How to strengthen your stress response (w/ Master Fixer Kelly McGonigal)

We all deal with stress in our lives, and it’s tempting to try to avoid it altogether. But the people who face stress head-on often handle it most skillfully. In this episode, Anne and Frances are joined by Kelly McGonigal, a health psychologist and lecturer at Stanford University who studies different ways people respond to stress. Together, they unpack practical strategies to strengthen your stress response, examine the choices and attitudes of people who thrive under pressure, and explore the benefits of a “challenge” mindset for you and your team. Kelly also shares nine simple strategies for finding courage in high-stress moments, and makes the case that joy is a risk worth taking.Featured guestFollow Kelly McGonigal on Instagram and at https://www.kellymcgonigal.comConnect with the teamFollow Anne on Instagram and LinkedIn Follow Frances on Instagram and LinkedInWatch Fixable videos on youtube.com/@TEDAudioCollectiveVisit Anne and Frances’ websiteHave a question you want Anne and Frances to solve? Email the team at [email protected] or leave a voicemail at 234-349-2253Follow TED on X, Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn, and TikTokFor the full text transcript, visit ted.com/podcasts/fixable-transcriptsLearn more about our flagship conference happening this April at attend.ted.com/podcast Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Do you feel like work is taking over your life? Guy Winch is a psychologist and author of the book Mind Over Grind: How to Break Free When Work Hijacks Your Life. In this episode, Anne sits down with Guy at the annual TED conference in Vancouver to discuss the insidious ways work can follow you home and how to set boundaries to avoid burnout. They dig into the harmful effects of after-hours rumination, share practical rituals to help you separate work from the rest of your life, and offer tips on how to take a truly restorative vacation. Featured guestFollow Guy Winch on Instagram, LinkedIn, and at https://www.guywinch.com/Buy Guy's book Mind Over GrindConnect with the teamFollow Anne on Instagram and LinkedIn Follow Frances on Instagram and LinkedInWatch Fixable videos on youtube.com/@TEDAudioCollectiveVisit Anne and Frances’ websiteHave a question you want Anne and Frances to solve? Email the team at [email protected] or leave a voicemail at 234-349-2253Follow TED on X, Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn, and TikTokFor the full text transcript, visit ted.com/podcasts/fixable-transcriptsLearn more about our flagship conference happening this April at attend.ted.com/podcast Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Southwest has long been a beloved, low-cost airline with free checked bags, minimal fees, and one class of seating that made flying feel simple and fair. But recent reversals of those policies, in favor of the bottom line, have left both customers and employees feeling betrayed. In this Unsolicited Advice segment, Anne and Frances take a closer look at what Southwest got so right in the beginning, the decisions that led to this moment, and what CEO Bob Jordan could still do to turn the plane around.Connect with the teamFollow Anne on Instagram and LinkedIn Follow Frances on Instagram and LinkedInWatch Fixable videos on youtube.com/@TEDAudioCollectiveVisit Anne and Frances’ websiteHave a question you want Anne and Frances to solve? Email the team at [email protected] or leave a voicemail at 234-349-2253Follow TED on X, Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn, and TikTokFor the full text transcript, visit ted.com/podcasts/fixable-transcriptsLearn more about our flagship conference happening this April at attend.ted.com/podcast Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

When it comes to many jobs—think food service and frontline retail—conditions can be miserable and demoralizing. But it doesn’t have to be that way. In this episode, Anne and Frances call in MIT professor Zeynep Ton, author of The Good Job Strategy and founder of The Good Jobs Institute, to investigate the systems that make jobs bad and reveal what it takes to make them better for everyone. Zeynep breaks down the four elements of her “good job strategy,” and together they look at companies that have made these changes and are outperforming because of it. Featured guestFollow Zeynep Ton on LinkedIn and at https://www.zeynepton.com/Connect with the teamFollow Anne on Instagram and LinkedIn Follow Frances on Instagram and LinkedInWatch Fixable videos on youtube.com/@TEDAudioCollectiveVisit Anne and Frances’ websiteHave a question you want Anne and Frances to solve? Email the team at [email protected] or leave a voicemail at 234-349-2253Follow TED on X, Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn, and TikTokChaptersWHAT IS A GOOD JOB AND WHAT ARE THE STAKESCOMPANY EXAMPLES THAT USE THE GOOD JOB STRATEGY DOING IT SMALL SCALE WITH MOE’S ORIGINAL BBQFOUR OPERATIONAL CHOICES THAT LEAD TO GOOD JOB OUTCOMES1- FOCUS AND SIMPLIFY 2 - STANDARDIZATION & EMPOWERMENT3 - CROSSTRAINING4 - OPERATE WITH SLACKHOW TO APPLY THESE CHANGES TO YOUR SMALL TEAMFor the full text transcript, visit ted.com/podcasts/fixable-transcriptsLearn more about our flagship conference happening this April at attend.ted.com/podcast Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

What gets in the way of good communication? In this special Quick Fixes episode, Anne and Frances are joined by Matt Abrahams, Stanford lecturer and bestselling author of Think Faster, Talk Smarter, to answer questions from listeners about how to communicate effectively. One listener struggles giving feedback to their elders, and another has a hard time speaking from the heart. A third listener finds themself getting defensive when asked questions, and the last caller wants to learn to speak like a leader without using empty jargon.Featured guestFollow Matt Abrahams on Instagram, LinkedIn, and at https://mattabrahams.com/Connect with the teamFollow Anne on Instagram and LinkedIn Follow Frances on Instagram and LinkedInWatch Fixable videos on youtube.com/@TEDAudioCollectiveVisit Anne and Frances’ websiteHave a question you want Anne and Frances to solve? Email the team at [email protected] or leave a voicemail at 234-349-2253Follow TED on X, Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn, and TikTokFor the full text transcript, visit ted.com/podcasts/fixable-transcriptsLearn more about our flagship conference happening this April at attend.ted.com/podcast Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

When you mess up, a sincere apology can make all the difference. But making things right takes more than a simple “I’m sorry.” In this episode, Adam takes us from the pre-kindergarten classroom to Formula One’s race track to investigate what it takes to make amends, right wrongs, and repair relationships. Guests: pre-K teacher Kath Konecky; management professor Beth Polin; Formula One executive Mark Gallagher.For the full text transcript, visit ted.com/podcasts/fixable-transcriptsLearn more about our flagship conference happening this April at attend.ted.com/podcast Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Communication is a performance, and if you want to land it, you need to approach it like a performer. In the second part of this essential Toolkit segment, Anne and Frances break down their “deeply/simply” communication framework, share practical advice on how to take control of your presence as a speaker, and make a persuasive case for practicing in low-stakes environments. Frances also shares a surprising piece of style advice.Connect with the teamFollow Anne on Instagram and LinkedIn Follow Frances on Instagram and LinkedInWatch Fixable videos on youtube.com/@TEDAudioCollectiveVisit Anne and Frances’ websiteHave a question you want Anne and Frances to solve? Email the team at [email protected] or leave a voicemail at 234-349-2253Follow TED on X, Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn, and TikTokFor the full text transcript, visit ted.com/podcasts/fixable-transcriptsLearn more about our flagship conference happening this April at attend.ted.com/podcast Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We’ve all heard that actions speak louder than words—but the words you choose can have a profound impact on the actions of the people around you. In the first part of this essential Toolkit segment, Anne and Frances break down the learnable skills that everyone can use to communicate more confidently and effectively. They share practical ways to help others avoid embarrassment, get on the same “frequency" with your conversation partners, and deliver comments that are clear, concise, and persuasive.Connect with the teamFollow Anne on Instagram and LinkedIn Follow Frances on Instagram and LinkedInWatch Fixable videos on youtube.com/@TEDAudioCollectiveVisit Anne and Frances’ websiteHave a question you want Anne and Frances to solve? Email the team at [email protected] or leave a voicemail at 234-349-2253Follow TED on X, Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn, and TikTokFor the full text transcript, visit ted.com/podcasts/fixable-transcriptsLearn more about our flagship conference happening this April at attend.ted.com/podcast Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Giving and receiving feedback is an important part of any job or relationship—but it can be tricky to get it right. This season, Anne and Frances are introducing a new segment called Toolkit: a practical guide to ideas, tools, and frameworks that can help you reach your goals at work and beyond. In this episode, they break down the different kinds of workplace feedback and share common pitfalls that can keep you and your colleagues from reaching your full potential. They also offer actionable tips for delivering both praise and critique, along with advice for what to do with criticism that falls short of constructive.Connect with the teamFollow Anne on Instagram and LinkedIn Follow Frances on Instagram and LinkedInWatch Fixable videos on youtube.com/@TEDAudioCollectiveVisit Anne and Frances’ websiteHave a question you want Anne and Frances to solve? Email the team at [email protected] or leave a voicemail at 234-349-2253Follow TED on X, Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn, and TikTokFor the full text transcript, visit ted.com/podcasts/fixable-transcriptsLearn more about our flagship conference happening this April at attend.ted.com/podcast Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Washington Post, owned by Jeff Bezos, recently carried out a massive layoff that eliminated more than a third of its staff. In this episode of Unsolicited Advice, Anne and Frances dive deeper into the underlying issues affecting the paper and the journalism industry at large, arguing that Bezos should sell the company to a team of can-do entrepreneurs who are willing to truly listen to the data, take big swings, and rebuild the paper’s reputation at a time when great journalism is more important than ever.Connect with the teamFollow Anne on Instagram and LinkedIn Follow Frances on Instagram and LinkedInWatch Fixable videos on youtube.com/@TEDAudioCollectiveVisit Anne and Frances’ websiteHave a question you want Anne and Frances to solve? Email the team at [email protected] or leave a voicemail at 234-349-2253Follow TED on X, Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn, and TikTokFor the full text transcript, visit ted.com/podcasts/fixable-transcriptsLearn more about our flagship conference happening this April at attend.ted.com/podcast Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.