Fixable

TED

Frances Frei is a Harvard Business professor. Anne Morriss is a CEO and best-selling author. Anne and Frances are two of the top leadership coaches in the world. Oh, did we mention they're also married to each other? Together, Anne and Frances move fast and fix stuff by talking to guest callers about their workplace issues and solving their problems – in 30 minutes or less. Both listeners and guests will receive actionable insights to create meaningful change in the workplace. From CEOs to nurses, the restaurant world to Silicon Valley, Frances and Anne have a plan for anyone hoping to improve their their workplace.

Follow Anne on Instagram @annemorriss and on LinkedIn @anne-morriss. Follow Frances on Instagram @francesxfrei and on LinkedIn @francesfrei

If you want to be on Fixable, call our hotline at 234-Fixable (that's 234-349-2253) to leave Anne and Frances a voicemail with your workplace problem, or email us at fixable@ted.com.

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Yesterday · 37 min
How to make work feel better with Ryan Buell
Culture shapes almost everything about our experience of work, and yet most of us feel powerless to change it. In this episode, Anne and Frances are joined by Harvard Business School professor Ryan Buell to demystify the building blocks of team culture and why it’s so instrumental in driving the performance of an organization. They also share practical advice on how to help your team learn and improve faster, how to protect your people from an unhealthy workplace culture, and how to change the beliefs and behavior of your team with clarity, signaling, and consistency. Featured guest Follow Ryan Buell on LinkedIn Connect with the team Follow Anne on Instagram and LinkedIn Follow Frances on Instagram and LinkedIn Watch Fixable videos on youtube.com/@TEDPods Visit Anne and Frances’ website Have a question you want Anne and Frances to solve? Email the team at fixable@ted.com or leave a voicemail at 234-349-2253 Follow TED on X, Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn, and TikTok For the full text transcript, visit ted.com/podcasts/fixable-transcripts Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
October 12 · 28 min
Unlocking Your Power at Work: The new rules of power
With great power comes great responsibility…and the chance to reflect on what we’ve learned from people who wield it well. In this episode, Anne and Frances look back on their conversations with Kara Swisher, Deborah Gruenfeld, Mrs. Dow Jones, and Hubert Joly about how power at work really works. They dig deeper into why telling the truth to yourself and others is such a strong power move, revisit Hubert’s “currency converter” framework for understanding how power manifests differently in different people, and celebrate the power of graceful leadership. They also share what they’re doing differently after having these conversations, and return to a message that echoed across the series: you already have more power than you think. For the full text transcript, visit ted.com/podcasts/fixable-transcripts Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
October 5 · 36 min
Unlocking Your Power at Work: How to empower others with Hubert Joly
Throughout the Unlocking Your Power at Work series, Anne and Frances have uncovered practical advice for gaining power, building influence, and unleashing the abilities you already have. But once you make it to the top, what do you do with all that power? Hubert Joly is a professor at the Harvard Business School and the former CEO of Best Buy, where he led one of the most celebrated corporate turnarounds of the past decade. In this episode, Anne and Frances sit down with Hubert to dissect his belief that sharing your power and empowering others is the key to strong leadership. Hubert shares the story of how he helped bring Best Buy back from the brink and what he learned from listening to employees on the front lines. He also makes the case for why leadership is more important than ever in a world of AI, and that AI is most powerful when it amplifies “human magic.” Anne and Frances ask Hubert some questions from listeners struggling to share power as leaders, and explore how men and women respond differently to being offered powerful leadership positions. Featured guest Follow Hubert Joly on LinkedIn and at his website Buy The Heart of Business Connect with the team Follow Anne on Instagram and LinkedIn Follow Frances on Instagram and LinkedIn Watch Fixable videos on youtube.com/@TEDPods Visit Anne and Frances’ website Have a question you want Anne and Frances to solve? Email the team at fixable@ted.com or leave a voicemail at 234-349-2253 Follow TED on X, Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn, and TikTok For the full text transcript, visit ted.com/podcasts/fixable-transcripts Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
September 28 · 32 min
Unlocking Your Power at Work: How to build your financial power with Mrs. Dow Jones
Money can’t buy happiness, but it can buy you the freedom to make powerful choices. Haley Sacks, also known as Mrs. Dow Jones, is the host of the podcast Financial Tea and a bestselling author the Wall Street Journal calls “the financial guru millennials listen to.” In this episode, Anne and Frances sit down with Haley to discuss the keys to unlocking your financial power at work and in your everyday life. Haley shares some simple steps to start behaving like a Future Rich Person, along with advice for negotiating value from your job when a raise isn’t on the table. Anne and Frances hear from a listener who regrets not taking a higher-paying career path, and together they unpack the many factors—financial and otherwise—that make a job worth your time. Featured guest Follow Haley Sacks on Instagram, TikTok, LinkedIn, and at MrsDowJones Buy Haley's book, Future Rich Person Connect with the team Follow Anne on Instagram and LinkedIn Follow Frances on Instagram and LinkedIn Watch Fixable videos on youtube.com/@TEDPods Visit Anne and Frances’ website Have a question you want Anne and Frances to solve? Email the team at fixable@ted.com or leave a voicemail at 234-349-2253 Follow TED on X, Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn, and TikTok For the full text transcript, visit ted.com/podcasts/fixable-transcripts Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
September 21 · 42 min
Unlocking Your Power at Work: Why you underestimate your own power with Deborah Gruenfeld
In the modern workplace, hierarchy and power differences are often viewed as problems to solve. But Deborah Gruenfeld has a different perspective: hierarchy is not only essential to organizations, but we actually crave it in our relationships and communities. Deborah is a professor at Stanford University and a social and organizational psychologist who studies power and powerlessness. In this episode, she joins Anne and Frances to demystify how power actually works at work, why people underestimate their own power, and how to use the power you already have more skillfully. She also offers practical tips for playing your own power up or down, and shares what she has learned studying power dynamics in marriages and long-term relationships. Anne and Frances put their own marriage to the test, exploring whether their partnership truly is—or even should be—equal. Featured guest Follow Deborah Gruenfeld on LinkedIn Buy Deborah's book, Acting with Power Connect with the team Follow Anne on Instagram and LinkedIn Follow Frances on Instagram and LinkedIn Watch Fixable videos on youtube.com/@TEDPods Visit Anne and Frances’ website Have a question you want Anne and Frances to solve? Email the team at fixable@ted.com or leave a voicemail at 234-349-2253 Follow TED on X, Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn, and TikTok For the full text transcript, visit ted.com/podcasts/fixable-transcripts Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
September 14 · 33 min
Unlocking Your Power at Work: Kara Swisher on how to get what you want
No matter where you fall on the corporate food chain, you have power at work—you just might not know how to use it. In this new series on Unlocking Your Power at Work, Anne and Frances dig into how to discover, build, and use your power, explore common power dynamics in the workplace, and learn from people who use their full power with honesty and swagger. Kara Swisher is one of the most influential voices in media and has built a career holding the powerful accountable. In this episode, she reflects with Anne and Frances on her own path to power and what she’s learned from watching some people become corrupted by power while others learn to wield it for good. She also argues that people don’t leave jobs early or often enough, and makes the case for pursuing more than just the opportunities that are offered to you. Featured guest Follow Kara Swisher on Instagram, LinkedIn, and Threads Listen and watch On with Kara Swisher Connect with the team Follow Anne on Instagram and LinkedIn Follow Frances on Instagram and LinkedIn Watch Fixable videos on youtube.com/@TEDPods Visit Anne and Frances’ website Have a question you want Anne and Frances to solve? Email the team at fixable@ted.com or leave a voicemail at 234-349-2253 Follow TED on X, Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn, and TikTok For the full text transcript, visit ted.com/podcasts/fixable-transcripts Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
September 7 · 29 min
How to Bring Good Ideas to Life: The Paul English Story | from Cold Call
Cold Call is hosted by Harvard Business School Chief Marketing and Communications Officer Brian Kenny. From the history of Hershey to today's biggest AI case studies, Cold Call breaks down the decisions, tradeoffs, and leadership lessons behind some of the most fascinating organizations. In today’s episode, you’ll hear from Fixable co-host and HBS professor Frances Frei, and the former co-founder of Kayak and current co-founder and CEO of Boston Venture Studio Paul English. Their conversation explores how English brings new innovations to market. Together they break down the difference between a good idea and a bad one, explain why it’s so important to take a systematic approach to developing new ideas, and explore how English’s creative process dovetails with Frei’s “move fast and fix things” strategy. To listen to more episodes, follow Cold Call on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get podcasts. For the full text transcript, visit ted.com/podcasts/fixable-transcripts Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
August 31 · 30 min
Toolkit: Coach Like a Pro
A great coach can be a powerful ally when it comes to solving problems at work and in life—and the good news is, anyone can learn to become one. In this Toolkit segment, Anne is the one in the hot seat as Frances interviews her about her work as a coach and the key components of a high-value coaching session. They dig into the importance of reflection, embracing discomfort, and recognizing behavioral patterns, and answer a few questions from listeners about how to coach their teammates more effectively. Connect with the team Follow Anne on Instagram and LinkedIn Follow Frances on Instagram and LinkedIn Watch Fixable videos on youtube.com/@TEDPods Visit Anne and Frances’ website Have a question you want Anne and Frances to solve? Email the team at fixable@ted.com or leave a voicemail at 234-349-2253 Follow TED on X, Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn, and TikTok For the full text transcript, visit ted.com/podcasts/fixable-transcripts Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
August 24 · 42 min
How to learn from your mistakes with Robert “Cujo” Teschner
The act of reflection at work has many names—debrief, post-mortem, after-action review—but no matter what you call it, it’s a wildly powerful tool for making teams better. But are you getting the most out of it? Robert Teschner (whose call sign in the Air Force was “Cujo”) is a former fighter pilot and commander who flew some of the world's most advanced fighter jets before becoming an instructor at the Weapons School. In the Air Force, figuring out what went right and wrong can be a matter of life and death. Today, Cujo teaches business leaders how to bring the awareness, accountability, and rigor of military debriefs to their own teams. Anne and Frances sit down with Cujo to discuss how to conduct a successful debrief, where debriefs can go wrong, and how to get to the root cause of a problem. They also explore the importance of vulnerability and non-judgement when it comes to creating a psychologically safe space for reflection and learning. Featured guest Follow Robert Cujo Teschner on Instagram, LinkedIn, and at https://cujoteschner.com/ Buy Debrief to Win Connect with the team Follow Anne on Instagram and LinkedIn Follow Frances on Instagram and LinkedIn Watch Fixable videos on youtube.com/@TEDPods Visit Anne and Frances’ website Have a question you want Anne and Frances to solve? Email the team at fixable@ted.com or leave a voicemail at 234-349-2253 Follow TED on X, Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn, and TikTok For the full text transcript, visit ted.com/podcasts/fixable-transcripts Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
August 17 · 44 min
How to quit (and why it matters) with Anthony Klotz
During the pandemic, Anthony Klotz predicted the “Great Resignation”: a mass exodus of unhappy workers leaving their jobs after COVID epiphanies. Now, he’s seeing a different pattern begin to emerge as people opt to hunker down in their current jobs until they can find a better option. Anthony is an organizational psychologist and professor at the London School of Management. His recent book, Jolted: Why We Quit, When to Stay, and Why It Matters, explores how we make decisions in our jobs and careers. In this episode, he joins Anne and Frances to weigh in on the patterns developing right now in the world of quitting, offer practical advice for how to make measured decisions in a fickle job market, and explain the phenomenon he calls “jolts,” when a person experiences something that causes them to suddenly reevaluate their position. Together, they also work through a listener’s dilemma as she navigates a relationship with collaborators who mistrust each other, and offer tips for leaders who suspect a member of their team may be considering quitting. Featured guest Follow Anthony Klotz on LinkedIn and at anthonyklotz.com/ Buy Jolted: Why We Quit, When to Stay, and Why it Matters Connect with the team Follow Anne on Instagram and LinkedIn Follow Frances on Instagram and LinkedIn Watch Fixable videos on youtube.com/@TEDPods Visit Anne and Frances’ website Have a question you want Anne and Frances to solve? Email the team at fixable@ted.com or leave a voicemail at 234-349-2253 Follow TED on X, Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn, and TikTok For the full text transcript, visit ted.com/podcasts/fixable-transcripts Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
August 10 · 41 min
How play is the secret to success at work with Maxwell Pearce | from How to Be a Better Human
Why is it so fun to watch your team win in the World Cup or to be a Knicks fan as they finally get an NBA championship? There’s a collective joy in sports that can also be found in art, theater, and comedy. In this episode of How to Be a Better Human with Maxwell Pearce, Chris talks to him about his accomplishments as a mixed media artist and a Harlem Globetrotter. Maxwell integrates playfulness into his art and in sports—whether it’s using shoelaces as texture in his artwork or training his body to perform a basketball trick shot. Maxwell shares how play is the secret ingredient in his career and how changing the way he thinks about the rules and mistakes allows him to have more fun and more successes. For the full text transcript, visit ted.com/podcasts/fixable-transcripts Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
August 3 · 38 min
How to get the most out of AI with Nick Lichtenberg
As an editor at Fortune, Nick Lichtenberg made a big stir in the world of journalism and beyond when he revealed that he used AI to help publish over 600 articles this year.His expansive use of this new tech to research, edit, and draft many of his stories has sparked fierce debate both inside and outside the media industry. In this episode, Nick joins Anne and Frances to break down his approach to AI, and make the case for why AI can’t replace your job, but it can make you better at it. He also shares his theory that AI tools benefit just as much from positive reinforcement as people do, and offers practical advice for how to make the most of them without sacrificing human judgment. Featured guest Follow Nick Lichtenberg on LinkedIn and at fortune.com/author/nick-lichtenberg/ Connect with the team Follow Anne on Instagram and LinkedIn Follow Frances on Instagram and LinkedIn Watch Fixable videos on youtube.com/@TEDPods Visit Anne and Frances’ website Have a question you want Anne and Frances to solve? Email the team at fixable@ted.com or leave a voicemail at 234-349-2253 Follow TED on X, Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn, and TikTok For the full text transcript, visit ted.com/podcasts/fixable-transcripts Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
July 27 · 37 min
How to manage in times of uncertainty with Dara Treseder
When change is constant, strong leadership keeps teams grounded and ready for what’s next. Dara Treseder, chief marketing and commercial officer at the tech company Autodesk, has helped lead her organization through this fast-moving moment with clarity and optimism. In this episode, Anne and Frances talk with Dara about her approach to AI and the future of work, and how she helps her team embrace uncertainty with confidence. Dara also shares advice on cultivating advocates early in your career and reflects on a lesson from her mother about the power of persistence. Featured guest Follow Dara Treseder on Instagram, LinkedIn, and at https://daratreseder.com/ Connect with the team Follow Anne on Instagram and LinkedIn Follow Frances on Instagram and LinkedIn Watch Fixable videos on youtube.com/@TEDPods Visit Anne and Frances’ website Have a question you want Anne and Frances to solve? Email the team at fixable@ted.com or leave a voicemail at 234-349-2253 Follow TED on X, Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn, and TikTok For the full text transcript, visit ted.com/podcasts/fixable-transcripts Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
July 20 · 44 min
How to handle big feelings at work with Ethan Kross
In this era of profound change, uncertainty creates not only strategic challenges at work, but emotional ones, too. Ethan Kross is a psychology professor at the University of Michigan’s Ross School of Business whose research explores how people can better manage their thoughts, feelings, and behaviors. In this episode, Ethan joins Anne and Frances to debunk common misconceptions about managing emotions and shares practical tools for navigating stress more skillfully. He also offers advice for leaders coaching their teams through emotionally charged moments, and helps Frances reframe a conflict with her mother. Featured guest Follow Ethan Kross on Instagram, LinkedIn, and at https://www.ethankross.com/ Buy Shift: Managing Your Emotions—So They Don't Manage You Connect with the team Follow Anne on Instagram and LinkedIn Follow Frances on Instagram and LinkedIn Watch Fixable videos on youtube.com/@TEDPods Visit Anne and Frances’ website Have a question you want Anne and Frances to solve? Email the team at fixable@ted.com or leave a voicemail at 234-349-2253 Follow TED on X, Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn, and TikTok For the full text transcript, visit ted.com/podcasts/fixable-transcripts Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
July 13 · 33 min
The power of constraints (w/ Master Fixer David Epstein)
Constraints often feel frustrating and limiting — but they can also create the friction that sparks creative breakthroughs, reveals better solutions, and leads to more thoughtful decisionmaking. In this episode, Anne and Frances are joined by David Epstein, an investigative reporter and bestselling author of the new book Inside the Box: How Constraints Make Us Better. They discuss why limits are powerful tools for clarity and innovation, examining case studies of companies that used constraints to accelerate their success (and others that struggled after removing them). They also explore the constraints-based strategies elite athletes use in their training routines. Featured guest Follow David Epstein on Instagram, LinkedIn, Facebook, and at davidepstein.com/ Buy Inside the Box: How Constraints Make Us Better Subscribe to David's substack Range Widely Connect with the team Follow Anne on Instagram and LinkedIn Follow Frances on Instagram and LinkedIn Watch Fixable videos on youtube.com/@TEDPods Visit Anne and Frances’ website Have a question you want Anne and Frances to solve? Email the team at fixable@ted.com or leave a voicemail at 234-349-2253 Follow TED on X, Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn, and TikTok For the full text transcript, visit ted.com/podcasts/fixable-transcripts Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
July 9 · 46 min
What sitting all day does to your brain and body | Keith Diaz | Your Body on Tech
Can a five-minute walk change how you feel all day? Exercise scientist Keith Diaz shows how your body is built for the kind of movement that modern life has quietly erased — and suggests something refreshingly doable: making time for small doses of movement sprinkled throughout the day, as a way to boost your brain and body. And stick around after his talk for a deep dive conversation with our guest host for the week, author and podcaster Manoush Zomorodi, into the ideas he shared on stage and beyond. This is episode one of a seven-part series airing this week on TED Talks Daily, where Manoush — and the seven speakers she curated for TED2026 — explore how you can live a healthier life in our high-tech era. To hear more from Manoush, listen to TED Radio Hour wherever you get your podcasts. Check out her new book, Body Electric, to learn more about the hidden health costs of the digital age. For the full text transcript, visit ted.com/podcasts/fixable-transcripts Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
July 6 · 37 min
Friction 101: How to make the right things easier and wrong things harder (w/ Bob Sutton and Huggy Rao) (re-release)
Do you feel like you’re hitting a wall at work? This week, Anne and Frances are joined by Master Fixers Bob Sutton and Huggy Rao. Bob and Huggy are professors at Stanford University and authors of “The Friction Project: How Smart Leaders Make the Right Things Easier and the Wrong Things Harder”. Together, the four discuss how anyone can eliminate the obstacles to doing their best work—and create constraints that make work even better. This episode originally aired in 2024. For the full text transcript, visit ted.com/podcasts/fixable-transcripts Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
June 29 · 50 min
Finding Purpose: Why purpose is the answer to uncertainty and anxiety (w/ Arun Gupta)
Work today is a lot less stable than it used to be. Career paths that once seemed predictable are constantly being disrupted and reshaped, leaving many of us feeling unsteady. In this final episode of the Finding Purpose series, Anne and Frances are joined by Arun Gupta, CEO of the NobleReach Foundation, who has spent his career helping people find ways to serve causes bigger than themselves. Arun makes the case for why following your purpose can be a powerful antidote to instability and anxiety, and shares practical ways to discover your own purpose. Anne and Frances also reflect on what they’ve learned from guests throughout the series. Featured guest Arun Gupta Connect with the team Follow Anne on Instagram and LinkedIn Follow Frances on Instagram and LinkedIn Watch Fixable videos on youtube.com/@TEDAudioCollective Visit Anne and Frances’ website Have a question you want Anne and Frances to solve? Email the team at fixable@ted.com or leave a voicemail at 234-349-2253 Follow TED on X, Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn, and TikTok For the full text transcript, visit ted.com/podcasts/fixable-transcripts Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
June 22 · 35 min
Finding Purpose: How to defend your values (w/ Yara Shahidi & Keri Salter)
In a world that won’t stop changing, knowing what matters most can make all the difference. Yara Shahidi and Keri Salter are a mother-daughter duo building a more inclusive and imaginative Hollywood through their production company, 7th Sun Productions. In this episode, Anne sits down with Yara and Keri at the TED Conference in Vancouver to dig into their “highest order” framework for aligning purpose with priorities. They also reflect on how purpose evolves over a lifetime and explore what today’s changemakers can learn from previous generations. Featured guest Follow Yara Shahidi on Instagram, TikTok, and her podcast The Optimistic Project Follow Keri Salter on Instagram and LinkedIn Learn more about 7th Sun Productions Connect with the team Follow Anne on Instagram and LinkedIn Follow Frances on Instagram and LinkedIn Watch Fixable videos on youtube.com/@TEDAudioCollective Visit Anne and Frances’ website Have a question you want Anne and Frances to solve? Email the team at fixable@ted.com or leave a voicemail at 234-349-2253 Follow TED on X, Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn, and TikTok For the full text transcript, visit ted.com/podcasts/fixable-transcripts Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
June 15 · 43 min
Finding Purpose: How to give your work meaning (w/ the New York Times Jodi Kantor)
In uncertain times, purposeful work can feel impractical and out of reach. But award-winning investigative reporter Jodi Kantor argues that meaning is both essential and available to all of us. Anne and Frances dive into the lessons from Jodi’s latest book, “How to Start: Discovering Your Life's Work,” and explore practical strategies for anyone looking to chart a more purposeful career. The three also discuss two key principles for finding work that matters and challenge the idea that economic stability and purpose are mutually exclusive. Featured guest Follow Jodi Kantor on Instagram, LinkedIn, and at https://jodikantor.com/ Buy How to Start: Discovering Your Life's Work Read Jodi's NYT's articles Connect with the team Follow Anne on Instagram and LinkedIn Follow Frances on Instagram and LinkedIn Watch Fixable videos on youtube.com/@TEDAudioCollective Visit Anne and Frances’ website Have a question you want Anne and Frances to solve? Email the team at fixable@ted.com or leave a voicemail at 234-349-2253 Follow TED on X, Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn, and TikTok For the full text transcript, visit ted.com/podcasts/fixable-transcripts Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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