Ordinarily, Becoming You is a podcast about the information we have to excavate, the decisions we need to make, and the actions we have to take, in order to live by design, not default. This week, in an unusually intimate episode, our host Suzy Welch talks about the words you need to say, three to be exact, to the same end. The only hitch is, you need to say them before it’s too late.

Suzy almost missed that chance with her lifelong best friend, Sue Jacobson, this week’s special guest, in an episode that brings us inside a hospital room awash with despair, and plumbs just what it means to demonstrate the very hard, very necessary act of mattering.

Yes, mattering. It sounds simple. It feels obvious. And yet, as this episode explores, most of us are getting it wrong.

Drawing on the research of Professor Zach Mercurio, and decades of real-life friendship, work, loss, and resilience, Suzy breaks mattering down into three teachable practices: Noticing, affirming, and needing. These aren’t platitudes. They’re behaviors. And when done right, their impact is profound.

You’ll hear live demonstrations with Suzy and Sue, honest missteps, and one extraordinary story that reveals why telling people “you matter” isn’t enough. Along the way, Suzy and Sue admit to friendship ruptures, leadership lessons, near-loss, and why vulnerability is the most underused advantage in work and life.

If you want to be a better boss, partner, friend – or simply a more impactful human – this episode will give you tools you can use today. Fair warning: it may also make you cry.

The Values Bridge digital assessment is available at thevaluesbridge.com
PIE360 Feedback tool is available at pie360feedback.com
Want more Becoming You? Check out the Becoming You book.
You are always growing and evolving and so are we. Sign up for the Becoming You newsletter for fresh new content in one tidy package.

You can follow and tag Suzy on:

• Instagram: @suzywelch
• Linkedin: @suzywelch
• TikTok: @suzywelch
• YouTube: @suzywelch_
• X: @SuzyWelch

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Before you're fired, you're a ghost. You just don't know it yet.

Suzy Welch calls this phenomenon "dead man walking"—that strange purgatory when your boss has mentally let you go but hasn't said the words yet. You're still showing up, still sending emails, still thinking you have a job. But something has already ended.

In this special "Career Confidential" episode of Becoming You, Suzy and her NYU Stern colleague Dustin Liu pull back the curtain on the part of getting fired no one talks about: what's happening on the other side of the desk. The guilt. The anger. The calculus about when to do it. The weird emotional roller coaster your boss rides before ending your career.

But this isn't just the boss's story. Suzy and Dustin dig into what it feels like to be on the other side—the shock, the shame, the strange grief of a professional death. Suzy has been fired three times herself. Once by Harvard Business Review. Once by a consulting firm. And once—in a story she tells here in full—by her own husband. Dustin watched three friends get let go within ninety minutes of each other. They've seen the drama of career collapse from every angle.

This is a podcast of specifics. The five signs you're about to be fired aren't vague hunches—they're patterns, and Suzy walks through each one with the kind of bluntness that might make you uncomfortable. The meeting invites that dry up. The feedback that stops. The subtle shifts in how people talk to you. By the time you notice, you may already be halfway out the door.

But here's what most career advice won't tell you: sometimes you can climb back. Not always, but sometimes. Suzy breaks down exactly what that looks like—the conversations you need to have, the moves that can reverse your trajectory, and why most people won't do them. It requires honesty most of us would rather avoid.

This isn't a pep talk. It's your boss's diary—and possibly your last chance to rewrite the ending.

The Values Bridge digital assessment is available at thevaluesbridge.com
PIE360 Feedback tool is available at pie360feedback.com
Want more Becoming You? Check out the Becoming You book.
You are always growing and evolving and so are we. Sign up for the Becoming You newsletter for fresh new content in one tidy package.

You can follow and tag Suzy on:

• Instagram: @suzywelch
• Linkedin: @suzywelch
• TikTok: @suzywelch
• YouTube: @suzywelch_
• X: @SuzyWelch

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Every year, we make New Year’s resolutions. And every year…we break them. But why?

In this episode of Becoming You, your host Suzy Welch takes on one of the most universal – and quietly painful – rituals of the calendar year, and explains why New Year’s resolutions almost never work…unless you understand what’s really driving them.

In the Becoming You methodology, that’s called the Authenticity Gap: the distance between the values you hold and how much you’re actually living them. That ache you feel, the sense that you’re “fine, but not quite fine,” that’s where New Year’s resolutions come from. A values disconnect.

Drawing on exclusive data from Becoming You’s Values Bridge digital assessment, Suzy breaks down why the average person is walking around with a 27% authenticity gap (and what that number means), which values tend to cause the biggest riffs for people, and why your resolutions might be making your Authenticity Gap worse. 

Along the way, Suzy shares deeply personal stories, from a family resolution tradition that still hurts to remember, to a hairdresser’s very honest shopping confession. Plus, Suzy explores what it really means to live an A-plus life in a world that often pulls us away from ourselves. And yes…finally…Suzy explains her lifelong crush on Pitbull.

If you’ve ever made a New Year’s resolution that didn’t stick, this episode will give you a completely new way to make your goals for the year ahead. So stick with Suzy for 30 minutes. This one might actually change your year.

The Values Bridge digital assessment is available at thevaluesbridge.com
PIE360 Feedback tool is available at pie360feedback.com
Want more Becoming You? Check out the Becoming You book.
You are always growing and evolving and so are we. Sign up for the Becoming You newsletter for fresh new content in one tidy package.

You can follow and tag Suzy on:

• Instagram: @suzywelch
• Linkedin: @suzywelch
• TikTok: @suzywelch
• YouTube: @suzywelch_
• X: @SuzyWelch

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Career success, life success – you want them, but here’s the thing, they will remain ever elusive until you know your aptitudes. Don’t bolt! We know that word sounds like jargon. Or like pure academic BS. But aptitudes are real, and you have very specific ones, and knowing what they are can and will change your life. Take it from Suzy, who in this week’s gasp-worthy pod (yes, just wait and see) tells us how she learned that very lesson the hard way.

The Values Bridge digital assessment is available at thevaluesbridge.com
PIE360 Feedback tool is available at pie360feedback.com
Want more Becoming You? Check out the Becoming You book.
You are always growing and evolving and so are we. Sign up for the Becoming You newsletter for fresh new content in one tidy package.

You can follow and tag Suzy on:

• Instagram: @suzywelch
• Linkedin: @suzywelch
• TikTok: @suzywelch
• YouTube: @suzywelch_
• X: @SuzyWelch

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Christmas is supposed to be joyful. Magical. Simple. So why does Becoming You host Suzy Welch feel so…troubled…by Santa Claus?

This week on the podcast, Becoming You is celebrating Christmas with a conversation about one of the most misunderstood of the 16 values in Becoming You’s Values Bridge system: Cosmos. 

Cosmos represents religion or spirituality—not any specific religion, but the degree to which faith shapes how someone experiences the world. And here’s what the data tells us: Cosmos is the most polarized value there is. You either have it…or you don’t. Suzy does.

In this episode, she explores what it’s like to live as a high-Cosmos person in a largely Santa-forward, faith-agnostic culture—especially at Christmas. Why suppressing your #1 value can be exhausting. Why faith can feel disconcerting to people who don’t share it. And why understanding this value—whether it’s yours or not—may be one of the most important acts of respect we can offer each other.

Along the way, Suzy shares her own unexpected faith story, why she almost left Cosmos out of the Values Bridge entirely, and what Christmas means to her. 

This is not a sermon. It’s not an argument. And it’s definitely not a typical holiday episode. It’s an invitation: to understand a value you may not share, to see the people who hold it more clearly, and to consider whether the greatest gift this season might be learning how to honor each other’s differences—with compassion, curiosity, and a little grace.

The Values Bridge digital assessment is available at thevaluesbridge.com
PIE360 Feedback tool is available at pie360feedback.com
Want more Becoming You? Check out the Becoming You book.
You are always growing and evolving and so are we. Sign up for the Becoming You newsletter for fresh new content in one tidy package.

You can follow and tag Suzy on:

• Instagram: @suzywelch
• Linkedin: @suzywelch
• TikTok: @suzywelch
• YouTube: @suzywelch_
• X: @SuzyWelch

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

In this special episode of Becoming You, your host Suzy Welch does something few mothers-in-law would dare to do: she cold-calls her daughters-in-law and asks that question – Am I a good mother in law?

Suzy is joined by clinical psychologist and relationship expert Dr. Tracy Dalgleish, author of You, Your Husband & His Mother, for an honest, deeply human conversation about values and family. Together, they ask: What does a good mother-in-law really look like? Why do the holidays so often expose unspoken power dynamics and values conflicts? And how does insecurity – especially in family systems – cause us to lose curiosity, shut down, and stop asking the questions that actually build connection?

Dr. Tracy explains why staying curious about a daughter-in-law (or any new family member) is one of the most important – and hardest – skills to develop, and how inquiry can replace control without sacrificing your values. 

They also explore whether couples can thrive with differing values and why sometimes the healthiest move isn’t pulling harder on either side, but dropping the rope entirely and accepting that not everyone in your family will see the world the way you do. Suzy shares a moving story about her son and daughter-in-law – a seemingly simple moment – that reveals what it really means to face family pressure together.

This episode is for anyone navigating in-laws, holidays, or family tension, and wondering how to stay true to themselves without losing the relationship.

Find Dr. Tracy Dalgleish

https://drtracyd.com/

https://www.instagram.com/drtracyd/?hl=en

The Values Bridge digital assessment is available at thevaluesbridge.com
PIE360 Feedback tool is available at pie360feedback.com
Want more Becoming You? Check out the Becoming You book.
You are always growing and evolving and so are we. Sign up for the Becoming You newsletter for fresh new content in one tidy package.

You can follow and tag Suzy on:

• Instagram: @suzywelch
• Linkedin: @suzywelch
• TikTok: @suzywelch
• YouTube: @suzywelch_
• X: @SuzyWelch

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

What makes a relationship truly work? Is it chemistry, shared interests, or something deeper – something that holds when life gets complicated? In this special installment of Becoming Us, where host Suzy Welch applies the Becoming You values methodology to couples, Suzy sits down with media and reality TV personality Sam Feher and her boyfriend William Hayden, co-founder of the startup Bags. Together, they explore how aligned values create the real foundation for a strong, lasting partnership.

Using the proven, data-driven Becoming You values framework, Suzy helps Sam and William illuminate exactly where their values naturally align and where meaningful gaps appear. They dig into one of their biggest value contrasts: Cosmos, the value of faith, which sits at the very bottom of Sam’s list but in William’s top tier. They discuss navigating conversations about religion and spirituality with respect instead of friction. And they unpack the reverse dynamic with Belonging – a core value for Sam, but one of William’s lowest – complete with a hilarious story about a competitive game night that revealed exactly what Belonging looks like in action for them as a couple.

Throughout the conversation, Suzy shows how understanding these contrasts through The Values Bridge can turn potential conflicts into opportunities for connection. And she also reveals the “green flag” of all green flags: the one value Sam and William rank nearly identically – and how that shared priority quietly strengthens their relationship every single day.

This episode is a masterclass in how clarity about your own values – and your partner’s – can turn “me” and “you” into a thriving, unstoppable “us.”

Find Sam on Instagram and CAPS LOCK podcast

Find William's company, Bags

The Values Bridge digital assessment is available at thevaluesbridge.com
PIE360 Feedback tool is available at pie360feedback.com
Want more Becoming You? Check out the Becoming You book.
You are always growing and evolving and so are we. Sign up for the Becoming You newsletter for fresh new content in one tidy package.

You can follow and tag Suzy on:

• Instagram: @suzywelch
• Linkedin: @suzywelch
• TikTok: @suzywelch
• YouTube: @suzywelch_
• X: @SuzyWelch

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Only 11% of Americans rank family as their #1 value.

That's not a guess. It's data from nearly 100,000 respondents of The Values Bridge—the largest values data set ever compiled.

On this episode of Becoming You, host Suzy Welch breaks down the research from Becoming You Labs behind her widely discussed Wall Street Journal op-ed, "For Americans, Family Comes First—Or Does It?" And she's brought in the perfect person to help make sense of it: renowned family therapist Vienna Pharaon.

What The Values Bridge reveals about family challenges nearly everything we've been told about what matters most—and raises profound questions about how we're actually living our lives. That's why this conversation feels so personal—and important.

Suzy and Vienna explore:

• Why our childhood experiences and the messages we absorbed growing up shape our values more than we realize.
• The values that consistently outrank family, like self-care and flourishing.
• How to honor your real values and design a life around them—without the guilt that comes from not living up to others' expectations.

This conversation isn't about whether you love your family. It's about understanding what genuinely drives your choices, your energy, and how you spend your days.

If you've ever felt guilty for not wanting to go home for the holidays, or wondered why you don't feel about family the way you think you should—you're not alone. And this conversation will help you understand why.

Where to find Vienna Pharaon:

Workbook: https://viennapharaon.com/wound-workbooks-opt-in/

Quiz: https://1wsm6geg69z.typeform.com/to/d981R7Cl

Website: https://viennapharaon.com

Instagram: @mindfulmft

Facebook: MindfulMFT

TikTok: mindfulmft

The Values Bridge digital assessment is available at thevaluesbridge.com
PIE360 Feedback tool is available at pie360feedback.com
Want more Becoming You? Check out the Becoming You book.
You are always growing and evolving and so are we. Sign up for the Becoming You newsletter for fresh new content in one tidy package.

You can follow and tag Suzy on:

• Instagram: @suzywelch
• Linkedin: @suzywelch
• TikTok: @suzywelch
• YouTube: @suzywelch_
• X: @SuzyWelch

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Happy Thanksgiving, Becoming You community. This podcast exists to help you think deeply about your purpose—and today, our host Suzy Welch is doing exactly that in one of her most reflective episodes yet.

Before turning to the four things she's happily thankful for right here and now, Suzy examines three significant mistakes she's only grown grateful for over time. A highly specialized (and utterly impractical) college major. Her painful first marriage. A spectacular termination. Three consequential missteps—and the wisdom each eventually revealed may not be what you'd anticipate.

This is an unusually candid conversation. The path to purpose, it turns out, isn't always paved with achievements. Sometimes it's forged through the decisions we initially wish we could undo.

This Thanksgiving, we're sitting with the paradox of gratitude—for the detours that redirected us, the lessons that only time could teach, and the unexpected places where meaning takes root.

Happy Thanksgiving. Let's keep becoming us, together.

The Values Bridge digital assessment is available at thevaluesbridge.com
PIE360 Feedback tool is available at pie360feedback.com
Want more Becoming You? Check out the Becoming You book.
You are always growing and evolving and so are we. Sign up for the Becoming You newsletter for fresh new content in one tidy package.

You can follow and tag Suzy on:

• Instagram: @suzywelch
• Linkedin: @suzywelch
• TikTok: @suzywelch
• YouTube: @suzywelch_
• X: @SuzyWelch

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

It's time once again for a mailbag episode of Becoming You, in which host Suzy Welch tackles three "I feel stuck" moments that couldn't be more different—except they all demand the kind of honesty that stings a little before it sets you free.

First up: a stay-at-home mom who adores her kids but has completely lost herself in the process. Suzy unpacks the deep, painful ironies of motherhood and what it really means to reclaim your identity without guilt.

Next: a listener who wants permission to quit a job after just two months, citing her "values." With compassion—but also clarity—Suzy draws a crucial distinction between values and virtues, and gently pushes back on what's really happening here: breaking a contract, letting down a friend, and maybe engineering a little vacation time. "This is not about values," Suzy says. "This is about right and wrong." It's tough love, delivered with heart.

Finally: a 73-year-old listener asks whether Becoming You even applies in retirement. Suzy's answer? An emphatic yes. The clock isn't ticking backward, and purpose doesn't come with an expiration date. In fact, "third halfers" might be the most ideal Becoming You audience of all.

Plus, a final lightning-round question about Suzy's workplace pet peeves. Warning: a pun may be involved. Tune in to find out—and while you're at it, hear a few messages that may strike home, and heart.

The Values Bridge digital assessment is available at thevaluesbridge.com
PIE360 Feedback tool is available at pie360feedback.com
Want more Becoming You? Check out the Becoming You book.
You are always growing and evolving and so are we. Sign up for the Becoming You newsletter for fresh new content in one tidy package.

You can follow and tag Suzy on:

• Instagram: @suzywelch
• Linkedin: @suzywelch
• TikTok: @suzywelch
• YouTube: @suzywelch_
• X: @SuzyWelch

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.