Worklife with Molly Graham

The term “nepo baby” has been used in recent years to describe people who are born into successful families and industries with advantages that aren’t available to the average person. What does your success mean if you weren’t the one to earn it? Bryce Dallas Howard is the daughter of famous actor and director Ron Howard, and now a successful actress and director in her own right, having earned a Golden Globe nomination for her film adaptation of As You Like It and starring as Claire Dearing in the Jurassic World franchise. In this episode, Molly and Bryce share their experiences growing up in the shadow of their families’ legacies, and ponder what it means to own your own successes when you know you were given a head start. Bryce reflects on the biggest lessons she learned from watching her dad at work, and explains why people are often blind to their own privilege and ashamed to admit their unfair advantage. She also emphasizes the importance of finding ways to share your unique edge with others, and that while you can’t pick where you come from, you can decide what to do with it. Featured guest Follow Bryce Dallas Howard on Instagram and at her website Connect with the team Follow Molly on Instagram , LinkedIn , and at glueclub.com/ Subscribe to Molly’s Substack Lesson Watch WorkLife videos on YouTube at TEDPods Follow TED on X , Instagram , Facebook , LinkedIn , and TikTok For the full text transcript, visit https://www.ted.com/podcasts/worklife-transcripts Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In a world filled with requests, many of us are struggling to stay afloat. Even if you’re not a people-pleaser, the desire to maintain a positive reputation can make it hard to turn others down. In this episode, Adam explores the art and science of delivering an effective “no.” He highlights strategies for setting boundaries with others to create space for yourself—and healthier relationships with those around you. Guests: psychologist Vanessa Bohns, author of You Have More Influence Than You Think ; Sherri Lu, founder of Eldest Daughter Club; playwright Topher Payne, author of The Tree Who Set Healthy Boundaries . For the full text transcript, visit https://www.ted.com/podcasts/worklife-transcripts Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

When you’re tasked with solving a problem that has a deep impact on a lot of people, it can feel impossible to deliver results that everyone is happy with. How do you decide whose perspective should shape your decisions, or create change when people don’t even agree on the problem? Kaya Henderson took over leadership of the District of Columbia Public Schools when it was one of the lowest-performing school districts in the country, and in under a decade transformed it into one of the fastest-improving. So what’s her secret? She didn’t do it alone. In this episode, Kaya and Molly take a closer look at how Kaya led a revolution backed by parents, teachers, and other members of the community to deliver results that actually mattered to the people who needed them. Kaya emphasizes the importance of listening and collaborating with the people closest to the problem, communicating clearly when you have to say no, and showing people what they have in common before jumping into heavy negotiations. Featured guest Follow Kaya Henderson on Instagram , LinkedIn , and at aspeninstitute.org/people/kaya-henderson/ Connect with the team Follow Molly on Instagram , LinkedIn , and at glueclub.com/ Subscribe to Molly’s Substack Lesson Watch WorkLife videos on YouTube at TEDPods Follow TED on X , Instagram , Facebook , LinkedIn , and TikTok For the full text transcript, visit https://www.ted.com/podcasts/worklife-transcripts Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

When it comes to seeking wisdom or advice in your career, there’s a lot of focus on mentorship and what more senior players in your field can offer you. But the truth is that your most important and valuable relationships are those with your peers—reciprocal, two-way relationships with a foundation of vulnerability and shared experience. Bill Gurley is one of the most influential venture capitalists of the last two decades, and his book Running Down a Dream explores how people build careers that they actually love. In this episode, Bill and Molly dive deeper into his belief that strong peer relationships are a key to professional success. They reflect on how they each found and nurtured cross-disciplinary peer groups that helped them at difficult crossroads, and offer tips for building authentic relationships with people who understand, push, and support you. Featured guest Follow Bill Gurley on X , LinkedIn , and at https://abovethecrowd.com/ Buy Running Down a Dream Connect with the team Follow Molly on Instagram , LinkedIn , and at glueclub.com/ Subscribe to Molly’s Substack Lesson Watch WorkLife videos on YouTube at TEDPods Follow TED on X , Instagram , Facebook , LinkedIn , and TikTok For the full text transcript, visit https://www.ted.com/podcasts/worklife-transcripts Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Success in your career looks different for everyone — but no matter your industry, you'll need to take risks. Company and community builder Molly Graham took to the TED stage two years ago to share three key skills to learn before jumping off a metaphorical cliff, outlining a path off the corporate ladder and into true professional and personal growth -- and these key skills are more relevant today than ever. Today, Molly has returned to TED as the new host of the podcast, WorkLife . WorkLife is a show where Molly and her expert guests talk through the messy feelings we all experience at work—conversations that delve into our ambitions and failures. Elise Hu, host of TED Talks Daily, caught up with Molly to look back at her talk and how those ideas continue to evolve in today's world. They discuss the importance of embracing the emotional side of work, how to tell the difference between good fear and bad fear, aging, why so many successful things feel messier than we think they’re supposed to, and so much more. Molly's talk originally aired in 2024. Elise and Molly’s conversation was recorded in April 2026. For the full text transcript, visit https://www.ted.com/podcasts/worklife-transcripts Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Managing people is a deeply human line of work—it requires relational skills, judgement, and deep knowledge of the people you work with. But Hilary Gridley believes that when used properly, AI can not only help you become a better manager, but can help your team make more meaningful use of their human skills. Hilary has spent years leading teams at companies like Whoop, and she’s known for her work helping managers use AI to coach people, give feedback, and develop talent more efficiently. In this episode, Hilary makes the case for why AI belongs in management, and offers practical advice for how to help your team use AI in a way that adds value to their work instead of generating meaningless slop. Hilary and Molly also take a closer look at where many organizations have gone wrong in their adoption of AI tools, and the importance of clarity and communication within a team no matter what technology you have at your disposal. Featured guest Follow Hilary Gridley on X, LinkedIn , and at writerbuilder.com/ Subscribe to Hilary's Substack Connect with the team Follow Molly on Instagram , LinkedIn , and at glueclub.com/ Subscribe to Molly’s Substack Lesson Watch WorkLife videos on YouTube at TEDPods Follow TED on X , Instagram , Facebook , LinkedIn , and TikTok For the full text transcript, visit https://www.ted.com/podcasts/worklife-transcripts Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

If your company is growing faster than you can keep up, your manager might decide to “layer” you—that is, split your job in half or hire someone with more experience to become your boss. This is an experience a lot of people go through at work, but it’s rarely talked about because it’s often unpleasant for everyone involved. In this episode, Molly offers practical advice for anyone going through layering at work, from employees who find themselves sharing their job with someone new to leaders making the tough decision to hire another person for a role. She outlines 6 important things for employees to consider if they’re struggling to adjust to being layered, and key principles to help managers layer their teams in a way that builds trust instead of breaking it. She also reflects on her recent conversation with Don Faul and the lessons he shared from his experience being layered during his early years at Facebook. Connect with the team Follow Molly on Instagram , LinkedIn , and at glueclub.com/ Subscribe to Molly’s Substack Lesson Watch WorkLife videos on YouTube at TEDPods Follow TED on X , Instagram , Facebook , LinkedIn , and TikTok For the full text transcript, visit https://www.ted.com/podcasts/worklife-transcripts Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

A good leader is one who anchors and supports their team under pressure—and nowhere are the stakes higher than in the military. Don Faul spent five years as an officer in an elite unit in the Marine Corps. He then went on to become one of the most important operational leaders at Facebook, where he built and ran global teams during the company's most intense years of growth before he left to lead Google and CrossFit. In this episode, Molly and Don reflect on how Don’s time in the military shaped his approach to leadership, and unpack the lessons he absorbed as a young officer learning to lead under intense pressure. Don also emphasises the importance of humility and service as a leader, shares what he learned working under General Mattis, and recounts the strategies and philosophies he carried with him in his transition from military to civilian leadership. Featured guest Follow Don Faul on Instagram , LinkedIn , and at https://www.crossfit.com/ Connect with the team Follow Molly on Instagram , LinkedIn , and at glueclub.com/ Subscribe to Molly’s Substack Lesson Watch WorkLife videos on YouTube at TEDPods Follow TED on X , Instagram , Facebook , LinkedIn , and TikTok For the full text transcript, visit https://www.ted.com/podcasts/worklife-transcripts Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In times of change, sometimes the best way to hold onto your success is to let go of the things that got you there. Chris Anderson became the steward of TED in 2001, and transformed what was once a small, exclusive conference into a household name when he made the risky decision to make TED talks free and globally accessible online. In this episode, Molly sits down with Chris at the 2026 TED Conference in Vancouver to dig deeper into what it takes to let go of the things that brought you success, how to experiment with giving things away, and what Chris has learned through the process of passing the torch of TED stewardship to Sal Khan. Featured guest Follow Chris Anderson on LinkedIn Learn more about TED Buy TED Talks: The Official TED Guide to Public Speaking Connect with the team Follow Molly on Instagram , LinkedIn , and at glueclub.com/ Subscribe to Molly’s Substack Lesson Watch WorkLife videos on YouTube at TEDPods Follow TED on X , Instagram , Facebook , LinkedIn , and TikTok For the full text transcript, visit https://www.ted.com/podcasts/worklife-transcripts Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Religious faith is something that isn’t often discussed at work—in fact, speaking openly about your religious beliefs may be regarded as an unspoken taboo in some workplaces. But just like any other source of grounding intuition, faith is a powerful foundation for so many people when it comes to navigating uncertainty and tough decisions in their professional lives. Stacy Brown-Philpot was the CEO of TaskRabbit before founding Cherry Rock Capital, where she backs underrepresented entrepreneurs building transformative companies. In this episode, Molly and Stacy dive deeper into what faith means to Stacy personally and professionally, what she’s learned from bringing her faith into her work, and what you can learn from faith even if religion isn’t central to your life. Stacy also shares about how establishing an interfaith group in her workplace opened up deeper connections with her team members, and emphasizes the importance of finding community outside your professional life. Featured guest Follow Stacy Brown-Philpot on LinkedIn Connect with the team Follow Molly on Instagram , LinkedIn , and at glueclub.com/ Subscribe to Molly’s Substack Lesson Watch WorkLife videos on YouTube at TEDPods Follow TED on X , Instagram , Facebook , LinkedIn , and TikTok For the full text transcript, visit https://www.ted.com/podcasts/worklife-transcripts Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

If you feel like you’ve lost your way at work—you’re burnt out, you’ve stopped trusting your own instincts, and every conversation leaves you overwhelmed or confused—then you might have a case of what Ify Walker calls the work twisties. Ify is the founder and CEO of Offor, a talent agency and recruiting firm that places executives at mission-driven businesses. In this episode, Ify and Molly reflect on their own experiences with the work twisties, and Ify shares the strategies that helped her regain her footing. She also offers advice to people searching for new jobs and breaks down her practice of being 10% braver every day. Featured guest Follow Ify Walker on Instagram and LinkedIn Subscribe to Ify's Substack, The Offor Method Learn more about Offor Connect with the team Follow Molly on Instagram , LinkedIn , and at glueclub.com/ Subscribe to Molly’s Substack Lesson Watch WorkLife videos on YouTube at TEDAudioCollective Follow TED on X , Instagram , Facebook , LinkedIn , and TikTok For the full text transcript, visit https://www.ted.com/podcasts/worklife-transcripts Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

One of our favorite TED talks on TED Business is from company builder Molly Graham. She’s also the new host of WorkLife with Molly Graham, another podcast from TED. Modupe sits down with Molly at TED2026 to talk about her journey from Facebook to giving her first TED Talk to now joining TED as a podcaster. Molly shares how she quietens her inner critic whom she affectionately calls “Bob the Monster,” what she learned from working alongside influential leaders to scale companies, and why she always advises managers to “give away their Legos.” For the full text transcript, visit https://www.ted.com/podcasts/worklife-transcripts Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Most leaders say culture matters. Far fewer can explain how it's actually built. Mike Schroepfer spent more than a decade helping build Facebook's engineering organization during some of its fastest—and messiest—years of growth. As CTO, he helped shape a culture built around learning, experimentation, and moving quickly. In this episode, Mike discusses why great cultures aren't created through values decks or mission statements, how leaders teach people what matters through their behavior, and why the difference between a learning culture and a blame culture can determine an organization’s success. If culture is what happens when something goes wrong, this conversation is about how to build one that gets stronger under pressure. Featured guest Follow Mike Schroepfer on LinkedIn Learn more about Gigascale Capital Connect with the team Follow Molly on Instagram , LinkedIn , and at glueclub.com/ Subscribe to Molly’s Substack Lesson Watch WorkLife videos on YouTube at TEDAudioCollective Follow TED on X , Instagram , Facebook , LinkedIn , and TikTok For the full text transcript, visit https://www.ted.com/podcasts/worklife-transcripts Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

It’s easy to look at successful companies and other people’s successful careers and assume the path was obvious. The reality is that success feels messy. Claire Hughes Johnson, former COO of Stripe, joins Molly to explore how difficult moments distort our perspective and why some of the work we're proudest of often felt like failure while we were living it. Together they discuss resilience, uncertainty, leadership under pressure, and how to make decisions when you can't yet tell whether you're struggling or succeeding. For the full text transcript, visit https://www.ted.com/podcasts/worklife-transcripts Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In fast-changing companies, some things move so fast that you rarely have time to consult the business books when questions arise. Welcome to Frequently Asked Questions, a segment on WorkLife where Molly answers questions from listeners about the topics they confront in real time. In this episode, Molly is joined by Ashley Murphy, a key member of Molly’s team and one of the people that helped create Glue Club, a leadership development community that Molly and her team run focused on helping leaders feel more confident and less lonely at work. These questions are based on common questions from the community that Molly and Ashley thought would be relevant for the WorkLife audience as well – tips for working productively with a boss you don’t always agree with, knowing when it’s time to seek out an executive coach, and struggling to pitch yourself to prospective employers if you don’t fit into a traditional box. Featured guest Follow Ashley Murphy on LinkedIn Learn more about Glue Club Connect with the team Follow Molly on Instagram , LinkedIn , and at glueclub.com/ Subscribe to Molly’s Substack Lesson Watch WorkLife videos on YouTube at TEDAudioCollective Follow TED on X , Instagram , Facebook , LinkedIn , and TikTok For the full text transcript, visit https://www.ted.com/podcasts/worklife-transcripts Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

What is your true purpose—and how do you find it? This month, Anne and Frances are tackling one of life’s biggest questions in search of answers for Fixers of all ages, from fresh graduates charting their first career moves to seasoned executives craving something more. In this episode, Anne sits down with Molly Graham, a former executive at Facebook and the new host of TED’s WorkLife podcast, to explore what it means to pursue meaningful work and stay open to opportunities you never saw coming. They also answer a question from a new graduate about finding your purpose somewhere between work and life. For the full text transcript, visit https://www.ted.com/podcasts/worklife-transcripts Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

If you make content online or use social media frequently for work, it may feel like what you post and how often you post it is dictated by the elusive “algorithm.” You can spend your time chasing trends and trying to keep up with the internet’s ever-changing demands, but at what point does that mean sacrificing the quality of your work? Mark Rober is one of the most successful creators on YouTube, with almost 75 million followers and over 16 billion views. For 15 years, he has only posted one carefully crafted video per month. In this episode, Molly sits down with Mark at the TED Conference to uncover how Mark built his channel to be sustainable over time by prioritizing quality over quantity and staying true to his principles. Mark also reveals his secret to making a viral video, and shares tips for avoiding burnout in a fast-paced industry. Featured guest Follow Mark Rober on Instagram , LinkedIn , TikTok , YouTube , and at CrunchLabs Connect with the team Follow Molly on Instagram , LinkedIn , and at glueclub.com/ Subscribe to Molly’s Substack Lesson Watch WorkLife videos on YouTube at TEDAudioCollective Follow TED on X , Instagram , Facebook , LinkedIn , and TikTok For the full text transcript, visit https://www.ted.com/podcasts/worklife-transcripts Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Careers rarely move in a straight line, and for many people, the old roadmap no longer works. In this special feed drop from LinkedIn’s Hello Monday, host Jessi Hempel sits down with Caroline Wanga for a conversation about building a career with intention, authenticity, and room to evolve. As president and CEO of Essence Ventures and co-founder of Wanga Woman, Caroline has spent years helping people rethink success on their own terms. Before leading Essence, she spent 15 years at Target, rising from intern to the C-suite — a journey that taught her the value of continuously revisiting, reshaping, and even reinventing your career map. Jessi and Caroline discuss: Why your “next right move” may not look like anyone else’s Why playing with your career map, not perfecting it, leads to clarity How, and when, Caroline has created her own career maps The role of authenticity in leadership and life What it really takes to live and work with personal purpose Tools and mindsets for building a meaningful career in today’s world Caroline also shares insights from her memoir, I’m Highly Percent Sure , and offers a refreshing perspective for anyone questioning what comes next. Follow Jessi Hempel and Caroline Wanga on LinkedIn, and listen to more Hello Monday wherever you get your podcasts For the full text transcript, visit https://www.ted.com/podcasts/worklife-transcripts Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Uncertainty is in the air in so many industries as AI disrupts and destabilizes even the jobs that felt most secure in the past. It can be difficult to see the path forward as the ground shifts beneath your feet. But for journalist and TED Radio Hour host Manoush Zomorodi, disruption and change are nothing new. In this episode, Manoush reflects on her career and the sudden shifts she has had to adjust to as new media technology emerges—from perfecting writing a seven-minute slot on broadcast radio to building a production company on the blockchain. She also shares what she’s learned about staying adaptable when the world around you keeps changing. Featured guest Follow Manoush Zomorodi on Instagram , LinkedIn , and at https://www.manoushz.com/ Subscribe to Manoush Minutes on Substack Buy her book Body Electric Connect with the team Follow Molly on Instagram , LinkedIn , and at glueclub.com/ Subscribe to Molly’s Substack Lesson Watch WorkLife videos on YouTube at TEDAudioCollective Follow TED on X , Instagram , Facebook , LinkedIn , and TikTok For the full text transcript, visit https://www.ted.com/podcasts/worklife-transcripts Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

If you’ve tried AI and felt underwhelmed — or if the constant pressure to “just play around with it” makes you want to throw your laptop across the room — you’re not alone. But according to Max Mullen, co-founder of Instacart and one of the most practical thinkers on this technology, you might be closer to becoming an AI expert than you realize. In this episode, Max makes the case that expertise with AI isn’t about taking a course or spending your weekend trying to learn how to use it. Max talks about how to use AI to solve real problems, why you want to try it more than once, and argues that building a relationship with the tool is the key to getting better and faster results. This is the episode for anyone who’s skeptical, behind, or just exhausted by the hype. Featured guest Follow Max Mullen on LinkedIn and at maxmullen.com/ Visit Instacart Connect with the team Follow Molly on Instagram , LinkedIn , and at glueclub.com/ Subscribe to Molly’s Substack Lesson Watch WorkLife videos on YouTube at TEDAudioCollective Follow TED on X , Instagram , Facebook , LinkedIn , and TikTok For the full text transcript, visit https://www.ted.com/podcasts/worklife-transcripts Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.