When was the last time you felt truly bored? And when was the last time your life felt genuinely meaningful? For Harvard social scientist Arthur Brooks, those two questions are more connected than you might think.

This week on Hello Monday, Jessi Hempel sits down with Arthur Brooks — professor at Harvard Business School, bestselling author, and one of the most compelling thinkers on happiness and purpose — to dig into his new book, The Meaning of Your Life: Finding Purpose in an Age of Emptiness. 

In this episode, Jessi and Arthur discuss:

This episode is for anyone who has achieved what they set out to achieve and still found themselves wondering, "Is this it?" — and for anyone still figuring out what they're actually working toward.

This conversation was recorded live. If you’re a premium member, you can watch the extended version, featuring lots more audience questions, here.

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Finding your path to a meaningful career has never felt more complicated. The job market is entirely unpredictable, AI is reading your resume, and entire industries seem to be disappearing. 

It’s a particularly uncertain moment to be entering the workforce for the first time. This week on Hello Monday, Jessi Hempel talks with Jodi Kantor about navigating the early years of a career. 

Jodi is one of the Pulitzer Prize–winning journalists who broke the Harvey Weinstein story, igniting the Me Too movement. Last year, she delivered a commencement speech to Columbia’s class of 2025, offering practical and comforting advice for young people on the cusp of their professional lives. She’s expanded on that guidance in her new book, How to Start, which offers a roadmap to a meaningful career.

In this episode, Jessi and Jodi discuss:

This episode is for anyone starting out, starting over, or helping someone else navigate the messy early chapters of a career.

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If you feel like your attention span has shrunk, you’re not imagining it.

According to social psychologist Jonathan Haidt, our phones and social platforms have fundamentally reshaped childhood, work, and our ability to focus. In his bestselling book The Anxious Generation, Jon argues that the rise of smartphones and social media triggered what he calls the “great rewiring of childhood.” But the consequences extend far beyond kids.

In this episode of Hello Monday, Jessi talks with Jon about what constant connectivity is doing to our minds,how we got here, and why reclaiming our attention may be one of the most important challenges of our time.

Jon and Jess discuss:

At its core, this conversation asks a simple question: What happens when an entire society loses control of its attention, and how do we get it back?

Find Jon’s new book for kids, The Amazing Generation: Your Guide to Fun and Freedom in a Screen-Filled World, here. 

Follow Jonathan Haidt and Jessi Hempel on LinkedIn.

Do you think of your beliefs as immutable facts? If so, you might be holding yourself back.

In this episode of Hello Monday, Jessi Hempel sits down with Nir Eyal, bestselling author whose work sits at the intersection of psychology, technology, and human potential. His latest book, Beyond Belief, explores how the stories we tell ourselves shape our motivation, and how changing those stories can change our outcomes.

In this conversation, Jessi and Nir explore how limiting beliefs take hold, why our brains default to helplessness, and how we can challenge the narratives that keep us stuck.

Jessi and Nir discuss:

At the heart of Nir’s work is a simple idea: our minds default to safety and survival, not growth. But when we learn to question the beliefs that hold us back, we can unlock more motivation, agency, and possibility in our lives.

Follow Nir Eyal and Jessi Hempel on LinkedIn.

Office Hours are back! Join Jessi live from her LinkedIn page on Wednesday 4/1 at 3pm EST. 

Women spend nearly a decade more of their lives in poor health than men. It’s a gap that doesn’t just affect individuals, it holds back entire organizations.

This week on Hello Monday, Jessi Hempel sits down with Melinda French Gates, philanthropist and founder of Pivotal, and Regina E. Dugan, President and CEO of Wellcome Leap, to unpack the health disparities impacting women at work, and explore what it will take to close them.

Melinda and Regina both operate at the intersection of capital, science, and equity. Together, they are rethinking how we invest in women’s health, examining why progress has been so slow, and identifying what leaders can do to drive meaningful change.

Jessi, Melinda, and Regina discuss:

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This conversation was recorded live in Bellevue, Washington. If you’re a premium member, you can watch the extended version, featuring lots more audience questions, here.

We will be launching the Hello Monday book club soon. If you’re interested in joining, send us an email at [email protected] and let us know!

AI is reshaping industries and jobs faster than most of us can keep up. But futurist Amy Webb argues we have more control over what lies ahead than we might think. 

In today’s episode, Jessi Hempel sits down with Amy, founder and CEO of the Future Today Strategy Group and one of the world’s leading experts on strategic foresight. For nearly two decades, Amy’s annual tech trends report has helped leaders understand what’s coming next, and what to do about it.

Amy and Jessi explore the concept of creative destruction—the economic force that disrupts old systems to make room for new ones—and what today’s wave of AI-driven change means for workers, leaders, and organizations.

Amy and Jessi discuss:

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Learn more about The Future Today Strategy Group

Watch Amy’s 2026 SXSW talk 

We will be launching the Hello Monday book club soon. If you’re interested in joining, send us an email at [email protected]

What skill is most critical in a world defined by constant change? Leadership coach and author Liz Tran believes it’s AQ, or agility quotient.

In this episode of Hello Monday, host Jessi Hempel sits down with Liz to explore why traditional measures of intelligence like IQ and even EQ may matter less in today’s AI-powered, rapidly evolving workplace. Instead, Liz argues that what really predicts success is our ability to adapt, navigate uncertainty, and respond to change.

Liz’s new book is AQ: A New Kind of Intelligence for a World That's Always Changing. Drawing from her work with executives, founders, and professionals across industries, she explains how AQ works—and why it’s a skill anyone can develop.

Together, Jessi and Liz unpack how strengthening your agility quotient can help you navigate career transitions, unexpected challenges at work, and a future where skills evolve faster than ever.

Liz and Jessi discuss:

What AQ (agility quotient) is—and why it may matter more than IQ or EQ in the modern workplace

Why AI and automation are leveling traditional intelligence advantages

The four AQ archetypes—Astronaut, Novelist, Firefighter, and Neurosurgeon—and how each handles change

How understanding your archetype can guide career decisions, leadership style, and personal growth

How to build resilience and adaptability in a world where careers span multiple industries and roles

Follow Liz Tran and Jessi Hempel on LinkedIn. 

We will be launching the Hello Monday book club soon. If you’re interested in joining, send us an email at [email protected] and let us know!  

Hot flashes. Brain fog. Sleepless nights. For too long, we’ve mislabeled midlife women’s health as burnout, anxiety, or a loss of ambition. But what if the real issue isn’t performance — it’s hormones?

In this episode of Hello Monday, Jessi Hempel talks with Joanna Strober, founder and CEO of Midi Health, about menopause, perimenopause, hormone therapy, and power at work. Together, they unpack how gaps in women’s healthcare during midlife are quietly pushing talented leaders out of the workforce at the exact moment they should be accelerating.

After struggling to get proper treatment for her own perimenopause symptoms, Joanna built Midi Health to deliver insurance-covered, expert virtual care focused on women in midlife. This conversation goes beyond hot flashes — it’s about workplace equity, hormone replacement therapy (HRT), ageism, health misdiagnoses, and why normalizing menopause could unlock a generation of leadership. Because menopause isn’t a road bump, with the right care, it can be a power surge.

Jessi and Joanna discuss:

The difference between perimenopause and menopause, and why the distinction matters for women’s health at work

Why 1 in 5 women in their 40s are prescribed SSRIs — and how hormonal shifts are often overlooked

Hormone replacement therapy (HRT) and non-hormonal menopause treatments

The workplace impact of untreated menopause symptoms, including research showing women may lose authority during visible symptoms like hot flashes

How employers can support midlife women through better insurance coverage 

Ageism in the workplace — and why women in their 50s may be primed for peak performance

How normalizing menopause conversations can help women reclaim power

Follow Joanna Strober and Jessi Hempel on LinkedIn.

We will be launching the Hello Monday book club soon. If you’re interested in joining, send us an email at [email protected] and let us know! 

Watch on YouTube: https://bit.ly/hellomonday-LI-video-youtube 

Watch/Listen on Spotify: https://bit.ly/hellomonday-LI-video-spotify⁠

Listen on Apple: https://bit.ly/hellomonday-LI-video-apple⁠ 

Be yourself. That’s the advice we give graduates, job seekers, and leaders. But what if it’s wrong?

In this episode of Hello Monday, Jessi Hempel sits down with organizational psychologist and author Tomas Chamorro-Premuzic to interrogate one of the most popular ideas in modern career advice: authenticity at work.

Tomas is the Chief Talent Scientist at ManpowerGroup, a professor of business psychology, and the author of Don't Be Yourself. His research explores personality, leadership, workplace performance, and the science of success. In this conversation, he challenges the notion that “just be yourself” is the key to career growth—especially in a rapidly changing job market shaped by AI, shifting power dynamics, and rising inequality.

Together, Jessi and Tomas unpack how authenticity functions as both a personal value and a professional strategy—and why it can be a privilege reserved for those already in the “in-group.” They also examine what young professionals, underemployed graduates, and leaders navigating AI disruption need to understand about perception, communication skills, and the future of work.

Jessi and Tomas discuss:

• Why authenticity at work is often misunderstood—and how perception matters more than self-expression

• The hidden privilege behind “bring your whole self to work”

• In-group vs. out-group dynamics in workplace culture

• AI and the future of work: entry-level jobs, automation, and the changing career ladder

• Why curiosity—not authenticity—may be a critical skill for 2026

• Balancing personal values with organizational expectations

• The psychology of influence, impression management, and professional success

If you’ve ever felt frustrated by workplace politics, confused about how much of yourself to reveal at work, or anxious about how AI is reshaping career paths, this episode is for you.

We will be launching the Hello Monday book club soon. If you’re interested in joining, send us an email at [email protected] and let us know!  

Watch on YouTube: https://bit.ly/hellomonday-LI-video-youtube 

Watch/Listen on Spotify: https://bit.ly/hellomonday-LI-video-spotify⁠

Listen on Apple: https://bit.ly/hellomonday-LI-video-apple⁠ 

Rest is essential. It’s like food or water; without it, we die. As today’s guest points out though, it’s also a sacred practice.

In today’s rerun conversation, originally held live on Hello Monday’s Office Hours, Octavia Raheem joins Jessi Hempel to talk about, and to practice, rest. Octavia Raheem is a rest coach, yoga and meditation teacher, and author. Her latest book is called Rest is Sacred: Reclaiming Our Brilliance Through the Practice of Stillness.

She and Jessi discuss:

Then, Octavia leads us in a transformative guided rest practice that combines mindfulness, relaxation, and breathing techniques.

Follow Octavia Raheem and Jessi Hempel on LinkedIn.