Psychology at Work | Career Success, Leadership, Communication Skills

Melody Wilding, LMSW
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How do you nail that sweet spot of career success where confidence in yourself meets influence with others? That's what best-selling author, therapist, and executive coach Melody Wilding explores in every episode of Psychology at Work. If you're a driven professional who's great at your job but knows that talent alone isn't enough to get ahead, this show is for you. Subscribe for insightful, practical advice on topics ranging from office politics, communication and executive presence, managing up, emotional intelligence, self-advocacy, and more.  Advance your career, strengthen your leadership, and feel calmer, clearer, and more in control while doing it. 

  1. 5d ago

    117. Negotiating with Powerful People, featuring Worldwide Negotiation Expert Kwame Christian

    The toughest negotiations at work happen with people who outrank you. Whether you walk away with more headcount, a faster yes, an extension on a deadline, or a project sponsor's full backing depends less on the strength of your case than on what you understand about the psychology of negotiating up. In this episode, attorney and negotiation expert Kwame Christian breaks down what works when the other side holds all the formal authority. Why Kwame doesn't play for neutrality in any negotiation and the bias you should INTENTIONALLY trigger in the first ten minutes So you're about to push back on your boss? Use this two-line opener. Try this one-word swap to instantly diffuse a defensive response Why elite negotiators use the 70/30 rule to steer towards outcomes they want About Kwame Christian Kwame Christian, a first-generation Caribbean American from Tiffin, Ohio, transformed his life through a negotiation course in law school, revealing that negotiation is a learnable skill. This discovery led him to excel in negotiation competitions, win national awards, and ultimately found the American Negotiation Institute. His personal journey from a people pleaser to a master negotiator is relatable and inspiring, resonating deeply with audiences and empowering them to handle challenging conversations confidently. https://kwamechristian.com/  https://melodywilding.com/summit Connect with Melody: FREE NEWSLETTER: Psychology at Work WeeklyGet on the Waitlist for Speak Like a Senior Leader™Get on the Waitlist for Lead from WithinGet Melody's new book, Managing Up

  2. Aug 5

    116. Beat the AI Job Search Black Hole & Get Hired in Record Time with Emily Durham (@Emily.The.Recruiter)

    It's no secret that job searching has completely changed. With AI infiltrating applications on both sides, how do you stand out and actually get a human to review your application when one job posting pulls 2,000 applicants in a matter of days? Melody sits down with Emily Durham, known to her 1.3M+ followers across Instagram and TikTok as @Emily.The.Recruiter), for a straight-shooting look at how hiring really works now. Emily spent years on the inside at major companies, and she's here to tell you how the sausage gets made, no sugarcoating. What You’ll Discover:  ▪️ Resumes are dying. Here’s the ONE thing you must do now to get discovered for new roles (no, not LinkedIn) ▪️ The 2 magic words to add to your resume that instantly signal you operate above your title ▪️ The "grandma test" that exposes whether your resume will get jumped to the top of the pile ▪️ Secret places to find referral sources for an "in" at a company  ▪️ Emily's golden question that gets you referred straight to the hiring manager without sounding pushy About Emily  Emily is a career coach, recruiter, content creator, and public speaker on a mission to make career education accessible. Her longtime expertise in hiring and recruitment has made her a trusted voice on modern hiring, Gen Z careers, and the evolving world of work. With an audience of over 3 million across TikTok, Instagram, and YouTube who rely on her not just for career advice, but for guidance on confidence, beauty, fashion, and work-life balance. https://emilydurham.org/  https://melodywilding.com/summit Connect with Melody: FREE NEWSLETTER: Psychology at Work WeeklyGet on the Waitlist for Speak Like a Senior Leader™Get on the Waitlist for Lead from WithinGet Melody's new book, Managing Up

  3. Jul 29

    115. Build a Team That Takes Ownership & Doesn’t Depend on YOU for Answers with Michael Bungay Stanier

    How do you get your team to be more resourceful? What’s the best way to help people think for themselves before they come to you? And how do you stop being the person everyone relies on for the answer without becoming hands-off, unavailable, or unclear? In this episode, Melody sits down with Michael Bungay Stanier, author of The Coaching Habit (+1 million copies sold)  to talk about how busy leaders can build smarter, more capable, lower-drama teams through becoming more coach-like. You’ll Discover: The 4-word question to open every 1:1 with — that finally gets past the canned updateThe phrase Michael calls "possibly the best coaching question in the world" (and why you should ask it multiple times in a row)The #1 thing to say when a meeting is going off the rails to get your team back on trackHow to coach UP the chain of command, even with executives levels above youAbout Michael Michael Bungay Stanier is best known for The Coaching Habit, the best-selling coaching book of the century. His other books include How to Work with (Almost) Anyone, which is about building the Best Possible Relationship with key people at work. He’s part of the MasterClass faculty, and is the host of the Change Signal podcast. Michael was a Rhodes Scholar, and was recently admitted as a Thinkers50 Coaching Legend (“the Oscars of Management”). Learn more at MBS.works. https://melodywilding.com/summit Connect with Melody: FREE NEWSLETTER: Psychology at Work WeeklyGet on the Waitlist for Speak Like a Senior Leader™Get on the Waitlist for Lead from WithinGet Melody's new book, Managing Up

  4. Jul 23

    114. How to Turn a High-Stakes Stretch Into a Promotion Accelerator

    🚨CLOSING: Apply for the final Lead from Within cohort of 2026 by Sunday July 26th 11:59pm ET: https://melodywilding.com/lfw Certain stretches of your career are compressed. The reputation you'd normally build over 18 months of steady work gets decided in a matter of weeks. Handle it well and you accelerate onto the shortlist for the next role. In this episode, engineering manager Alejandro walks through how he used a high-stakes product launch to accelerate his own path to the next level.  https://melodywilding.com/summit Connect with Melody: FREE NEWSLETTER: Psychology at Work WeeklyGet on the Waitlist for Speak Like a Senior Leader™Get on the Waitlist for Lead from WithinGet Melody's new book, Managing Up

  5. Jul 20

    113. Are You Executive-Ready? Here's the Real Test [MINI MASTERCLASS]

    🚨APPLICATIONS CLOSING 🚨Apply for the final Lead from Within of 2026 by Sunday July 26th 11:59pm ET: https://melodywilding.com/lfw This is a mini masterclass on the four pillars of executive readiness. These are the things no business school will teach you, no performance review captures, no leadership book breaks down with this level of specificity. Melody walks you through all four, with a clear diagnostic as to where you stand and what’s holding you back before year-end opportunities get decided without you.  What You’ll Discover:  ▪️Three levels of visibility every stakeholder sits on – and why only ONE gets you championed for bigger roles  ▪️ One script that took a field marketing function from "the booth people" to a recognized business driver within 90 days ▪️ A subtle psychology trick an incoming executive used to keep her predecessor from undermining her ▪️The two-week team management test 90% of leaders fail (and what to do ASAP)  https://melodywilding.com/summit Connect with Melody: FREE NEWSLETTER: Psychology at Work WeeklyGet on the Waitlist for Speak Like a Senior Leader™Get on the Waitlist for Lead from WithinGet Melody's new book, Managing Up

  6. Jul 15

    112. Top of Mind & Tapped for More [FULL TRAINING]

    📢 NOW OPEN: Apply for the final Lead from Within cohort of 2026: https://melodywilding.com/lfw Whether you want to position yourself for a promotion, step into a bigger scope or go from tactician to enterprise-level leader, the next six months will make or break your shot at what's next. Leverage Q3 & Q4 to rise into the role, projects, and pay that match your caliber.  You'll discover how to:  Get handed high-visibility opportunities (no groveling, pitching, or proving necessary) by escaping the dreaded "next level loop"Walk out of your annual review with a 140% bonus (yes really!) because you turned the busiest, most chaotic months of the year into a total perception resetUncover exactly who decides your future, who's a hidden blocker, and who you've been wasting energy trying to impress (it's rarely what's on the org chart)Reclaim 10-20 hours per week for work that proves you're ready for bigger things -- shaping direction, building executive-level relationships, and developing a rockstar teamhttps://melodywilding.com/summit Connect with Melody: FREE NEWSLETTER: Psychology at Work WeeklyGet on the Waitlist for Speak Like a Senior Leader™Get on the Waitlist for Lead from WithinGet Melody's new book, Managing Up

  7. Jul 8

    111. Escape “Hero Mode”: The Overfunctioning Leader’s Guide to Letting Go

    At a certain level, being the one everyone depends on can stop feeling like proof of your value and start feeling like a ceiling. The same pattern that makes you trusted can also keep you buried in execution and trapped making decisions your team should make independently. In this episode, you’ll learn how to recognize what Melody calls “hero mode” in real time, neutralize the hidden emotional driver behind it, and take steps to scale your team while positioning yourself for greater career growth.  You’ll Discover:  8 behaviors that look like "great leadership" but are torpedoing your next promotionWhat your boss REALLY means when she keeps saying you're "so close" to VP year after yearThe “seesaw” dynamic keeping your team permanently junior (and getting worse the more you help)The 3 things you HAVE to let go of before ANY delegation tactic will actually stickThe specific tool I give Lead from Within clients to recalibrate productivity at senior levelshttps://melodywilding.com/summit Connect with Melody: FREE NEWSLETTER: Psychology at Work WeeklyGet on the Waitlist for Speak Like a Senior Leader™Get on the Waitlist for Lead from WithinGet Melody's new book, Managing Up

  8. Jul 1

    110. The #1 Career Insurance Policy Most High Performers Never Build

    One look at the headlines and it’s clear: experienced professionals don't feel free or at ease at work right now. Middle layers are being flattened, the path upwards is narrowing, and even the most accomplished leaders are carrying worry about what's next. How do you escape it? Drawing on everything from finance theory to real stories of Lead from Within clients who've used this to land top-of-band offers, generous retention packages, and the leverage to turn down "great opportunities" without a second thought, Melody unpacks what real career freedom is and how you can engineer it for yourself.  You’ll Discover:  The #1 thing that lets you say "no" to a bad offer without panickingHow one client turned "relocate or get fired" into a deal that worked entirely in her favor4 aspects of executive readiness that make opportunities come to you (instead of you chasing them)https://melodywilding.com/summit Connect with Melody: FREE NEWSLETTER: Psychology at Work WeeklyGet on the Waitlist for Speak Like a Senior Leader™Get on the Waitlist for Lead from WithinGet Melody's new book, Managing Up

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4.8
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About

How do you nail that sweet spot of career success where confidence in yourself meets influence with others? That's what best-selling author, therapist, and executive coach Melody Wilding explores in every episode of Psychology at Work. If you're a driven professional who's great at your job but knows that talent alone isn't enough to get ahead, this show is for you. Subscribe for insightful, practical advice on topics ranging from office politics, communication and executive presence, managing up, emotional intelligence, self-advocacy, and more.  Advance your career, strengthen your leadership, and feel calmer, clearer, and more in control while doing it. 

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