Fixable

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 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 [email protected] 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.

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 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 [email protected] 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.

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 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 [email protected] 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.

We all carry insecurities and negative beliefs that can quietly hold us back—but rewriting that narrative is up to us. In this episode, Anne and Frances call on leadership expert and executive coach Muriel Wilkins, author of the new book Leadership Unblocked, to unpack the self-doubt that often stands in our way. Together, they break down Muriel’s seven most common leadership blockers, examine where these limiting beliefs come from, and answer listener questions about how to get what you want at work.

Featured guest

• Follow Muriel Wilkins on Instagram, LinkedIn, and at https://www.murielwilkins.com/
• Buy Leadership Unblocked by Muriel Wilkins

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 [email protected] 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.

When an organization lays people off, those who remain are often left scrambling to find their footing – and hold other people up – in an environment that no longer feels stable. In the wake of ongoing tech layoffs and the Trump administration’s efforts to reshape the public sector, Anne and Frances are back with a new Unsolicited Advice segment to set the record straight about what layoffs mean for an organization — and the responsibility leaders have to own what went wrong.

This episode originally aired on March 3, 2025.

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 [email protected] 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.

What makes a company extraordinary? In this episode, Anne and Frances study Zappos, the online shoe retailer that shaped the early days of e-commerce and even outperformed Amazon by delighting everyone in its ecosystem, from customers to employees to suppliers. They discuss how the company bet on exceptional service rather than traditional marketing, built a deliberately distinctive workplace culture, and the steps founder Tony Hsieh took to put happiness at the center of his business model.

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 [email protected] 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.

In this Quick Fixes episode, Anne and Frances work to solve three callers’ tricky work problems in under 30 minutes. One listener struggles to collaborate with a difficult colleague, the next asks a follow-up question about a previous episode “How to get good at being bad,” and a final caller wants to empower her team while keeping important issues and decisions on track. 

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 [email protected] 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.

With a new year comes new goals and new hopes and dreams. 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 tackle the important first step of setting those (ambitious) goals, and break down the tried-and-true Harada Method into a few easy steps. They take a closer look at Shohei Ohtani, a baseball player who put this method into wildly successful practice, and discuss how they set goals in their own lives and in their relationship.

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 [email protected] 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.

Next week we're launching a new season of Fixable, so today we're sharing an episode from the archive.

Are you feeling overwhelmed, uninspired, or burned out at work? In this special Unsolicited Advice episode, Anne and Frances are getting ready for summer by tackling the importance of rest and the power of intention. They offer unexpected tips and tricks for recovering from constant stress, owning what you need to feel alive and engaged, and creating an experience of work that unleashes your ambition.

This episode originally aired on June 23, 2025.

For the full text transcript, visit ted.com/podcasts/fixable-transcripts

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Edith Zimmerman is a sketchbook cartoonist and writer of the Substack newsletter, Drawing Links. In this episode, she joins Chris to talk about honesty and self-discovery. From sharing her artwork to discussing her sobriety journey to falling in love with running, Edith and Chris explore how creativity and pursuing new activities can help you overcome personal challenges.

This episode is part of the How to Be a Better Human Bonus Videos series. You can find the extended video companion on the TED YouTube Channel.

Watch

Edith draw and go running with Chris: https://youtu.be/1jWA3mE5o9Y

Edith and Chris' interview: https://youtu.be/U_tOmuja0w8

For the full text transcript, visit ted.com/podcasts/fixable-transcripts

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.