The Rethinking Work Show

Rishad Tobaccowala
  • 4.9 (7)
  • Careers
  • Updated Weekly

Rethinking Work is a show hosted by Rishad Tobaccowala about how work is changing and how we can change with it. In each episode, Rishad sits down with bold thinkers, builders, and leaders to explore the future of work across industries. From remote work and AI to purpose, creativity, and culture, we uncover the ideas reshaping how we live, lead, and grow in today’s world. Subscribe to hear fresh, human conversations about what work can and should become.

  1. 2d ago

    The Reputation Gap

    As companies retreat from public commitments and corporate values, what are they risking in the process? Haider Nazar, co-founder and CEO of MAHA Global, explores the growing gap between what companies say and what they stand for, why silence can carry a hidden reputational cost, and what the next era of corporate conviction might look like. Haider Nazar is the Co-Founder & CEO of MAHA Global. With over two decades of expertise in data, enterprise software and organisational transformation, his leadership spans the growth of numerous companies, including four successful exits and securing over $200M in combined equity and debt financing. Nazar has served dozens of Fortune 500 Brands leveraging advanced technology to drive strategic decision-making. Driven by the belief that integrating corporate reputation with profit motives can drive positive social and environmental change, Nazar continues to pioneer innovative solutions that empower organisations worldwide. His commitment to leveraging data-driven insights underscores his mission to enable impactful decision-making and foster sustainable growth. EPISODE CREDITS Produced, edited and mixed by Ria Tobaccowala Artwork designed by Ben Damiano Additional music licensed through Premium Beats LINKS Explore more about the new frontiers of work at Rethinkingwork.io For more actionable insights that inspire subscribe to Rishad Tobaccowala's free weekly substack: The Future Does Not Fit In The Containers Of The Past. This show is also available on YouTube which includes visual supplements. Rishad's Book Rethinking Work is available in print and audio. Click here for where to buy.

    The Reputation Gap

  2. Sep 24

    The Price of Easy

    As AI makes work faster and easier, what might we lose along the way? Bala Muthiah explores the hidden cost of convenience, why productive friction strengthens learning and judgment, and how we can use AI without outsourcing our ability to think for ourselves. Bala Muthiah is a Director of Engineering focused on building real-time, AI-enabled systems at scale. His work sits at the intersection of technology, leadership, and culture—specifically how organizations design environments where AI strengthens human judgment rather than replacing it. An immigrant turned Silicon Valley leader, Bala brings a people-first lens to engineering, emphasizing curiosity, resilience, and decision-making under pressure. Beyond his day-to-day work, he advises startups, mentors founders and engineers, and serves on nonprofit boards. His perspective blends hands-on operating experience with a deep interest in how tools, incentives, and systems quietly shape how people think and work. EPISODE CREDITS Produced, edited and mixed by Ria Tobaccowala Artwork designed by Ben Damiano Additional music licensed through Premium Beats LINKS Explore more about the new frontiers of work at Rethinkingwork.io For more actionable insights that inspire subscribe to Rishad Tobaccowala's free weekly substack: The Future Does Not Fit In The Containers Of The Past. This show is also available on YouTube which includes visual supplements. Rishad's Book Rethinking Work is available in print and audio. Click here for where to buy.

    The Price of Easy

  3. Sep 2

    Doing More With Less

    What if building a bigger business doesn’t require building a bigger team? Tim Huelskamp, co-founder and CEO of 1440, shares how a small, focused team reaches millions of readers, and why staying lean, curious, and intentional can create outsized impact. Tim Huelskamp spent a decade in private equity helping scale growth businesses before building one of his own. He's the co-founder & CEO of 1440, a community for the knowledge-obsessed. Every day, the 1440 team scours the internet, cuts through the noise, and delivers fact-based, insights that help millions of readers keep learning. Along the way, 1440 has been named one of Inc.’s Best Workplaces three years running, and ranked among the Inc. 5000’s fastest-growing private companies. Before 1440, Tim invested in and helped grow businesses at a $20B private equity fund, serving on the boards of companies across a range of industries. He also co-founded Fifth Star, a philanthropic venture fund providing "friends and family" capital to underrepresented founders. They've backed more than 30 founders to date. Based in Chicago with his wife, Jennifer, Tim is passionate about building businesses, lifelong learning, and great conversations.  EPISODE CREDITS Produced, edited and mixed by Ria Tobaccowala Artwork designed by Ben Damiano Additional music licensed through Premium Beats LINKS Explore more about the new frontiers of work at Rethinkingwork.io For more actionable insights that inspire subscribe to Rishad Tobaccowala's free weekly substack: The Future Does Not Fit In The Containers Of The Past. This show is also available on YouTube which includes visual supplements. Rishad's Book Rethinking Work is available in print and audio. Click here for where to buy.

    Doing More With Less

  4. Aug 12

    Career Rewired

    How do you keep evolving when the world around you won’t stop changing? Marketing leader Lou Paskalis explores what it takes to reinvent your career, stay relevant through disruption, and embrace change before it’s forced upon you. Lou Paskalis is CEO and Founder of AJL Advisory, a consultancy focused on helping marketers to improve their business narrative and tech companies to better understand marketers and their needs. He also serves as Chief Strategy Officer of Ad Fontes Media a Public Benefit company that is dedicated to increasing advertisers’ investments to reach audiences in quality news journalism with a unique technology that allows them to measure, mitigate and monitor bias and reliability in a manner consistent with their values and principles. Paskalis sits on the advisory boards of Ebiquity, Nielsen and POSSIBLE, among others and is very active with the Association of National Advertisers (ANA) in several key areas, including their ongoing efforts in supply path optimization. Previously, Paskalis was President and COO of MMA Global, a trade association focused on architecting the future of marketing. In that role, he was responsible for driving innovation and change across a broad portfolio of functional areas, initiatives and forward-looking activities centered on shaping the future of marketing. Prior to MMA, Paskalis spent three decades of client-side leadership experience, having led Global Communications Planning, Media Investment, Marketing Data Strategy and Brand Safety and Suitability at Bank of America; Media, Content and Mobile Marketing at American Express. He is well-known as an outspoken champion for marketing innovation, governance and the advancement of the art and science of marketing as well as a strong advocate for ad-supported journalism and marketers’ unique responsibility to support news organizations in their valiant efforts to uncover, disseminate and defend truth. He makes his home in Manhattan and is a lifelong F1 fan and enjoys international travel. EPISODE CREDITS Produced, edited and mixed by Ria Tobaccowala Artwork designed by Ben Damiano Additional music licensed through Premium Beats LINKS Explore more about the new frontiers of work at Rethinkingwork.io For more actionable insights that inspire subscribe to Rishad Tobaccowala's free weekly substack: The Future Does Not Fit In The Containers Of The Past. This show is also available on YouTube which includes visual supplements. Rishad's Book Rethinking Work is available in print and audio. Click here for where to buy.

    Career Rewired

  5. Jul 22

    The Human Edge

    As AI becomes more capable, what will make humans indispensable? Matt Lewis, founder and CEO of Transformental, explores why the future of work depends not just on smarter technology, but on strengthening human judgment, leadership, and the qualities that AI can't replicate. Matt Lewis is the Founder and CEO of Transformental, the first AI-enabled consultancy focused entirely on human-centered transformation. Over a career spanning neuroscience, data science, healthcare, and innovation, Matt has helped organizations navigate complex change while keeping people at the center of the equation. EPISODE CREDITS Produced, edited and mixed by Ria Tobaccowala Artwork designed by Ben Damiano Additional music licensed through Premium Beats LINKS Explore more about the new frontiers of work at Rethinkingwork.io For more actionable insights that inspire subscribe to Rishad Tobaccowala's free weekly substack: The Future Does Not Fit In The Containers Of The Past. This show is also available on YouTube which includes visual supplements. Rishad's Book Rethinking Work is available in print and audio. Click here for where to buy.

    The Human Edge

  6. Jul 16

    Finding Your Fit

    How do you find work that aligns with who you are, not just what you can do? William Vanderbloemen, founder and CEO of Vanderbloemen Search Group, explores how understanding your strengths, behaviors, and motivations can lead to more fulfilling careers and more effective leadership in a rapidly changing world of work. William Vanderbloemen, founder and CEO of Vanderbloemen Search Group, is a renowned speaker, author and expert on leadership, workplace culture and staffing issues. When William combined his ministry experience as a Senior Pastor with the best practices of executive search, he created a brand new industry: executive search for faith-based organizations. A firm believer in data, William has discovered trends and traits common to the best leaders through more than 3,000 executive searches and 30,000 interviews. EPISODE CREDITS Produced, edited and mixed by Ria Tobaccowala Artwork designed by Ben Damiano Additional music licensed through Premium Beats LINKS Explore more about the new frontiers of work at Rethinkingwork.io For more actionable insights that inspire subscribe to Rishad Tobaccowala's free weekly substack: The Future Does Not Fit In The Containers Of The Past. This show is also available on YouTube which includes visual supplements. Rishad's Book Rethinking Work is available in print and audio. Click here for where to buy.

    Finding Your Fit

  7. Jun 24

    Rethinking Career Growth

    Is career success measured by moving up or moving forward? Cliff Maxwell, co-founder and CEO of Vocation, explores the difference between career progression and career progress, why fulfillment matters as much as advancement, and how individuals can take greater ownership of designing meaningful careers in a rapidly changing world of work. Cliff Maxwell is the Co-founder and CEO of Vocation, an AI-powered career coaching platform for students and professionals to discover their next step. Prior to Vocation, Cliff spent several years investing in early-stage technology startups and was the Chief of Staff to the late Professor Clayton Christensen who developed the theory of 'disruptive innovation'. Cliff's career began as a CPU design engineer. He holds an MBA from Harvard Business School and graduated from Brigham Young University with a BS in Electrical Engineering. He resides in Salt Lake City where he is busy raising three boys.  EPISODE CREDITS Produced, edited and mixed by Ria Tobaccowala Artwork designed by Ben Damiano Additional music licensed through Premium Beats LINKS Explore more about the new frontiers of work at Rethinkingwork.io For more actionable insights that inspire subscribe to Rishad Tobaccowala's free weekly substack: The Future Does Not Fit In The Containers Of The Past. This show is also available on YouTube which includes visual supplements. Rishad's Book Rethinking Work is available in print and audio. Click here for where to buy.

    Rethinking Career Growth

  8. Jun 18

    Identity Reinvention

    What happens when you leave the career you've spent decades building? Julie Fedele, a Future of Work strategist and portfolio career mentor, explores why career transitions are as much about identity as opportunity, and how more professionals are moving beyond traditional employment to build a body of work that’s truly their own. Julie Fedele is a Future of Work strategist and portfolio career mentor based in Melbourne, Australia. A former C-suite leader and venture builder across Australian and European startups in HealthTech, ClimateTech, and Media, she works at the intersection of individual career transition and organisational workforce design. Julie helps women in mid-to-senior career stages move from the corporate model to what she calls the Hollywood Model: a shift from employee to talent, where you build a body of work, move between productions, and own your career narrative and income mix. Her methodology blends strategic business frameworks with diagnostic tools for energy and decision-making. She writes rawmaterials, a weekly newsletter on identity, income, and the real work of building something that's yours, and is currently writing Off Script, a book on the structural shift reshaping how we work. EPISODE CREDITS Produced, edited and mixed by Ria Tobaccowala Artwork designed by Ben Damiano Additional music licensed through Premium Beats LINKS Explore more about the new frontiers of work at Rethinkingwork.io For more actionable insights that inspire subscribe to Rishad Tobaccowala's free weekly substack: The Future Does Not Fit In The Containers Of The Past. This show is also available on YouTube which includes visual supplements. Rishad's Book Rethinking Work is available in print and audio. Click here for where to buy.

    Identity Reinvention
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Ratings & Reviews

4.9
out of 5
7 Ratings

About

Rethinking Work is a show hosted by Rishad Tobaccowala about how work is changing and how we can change with it. In each episode, Rishad sits down with bold thinkers, builders, and leaders to explore the future of work across industries. From remote work and AI to purpose, creativity, and culture, we uncover the ideas reshaping how we live, lead, and grow in today’s world. Subscribe to hear fresh, human conversations about what work can and should become.

Information

  • Creator
    Rishad Tobaccowala
  • Years Active
    2025 - 2026
  • Episodes
    39
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © 2025 Rishad Tobaccowala LLC
  • Show Website
    The Rethinking Work Show

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