Winning at Work

John Caldwell
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Work is too important for bad advice. Winning at Work is the podcast for people navigating their careers without the fluff, "hustle porn," or theories from people who’ve never been in the room. Host John Caldwell spent 35 years at the sharp end of music and gambling. He sold 40M records as a label president and helped build the online poker industry. He’s made and lost fortunes, managed legends, and built teams from scratch. No scripts, no guests, no theory. Just honest stories and straight talk about what it takes to win—and what winning actually means.

Episodes

  1. The Wizard in the Blue Shirt - AI and your job

    May 12

    The Wizard in the Blue Shirt - AI and your job

    In the early nineties I needed a website built for a band I was managing. The guy who could build it was, to us, a wizard — almost nobody else in the industry could do what he did. He knew it. And he priced accordingly. A couple years later, I ran into him at the Best Buy tech counter. Blue shirt. Name tag. Still defending the same number he'd quoted us. This episode is about what his story tells us about AI right now — and about the real risk in any major technology shift. Spoiler: it's not ignorance. 📬 Newsletter + free guide Reading the Room: The Seven People You'll Meet at Work → winningatwork.io

    13 min
  2. The Wise Uncle — How to Survive 35 Years Inside the Same Company

    May 5

    The Wise Uncle — How to Survive 35 Years Inside the Same Company

    Most people can't last five years at a turbulent company. John's friend Franklin has lasted 35 — at one of the most chaotic television networks in America. Not by hiding. Not by playing politics. Something else. In this episode, John shares what Franklin told him over a beer at a hockey game about how to actually survive inside a big organization for the long haul. Two answers — one expected, one that genuinely surprised him: the idea that after enough years, you stop being valuable for what you know about your industry and start being valuable for what you know about your organization. The bodies, the battles, the real map underneath the org chart. Along the way: why the most reliable people often outlast the most brilliant ones, the difference between being willing to do anything and being the person everyone dumps on, and the political intelligence that separates Franklin from another character John has talked about — Charlie, who played a similar game but without the integrity. Some people win by leaving. Franklin won by staying. Both take courage. Only one takes patience — and it might be the harder one. 📬 Newsletter + free guide Reading the Room: The Seven People You'll Meet at Work → winningatwork.io

    16 min
  3. The Career Triangle: Why You Can Have Meaning, Money, or Balance — But Almost Never All Three

    Apr 28

    The Career Triangle: Why You Can Have Meaning, Money, or Balance — But Almost Never All Three

    Every young professional gets sold the same lie: that the right job will deliver meaningful work, great pay, AND work-life balance. After 35 years at the sharp end of two industries, John Caldwell is here to tell you it almost never works that way — and explain why understanding the trade-off is the thing that makes a career feel calmer instead of constantly frustrating. In this episode, John borrows a rule from his friend Dave, a TV commercial producer who used to tell every client the same thing: "Your project can be good, fast, or cheap. Pick two. You can't have all three." It turns out careers work exactly the same way. What you'll learn: ● The three corners of the Career Triangle — and which one you're probably standing on right now ● Why the Founder Path (meaning + money) costs you balance, and when that trade is worth it ● The "Professional Comfort" trap — when money and balance start to feel like a cage ● How to use trade-off framing to manage up (the exact language to use when your boss asks for the impossible) ● Why your triangle will rotate at least twice in your career — and how to see the rotation coming ● The one thing senior leaders quietly envy about the chaotic, uncertain phase early-career people want to escape A short, practical episode for managers and operators who are tired of pretending they can have it all — and ready to make intentional choices instead. Read the full essay and subscribe to the newsletter: https://winningatwork.beehiiv.com

    18 min
  4. Managing Up: How to Influence Anyone at Work

    Apr 21

    Managing Up: How to Influence Anyone at Work

    In this episode of Winning at Work, we dissect the career of Charlie Copper—the most elite "upward manager" I have ever encountered. Charlie didn't just attend meetings; he prewired them. He didn't just offer suggestions; he framed reality to ensure the answer was always "yes." We explore the fine line between tactical brilliance and professional sabotage, and why the most charming person in the room might be the one you should trust the least. What You Will Learn The "Oxygen" Concept: Understanding how those above you control the resources (budget, priority, and cover) you need to survive. Strategic Prewiring: How to frame proposals so that the outcome is decided before the meeting even begins. The Psychology of Influence: Why understanding ego, timing, and power is more important than being the loudest voice in the room. The Ethical Gray Area: How to distinguish between "optimizing for the collective good" and purely selfish strategic positioning. The Teflon Effect: How elite managers maintain a "perfect" reputation even when their colleagues are frustrated by their methods. Here is the episode newsletter: https://winningatwork.io/p/managing-up-charlie-and-the-oxygen-factory Connect with us: Website: winningatwork.beehiiv.com⁠ Youtube: @winning at Work FaceBook: @winning at Work X: @winning at Work TikTok: @winning at Work

    22 min
  5. Chaos: The Night the FBI Asked a Rock Band to Decide

    Apr 14

    Chaos: The Night the FBI Asked a Rock Band to Decide

    In this episode of Winning at Work, host John Caldwell shares a high-stakes story of an FBI bomb threat during a national music tour to illustrate how pressure reveals true character. Whether in a massive corporation or a lean startup, John explains how to stay calm and leverage workplace chaos to create unparalleled career opportunities. What You Will Learn • Character Reveal: How pressure strips away professional facades to show who people really are. • Chaos Strategy: Why stepping up during uncertainty makes you indispensable to leaders. • The Two Types: The difference between those who use chaos and those who get used by it. • Corporate Navigation: How to spot "invisible chaos" like budget freezes or reorgs and act strategically. • Emotional Resilience: How to separate your identity from your job to remain the "calm in the storm". Here is the episode newsletter: https://winningatwork.beehiiv.com/p/the-night-the-fbi-asked-a-rock-band-to-decide-8c7025ceba662c91 Connect with us: Website: https://winningatwork.beehiiv.com Youtube: @winning at Work FaceBook: @winning at Work X: @winning at Work TikTok: @winning at Work

    15 min
  6. The Hustle Culture Trap: Why Being the "Hardest Worker" is a Losing Game

    Apr 14

    The Hustle Culture Trap: Why Being the "Hardest Worker" is a Losing Game

    In this episode of Winning at Work, John Caldwell explores the "closing chapter" of hustle culture that social media rarely shows. Through the story of Fred—a man who prided himself on 100-hour work weeks—we examine how making work your entire identity can lead to emotional bankruptcy. This is a deep dive into why exhaustion does not equal excellence and how to start compounding your relationships with the same intensity you use for your career. What You Will Learn • The Trap of Work as Identity: Why being the "hardest worker in the room" is a dangerous foundation for your self-worth. • Hustle as Fear: How the drive to "grind" is often a mask for the fear of irrelevance or not being "good enough". • Emotional Compounding: Why relationships need "compound interest" and how neglect can bankrupt a connection faster than any financial loss. • Motion vs. Progress: The difference between "the theater of Slack" and actually doing effective, deep work. • Hustle with Intent: How to pivot from hustling for optics to hustling for equity and ownership. • The Deathbed Perspective: Why no one at the end of their life wishes they had worked more, and how to recalibrate your priorities now. Here is the episode newsletter https://winningatwork.beehiiv.com/p/the-hardest-worker-in-the-room Connect with us: Website: winningatwork.beehiiv.com⁠ Youtube: @winning at Work FaceBook: @winning at Work X: @winning at Work TikTok: @winning at Work

    20 min
  7. Trailer Episode

    Apr 1

    Trailer Episode

    Work is too important to leave to bad advice. Winning at Work is the career podcast for ambitious 20 to 40 year olds who want real guidance — not recycled LinkedIn wisdom or motivational fluff from people who've never actually had to make hard calls. Host John Caldwell has lived one of the most unlikely careers in business. He spent his twenties and thirties managing artists and running a record label, selling 40 million records along the way. He then pivoted into the online gambling and poker industry, rising to the top of one of its most competitive eras. Two completely different worlds. The same hard lessons about people, power, politics, ambition, and what it really takes to build something. Every episode of Winning at Work tells a story. The stories are about people John worked with — the brilliant ones, the manipulative ones, the ones who burned out, the ones who quietly outlasted everyone. They're about situations he navigated, mistakes he made, and moments that changed how he thought about work and life. Topics include career strategy, corporate survival, managing up, managing down, hustle culture, entrepreneurship, leadership, workplace politics, building loyalty, and knowing when to stay — and when to go. This is not a guest interview show. This is not a theory show. This is one person, 35 years of real experience, and the kind of straight talk your most successful mentor would give you if they had nothing left to prove. For people climbing the corporate ladder. For entrepreneurs building from scratch. For anyone trying to figure out what winning at work actually looks like — on their own terms. New episodes weekly.

    4 min
  • 7 Episodes

About

Work is too important for bad advice. Winning at Work is the podcast for people navigating their careers without the fluff, "hustle porn," or theories from people who’ve never been in the room. Host John Caldwell spent 35 years at the sharp end of music and gambling. He sold 40M records as a label president and helped build the online poker industry. He’s made and lost fortunes, managed legends, and built teams from scratch. No scripts, no guests, no theory. Just honest stories and straight talk about what it takes to win—and what winning actually means.

Information

  • Creator
    John Caldwell
  • Years Active
    2K
  • Episodes
    7
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © John Caldwell
  • Show Website
    Winning at Work