The Great Work Podcast

Adam Sandell

Practical, b******t-free advice about how to have a better working life, for people who do work they care about. By a doctor and former human rights lawyer who studies this stuff. letter.adamsandell.com

  1. May 12

    Read yourself to a better working life

    Six reviews of books that might improve your tough working life. Links are in the email version, which is here: https://letter.adamsandell.com/p/book-reviews. * Simone Stolzoff, How to Not Know: The Value of Uncertainty in a World that Demands Answers * Kelly McGonigal, The Upside of Stress: Why Stress Is Good for You, and How to Get Good at It * Selina Barker, Burnt Out: The Exhausted Person’s Six-Step Guide to Thriving in a Fast-Paced World * Bree Groff, Today Was Fun: A Book About Work (Seriously) * Kathryn Page, Good Work: Transform Your Work from the Inside Out * Joseph Jebelli, The Brain At Rest: How the Art and Science of Doing Nothing Can Improve Your Life ARE YOU GETTING THE EMAILS? Great Work's an email as well as a podcast, with podcast embedded in the emails, so you can choose to read or listen. Sign up (free, easy to unsubscribe) here: https://www.adamsandell.com/newsletter. Email me! adam@adamsandell.com FEEDBACK: If you’re willing—you can answer just two questions and it helps me improve this! https://www.adamsandell.com/survey This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit letter.adamsandell.com

    9 min

  2. May 1

    The vacation test: a sign that something needs to change

    The vacation test: a sign that something needs to change—and an opportunity to figure out what to do. ARE YOU GETTING THE EMAILS? Great Work's an email as well as a podcast, with podcast embedded in the emails, so you can choose to read or listen. Sign up (free, easy to unsubscribe) here: https://www.adamsandell.com/newsletter. Links: all the links and references are in the email version, available here: https://letter.adamsandell.com/p/vacation-test Email me! adam@adamsandell.com FEEDBACK: If you’re willing—you can answer just two questions and it helps me improve this! https://www.adamsandell.com/survey This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit letter.adamsandell.com

    6 min

  3. Apr 3

    Tough Work + Parenting ... How?!

    How do people do tough, meaningful work—and even thrive doing it—alongside caring for being a parent or caring for family members? I've unearthed a few strategies! WHAT'S YOUR ADVICE ABOUT THIS? I need your input on this one—as do other Great Work listeners. Join the Great Work chat (https://open.substack.com/chat/posts/dd23f6ab-5185-4da6-921f-d5b616b9d2d3), comment on the written version (https://letter.adamsandell.com/p/caring-responsibilities), or email me at adam@adamsandell.com. ARE YOU GETTING THE EMAILS? Great Work's an email as well as a podcast, with podcast embedded in the emails, so you can choose to read or listen. Sign up (free, easy to unsubscribe) here: https://www.adamsandell.com/newsletter. FEEDBACK If you’re willing—you can answer just two questions and it helps me improve this! https://www.adamsandell.com/survey STUFF REFERRED TO IN THIS EPISODE • New research on sex differences in occupational distress: https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamanetworkopen/fullarticle/2840686 • Exhaustion: https://letter.adamsandell.com/p/tired-exhausted-burned-out • Imposter syndrome: https://letter.adamsandell.com/p/remember-everyone-else-is-an-imposter • Worrying you've screwed something up: https://letter.adamsandell.com/p/remember-everyone-else-is-an-imposter • Middle school teacher article/podcast: https://letter.adamsandell.com/p/work-life-lessons-from-a-teacher IN CASE YOU MISSED IT Swanning through the tough week: https://letter.adamsandell.com/p/tough-week This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit letter.adamsandell.com

    11 min

  4. Mar 4

    Three ways overwork warps your perspective

    Are you fine? Is your job fine? Or are you too tired to tell? Three ways exhaustion warps your perspective—and how to fix it. Stuff referred to in this episode: * The importance of rest: https://letter.adamsandell.com/p/prioritize-rest * It's often the reaction, not the stuff: https://letter.adamsandell.com/p/its-the-reaction-not-the-stuff-f74 * Imposter syndrome: https://letter.adamsandell.com/p/imposter * When to leaver a job: https://letter.adamsandell.com/p/leaving-job * Tired, exhausted, or burned out? https://letter.adamsandell.com/p/tired-exhausted-burned-out Are you getting the emails? Great Work's an email as well as a podcast, with podcast embedded in the emails, so you can choose to read or listen. Sign up (free, easy to unsubscribe) here: https://www.adamsandell.com/newsletter. Feedback If you’re willing—you can answer just two questions and it helps me improve this! https://www.adamsandell.com/survey This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit letter.adamsandell.com

    13 min

  5. Jan 28

    The Kind–Businesslike Matrix, or: Why So Many Teams of Good People Struggle

    Happy, high-functioning teams need to be both kind and businesslike—yet few are. What this means and how to get there. Are you getting the emails? The podcast’s embedded in the emails, which you can read, if you prefer. Sign up (free, easy to unsubscribe) here: https://www.adamsandell.com/newsletter. Feedback If you’re willing—you can answer just two questions and it helps me improve this! https://www.adamsandell.com/survey Stuff referred to in this episode Almost nothing is a crisis: https://letter.adamsandell.com/p/almost-nothing-is-a-crisis-94d The “once this difficult period is over”/“now’s not the time” fallacy: https://letter.adamsandell.com/p/nows-not-the-time-fallacy Consider your options: https://letter.adamsandell.com/p/leaving-job SMART criteria: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SMART_criteria Have effective meetings: https://letter.adamsandell.com/p/good-meetings-exist Have difficult conversations: https://letter.adamsandell.com/p/difficult-conversations Connect with me on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/adamsandell This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit letter.adamsandell.com

    11 min

  6. 12/27/2025

    You’ll be happier, and achieve more, if you’re kinder to yourself

    How you really can be happier, and achieve more, if you’re kinder to yourself If you haven’t already done so, please consider signing up for the email version of this, which has the podcast embedded in it: https://www.adamsandell.com/newsletter All the links and references are in the email version of this episode. That’s available here: https://letter.adamsandell.com/go-easier Would you do me a one-minute favor and help me involve these podcasts by answering two questions—what you like about Great Work, and how it could be better? https://forms.gle/dK2xsEMY9fgGf12B7 Oliver Burkeman’s email, The Imperfectionist: https://www.oliverburkeman.com/the-imperfectionist Book recommendations: Alex Soojung-Kim Pang. Rest: Why You Get More Done When You Work Less (Basic Books, 2016). Joseph Jebelli. The Brain at Rest: How the Art and Science of Doing Nothing Can Improve Your Life (Random House, 2025). Other stuff: PAMELA talk sign-up: https://forms.gle/zVx66EUqLDAsUtrV8 (Friday 16 January 2026, 1pm UK time) Interested in me speaking at your event/to your team? https://www.adamsandell.com/speaking This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit letter.adamsandell.com

    16 min

  7. 12/12/2025

    The Startling Benefits of Taking Some #&@?*%! Responsibility

    The Startling Benefits of Taking Some #&@*?%! Responsibility Or: Things Go Dramatically Better When You Tend to Them The second Great Work principle. Links: Work should be one of the great things in your life: https://letter.adamsandell.com/p/core-ideas-1 Growth mindset: https://www.psychologytoday.com/ca/basics/growth-mindset Often, it's the reaction, not the stuff: https://letter.adamsandell.com/p/its-the-reaction-not-the-stuff-f74 Saying no: https://letter.adamsandell.com/p/saying-no Known what you want to do, and what you really don't: https://letter.adamsandell.com/p/know-what-you-want-to-do Leaving a job: https://letter.adamsandell.com/p/leaving-job Difficult conversations: https://letter.adamsandell.com/p/difficult-conversations Being kind and businesslike: https://letter.adamsandell.com/p/be-kind-be-businesslike Being kind and businesslike (video): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dSGx_g47nS4&t=911s It's not a crisis: https://letter.adamsandell.com/p/almost-nothing-is-a-crisis-94d Looking after yourself: https://letter.adamsandell.com/p/tough-week This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit letter.adamsandell.com

    8 min

  8. 11/21/2025

    Seven Core Ideas for Great Working Lives (and here's the first one)

    Seven core ideas form the foundation of Great Work, and this episode considers the first of those, that work’s a huge part of life, and it should therefore be a part of what makes your life fulfilling and fun. For references and links, see the email version at letter.adamsandell.com/core-ideas-1. If you haven't already signed up for the email newsletter (which contains the podcast version too), you can do so at www.adamsandell.com/newsletter. Thanks so much for listening. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit letter.adamsandell.com

    8 min
See All (37)

About

Practical, b******t-free advice about how to have a better working life, for people who do work they care about. By a doctor and former human rights lawyer who studies this stuff. letter.adamsandell.com

Information

  • Creator
    Adam Sandell
  • Years Active
    2024 - 2026
  • Episodes
    37
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © Adam Sandell
  • Show Website
    The Great Work Podcast

You Might Also Like