BusinessManagementCareersEntrepreneurship

Worklife with Molly Graham

TED

The world of work is changing, fast. The full range of human emotion can happen on the job: ambition and failure, joy and burnout, confidence and self-doubt. Company builder Molly Graham knows all about those messy feelings – and she believes they can actually be the roadmap to a meaningful career. On WorkLife, Molly sits down with all kinds of people – founders and operators, entertainers and creatives – to explore how to build a career without losing yourself. Each week, she’ll uncover the messy stories behind the shiniest successes, and share the real lessons about work that no one ever posts on Linkedin.

Follow Molly!

Instagram: @molly_graham
LinkedIn: @mograham
Substack: Lessons
Website: https://glueclub.com/

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Tuesday · 53 min
How to figure out what you want with Simone Stolzoff
We spend more time at work than we do on just about anything else, so how you spend your time at work matters. In this first episode of the How to Get What You Want at Work series, Molly sits down with journalist Simone Stolzoff, author of The Good Enough Job and How to Not Know, to unpack the first fundamental question of finding the right job for you: what do you actually want? Simone breaks down the extrinsic and intrinsic motivations that drive us to show up for work, and offers guidance on how to tell the difference between what you really want and what you think you should. He also shares practical tips for clarifying your values, crafting your current job to be more like the one you want, and interrogating your choices before you make them. 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.
October 27 · 46 min
Why you need to fail at work with Astro Teller
When you’re tasked with a big project at work, your first instinct is probably to put your head down, be as productive as possible, and nail it on the first try. But while this approach is often rewarded, it can get in the way of real creativity and innovation. Astro Teller is the head of the X team at Alphabet, a company that creates radical technologies to help solve some of the world’s largest problems. His official title is Captain of Moonshots, and he frequently leads a “bad ideas brainstorm” session to produce radical innovation in his team. In this episode, Molly attends one of these sessions and sits down with Astro to learn more about his “innovation machine” at X’s Moonshot Factory. Astro emphasizes the importance of taking real risks and celebrating failure, and shares 5 principles any organization can use to help drive innovation. He also points out things around X’s office that encourage creativity, and explains why employees there have to break a simple rule to get into the building. 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.
October 20 · 28 min
Diagnose your team’s problems with the Waterline Model
If a team isn’t working well, everybody feels it. But when problems arise in your team, the issue usually runs deeper than the people experiencing it. In this episode, Molly breaks down the Waterline Model, a framework developed by organizational psychologist Roger Harrison to help diagnose workplace problems by looking beneath the surface at the systems and dynamics that shape the way an organization functions. She explains the 4 layers of dysfunction that are often the root cause of workplace issues and how to address them, emphasises the importance of clear communication and definition of goals and roles, and shares how the Waterline Model has helped her throughout her career, including as a wilderness instructor at the National Outdoor Leadership School. 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.
October 13 · 46 min
Feeling stuck? Why your first job might have all the answers.
Whether you’re working on Wall Street or bussing tables, every job has something to teach you—and no job is more full of learning opportunities than your first. In this new Storytime segment, Molly invites Ashley Murphy back to swap stories about their first experiences in the working world and share advice for people navigating a new position. They break down how to set yourself up for success on day one, emphasise the importance of listening and asking dumb questions early on, and reflect on a story from past guest Claire Hughes Johnson about her very first job and how it shaped her mindset for the rest of her career. 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 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.
October 6 · 43 min
How to nail your story in an interview with Jamie Tilotta Green
Many people approach job searches backwards, trying to squeeze themselves into the mold of what a company is looking for in a candidate. But there are two sides to every hiring decision, and who you are and what you want is just as important as the job description. Jamie Tilotta Green is one of the most respected recruiters in Silicon Valley, and has helped some of the world’s most influential tech companies find their senior leaders. In this episode, Jamie joins Molly to take a closer look at what it actually means to be a good fit for a job, and how to effectively and authentically tell your story in an interview. She also offers advice on how to identify your key strengths, shares strategies for finding out the truth about what a company is actually like before you take the job, and reflects on the things that never change about hiring. Featured guest Follow Jamie Tilotta Green 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.
October 4 · 1 hr 34 min
The grief, loneliness, and burnout sweeping through the tech industry right now | from Lenny's Podcast
Molly Graham is back for round two, and this one is even more powerful. Molly has spent more than 20 years helping organizations and the humans inside them navigate growth and change. She’s held leadership roles at Google, Facebook, Quip, and the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative and is the host of TED’s WorkLife podcast (which she took over from Adam Grant). She also runs Glue Club, a leadership community for senior operators, and writes a popular newsletter called Lessons. In our in-depth conversation, we discuss: Why Molly’s famous “give away your Legos” career advice no longer holds true in an AI world The grief, loneliness, and burnout sweeping through the tech industry right now Why delegating to AI is fundamentally different from delegating to a human The fear narrative around AI job displacement, and why it’s overblown Which Legos you should never give to AI What the best managers are doing right now For the full text transcript, visit https://www.ted.com/podcasts/worklife-transcripts Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
September 29 · 49 min
Can AI really teach your kids? with Leah Belsky
Technology has been promising to revolutionize education for a long time. Online learning, smartphones, and even asynchronous classes during COVID seemed for a while like they might finally transform what learning can look like, but all we really learned was that changing education is slower and harder than anyone wants it to be. Could AI finally be the unlock we’ve been looking for? Leah Belsky has spent nearly 20 years at the intersection of education and technology. She helped lead Coursera during the rise of online learning, and is now the head of education at OpenAI. In this episode, Molly sits down with Leah to find out what AI really has to offer as a learning tool, and where it falls short of the hype. Leah shares what she’s learned as both a leader in the ed tech world and a parent of AI-curious kids, and offers tips for how to coach kids to use AI as an empowering tool without getting in the way of their learning. Featured guest Follow Leah Belsky 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.
September 22 · 57 min
How to survive a life quake with Chip Conley
We all know the stereotypical story of the midlife crisis: leave your spouse, buy the red convertible, start from scratch and blow up your whole life. But for most people, the transitional period of midlife is a little more complicated, and it doesn’t have to feel like a crisis. Chip Conley founded Joie de Vivre Hospitality in his 20s, and built it into one of the largest boutique hotel companies in the country—but then the Great Recession, a near-death experience, and other personal tragedies forced him to reevaluate his ambitions. Now Chip is the founder of the Modern Elder Academy, where he’s spent the last eight years working with people in the middle of their lives who are trying to figure out what the next chapter of their work and life is supposed to look like. In this episode, Chip and Molly explore different ways to frame the midlife crisis as a joyful and important transition. Chip shares a “midlife atrium” framework to promote taking time to step back, ask bigger questions, and curate the second half of your life, and Molly reflects on how she broke out of the success scripts prescribed to her in her youth. Chip also shares a “wisdom hack” for reflecting on what he’s learned throughout his career, and breaks down the three stages of a healthy transition. Featured guest Follow Chip Conley on Instagram, LinkedIn, and at his website Buy Learning to Love Midlife 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.
September 15 · 50 min
Bryce Dallas Howard on the realities of being handed a head start
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.
September 8 · 36 min
How to say no | from WorkLife with Adam Grant
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.
September 1 · 45 min
How to help your people feel heard with Kaya Henderson
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.
August 25 · 35 min
How to find a peer group that lifts you up with Bill Gurley
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.
August 18 · 48 min
Forget the corporate ladder — winners take risks with Molly Graham | from TED Talks Daily
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.
August 11 · 46 min
Can AI make you a better manager? with Hilary Gridley
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.
August 4 · 25 min
Lessons: What to do when you get “layered” at work
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.
July 28 · 45 min
What pressure can teach you about leadership with Don Faul
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.
July 21 · 41 min
Why you should give away your most valuable assets with TED Chairman Chris Anderson
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.
July 14 · 39 min
Why faith has a place at work with Stacy Brown-Philpot
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.
July 7 · 36 min
How to find your way when you feel lost with Ify Walker
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.
June 30 · 32 min
Why the smartest person in the room is asking the “dumb” questions | from TED Business
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.

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