How to Be Awesome at Your Job

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**How to Be Awesome at Your Job**

Get more fun, wins, meaning, and money from your job! With 25,000,000 downloads and mentions in *The New York Times*, *Forbes*, and *Linkedin Learning.* This show helps grow your skills and impact at any job that requires thinking and collaborating.

Each week, Pete interviews thought-leaders and results-getters to discover specific, actionable insights that boost work performance. Their stories and advice sharpen the universal skills to flourish at work. Boost your time/energy management, leadership, confidence, career opportunities, and fulfillment—while still getting home earlier.

Try starting with episode 0: START HERE and listener favorite episodes we put at the beginning numbered: A, B, C, D, E, and F. (Subscribe and/or sort Old to New to find these starter episodes.) Welcome!

Latest Episodes:

1181: Finding the Hidden Networks that Multiply Opportunities with Ethel Mickey Sep 17, 2026

Show notes

Ethel Mickey reveals how the everyday relationships we foster, both in and out of work, shape who gets ahead.

— YOU’LL LEARN —

1) Why networking by the books leads to nowhere

2) Why certain “time-wasting” interactions are actually critical

3) The right and wrong ways to build visibility

Subscribe or visit AwesomeAtYourJob.com/ep1181 for the full transcript!

— ABOUT ETHEL —

Ethel Mickey is a sociologist who studies why inequality persists in workplaces that claim to fix it. She is an assistant professor at California State University, San Bernardino and a faculty affiliate at Stanford’s VMware Women’s Leadership Innovation Lab. Her research—and her book Networking to Nowhere—reveals how everyday workplace relationships quietly shape who gets ahead in tech.

• Book: Networking to Nowhere

• Website: EthelMickey.com

— RESOURCES MENTIONED IN THE SHOW —

• Study: "The Strength of Weak Ties" by Mark Granovetter

• Book: Pedigree: How Elite Students Get Elite Jobs by Lauren Rivera

— THANK YOU SPONSORS! —

• Shopify. Sign up for your free trial at Shopify.com/awesomepod

• Vinted. Download the Vinted app for free to start selling with no seller fees!

• Fitnexa. Get $10 off the SomniPods3 with the link and code AWESOME

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

1180: How to Communicate Like a Pro in the Age of AI with Matt Abrahams Sep 14, 2026

Show notes

Matt Abrahams explains the pitfalls of outsourcing your communication to AI—and how you can use it to enhance your communication instead.

— YOU’LL LEARN —

1) Why polish is no longer an advantage—and what is

2) The many ways AI can hurt or help your communication skills

3) How “Costco credibility” helps you win more

Subscribe or visit AwesomeAtYourJob.com/ep1180 for the full transcript!

— ABOUT MATT —

Matt Abrahams is a leading expert in communication with decades of experience as an educator, author, podcast host, and coach. As a Lecturer in Organizational Behavior at Stanford University’s Graduate School of Business, he teaches popular classes in strategic communication and effective virtual presenting. He received Stanford GSB’s Alumni Teaching Award in recognition of his teaching students around the world.

When he isn’t teaching, Matt is a sought-after keynote speaker and communication consultant. He has helped countless presenters improve and hone their communication, including some who have delivered IPO road shows as well as TED, World Economic Forum, and Nobel Prize presentations. His online talks garner millions of views and he hosts the popular, award-winning podcast Think Fast, Talk Smart The Podcast.

His previous book Speaking Up without Freaking Out: 50 Techniques for Confident and Compelling Presenting has helped thousands of people manage speaking anxiety and present more confidently and authentically.

• Book: Think Faster, Talk Smarter: How to Speak Successfully When You're Put on the Spot

• AI ChatBot: ChatMatt

• LinkedIn: Matt Abrahams

• Newsletter: Think Fast Talk Smart

• Podcast: FasterSmarter.io

• Website: MattAbrahams.com

— RESOURCES MENTIONED IN THE SHOW —

• Study: “Individual differences in adult decision-making competence” by Wändi Bruine de Bruin, Andrew M Parker, and Baruch Fischhoff

• YouTube: Brendan Dell

• Book: "Improv Wisdom: Don't Prepare, Just Show Up" by Patricia Ryan Madson

• Past episode: 1010: Getting the Most Out of Generative AI at Work with Jeremy Utley

— THANK YOU SPONSORS! —

• Shopify. Sign up for your free trial at Shopify.com/awesomepod

• Vinted. Download the Vinted app for free to start selling with no seller fees!

• Fitnexa. Get $10 off the SomniPods3 with the link and code AWESOME

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

1179: Dr. Martin Seligman on How Agency Propels Flourishing Sep 10, 2026

Show notes

The father of positive psychology, Dr. Martin Seligman, discusses how to harness the hidden engine of human progress: agency.

— YOU’LL LEARN —

1) The key concept that determines whether we give up

2) The building blocks of human agency

3) How to find your human edge in the age of AI

Subscribe or visit AwesomeAtYourJob.com/ep1179 for the full transcript!

— ABOUT MARTIN —

Martin Seligman is the most influential psychologist in the world and a professor at the University of Pennsylvania, where he directs the Positive Psychology Center. A former president of the American Psychological Association, he earned his BA in philosophy from Princeton and his PhD in psychology from Penn, and holds ten honorary doctorates. His research—from learned helplessness to learned optimism to prospection—has reshaped how science understands human well-being. He is the author of more than thirty books, including Flourish, Authentic Happiness, The Hope Circuit, and Tomorrowmind.

• Book: Agency: The Psychological History of Human Progress

— RESOURCES MENTIONED IN THE SHOW —

• Book: Cloud Atlas by David Mitchell

— THANK YOU SPONSORS! —

• Shopify. Sign up for your free trial at Shopify.com/awesomepod

• Vinted. Download the Vinted app for free to start selling with no seller fees!

• Fitnexa. Get $10 off the SomniPods3 with the link and code AWESOME

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

1178: How to Stand Out and Get Hired in the AI-Powered Job Market with Emily Durham Sep 03, 2026

Show notes

Emily Durham reveals the smarter approach to job-hunting.

— YOU’LL LEARN —

1) Why “medium is more” when it comes to networking

2) The keys to opening the door for opportunities

3) Why AI-generated resumes work against you

Subscribe or visit AwesomeAtYourJob.com/ep1178 for the full transcript!

— ABOUT EMILY —

Emily Durham, better known as Emily the Recruiter, is a recruiter turned career coach and content creator. On her popular social media platform and her podcast, Clock In, she gives real-world advice to help people thrive in their careers. Her work has been featured on Good Morning America, BBC News, in the Globe and Mail, and more. She lives in Toronto.

• Book: Clock In: No-BS Advice for Getting Ahead in Your Career (Without Losing Your Mind)

• Instagram: emily.the.recruiter

• Podcast: Clock In

• Tiktok: Emily The Recruiter

• YouTube: Emily Durham

— RESOURCES MENTIONED IN THE SHOW —

• Book: Strangers: A Memoir of Marriage by Belle Burden

— THANK YOU SPONSORS! —

• Shopify. Sign up for your free trial at Shopify.com/awesomepod

• Vinted. Download the Vinted app for free to start selling with no seller fees!

• Fitnexa. Get $10 off the SomniPods3 with the link and code AWESOME

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

8th Year - 925: How to Stop People-Pleasing and Feeling Guilty with Dr. Aziz Gazipura Aug 31, 2026

Show notes

Dr. Aziz Gazipura explains the dangers of people-pleasing tendencies and shares actionable steps for overcoming it.

— YOU’LL LEARN —

1) The massive costs of being a people-pleaser

2) How to not feel guilty when saying no

3) A surprising strategy to build your discomfort tolerance

Subscribe or visit AwesomeAtYourJob.com/ep925 for clickable versions of the links below.

— ABOUT AZIZ —

Dr. Aziz is a clinical psychologist and one of the world's leading experts on social confidence. In 2011, Dr. Aziz started The Center For Social Confidence, which is dedicated to helping everyone break through their shyness and social anxiety.

Through confidence coaching, audio and video programs, podcasts, a detailed blog, and intensive weekend workshops, Dr. Aziz has helped thousands of people all over the world increase their confidence and lives out his mission: To help every person who is stuck in shyness liberate themselves to pursue the relationship, career, and life they have always dreamed of.

He lives in Portland, Oregon with his wife Candace and son Zaim.

• Book: Not Nice: Stop People Pleasing, Staying Silent, & Feeling Guilty... And Start Speaking Up, Saying No, Asking Boldly, And Unapologetically Being Yourself (site)

• Book: Less Nice, More You: Stop Hiding & Become The Most Bold, Authentic Version Of You Now

• Mini course: “5 Steps to Unleash Your Inner Confidence”

• Organization: Social Confidence Center

• Website: DrAziz.com

— RESOURCES MENTIONED IN THE SHOW —

• Study: Effect of Pain Reprocessing Therapy vs Placebo and Usual Care for Patients With Chronic Back Pain - A Randomized Clinical Trial

• Book: Free to Focus: A Total Productivity System to Achieve More by Doing Less by Michael Hyatt

• Book: The Way Out: A Revolutionary, Scientifically Proven Approach to Healing Chronic Pain by Alan Gordon, Alon Ziv

• Previous episode: 830: Lessons Learned from the World’s Longest Scientific Study on Happiness with Dr. Robert Waldinger

— THANK YOU SPONSORS! —

• Shopify. Start your free trial at Shopify.com/awesomepod

• Vinted. Download the Vinted app for free to start selling with no seller fees!

• Fitnexa. Get $10 off the SomniPods3 with the link and code AWESOME

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

1177: The Seven Shifts Needed to Drive Results and Create Connection with Dr. Michelle Johnston Aug 27, 2026

Show notes

Dr. Michelle Johnston reveals the powerful shifts that help leaders reengage their teams.

— YOU’LL LEARN —

1) How to become the leader people want to follow

2) The two words to cut from your vocabulary

3) Three simple steps to reenergize any meeting

Subscribe or visit AwesomeAtYourJob.com/ep1177 for clickable versions of the links below.

— ABOUT MELISSA —

Dr. Michelle K. Johnston is a globally recognized executive coach, bestselling author, podcast host, and speaker who is challenging outdated leadership methods and championing connection-driven leadership. Her work has earned her recognition as an ABC News Remarkable Woman, a Top Ten Executive Coach, and a frequent contributor on NBC News.

Michelle is also a distinguished professor at Loyola University New Orleans where she combines decades of research with real-world experience to challenge outdated leadership methods. Her message is timely in today's AI-driven world: leaders that prioritize human connection will be the ones that attract, engage, and retain top talent while driving bottom-line results.

• Book: The Seismic Shift in You: The Seven Necessary Shifts to Create Connection and Drive Results

• Podcast: The Seismic Shift

• Website: MichelleKJohnston.com

— RESOURCES MENTIONED IN THE SHOW —

• Book: Any Dumb-Ass Can Do It: Learning Moments from an Everyday CEO of a Multi-Billion-Dollar Company by Garry Ridge and Martha L. Finney

• Book: How to Work with (Almost) Anyone: Five Questions for Building the Best Possible Relationships by Michael Bungay Stanier

• Past episode: 651: How to Defuse Verbal Conflict and Prevent Toxicity from Ruining Your Day with Sam Horn

• Past episode: 766: Marshall Goldsmith on Simple Shifts for a More Fulfilling Career and Life

• Past episode: 874: The Five Questions that Build the Best Possible Relationships with Michael Bungay Stanier

— THANK YOU SPONSORS! —

• Shopify. Sign up for your free trial at Shopify.com/awesomepod

• Vinted. Download the Vinted app for free to start selling with no seller fees!

• Fitnexa. Get $10 off the SomniPods3 with the link and code AWESOME

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

1176: How to Stay Effective Amidst Chaos with Melissa Swift Aug 24, 2026

Show notes

Melissa Swift shares strategies for navigating the chaos of the modern workplace more effectively.

— YOU’LL LEARN —

1) The four trends making work feel more intense and chaotic

2) How to hone in on what makes you effective

3) Two critical questions to ask in the face of chaos

Subscribe or visit AwesomeAtYourJob.com/ep1176 for clickable versions of the links below.

— ABOUT MELISSA —

Melissa Swift is a leading voice on how organizations, teams, and individuals can succeed in an ever-more challenging world of work. As founder and CEO of Anthrome Insight, she is a practicing consultant and keynote speaker. She has held consulting leadership roles at Capgemini, Mercer, Korn Ferry, and Deloitte. She is also the author of Work Here Now: Think Like a Human and Build a Powerhouse Workplace (Wiley, 2023).

Her quarterly columns in MIT Sloan Management Review often rank among their most-read articles. Swift speaks regularly at events, including the MIT CIO Symposium, and has been quoted on the subject in The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, NPR, Newsweek, The Economist, The Washington Post, Axios, and more.

Throughout her career, Swift has pioneered techniques to reshape organizations for digital and workforce transformation, leading breakthrough projects across industries ranging from manufacturing to professional services to biotech to consumer goods. She earned her B.A. from Harvard University and her MBA from Columbia Business School.

• Book: Effective: How to Do Great Work in a Fast-Changing World

• LinkedIn: Melissa Swift

• Website: AnthromeInsight.com

— RESOURCES MENTIONED IN THE SHOW —

• Database: O*ONET

• Study: “Work intensification: Towards mapping the study field and defining a research agenda” by Ana Heloísa da Costa Lemos, Waleska Yone Yamakawa Zavatti Campos, and Marcelo Quintão

• Book: The Warmth of Other Suns: The Epic Story of America's Great Migration by Isabel Wilkerson

• Past episode: 314: How to Feel Less Busy With Laura Vanderkam

• Past episode: 366: Mastering Conversations through Compassionate Curiosity with Kwame Christian

• Past episode: 417: Managing Infinite Expectations with Laura Vanderkam

• Past episode: 798: How to Have Difficult Conversations about Race with Kwame Christian

• Past episode: 981: Using AI to Enhance Your Reading, Notes, Memory, and Decisions with Kwame Christian

• Past episode: 1150: How to Reclaim Your Schedule and Own Your Time with Laura Vanderkam

— THANK YOU SPONSORS! —

• Shopify. Sign up for your free trial at Shopify.com/awesomepod

• Vinted. Download the Vinted app for free to start selling with no seller fees!

• Fitnexa. Get $10 off the SomniPods3 with the link and code AWESOME

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

1175: Reclaiming Time through Effective Delegation to Humans and AI with Ari Meisel Aug 20, 2026

Show notes

Ari Meisel shows you how to optimize, automate, and outsource your way into more time and freedom.

— YOU’LL LEARN —

1) How to build systems that don’t rely on you

2) How to deploy AI agents to do work for you

3) The rules of effective delegation

Subscribe or visit AwesomeAtYourJob.com/ep1175 for clickable versions of the links below.

— ABOUT ARI —

Ari Meisel is a self-described, “Overwhelmologist” and founder of Less Doing. He helps entrepreneurs who have opportunity in excess of what their infrastructure can support, find focus, flexibility, and freedom in their business. His leadership skills, his coaching prowess, and his ability to inspire leaders to become more agile, have earned him the reputation as the preeminent Entrepreneurial Strategist.

• Book: Less Doing, More Living: Make Everything in Life Easier

• AI Chief of Staff: LessDoing.ai

• Website: LessDoing.com

— RESOURCES MENTIONED IN THE SHOW —

• AI: Bland.ai

• AI: RetailAI.io

• AI: Tasklet.ai

• App: BlueBubbles

• App: Carbon Voice

• App: Voxer.com

• Book: Emergency: This Book Will Save Your Life by Neil Strauss

• Book: Get Over Yourself: How to Lead and Delegate Effectively for More Time, More Freedom, and More Success by Dave Kerpen

• Past episode: 956: How to Delegate Anything with Dave Kerpen

— THANK YOU SPONSORS! —

• Shopify. Sign up for your free trial at Shopify.com/awesomepod

• Vinted. Download the Vinted app for free to start selling with no seller fees!

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

7th Year - 745: How to Handle Bad Bosses and Toxic Coworkers with Tessa West Aug 17, 2026

Show notes

Tessa West addresses the seven common types of jerks at work–and how to deal with them effectively.

— YOU’LL LEARN —

1) How to tell if someone is being an intentional jerk at work

2) How to identify your particular type of work jerk

3) How to tell if you’re the jerk at work

Subscribe or visit AwesomeAtYourJob.com/ep745 for clickable versions of the links below.

— ABOUT TESSA —

Tessa West is an Associate Professor of Psychology at New York University, where she is a leading expert on interpersonal interaction and communication. She has published over 60 articles in the field of psychology's most prestigious journals, and has received multiple grants from the National Science Foundation and the National Institutes of Health. She writes regularly about her research in the Wall Street Journal.

• Book:Jerks at Work: Toxic Coworkers and What to do About Them

• Quiz: “Am I a Jerk at Work?”

• Website: TessaWestAuthor.com

— RESOURCES MENTIONED IN THE SHOW —

• Book: Children of Time by Adrian Tchaikovsky

— THANK YOU SPONSORS! —

• Shopify. Start your free trial at Shopify.com/awesomepod

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

1174: How to Reshape Your Beliefs and Break Free From Your Inner Propaganda with Owen Fitzpatrick Aug 13, 2026

Show notes

Owen Fitzpatrick talks about how your inner propaganda shapes your beliefs, decisions, and behavior–and how you can stop it from sabotaging your success.

— YOU’LL LEARN —

1) Why to be wary of the “temptations of certainty”

2) The three reasons people form/change their beliefs

3) The four steps to rewiring your beliefs

Subscribe or visit AwesomeAtYourJob.com/ep1174 for clickable versions of the links below.

— ABOUT OWEN —

Owen Fitzpatrick is a social psychologist. Owen has traveled to more than 100 countries and studied propaganda firsthand in places such as North Korea, Rwanda, and Afghanistan. Also an award-winning filmmaker and former television presenter, he brings the craft of storytelling to his work. He has worked with leaders at Google, LinkedIn, Pfizer, and Coca-Cola, studied at Harvard Business School and MIT, and is the author of nine books translated into 20+ languages. His TEDx talk “Mind Control” has reached more than 1.4 million viewers. Originally from Dublin, Ireland, he now lives in New York City.

• Book: Inner Propaganda: Leading Hearts and Minds Through Turbulent Times

• Book site: InnerPropaganda.com

• Instagram: owenf23

• LinkedIn: Owen Fitzpatrick

• Website: OwenFitzpatrick.com

— RESOURCES MENTIONED IN THE SHOW —

• Study: “The rise and fall of rationality in language” by Marten Scheffer, Ingrid van de Leemput, Els Weinans, and Johan Bollen

• Study: “On the conversational persuasiveness of GPT-4” by Francesco Salvi, Manoel Horta Ribeiro, Riccardo Gallotti, and Robert West

• Book: Thinking in Bets: Making Smarter Decisions When You Don't Have All the Factsby Annie Duke

• Book: Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion, Revised Edition by Robert Cialdini

• Book: Think Again: The Power of Knowing What You Don't Know by Adam Grant

• Book: Address Unknown: A Novel by Kathrine Kressmann Taylor