Behavioral Grooves Podcast · Monday · 1 hr 8 min

How to Make Work Fun | Bree Groff

What if work didn’t have to be something we simply “get through” five days a week? This week, we sit down with Bree Groff, author of Today Was Fun, to explore how small changes in the way we interact, communicate, and lead can make work more human and mostly fun, most days. We talk about work-life balance, chronic overwork, psychological safety, AI, and the importance of protecting the relationships, health, creativity, and small moments of joy that make our lives meaningful. Topics [0:00] Intro and Speed Round with Bree Groff [9:45] Treat your brain like a Stradivarius [13:18] Why this isn't a typical business book [19:52] The five-minute check-in [27:41] The benefits of psychological safety and cognitive offloading [30:55] The hidden cost of chronic overwork [36:16] Why “love what you do” is an exhausting goal [43:09] Why work should be mostly fun, most days [49:07] The truth about AI at work [53:45] What happens when we outsource thinking? [54:37] Bree's writing soundtrack [59:45] Grooving Session: Making work fun ©2026 Behavioral Grooves Links About Bree Today was Fun by Bree Groff Join us on Substack! Join the Behavioral Grooves community Subscribe to Behavioral Grooves on YouTube Support Behavioral Grooves Musical Links Vulfpeck - Back Pocket Qveen Herby - The Fool

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show notes

What if work didn’t have to be something we simply “get through” five days a week? This week, we sit down with Bree Groff, author of Today Was Fun, to explore how small changes in the way we interact, communicate, and lead can make work more human and mostly fun, most days. We talk about work-life balance, chronic overwork, psychological safety, AI, and the importance of protecting the relationships, health, creativity, and small moments of joy that make our lives meaningful.

Topics

[0:00] Intro and Speed Round with Bree Groff

[9:45] Treat your brain like a Stradivarius

[13:18] Why this isn't a typical business book

[19:52] The five-minute check-in

[27:41] The benefits of psychological safety and cognitive offloading

[30:55] The hidden cost of chronic overwork

[36:16] Why “love what you do” is an exhausting goal

[43:09] Why work should be mostly fun, most days

[49:07] The truth about AI at work

[53:45] What happens when we outsource thinking?

[54:37] Bree's writing soundtrack