Work Is Third

Dawn Hunter
  • 5.0 (14)
  • Self-Improvement
  • Updated Weekly

Work Is Third is a podcast for people who are ready to rethink how we work, lead, and live. Hosted by Dawn Hunter, JD, MPH, CWP — Workplace Culture Strategist and leadership speaker — this show explores burnout prevention, boundaries, organizational wellbeing, and sustainable ways of working through honest conversations, research-informed insights, and real-world leadership stories. Each episode offers practical tools, reflective moments, and culture-shifting ideas to help individuals and organizations build healthier, more human ways of working — without losing what matters most.

  1. 3d ago

    When The Dream Stops Being Yours | Redefining Success With Crystal Stutler

    Crystal Stutler had the career she dreamed of. She was a senior manager at a consulting firm, on the partner track, traveling the country. Then one night she found herself on her living room floor at 11:30 p.m., gasping for air with her work still unfinished. Three ER visits in 18 months later, including one for stroke-like symptoms, she knew the dream she'd been chasing was no longer hers. In this episode, Dawn and Crystal, now founder of Crystal Clear Coaching, talk about setting boundaries one small step at a time, why clear expectations reduce pushback, and how long-term stress can quietly become our default setting. Crystal shares how she redefined success around meaning and values, why she believes forward movement isn't always up, and a simple storytelling technique for anyone feeling stuck about what they're good at. 🎶Crystal's contribution to the Work is Third Soundtrack: Let's Go by Calvin Harris featuring Ne-Yo 📚 Guest Info Links: https://linktr.ee/Crystal.Clear.CoachingInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/crystal.clear.coachingLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/crystalstutler/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CrystalClearCoach 📚 Resources Mentioned The Diary of a CEO: The 33 Laws of Business and Life by Steven BartlettThe U.S. Surgeon General's Framework for Workplace Mental Health and Well-BeingThe Artist's Way by Julia CameronWherever You Go, There You Are by Jon Kabat-Zinn Let’s Stay Connected! 🎧 Subscribe to the show! 📬 Subscribe to ⁠The Joyful Rebellion Newsletter⁠ 📸 Instagram: ⁠@the_dawn_hunter⁠ ⏰ TikTok: @the_dawn_hunter 🌐 Website: http://workisthird.com/

  2. Sep 21

    Rebuilt Through Grief | The Five Phases of Empathy With Michael Tennant

    In this episode of Work Is Third, host Dawn Hunter sits down with Michael Tennant, founder and CEO of Curiosity Lab, creator of Actually Curious, and author of The Power of Empathy, for a conversation about grief, felt values, and what it takes to build empathy as an actual skill. After losing two of his older brothers in 2019, Michael turned his own healing process into a five-phase framework: language of feelings, importance of intention, channeling purpose, from empathy to impact, and living with abundance. He and Dawn work through the model in real time, unpack the difference between felt values and the ones we just inherit, and get into taboo topics, from non-traditional relationships to perimenopause, that most circles still avoid. 📚 Guest Info LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/michael-tennant/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/actuallyc_rious/ 📚 Resources Mentioned The Power of Empathy by Michael Tennant (Chronicle Books)Actually Curious, conversation card game (Culture Edition and Human Rights Edition referenced on the episode)Abundance, guided journal by Michael TennantFranklin Covey's Circles of Concern, Influence, and ControlEric Moussambani's 2000 Sydney Olympics swim heat, https://youtu.be/7P8U4g_srRU?si=v77u961P7lMKxCNE Let’s Stay Connected! 🎧 Subscribe to the show! 📬 Subscribe to ⁠The Joyful Rebellion Newsletter⁠ 📸 Instagram: ⁠@the_dawn_hunter⁠ ⏰TikTok: @the_dawn_hunter 🌐Website: http://workisthird.com/

  3. Sep 7

    What's Your Superpower, And How Do We Unlock It? | With BJ Talley

    There are very few workplace problems that better communication can't improve, at least according to today's guest. In this episode of Work Is Third, host Dawn Hunter sits down with BJ Talley, Founder and President of the strategic communications firm Gladius, to talk about what actually builds trust on a team. BJ shares how his fully remote company opens its books to every employee, why he believes leaders should help people find work elsewhere if it's a better fit for their strengths, and how redefining balance around equal investment changed the way he leads. They also get into his concept of unlocking someone's superpower, and why the two-thirds of life outside work matters just as much to how someone shows up inside it. If this conversation gives you something to think about, follow the show and leave a quick rating. It helps more people find these conversations. 📚 Guest Info Website: www.gogladius.com LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/b-j-talley-73b96a1/  🎶BJ's contribution to the Work is Third Soundtrack: All These Things That I've Done by The Killers 🔗 Let’s Stay Connected! 🎧 Subscribe to the show!📬 Subscribe to ⁠The Joyful Rebellion Newsletter⁠📸 Instagram: ⁠@the_dawn_hunter⁠⏰TikTok: @the_dawn_hunter🌐Website: http://workisthird.com/

  4. Aug 17

    Identity Shifts Are Not for the Weak | Reinvention With Emily Adams

    What if the version of you that got you here isn't the version you need for what's next? Emily Adams left the Amish community at 17 with no roadmap—jumping out of a two-story window in the middle of the night with no plan. She went on to manage production lines for Ford, GM, and BMW, save millions in operational gaps inside a global tech company, bootstrap a tech platform from scratch, and help lead Tampa Bay Tech Week to a profitable 40-event week as COO. Today she's Managing Partner at Gulf Works Lab, a Fractional COO, and one of the clearest voices on why AI implementation fails. In this episode, Dawn Hunter talks with Emily about human design, self-awareness, building community instead of competing in silos, and why every identity shift — no matter how big or small — takes real courage. A conversation about reinvention, boundaries, and giving yourself permission to become someone new. 📚 Guest Info Website: https://gulfworkslab.com/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/emilyadams8/Threads: https://www.threads.com/@emilyadams_Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/emilyadams_ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@EmilyAdams_📚 RESOURCES MENTIONED Tampa Bay Tech Week, https://www.tampabaytechweek.com/ Amplify Women Tampa Bay, https://amplifywomentampabay.com/  Human Design DISC assessmentMyers-Briggs Predictive IndexEMDR therapySomatic exercises with Liz Tenuto, ⁠https://www.instagram.com/theworkoutwitch_/🔗 Let’s Stay Connected! 🎧 Subscribe to the show!📬 Subscribe to ⁠The Joyful Rebellion Newsletter⁠📸 Instagram: ⁠@the_dawn_hunter⁠⏰ TikTok: @the_dawn_hunter🌐 Website: http://workisthird.com/

  5. Aug 3

    Stop Roleplaying In Your Own Life | Dare To Become With Jonathan Cave

    What happens when the role you're playing on the outside stops matching who you actually are underneath it? On this episode of Work Is Third, Dawn Hunter talks with Jonathan Cave about daring to become that person instead. Jonathan is the author of The Tree and the Mountain – Dare to Become where he shares his journey to redefine himself. Jonathan was a partner in a prestigious Geneva law firm, outwardly successful yet inwardly drained, restless and unable to enjoy the life he had worked so hard to create. Determined to bridge that gap, Jonathan turned inward, asking himself who he truly was, what mattered most and why he was chasing so hard. They also unpack why "work-life balance" may be the wrong goal entirely, and the simple daily practices that can help you overcome imposter syndrome. 📚 Guest Info Website: https://www.jonathancave.com/LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jonathan-cave/YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@myphy7460 📚 RESOURCES MENTIONED The Tree and the Mountain – Dare to Become byJonathan Cave — jonathancave.com/book 🔗 Let’s Stay Connected! ·      🎧 Subscribe to the show! ·      📬 Subscribe to ⁠The Joyful Rebellion Newsletter⁠ ·      📸 Instagram: ⁠@the_dawn_hunter⁠ ·      ⏰ TikTok: @the_dawn_hunter ·      🌐 Website: http://workisthird.com/

  6. Jul 20

    The Bottleneck Is You | Learning From Human Design With Brooke Dukes

    What has to happen in your life for you to realize that you need a break – and to take it? Brooke Dukes has built four companies in 24 years, and she's found the same problem inside every one of them: the founder becomes the bottleneck. Brooke Dukes is the founder of Success by Design, a leadership operating system for founders and CEOs of small and mid-sized businesses and the author of Burn On, Not Out. In this episode, Brooke and Dawn get into what that bottleneck really is: control and fear, dressed up as "just being hands-on," and why it's often the same pattern showing up at home and at work. Brooke shares the story behind her book Burn On, Not Out, including going into preterm labor on a corporate jet at 34 and later giving herself shingles and COVID at the same time. Dawn and Brooke also dig into human design — type, strategy, and authority — as a practical tool for decision-making, boundary-setting, and finally trusting yourself again. 📚 Guest Info ·      Website: https://www.brookemdukes.com/ ·      All Socials: @brookedukes   📚 RESOURCES MENTIONED ·      Brooke’s book: Burn On, Not Out: Finding Fulfillment Beyond Success 🔗 Let’s Stay Connected! ·      🎧 Subscribe to the show! ·      📬 Subscribe to ⁠The Joyful Rebellion Newsletter⁠ ·      📸 Instagram: ⁠@the_dawn_hunter⁠ ·      ⏰ TikTok: @the_dawn_hunter ·      🌐 Website: http://workisthird.com/

    The Bottleneck Is You | Learning From Human Design With Brooke Dukes

  7. Jul 6

    Friends, Mentors, and Friendtors | Investing in Yourself With Urmi Hossain

    What if the people around you are one of the best ways to invest in yourself? Self-Published Author, Speaker, Female Mentor and Women's Advocate, and corporate finance professional, Urmi Hossain joins Dawn to talk about "friendtors," speed mentoring, and the boundaries that let her invest in herself so she can invest in everyone else. She shares tips on managing time so that she can do all the things that fill her up. Together, Dawn and Urmi dig into identity, non-negotiable sleep, and why progress beats perfection every time. 🎶 Urmi's contribution to Work is Third: The Soundtrack - Unstoppable by Sia 📚 Guest Info LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/urmihossain/YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@urmihossainInstagram (personal): https://www.instagram.com/urmamio/Instagram (podcast): https://www.instagram.com/storiesbeyondborderspodcast/Linktree: https://linktr.ee/urmihossain  📚 Resources Mentioned Urmi's podcast, Stories Beyond Borders: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/stories-beyond-borders/id1831413373  Women in Leadership — Montreal chapter: https://www.womeninleadership.ca/montrealUrmi's book: Discovering Your Identity: A Rebirth From Interracial Struggle – Available on Amazon 🔗 Let’s Stay Connected! 🎧 Subscribe to the show!📬 Subscribe to ⁠The Joyful Rebellion Newsletter⁠📸 Instagram: ⁠@the_dawn_hunter⁠⏰ TikTok: @the_dawn_hunter🌐 Website: http://workisthird.com/

  8. Jun 22

    Your Body Knows You Don't Belong | The Science of Belonging with Andrea D. Carter

    Have you ever felt like you didn't belong somewhere but couldn't explain why? Organizational scientist, adjunct professor, and keynote speaker Andrea D. Carter has spent years studying exactly that feeling — and she has the data to prove it's not in your head. It's in your nervous system. Her belonging research, validated across 8 industries and over 150,000 people, makes one thing undeniable: belonging isn't soft. It's science. It's infrastructure. It's how people perform. In this episode, Dawn and Andrea explore why the human nervous system is constantly scanning for safety or threat, what psychological safety actually protects (hint: it's not comfort), why resilience is not a solo sport, and the difference between fitting in and truly belonging. This is the conversation workplaces aren't having but desperately need. 📚 Guest Info Website: https://andreacarterconsulting.com | https://belongingfirst.comLinkedIn:https://www.linkedin.com/in/andreadcarter/Substack: https://andreadcarter.substack.com/Instagram:https://www.instagram.com/belongingfirst/Adler:https://www.adler.edu/faculty-engagement/faculty-directory/carter-andrea-d/ 📚 RESOURCES MENTIONED Canada's Largest Belonging in the Workplace Study — conducted in the mining industry, 2021–2022, 3,508 participants"The Body Keeps the Score" — referenced in conversation (book by Bessel van der Kolk)Neuroception — concept by Dr. Stephen Porges; the nervous system's unconscious scanning for safety or threatAmy C. Edmondson — pioneer in Psychological Safety 🔗 Let’s Stay Connected ·       🎧Subscribe to the show! ·       📬Subscribe to ⁠The Joyful Rebellion Newsletter⁠ ·       📸 Instagram: ⁠@the_dawn_hunter⁠ ·       🌐 Website: http://workisthird.com/

See All (77)

Trailer

5
out of 5
14 Ratings

About

Work Is Third is a podcast for people who are ready to rethink how we work, lead, and live. Hosted by Dawn Hunter, JD, MPH, CWP — Workplace Culture Strategist and leadership speaker — this show explores burnout prevention, boundaries, organizational wellbeing, and sustainable ways of working through honest conversations, research-informed insights, and real-world leadership stories. Each episode offers practical tools, reflective moments, and culture-shifting ideas to help individuals and organizations build healthier, more human ways of working — without losing what matters most.

Information

  • Creator
    Dawn Hunter
  • Years Active
    2025 - 2026
  • Episodes
    77
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © Dawn Hunter
  • Show Website
    Work Is Third