Fixable

We’re constantly negotiating in our everyday lives—deciding where to go to dinner, haggling with sellers on Facebook Marketplace—but when it comes to higher-stakes conversations, clinching the deal can be daunting. In today’s episode, Frances calls on her colleague Deepak Malhotra for his expert advice at the negotiating table. They discuss how to balance flexibility and assertiveness, the pivotal role of empathy in conflict resolution, and the critical difference between interests and positions. Deepak also gives his take on the breakdown in talks over the WNBA's new collective bargaining agreement and shares plans for his new AI negotiation advisor.

Hosts & Guests

Anne Morriss (Instagram: @annemorriss | LinkedIn: @anne-morriss)

Frances Frei (Instagram: @francesxfrei | LinkedIn: @francesfrei)

Deepak Malhotra (LinkedIn: @prof-malhotra)

Links

https://anneandfrances.com/

https://www.hbs.edu/faculty/Pages/profile.aspx?facId=189290

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After the Minnesota Lynx were knocked out of the WNBA playoffs, star player Napheesa Collier used her exit interview to issue a scathing critique of the league’s leadership. In this installment of Unsolicited Advice, Anne and Frances coach the WNBA’s commissioner, Cathy Engelbert, on how to rebuild player trust, take full accountability for the league’s problems, and deliver an effective apology. They also address stalled progress in the players’ collective bargaining agreement and discuss what it will take for Engelbert to become a true champion for the organization’s most important stakeholders: the women on the floor playing world-class basketball.

Hosts

Anne Morriss (Instagram: @annemorriss | LinkedIn: @anne-morriss)

Frances Frei (Instagram: @francesxfrei | LinkedIn: @francesfrei)

Links

https://anneandfrances.com/

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

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How much time do you spend commuting to and from work in your car? And do you drive alone? In the US, the transportation sector emits more carbon pollution than any other sector—but in 1991, Washington State decided to take matters into their own hands. In this episode, Ryan and Anjali talk to Brian Lagerberg, who worked on the state’s commuter trip reduction plan: a policy that required employers to provide their employees with alternative ways to get to work. Together, they unpack the factors that led to the plan’s success and discuss how other cities and states can promote the same practices that make Washington the carpool state, and the kind of model that others can follow.

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

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Do you find yourself overwhelmed by too many Slack messages? Or unsure how to talk so that people will listen? In this episode, Anne and Frances help a caller who finds herself in the middle of a communication breakdown between her and her colleagues. Together, they explore the power of understanding your message deeply and communicating it simply. They also discuss the benefits of frequent, intentional repetition and the value of tools like video and AI to aid in company-wide communication.

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

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In this special Quick Fixes episode, Anne and Frances are joined by Morra Aarons-Mele, workplace mental health expert and author of The Anxious Achiever, to help three different callers with their confidence conundrums. One listener feels awkward in-person after years of remote work, the next wants to prepare his team for his exit from the company, and a final caller struggles to keep her spirits high during a frustrating job search.

Follow

Hosts: Anne Morriss (@annemorriss | LinkedIn: @anne-morriss), Frances Frei (@francesxfrei | LinkedIn: @francesfrei)

Guest: Morra Aarons-Mele (Instagram: @morraam | Website: https://morraam.com/) 

Links

https://anneandfrances.com/

The Anxious Achiever by Morra Aarons-Mele

Hiding in the Bathroom by Morra Aarons-Mele

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

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When negative feedback shakes your confidence, it can be difficult to get back to feeling like yourself at work. In this episode, Anne and Frances help a struggling listener who has spent years toning herself down in the workplace after being told that she was too assertive — now, she feels that her modest approach is holding her back. Together, they use Anne and Frances’s “trust triangle” framework to explore how empathy, authenticity, and logic can help you rebuild confidence and trust with your colleagues, and share helpful confidence hacks for getting comfy with discomfort.

What problems are you dealing with at work? Text or call 234-FIXABLE or email [email protected] to be featured on the show.

This episode originally aired on February 3, 2025.

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

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Up to 80% of people experience impostor syndrome at some point in their lives—a feeling of inadequacy and anxiety about perceived flaws. In this episode, Anne and Frances break down exactly what impostor syndrome is, why we tell ourselves stories that distort reality, and how to break free from these harmful thought patterns. They also introduce some close relatives of impostor syndrome and discuss the pathway back to confidence and a clear-eyed relationship with our own abilities. 

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

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Anne and Frances are back with a new season of Fixable to tackle a subject that impacts everyone’s experience of work: confidence. In this episode, the pair sit down with Master Fixer Ian Robertson, a professor of psychology at Trinity College Dublin and author of the new book How Confidence Works: The New Science of Self-Belief, to discuss where confidence comes from, how to inspire confidence in others, and how to deal with overconfident leaders. Ian also shares his confidence framework and explains why anxiety is actually your friend. 

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Hosts: Anne Morriss (@annemorriss | LinkedIn: @anne-morriss), Frances Frei (@francesxfrei | LinkedIn: @francesfrei)

Guest: Ian Robertson (Website: https://ianrobertson.org/) 

Links

https://anneandfrances.com/

https://ianrobertson.org/

How Confidence Works: The New Science of Self-Belief

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What’s the best way to transition back to work after going on leave? Wren is a newly minted director at a fintech company who got promoted into the role just a few months before going on maternity leave–and now she’s returning as the mom of a child with health challenges. However, her job and team have changed dramatically in her absence, and Wren doesn’t feel like the same person she was before her baby, either. Not knowing how to go into the office again, Wren turns to Anne and Frances for help. Anne and Frances give Wren a bombshell—she’s not going back to her old job, she’s starting a new one. Together, they create a plan for a successful restart and making the most of any transition.

This episode originally aired 9/18/2023

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

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We talk a lot about doing less to get more—but in practice, most organizations end up doing the opposite. When priorities pile up, and nothing gets removed or finished, the result is a familiar kind of chaos: too many projects, too little focus, and an endless loop of adding more in hopes of getting unstuck.

This week, Rodney Evans and Sam Spurlin unpack one of the most common organizational dynamics they see: the “more-is-more” trap of priority overload. They dig into why deprioritizing anything at work feels so psychologically and politically fraught, how identity and sunk costs keep teams clinging to low-impact efforts, and ways for leadership teams to prioritize at a org wide level, not just assemble a laundry list of everyone’s pet projects.

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

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