Bree fills in what the post left out: how close she and Amy really were, how the comparison and competition showed up in their friendship long before it showed up at work, and how the whole thing ended (spoiler: COVID and a merger did some heavy lifting). But the real reason Bree wanted to share this story isn’t the betrayal. It’s what it left behind: a deep, persistent imposter syndrome that still surfaces even after a great annual review. If someone your best friend thought you weren’t good enough, how do you fully trust yourself again? In this episode, they discuss: What the post left out — how close Bree and Amy actually wereWhen a friendship starts draining more energy than it givesWhy confrontation without curiosity often makes things worseThe difference between someone doing something to you vs. for themselvesHow imposter syndrome takes root — and why it’s so hard to pull outWhat organizations miss when they only seek competence without passionCompetition vs. collaboration: why pitting teammates against each other backfiresPinaki on love, creativity, and a quote from Fist of the North Star It’s one of the most personal conversations we’ve had on Between the Seasons. And it’s a reminder that the messiest, most human experiences at work are often the ones that shape us the most. ---Connect with Us Pinaki Kathiari – LinkedIn  | Local Wisdom Chris Lee – LinkedIn | Gallagher Communication Bree Bartos – LinkedIn | Local Wisdom Special thanks to digital communication agency Local Wisdom (www.localwisdom.com) for really believing in our mission and making this podcast possible.  If this episode made you think differently, laugh, or even yell out loud, we want to hear about it! Connect with us on LinkedIn, and don’t forget to rate, review, and share – maybe with your work bestie… or even your boss if you're feeling bold.   We also bring these important conversations to conferences and private workshops, creating space for real, meaningful change. Take the first step at www.whydoesitfeelsowrong.com.

    17 min

  7. APR 2

    My Best Friend Tried to Steal My Job | Reddit at Work

    In this Between the Seasons episode of Why Does It Feel So Wrong to Be Human at Work?, hosts Chris Lee and Pinaki Kathiari are joined by producer Bree Bartos for a Reddit at Work reaction — or so they think. The post: a young multimedia specialist lands her dream job, befriends a coworker named Amy, and then gets blindsided when Amy goes to their manager and says she doesn’t deserve the role. Years later, OP still carries the imposter syndrome. How do you move on from a betrayal like that? How do you trust your own abilities again? Chris and Pinaki react in real time, unpacking the relationship dynamics, the role of managers in catching toxic team tension before it metastasizes, and why people rarely do things to you — they do things for themselves. The conversation gets personal, and then it gets really personal. Because there’s a twist at the end. In this episode, they discuss: Why creative roles carry more emotional weight — and how that creates unique vulnerabilitiesThe danger of avoiding confrontation until it’s too lateWhat managers should (and often don’t) do when team dynamics break downThe difference between someone doing something to you vs. for themselvesWhat it looks like when competition and friendship collide at workHow imposter syndrome can outlast the person who planted it This is Part 1 of 2. Tune in next week to hear the rest of the story — and find out how knowing the truth changes everything. ---Connect with Us Pinaki Kathiari – LinkedIn  | Local Wisdom Chris Lee – LinkedIn | Gallagher Communication Bree Bartos – LinkedIn | Local Wisdom Special thanks to digital communication agency Local Wisdom (www.localwisdom.com) for really believing in our mission and making this podcast possible.  If this episode made you think differently, laugh, or even yell out loud, we want to hear about it! Connect with us on LinkedIn, and don’t forget to rate, review, and share – maybe with your work bestie… or even your boss if you're feeling bold.   We also bring these important conversations to conferences and private workshops, creating space for real, meaningful change. Take the first step at www.whydoesitfeelsowrong.com.

    22 min

  8. MAR 26

    Your Side Hustle Is Showing | Reddit at Work | Nazmul Islam

    In this Between the Seasons episode, host Pinaki Kathiari and producer Bree Bartos are joined by Nazmul Islam — communications consultant and creator of History Meets Finance — to react in real time to a Reddit post that hits close to home. The post: two coworkers-turned-best-friends started a podcast together. It began innocently enough, but after a rebrand, the content got raunchy — and then a coworker found it. Now they’re asking Reddit: how do you keep your podcast and your professional life separate? How do you promote something you have to keep secret? The conversation goes deep fast. Nazmul shares his experience declaring his YouTube channel to a former employer and why transparency early is almost always better than damage control later. Bree reveals she spent two years streaming on Twitch in her “E-girl era” and told exactly no one at work. And Pinaki recalls a coworker who accidentally landed on the Yahoo homepage. Together, they work through the real factors: social media policies, conflict of interest, company culture, career risk, and what it actually means to be a whole person in a workplace that maybe only sees part of you. Oh, and Bree finds the podcast mid-episode. The plot thickens. In this episode, they discuss: When your creative life gets discovered by your workplace — now what?Why being upfront with your employer is almost always the smarter moveHow company type and industry shape what’s acceptableSocial media policies, conflict of interest, and what you signed when you were hiredBree’s two-year Twitch era (and why she kept it secret until now)Faceless channels, pseudonyms, and other ways to protect your professional reputationWhen a passion project becomes a real business — and what that changesNazmul’s take: check your analytics before you decide what to riskIt’s a candid, funny, and genuinely useful conversation for anyone who’s ever wondered how much of yourself you’re allowed to bring to work — and how much to keep for yourself. ---Connect with Us Pinaki Kathiari – LinkedIn  | Local Wisdom Chris Lee – LinkedIn | Gallagher Communication Bree Bartos – LinkedIn | Local Wisdom 📺 Check out History Meets Finance - YouTubeNazmul Islam - LinkedIn Special thanks to digital communication agency Local Wisdom (www.localwisdom.com) for really believing in our mission and making this podcast possible.  If this episode made you think differently, laugh, or even yell out loud, we want to hear about it! Connect with us on LinkedIn, and don’t forget to rate, review, and share – maybe with your work bestie… or even your boss if you're feeling bold.   We also bring these important conversations to conferences and private workshops, creating space for real, meaningful change. Take the first step at www.whydoesitfeelsowrong.com.

    31 min
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Pinaki Kathiari & Chris Lee challenge traditional best practices in the workplace

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