DesuckifyWork®

Hosted by TJ Bennett - Executive Coach, Chief Desuckifier

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143

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Aug 2026

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About the show

We spend about half our waking lives working. Let’s make that time a bit better, shall we? And let’s chat with desuckifiers who are out there making it happen, every day. tjbennett.substack.com

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August 4, 202654 min

Ep 140 | How stalking your clients leads to agency success with Kim Lawton

Want the secret to running a successful agency? Stalk your clients. Not in the creepy, quite possibly illegal way. But in the over-the-top, can't stop being curious about who they are way. This is what the teams at Inspira Marketing and Enthuse Marketing do—two agencies run by today's guest, Kim Lawton. Who has time to dig into that kind of detail on every client? The folks who work in a culture where relationships—with clients and fellow team members—are the most critical KPI. Of course Kim cares about profit and all the other financial stuff that keeps agencies afloat. But she doesn't aim there. She focuses upstream on the stuff that consistently leads to great numbers. And more fulfilling work. When you know your clients in ways you may not even know your own friends, you come up with better, more relevant ideas. You sell those ideas more often. And you enjoy the crap out of those successes together. When you know your teammates deeply, you collaborate better, because making things work with folks you know, like and trust just matters more. So, who should you be stalking more? Welcome to the DesuckifyWork® podcast. The show where we cut through the BS and find ways to make work more fun, more human and less ridiculous. All of which makes your business more profitable, by the way. (If you enjoy this one, please like, share, rate, review or subscribe to the podcast.) Let the desuckifying begin. You can follow Kim on LinkedIn. And check out her agencies at enthuse-marketing.com and inspiramarketing.com. If you enjoyed the conversation and would like to explore what a more human work culture could look like, I invite you to schedule a free half-hour discovery session. Type "meow" in the calendar invite and I'll also send you a free DesuckifyWork® t-shirt! Bye, everyone! Bonus question from Kim:Is there is something you track in your business or agency that has nothing to do with the work? Get full access to DesuckifyWork® at tjbennett.substack.com/subscribe

July 21, 202654 min

Ep 138 | Mastering the art of great questions at work with Sandy Sullivan

The posters on the wall. The words on the website. The sizzle real that you share with every prospect. Are they b******t? You know who knows? Your team. Take a look next time you reference your mission or your values. How far back into their heads do their eyes roll? Slick messaging may help land a client or two, but I can guarantee you it's turning more folks off if it doesn't ring true. And if your team ain't feeling it? Good luck delivering work that actually lives up to those lofty promises. If you're ready to lead like a grown up and live up to your words, it's time to heed the words of Sandy Sullivan and ask better questions. Sandy is an executive coach and co-founder of The Alchemy Group with a low tolerance for BS and a high bar for leaders. The quality of your questions will directly impact the way your teams perform. And the harsh truth? Most of our questions just kind of suck right now. The best questions are what Sandy calls "Level 8 Questions." And there are 4 simple ways to know if yours are hitting the mark: * Use "what" or "how" questions. Never "why." Why not? Because "why" is loaded with judgment. "Why aren't we winning more business?" Because you suck, presumably. * Add calibration & timeframe: Include qualifiers like most, least, highest and a specific timeframe (e.g., last quarter, next 30 days). * Ask with Pure Curiosity: Listen without judgment or a pre-determined answer. * Generate New Thinking: The answer should create white space for reflection, not just recycle old thoughts. Great questions show you care. And showing you care invites everyone else to do the same. That's all most of us want, really—a reason to give a damn. Less sizzle. More stake. Welcome to the DesuckifyWork® podcast. The show where we cut through the BS and find ways to make work more fun, more human and less ridiculous. All of which makes your business more profitable, by the way. (If you enjoy this one, please like, share, rate, review or subscribe to the podcast.) Let the desuckifying begin. You can follow Sandy on LinkedIn. And check out her site at thealchemyleaders.com to learn more about great questions and leadership transformation. If you enjoyed the conversation and would like to explore what a more human work culture could look like, I invite you to schedule a free half-hour discovery session. Type "meow" in the calendar invite and I'll also send you a free DesuckifyWork® t-shirt! Bye, everyone! Bonus questions from Sandy:What is the most persistent and pervasive complaint you have about others? (And are you ready for what this will tell you about yourself?) Get full access to DesuckifyWork® at tjbennett.substack.com/subscribe

February 3, 202654 min

Ep 117 | Creating more good days at work with Brad Farris

Who are you on your best day? What about your worst?Be honest. Brad Farris, engineer turned leadership coach, took me through this exercise on this week's DesuckifyWork® podcast. And it's pretty wild. Here are my results:Best Day:CuriousLovingEnergeticCompassionate Worst Day:Closed MindedStubbornCrankyShut Down What's fascinating is how much the two sides relate to each other. curious vs. closed minded, energetic vs. shut down, etc. We all have these continuums that we live across. And the key is not to dismiss the "bad" side. We're human. It's to find ways to show up on the good side more consistently. The way we get there is so simple And yet the steps can seem damn near impossible sometimes. 🐱 Get a good night's sleep🐱 Exercise regularly🐱 Unpack your calendar How'd you do on those over the past week? If we can crack this code on this stuff, we'll show up better at work, at home and whenever else we spend our time. And maybe solve some of the challenges that feel so overwhelming when we're not at our best. Unless you're good with how things are right now. In which case, can I have some of whatever it is you're smoking? Welcome to the DesuckifyWork® podcast. The show where we cut through the BS and find ways to make work more fun, more human and less ridiculous. All of which makes your business more profitable, by the way. (If you enjoy this one, please like, share, rate, review or subscribe to the podcast.) Let the desuckifying begin. You can follow Brad on LinkedIn. And check out anchoradvisors.com to learn more about his executive coaching work and take his self-leadership assessment. If you enjoyed the conversation and would like to find some calm in the chaos of work, I invite you to schedule a free half-hour discovery session. Type "meow" in the calendar invite and I'll also send you a free DesuckifyWork® t-shirt! Bye, everyone! Bonus question from Brad to our audience:How are you creating your best day or allowing your worst day? If you'd like to watch this episode on YouTube, please click here. Get full access to DesuckifyWork® at tjbennett.substack.com/subscribe

January 27, 202654 min

Ep 116 | Our work is making us sick with Sarah Dawkins

The idea that corporate jobs aren't physically taxing is a myth. In many cases they are literally killing us. In almost all, they are taking an often invisible toll on our bodies, creating illness and injury through repeated assaults on our nervous systems. Ridiculous timelines, insane expectations, ever-changing market pressures, unstable economic forces. It's a lot. "Hey, at least I'm not out there shoveling crap every day." Sure. But your body (and mind, and soul) are still taking a beating. Sarah Dawkins experienced this firsthand during her career as a nurse. It nearly broke her. Until a colleague helped her see a way through her chronic pain and depression. Today, she works as a holistic health coach and wrote a book called "Heal Yourself" that shows how she and many others have found a way to fully heal. My favorite insight? The idea that "little t" traumas can have just as much impact as major ones. The body doesn't lie. If something has caused us pain, it's going to affect us, often for decades. The only way out is through. Acknowledge the pain and heal the root cause. A great way to start is by simply sitting quietly and noticing what you're feeling in your body. Ask what those feelings are trying to tell you. Your inner wisdom is often smarter than the noise in your head. If all of this sounds a bit woo, I get it. I'm about the least woo guy you'll ever meet. But this stuff just makes sense to me. I've done some of the work and it actually works. It's not magic. It's giving yourself access to a power that many of us have shut down for decades. If you're feeling that weight of the world right now, isn't it worth a try? Welcome to the DesuckifyWork® podcast. The show where we cut through the BS and find ways to make work more fun, more human and less ridiculous. All of which makes your business more profitable, by the way. (If you enjoy this one, please like, share, rate, review or subscribe to the podcast.) Let the desuckifying begin. You can follow Sarah on LinkedIn. And check out her site at sarahdawkins.com where you can learn more about her book and the amazing work she's doing. If you enjoyed the conversation and would like to find some calm in the chaos of work, I invite you to schedule a free half-hour discovery session. Type "meow" in the calendar invite and I'll also send you a free DesuckifyWork® t-shirt! Bye, everyone! Bonus question from Sarah to our audience:Take a moment and be with your body and just check in and find a space that maybe feels heavier or darker or lighter or give it a shape or a color, but somewhere that feels different. And then ask that place, what is it that you need or what are you trying to tell me? If you'd like to watch this episode on YouTube, please click here. Get full access to DesuckifyWork® at tjbennett.substack.com/subscribe

January 20, 202654 min

Ep 115 | Don't get status reports get soul reports with Carin Knoop

Don't get status reports from your team. Get soul reports. That's the takeaway from this week's DesuckifyWork podcast with Carin Knoop. Carin is a wonderful writer and the Executive Director of the Case Research & Writing Group at Harvard Business School. We talked about the importance of mental health at work and how managers and leaders need a whole new set of skills to deal with the issues so many workers are facing. Carin offers a bunch of great ideas for how to engage with employees who are struggling. Most of which boil down to the simple (but hard) act of listening. Check in with your teams beyond the to do list to see how they're really doing. And support them accordingly. You don't have to be a therapist but you do need to be a human being. Remember humans? — Welcome to the DesuckifyWork® podcast. The show where we cut through the BS and find ways to make work more fun, more human and less ridiculous. All of which makes your business more profitable, by the way. (If you enjoy this one, please like, share, rate, review or subscribe to the podcast.) Let the desuckifying begin. Podcast Chapters: 00:00 Introduction to Mental Health at Work01:15 Carin's Background and Work02:57 The Importance of Compassion in Management04:20 Current Mental Health Landscape in the Workplace06:09 Hyperbole and Reality in Mental Health Discussions08:24 Managing External Stressors10:56 The Role of Boundaries in Work-Life Balance12:10 Finding Joy in Work and Community14:39 The Shift from Self-Care to Community Care18:17 Realistic Expectations of Work22:05 The Role of Managers in Employee Well-Being25:19 Understanding What We Bring to Work27:20 The Future of Education and Work30:00 The Impact of AI on Work and Mental Health35:54 Finding Calm in Chaos39:08 The Role of Managers in Employee Well-Being43:21 Compassion vs. Empathy in Leadership46:44 Defining Well-Being in the Workplace51:44 Creating a Supportive Work Environment You can follow Carin on LinkedIn. And check out her Medium newsletter at carinisabelknoop.medium.com. If you enjoyed the conversation and would like to find some calm in the chaos of work, I invite you to schedule a free half-hour discovery session. Type "meow" in the calendar invite and I'll also send you a free DesuckifyWork® t-shirt! Bye, everyone! —— Bonus question from Carin to our audience:Can you share some of those little moments that you have seen at work or do at work, little tricks that help you make things better? Get full access to DesuckifyWork® at tjbennett.substack.com/subscribe

January 6, 202654 min

Ep 114 | From C-suite burnout to creating a better world with Erica Rooney.

Be careful what you wish for. You may aspire to an executive job, maybe even the C-suite. And there's certainly a lot of good that can come with that kind of role. But it ain't all sunshine and roses. That's certainly been the experience for Erica Rooney, this week's guest on the DesuckifyWork® Podcast. Erica is an author, speaker, coach and fractional CPO who spent years climbing the corporate ladder, only to find herself asking, "why exactly did I want this craziness?" The work was intense and nearly never-ending. The system felt rigged against her (and other women leaders). And her ability to balance all of that with her role as a mom was simply a pipe dream. It was her then 2-year-old daughter who ultimately inspired Erica to choose a better path. She realized she did not want her child to go through what she was dealing with. So, Erica created something new so she could change the world for the better. Now, it's her mission to help more woman get into power and stay there. This is how things will change. And if you spend more than 2 minutes with Erica, you will 1000 percent believe she can make this happen. She's smart, strong and full of an infectious energy for her work. She's written a book, "Glass Ceilings and Sticky Floors" that speaks to much of her experience. Some of here key points include: 🐱 Language matters and shapes culture. "People leader" says something very different from manager. "Works with" is not the same as "works for." So choose your words appropriately. 🐱 Ditch the highlight reel style of communication and be willing to share some of the tough stuff. You're only setting others up for failure if you tell them the bar is Insta-level perfection. 🐱 Let people work where, when and how they work most effectively. And judge folks based on outcomes. Erica would love to see the 40-hour workweek become obsolete. Me too. 🐱 Lastly, she is a big proponent of full pay transparency. It's hard to level up a system if the system hides everyone's level. Nothing to hide here. Erica has a ton of ideas for how to make work better, whether you're in the c-suite or just getting started. — Welcome to the DesuckifyWork® podcast. The show where we cut through the BS and find ways to make work more fun, more human and less ridiculous. All of which makes your business more profitable, by the way. (If you enjoy this one, please like, share, rate, review or subscribe to the podcast.) Let the desuckifying begin. — You can follow Erica on LinkedIn. And check out ericaandersonrooney.com to learn more about her work and her book. You can also explore her community for women leaders at joinhercollective.com. If you enjoyed the conversation and would like to find some calm in the chaos of work, I invite you to schedule a free half-hour discovery session. Type "meow" in the calendar invite and I'll also send you a free DesuckifyWork® t-shirt! Bye, everyone! —— Bonus question from Erica to our audience:Do you disagree with anything I said? Am I wrong? Or what do you think about my perspective? Get full access to DesuckifyWork® at tjbennett.substack.com/subscribe

December 16, 202554 min

Ep 113 | Getting in the muck with The Life Brief author Bonnie Wan

People say we're addicted to our phones, but I think it's deeper than that. We're addicted to the absence of silence. The idea of spending one quiet minute alone with our thoughts terrifies us. So we grab our distraction devices and keep the inner voices at bay for a little longer. It's hard to know who we really are if we never listen to those voices. And how could we possibly know what we want from life if we don't know who we are? So, we end up chasing someone else's dream. Our family's, our friend's, that person on TikTok who just seems like they have it all together, you know? We're always hungry, never satisfied. If we want to get clear on what we actually want, we need to sit in silence and spend some time in the muck, according to Bonnie Wan, former ad agency strategy executive and author of The Life Brief. The muck is where truth lives. Where our intuition lives. Where clarity emerges. This is the heart of the Life Brief process. First we get messy. Then we get clear. Then we get active. Just like agency folks have done with clients for years. The tools we've used to serve our clients are the same tools that will allow us to live the life we truly want. And do the work we were meant to do. Work that AI can never do—deep, intuitive work that solves real problems. Do we really want to spend our time cranking out more mindless "content?" We are meant for so much more. If you want to explore what that could look like, you should reach out to Bonnie about her January virtual retreat. And you should absolutely read her book—it's amazing. Welcome to the DesuckifyWork® podcast. The show where we cut through the BS and find ways to make work more fun, more human and less ridiculous. All of which makes your business more profitable, by the way. (If you enjoy this one, please like, share, rate, review or subscribe to the podcast.) Let the desuckifying begin. You can follow Bonnie on LinkedIn. And check out thelifebrief.com to learn more about her book and the awesome work she's doing. If you enjoyed the conversation and would like to find some calm in the chaos of work, I invite you to schedule a free half-hour discovery session. Type "meow" in the calendar invite and I'll also send you a free DesuckifyWork® t-shirt! Bye, everyone! Bonus question from Bonnie to our audience:What matters most to you? You cannot do it all, but you can do all that matters. Are you clear about what matters most to you? To watch this episode on YouTube, please click here. Get full access to DesuckifyWork® at tjbennett.substack.com/subscribe

December 9, 202554 min

Ep 112 | How to be a best place to work with Jaime Raul Zepeda

There was a 4 inch gap between the bottom of the couch and the floor in the storage closet turned office 3 of us shared at Wunderman many years ago. So naturally, that space became the "goal" when we played hockey with a crumpled up piece of paper and a couple of old sticks. I don't remember how many games I won back then but I do remember creating a ton of work I'm really proud of to this day. We all did. Because we (and our bosses) knew that those impromptu games were part of our jobs. Play time equals "let the junk in your head jostle around for a bit so it can turn into an interesting nugget or two" time. And we knew we wouldn't be judged for taking that time. In today's language, this would be called psychological safety. Back then, it was just a basic understanding of how creative brains work. This is the kind of behavior Jaime Raul Zepeda recognizes in his role as EVP at Best Companies Group. The best places to work are the ones who provide psychological safety, where leaders are vulnerable and understand what their teams need. Because they ask. We need work to be more like this again. We've turned it into a hyper-optimized s**t-show of efficiency but we don't even know why we do half of what we do. We need to be less busy and more thoughtful. Maybe I should stop coaching folks and just show up at companies with a few hockey sticks and some crumpled up paper. Hmm… Welcome to the DesuckifyWork® podcast. The show where we cut through the BS and find ways to make work more fun, more human and less ridiculous. All of which makes your business more profitable, by the way. (If you enjoy this one, please like, share, rate, review or subscribe to the podcast.) Let the desuckifying begin. You can follow Jaime on LinkedIn. And check out his company's site at bestcompaniesgroup.com to learn more about their best places to work programs. If you enjoyed the conversation and would like to find some calm in the chaos of work, I invite you to schedule a free half-hour discovery session. Type "meow" in the calendar invite and I'll also send you a free DesuckifyWork® t-shirt! Bye, everyone! Bonus question from Jaime to our audience:When's the last time you asked your team what it was like to work at your organization, and took some actionable steps on that data to make it better? Get full access to DesuckifyWork® at tjbennett.substack.com/subscribe

December 2, 202554 min

Ep111 | The secret to making remote work work with Tim Currie

If you want remote work to work you have to work at it. You can't just show up and expect it to be the same as in office. It's not the same. You've only got 2 of your 5 senses working together. You can't just strike up a casual conversation with the person next to you. You can't walk the halls as a leader and feel what's going on. That doesn't mean it can't work. It absolutely can. Plenty of companies are doing it right, right now. But they've put in the work. And Tim Currie has put in the work to figure out what work needs to be put in. Tim is currently Chief Strategy Officer at In Balance IT in the Chicago area. His book, Swift Trust, is all about how to build connections that go beyond the surface level BS that keeps us stuck in tactical mode. Want to do real, meaningful work? Here's what leaders can do that actually helps: 🐱 Create "in-between" moments online to build rapport. Use non-work channels on Slack, Teams, etc to connect over sports, movies, music, cats. Hit someone up to talk about how they're doing, not what they're doing. 🐱 Shift your one-on-ones from task-focused check-ins (that's what email is for) to relational coaching sessions. 🐱 Become an internal influencer, using short videos and social media to keep teams in the loop and remind them you're a real human who actually exists. 🐱 Give your big events (like all-hands) some production value. Invest some time and money in making those meetings engaging and worthwhile. Remote work works. But not the way most of us are doing it. The good news is, none of the stuff Tim mentions is all that hard. What do you think? What's helped make remote work more workable for you? — Welcome to the DesuckifyWork® podcast. The show where we cut through the BS and find ways to make work more fun, more human and less ridiculous. All of which makes your business more profitable, by the way. (If you enjoy this one, please like, share, rate, review or subscribe to the podcast.) Let the desuckifying begin. —— You can follow Tim on LinkedIn. And check out swifttrustbook.com to learn more about how to make remote work, work. If you enjoyed the conversation and would like to help your teams bring their absolute best to work, I invite you to schedule a free half-hour discovery session. Type "meow" in the calendar invite and I'll also send you a free DesuckifyWork® t-shirt! Bye, everyone! —— Bonus question from Tim to our audience:What are the authentic moments, the memories, the anecdotes that live in your consciousness about past work experience with colleagues that you don't think you could have today? Get full access to DesuckifyWork® at tjbennett.substack.com/subscribe

November 18, 202554 min

Ep 109 | The power of pressing pause with Michael Wade

All organizations are dysfunctional. Those are the words of Michael Wade, consultant, advisor, author and former Equal Employment Opportunity Administrator for the City of Phoenix. And I tend to agree with him. We're just not that good at coming together to do stuff. We get in our way. We play politics. We blame. And we forget why we're even doing the damn thing in the first place. His solution? Three words: "wait a minute." Remember waiting? Pressing pause for a second to look inward, to see if we're on the right track, to think. Remember thinking? 🐱 Imagine waiting a minute before deciding to redo the entire deck when all it needs is a few word changes. 🐱 Imagine waiting a minute before laying people off and realizing you can cut costs in a different way. 🐱 Imaging waiting a minute before scheduling a meeting that could easily be an email. A few "wait a minutes" a day could save us hours of chasing down bad decisions. And help us do everything better than we're doing it right now. Here's a good decision. Listen to Michael. He really knows his stuff. — Welcome to the DesuckifyWork® podcast. The show where we cut through the BS and find ways to make work more fun, more human and less ridiculous. All of which makes your business more profitable, by the way. Today's episode is a part of the ProHuman Series, in partnership with the ProHuman Foundation, where Michael is an advisor. (If you enjoy this one, please like, share, rate, review or subscribe to the podcast.) Let the desuckifying begin. —— You can follow Michael on LinkedIn. And check out his site at execupunditconsulting.com. And be sure to read his Substack newsletter as well. It's awesome. If you enjoyed the conversation and would like to help your teams bring their absolute best to work, I invite you to schedule a free half-hour discovery session. Type "meow" in the calendar invite and I'll also send you a free DesuckifyWork® t-shirt! Bye, everyone! —— Bonus question from Michael to our audience:How can you better connect with other people? What can you do to help the community? What can you do to help other people? Because there are people out there who are hurting. Get full access to DesuckifyWork® at tjbennett.substack.com/subscribe

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Listen to episodes

Ep 140 | How stalking your clients leads to agency success with Kim Lawton

Ep 138 | Mastering the art of great questions at work with Sandy Sullivan

Ep 117 | Creating more good days at work with Brad Farris

Ep 116 | Our work is making us sick with Sarah Dawkins

Ep 115 | Don't get status reports get soul reports with Carin Knoop

Ep 114 | From C-suite burnout to creating a better world with Erica Rooney.

Ep 113 | Getting in the muck with The Life Brief author Bonnie Wan

Ep 112 | How to be a best place to work with Jaime Raul Zepeda

Ep111 | The secret to making remote work work with Tim Currie

Ep 109 | The power of pressing pause with Michael Wade

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