Happier At Work: Leadership, Culture, Performance

Hosted by Aoife O'Brien

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405

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Oct 2026

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About the show

Happier at Work is a workplace psychology podcast for commercial leaders who want to drive performance, engagement, and retention through better leadership and culture. Hosted by workplace culture strategist Aoife O’Brien, the podcast explores what really shapes the modern work experience, from leadership and career growth to confidence, workplace culture, and employee engagement. Each episode blends expert insight, psychological research, practical strategies, and honest conversations to help leaders and professionals create environments where people feel valued, supported, and motivated to do their best work. Guests include leading psychologists, bestselling authors, and experienced professionals who are putting these ideas into practice inside real organisations. If you care about building high-performing teams, stronger cultures, and workplaces people want to stay in, this podcast is for you. 🎧 Subscribe and start building a happier way to work.

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60 recent

October 23, 202641 min

326: How Curiosity and Psychological Safety Build Wisdom with Jeff Wetzler

How can leaders create enough psychological safety for people to share what they really think? In the latest episode of the Happier at Work podcast, Jeff Wetzler, author of ‘Ask: Tap into the Hidden Wisdom of People Around You’, explains how curiosity, thoughtful questions, and active listening can help leaders access the collective intelligence within their teams and organisations. In This Episode, You’ll Discover: Why genuine curiosity starts with asking, “What can I learn here?” rather than focusing on what you want someone else to do. How leaders can create psychological safety by acknowledging the power of their position and choosing contexts where people feel more comfortable speaking honestly. The importance of opening up first, explaining why you’re asking, and showing that you can handle difficult feedback. Why frontline workers often hold valuable knowledge about customers, patients, processes, and organisational challenges. How the quality of a question determines the quality of the information you receive. Related Topics Covered: Psychological Safety, Building Trust at Work Connect with Aoife O’Brien | Host of Happier at Work®: Website LinkedIn YouTube Connect with Jeff Wetzler | Author and Human Potential & Learning Expert: Website Podcast Jeff’s Books LinkedIn Episodes You’ll Love: Episode 316: Mastering Your Inner Narrative with Owen Fitzpatrick Episode 228: Fostering Genuine Curiosity and Building Trust at Work with Julie Pham Episode 296: Learning in The Age of AI with Damon Lembi About Happier at Work® Happier at Work® is the podcast for business leaders who want to create meaningful, human-centric workplaces. Hosted by Aoife O’Brien, the show explores leadership, career clarity, imposter syndrome, workplace culture, and employee engagement — helping you and your team thrive. If you enjoy podcasts like WorkLife with Adam Grant, The Happiness Lab, or Squiggly Careers, you’ll love Happier at Work®. Join Aoife O’Brien for weekly insights on leadership, workplace culture, career clarity, imposter syndrome, and creating work that works for you. Editing by Amanda Fitzgerald. Website: https://happieratwork.ie LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/aoifemobrien/ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@HappierAtWorkHQ

October 16, 202613 min

325: Are Your People Doing Their Best?

Are you sure someone is underperforming, or are you missing what’s preventing them from doing their best? In this solo episode of the Happier at Work podcast, Aoife O'Brien explores the assumption that people are doing their best and what it changes for leaders. Rather than quickly labelling someone as lazy, difficult, unmotivated, or incapable, she encourages you to look more closely at capability, role fit, expectations, resources, psychological safety, workload, and your own contribution to the situation. In This Episode, You’ll Discover: Why assuming people are doing their best helps leaders look beyond quick judgments. The role of capability, including skills, knowledge, experience, strengths, and confidence. How a mismatch between someone’s strengths and their role can affect performance. The importance of clear expectations, appropriate autonomy, resources, support, and psychological safety. Related Topics Covered: Personal Development, Psychological Safety, Capabilities at Work Connect with Aoife O’Brien | Host of Happier at Work®: Website LinkedIn YouTube Related Episodes & Resources: Episode 289: Leadership Choices that Define your Culture Episode 295: From Individual Strengths to Team Capability Episode 297: Creating Space for Talent to Thrive Episode 315: Imposter Syndrome: Why Confidence ≠ Capability About Happier at Work® Happier at Work® is the podcast for business leaders who want to create meaningful, human-centric workplaces. Hosted by Aoife O’Brien, the show explores leadership, career clarity, imposter syndrome, workplace culture, and employee engagement — helping you and your team thrive. If you enjoy podcasts like WorkLife with Adam Grant, The Happiness Lab, or Squiggly Careers, you’ll love Happier at Work®. Editing by Amanda Fitzgerald. Website: https://happieratwork.ie LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/aoifemobrien/ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@HappierAtWorkHQ

October 12, 202611 min

Bonus: Rethinking What Causes Burnout

In this bonus episode of the Happier at Work podcast, Aoife O'Brien shares her key takeaways from her insightful conversation with Kate Donovan on burnout. Drawing on Kate's upcoming book Mismatch , Aoife unpacks the idea that burnout isn't about needing a perfect fit at work, most of us just need a "good enough" match most of the time. When that match breaks down across areas like workload, autonomy, fairness, community, values, and reward, burnout can creep in. Here are some of the key takeaways: Mismatch, not perfection, is the goal. Most of the time we need roughly a 75% match between our needs and our environment — not a total match — for things to feel like they're working. Six core areas of mismatch drive burnout Workload, autonomy, fairness, community, values, and reward. Burnout is a kind of stress you cannot recover from : A helpful reframe for identifying when normal stress has tipped into something more serious. "Toxic" is overused. Some workplaces really are toxic, but many difficult experiences are better understood as a mismatch — a distinction that can be empowering rather than blaming. Physical signals matter. People who've experienced this kind of neglect may struggle to notice basic physiological needs (hunger, thirst, needing the bathroom, tiredness) — a warning sign that can also mask the approach of burnout. Connect with Aoife O’Brien | Host of Happier at Work®: Website LinkedIn YouTube Connect with Cait Donovan | Author, Culture & Leadership Keynote Speaker & Advisor: LinkedIn Website Episodes You’ll Love: Episode 241: Exploring The Phases of Burnout with Aoife O’Brien Episode 294: The Realities of Leadership Mental Health with Melissa Doman About Happier at Work Happier at Work is the podcast for business leaders who want to create meaningful, human-centric workplaces. Hosted by Aoife O’Brien, the show explores leadership, career clarity, imposter syndrome, workplace culture, and employee engagement — helping you and your team thrive. If you enjoy podcasts like WorkLife with Adam Grant, The Happiness Lab, or Squiggly Careers, you’ll love Happier at Work. Join Aoife O’Brien for weekly insights on leadership, workplace culture, career clarity, imposter syndrome, and creating work that works for you. Editing by Amanda Fitzgerald. Website: https://happieratwork.ie LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/aoifemobrien/ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@HappierAtWorkHQ

October 9, 202649 min

324: The Hidden Mismatches Driving Burnout with Cait Donovan

How can you recognise burnout, understand its root causes, and create a better match between people and the workplace? In this episode of the Happier at Work podcast, Aoife O'Brien speaks with Cait Donovan, author of the upcoming book ‘Mismatch: Why Good People Burn Out in Good Organisations’, about the difference between chronic stress and burnout, the role of workplace mismatches, and why burnout is blameless. Cait explains that burnout is defined by a lack of recoverability, with recovery taking 12 to 18 months on average. In This Episode, You’ll Discover: The difference between chronic stress and burnout, and why recoverability is the key distinction. Why burnout can take 12 to 18 months to recover from. How childhood experiences and emotional neglect can affect interoception, agency, and the ability to notice stress signals. Why burnout is blameless, with contributing factors often found in both the individual and the workplace. Related Topics Covered: Workplace Culture, Mental Health, Chronic Stress at Work Connect with Aoife O’Brien | Host of Happier at Work®: Website LinkedIn YouTube Connect with Cait Donovan | Author, Culture & Leadership Keynote Speaker & Advisor: LinkedIn Website Episodes You’ll Love: Episode 241: Exploring The Phases of Burnout with Aoife O’Brien Episode 294: The Realities of Leadership Mental Health with Melissa Doman About Happier at Work® Happier at Work® is the podcast for business leaders who want to create meaningful, human-centric workplaces. Hosted by Aoife O’Brien, the show explores leadership, career clarity, imposter syndrome, workplace culture, and employee engagement — helping you and your team thrive. If you enjoy podcasts like WorkLife with Adam Grant, The Happiness Lab, or Squiggly Careers, you’ll love Happier at Work®. Join Aoife O’Brien for weekly insights on leadership, workplace culture, career clarity, imposter syndrome, and creating work that works for you. Editing by Amanda Fitzgerald. Website: https://happieratwork.ie LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/aoifemobrien/ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@HappierAtWorkHQ

October 2, 202613 min

323: Uncovering your True Capabilities

How do you know what your team is truly capable of? In this episode of the Happier at Work podcast, Aoife O'Brien explores why current performance, job titles, CVs, and manager perceptions don’t always reveal someone’s full capability. She shares her own experience of working in a role that didn’t fully use her strengths, and explains how limited opportunities, low confidence, a lack of psychological safety, or the wrong working conditions can hide valuable talent within an organisation. In This Episode, You’ll Discover: Why organisations often look externally for skills and capabilities that already exist internally. The difference between task-based skills and broader capabilities, including strengths, knowledge, experience, and confidence. How psychological safety affects people’s willingness to speak up, experiment, challenge, and fail. Why confidence can mask someone’s true capability at work. Related Topics Covered: Human Capability, The AI Age, Psychological Safety Connect with Aoife O’Brien | Host of Happier at Work®: Website LinkedIn YouTube Related Episodes & Resources: Episode 289: Leadership Choices that Define your Culture Episode 295: From Individual Strengths to Team Capability Episode 297: Creating Space for Talent to Thrive Episode 315: Imposter Syndrome: Why Confidence ≠ Capability About Happier at Work® Happier at Work® is the podcast for business leaders who want to create meaningful, human-centric workplaces. Hosted by Aoife O’Brien, the show explores leadership, career clarity, imposter syndrome, workplace culture, and employee engagement — helping you and your team thrive. If you enjoy podcasts like WorkLife with Adam Grant, The Happiness Lab, or Squiggly Careers, you’ll love Happier at Work®. Editing by Amanda Fitzgerald. Website: https://happieratwork.ie LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/aoifemobrien/ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@HappierAtWorkHQ

September 28, 202613 min

Bonus: Are you actually taking charge of your career?

Are you taking charge of your career, or leaving things to chance? In this bonus episode, Aoife shares her key takeaways from her conversation with Wanda Wallace, and offers some extra insights that didn't make it into the full interview. If you haven't listened to the full episode yet, make sure to go back and give it a listen. Here are some of the key insights from Aoife’s chat with Wanda: Careers are more like trees than ladders: You can go sideways, hit a dead end and climb back down, and take longer branches. Breadth of experience matters if you want to reach the top, and a sideways move isn't a step backwards. Nobody teaches us to manage our careers: Leaders aren't taught how to help people with theirs, and most of us aren't taught to own ours. Bosses are often too busy with their own. Define what success means to you: Wanda's reflection exercise: think about the people you admire, what you're proud of, and where you've made a difference. Patterns will emerge. Be able to articulate what you want, if you can't, others will guess wrong or never know. Stop being so useful: Being indispensable where you are can keep you there. Bring others in to help with the urgent fires, and show your manager everything on your plate along with your view of what to deprioritize. Ask yourself: am I doing this because I'm good at it, or because I should be doing it? Connect with Aoife O’Brien | Host of Happier at Work®: Website LinkedIn YouTube Connect with Wanda Wallace | Executive Coach, Top Teams Advisor, Keynote Speaker, Author & Podcast Host: LinkedIn Website Episodes You’ll Love: Episode 285: Fixed vs Growth Mindset at Work Episode 316: Mastering your Inner Narrative with Owen Fitzpatrick Resources: Wanda’s book Aoife’s conversation on Wanda’s Podcast About Happier at Work Happier at Work is the podcast for business leaders who want to create meaningful, human-centric workplaces. Hosted by Aoife O’Brien, the show explores leadership, career clarity, imposter syndrome, workplace culture, and employee engagement — helping you and your team thrive. If you enjoy podcasts like WorkLife with Adam Grant, The Happiness Lab, or Squiggly Careers, you’ll love Happier at Work. Join Aoife O’Brien for weekly insights on leadership, workplace culture, career clarity, imposter syndrome, and creating work that works for you. Editing by Amanda Fitzgerald.

September 25, 202642 min

322: Build the Career You Truly Want with Wanda Wallace

Do you want to take more control of your career and navigate difficult workplace situations with greater confidence? In this episode of the Happier at Work podcast, Aoife O'Brien speaks with Wanda Wallace, executive coach, speaker, and author of Taking Charge of Your Career. Wanda shares practical advice for managing your career, building an authentic personal brand, defining success on your own terms, and responding to setbacks without feeling powerless. In This Episode, You’ll Discover: Why the traditional career ladder is a limiting metaphor, and how thinking of your career as a tree can open up new possibilities. How to define career success based on your own values rather than social expectations or comparison. The importance of identifying your personal ambition, strengths, values, and intrinsic motivation. How to build an authentic personal brand through clear messages and proof points. Related Topics Covered: Personal Development, Navigating Setbacks, Comparison Connect with Aoife O’Brien | Host of Happier at Work®: Website LinkedIn YouTube Connect with Wanda Wallace | Executive Coach, Top Teams Advisor, Keynote Speaker, Author & Podcast Host: LinkedIn Website Episodes You’ll Love: Episode 285: Fixed vs Growth Mindset at Work Episode 316: Mastering your Inner Narrative with Owen Fitzpatrick Resources: Wanda’s book Aoife’s conversation on Wanda’s Podcast About Happier at Work® Happier at Work® is the podcast for business leaders who want to create meaningful, human-centric workplaces. Hosted by Aoife O’Brien, the show explores leadership, career clarity, imposter syndrome, workplace culture, and employee engagement — helping you and your team thrive. If you enjoy podcasts like WorkLife with Adam Grant, The Happiness Lab, or Squiggly Careers, you’ll love Happier at Work®. Join Aoife O’Brien for weekly insights on leadership, workplace culture, career clarity, imposter syndrome, and creating work that works for you. Editing by Amanda Fitzgerald. Website: https://happieratwork.ie LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/aoifemobrien/ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@HappierAtWorkHQ

September 18, 202616 min

321: Redesigning Work in The Age of AI

How can AI help us redesign work instead of simply making it faster? In this solo episode of the Happier at Work podcast, Aoife O'Brien explores how artificial intelligence could change the way work gets done. Rather than focusing only on automation and efficiency, she asks a more fundamental question: what work needs to happen at all, and where does it create value? Drawing on her experience in market research, she reimagines the traditional client brief as a focused conversation about the decision that needs to be made, with AI providing access to information and people bringing context, judgment, and the right questions. In This Episode, You’ll Discover: Why redesigning work requires more than making existing tasks faster. How AI can help teams access information and support faster decision-making. The human value of context, probing questions, judgment, and problem diagnosis. The importance of asking whether work is producing real value for the client, team, department, or organisation. Related Topics Covered: Human Capability, Meetings at Work, Decision-making Connect with Aoife O’Brien | Host of Happier at Work®: Website LinkedIn YouTube Related Episodes & Resources: Episode 251: How I use AI in My Business and Personal life with Aoife O’Brien Episode 275: AI Won’t Take your Job, but It Will Redefine It Episode 312: Maximising AI Productivity with Rebecca Hinds About Happier at Work® Happier at Work® is the podcast for business leaders who want to create meaningful, human-centric workplaces. Hosted by Aoife O’Brien, the show explores leadership, career clarity, imposter syndrome, workplace culture, and employee engagement — helping you and your team thrive. If you enjoy podcasts like WorkLife with Adam Grant, The Happiness Lab, or Squiggly Careers, you’ll love Happier at Work®. Editing by Amanda Fitzgerald. Website: https://happieratwork.ie LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/aoifemobrien/ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@HappierAtWorkHQ

September 14, 202613 min

Bonus: Why AI Amplifies Broken Work

In this bonus episode, Aoife revisits her conversation with Josh Levine to dig into one big question: what actually is work, and what makes it valuable, especially now that AI has made specialist knowledge a commodity? She unpacks why the instinct to use AI to simply do current work "more efficiently" is the wrong starting point, and argues instead for using AI as a prompt to redesign work from a clean slate around where human judgment, discernment, and thinking time genuinely add value. She also explores Josh's definition of culture, the temptation to outsource thinking (not just tasks) to AI, the risks of unbundling work into disconnected AI-assisted pieces, and the harder organisational questions AI raises. What you’ll take away: Why AI is forcing a rethink of "what is valuable work", now that knowledge is a commodity, human judgment is the differentiator. The efficiency trap: producing more isn't the same as creating more value, and it can even add hidden costs A new definition of culture: culture as the cause and effect of the decisions an organization makes. The case for feeding AI your values, not just project-level context, so it can support — not replace, your judgment. The danger of outsourcing thinking itself to AI, rather than using it as a brainstorming partner, and how that may erode critical judgment over time. Why unbundling tasks and handing pieces to AI can lose value, and why redesigning work around where value is created matters more. The open, unresolved question: if AI absorbs entry-level tasks, how do people build the experience needed for senior roles? Connect with Aoife O’Brien | Host of Happier at Work®: Website LinkedIn YouTube Connect with Josh Levine | Author, educator, culture strategist, and advocate for better work futures: LinkedIn Website Podcast Substack Episodes You’ll Love: Episode 251: How I use AI in My Business and Personal life with Aoife O’Brien Episode 275: AI Won’t Take your Job, but It Will Redefine It Episode 312: Maximising AI Productivity with Rebecca Hinds About Happier at Work Happier at Work is the podcast for business leaders who want to create meaningful, human-centric workplaces. Hosted by Aoife O’Brien, the show explores leadership, career clarity, imposter syndrome, workplace culture, and employee engagement — helping you and your team thrive. If you enjoy podcasts like WorkLife with Adam Grant, The Happiness Lab, or Squiggly Careers, you’ll love Happier at Work. Join Aoife O’Brien for weekly insights on leadership, workplace culture, career clarity, imposter syndrome, and creating work that works for you. Editing by Amanda Fitzgerald. Website: https://happieratwork.ie LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/aoifemobrien/ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@HappierAtWorkHQ

September 11, 202647 min

320: Why AI Amplifies Broken Work with Josh Levine

How should we rethink work in the age of AI? In this episode of the Happier at Work podcast, Aoife has a thought-provoking conversation with Josh Levine, author, educator, culture strategist, and advocate for better work futures. Together, they explore what work actually means, how organisations create value, and why AI is forcing leaders and knowledge workers to rethink how work gets done. In This Episode, You’ll Discover: Why AI amplifies broken decision-making and organisational processes. The difference between using AI to support thinking and outsourcing human judgment. How Josh Levine defines culture as “the cause and effect of every decision that we make.” Why organisational values need to guide strategic decisions, not become vague statements or platitudes. Related Topics Covered: Workplace Culture, Happiness & Fulfillment at Work, Asking Better Questions Connect with Aoife O’Brien | Host of Happier at Work®: Website LinkedIn YouTube Connect with Josh Levine | Author, educator, culture strategist, and advocate for better work futures: LinkedIn Website Podcast Substack Episodes You’ll Love: Episode 251: How I use AI in My Business and Personal life with Aoife O’Brien Episode 275: AI Won’t Take your Job, but It Will Redefine It Episode 312: Maximising AI Productivity with Rebecca Hinds About Happier at Work® Happier at Work® is the podcast for business leaders who want to create meaningful, human-centric workplaces. Hosted by Aoife O’Brien, the show explores leadership, career clarity, imposter syndrome, workplace culture, and employee engagement — helping you and your team thrive. If you enjoy podcasts like WorkLife with Adam Grant, The Happiness Lab, or Squiggly Careers, you’ll love Happier at Work®. Join Aoife O’Brien for weekly insights on leadership, workplace culture, career clarity, imposter syndrome, and creating work that works for you. Editing by Amanda Fitzgerald. Website: https://happieratwork.ie LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/aoifemobrien/ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@HappierAtWorkHQ