How much can people actually change? According to renowned somatic coach Harley Frank, a whole lot more than you might think.

Once a startup executive living with chronic anxiety and depression, Frank now works with leaders around the world using somatic body-based practices to help them reclaim choice, vitality, and presence.

In this conversation, Harley and Connor explore why many of the traits we think are “just who we are” in work and life are actually frozen patterns in the nervous system—and how practices like somatics, inner-child work, and embodied awareness can unlock real transformation. 

This episode is about leadership, creativity, healing, and what becomes possible when we stop trying to think our way out of pain—and learn to feel our way through it.

CHAPTERS

• 00:00:00 Intro — You can transform more than you think
• 00:03:47 From tech executive to somatic coach
• 00:12:10 What somatics actually is
• 00:14:59 Why shame runs the show
• 00:17:19 Inner child work and neural rewiring
• 00:24:45 Leadership is about embodiment
• 00:31:08 The first step — Building a daily practice
• 00:37:40 Feel your part, no more
• 00:43:05 Pain vs. suffering — The 90-second rule
• 00:51:53 Shame, technology, and staying present

IS THIS WORKING?!

What if the most interesting thing about work isn't what we do—but what it does to us?

Is This Working?! is about meaningful work and the messy humans who do it. Host Connor Diemand-Yauman talks to the leaders, builders, and creatives navigating the chaos through the moments they question everything and show up anyway.

Next episode dropping soon - subscribe to get notified!

Anthony Romero has led the ACLU for nearly a quarter century—through four presidents, constitutional showdowns, and a political landscape that feels more chaotic every day. And yet, when you sit across from him, you don’t feel panic. You feel steadiness. Clarity. A kind of grounded purpose that’s rare in work shaped by crisis.

In this conversation, recorded inside ACLU headquarters in New York, Romero and Connor talk about what it means to do work that is forged in conflict while still protecting your humanity. Anthony shares how he stays centered amid tragedy and noise, why “slowing things down” can be a form of progress, and how small daily practices—kindness, discipline, honest self-reflection—are what keep him from burning out.

We also zoom out: What does leadership look like when the stakes feel impossibly high? What happens when your work requires you to step into friction again and again? And what responsibility does our generation have for the systems—and the workplace cultures—we’re leaving behind?

For anyone who cares about doing meaningful work without losing themselves in the process, this conversation offers a rare mix of realism, agency, and genuine optimism.

CHAPTERS

• 00:00:00 Intro — Fighting for democracy in a constitutional crisis
• 00:02:57 Constitutional crisis or opportunity for resistance?
• 00:04:14 Leading through tragedy and staying centered
• 00:07:07 Winning by losing — ACLU's litigation strategy
• 00:10:43 Redefining success and bringing the public along
• 00:12:20 The but-for test — Would America be worse without the ACLU?
• 00:16:53 Best case, worst case — America's future scenarios
• 00:20:48 Looking at the map — Opportunities in every state
• 00:23:01 The last man standing — Embracing friction
• 00:27:01 This is a rental car — Legacy and succession
• 00:29:08 How my generation f*cked it up
• 00:32:49 Message to young leaders — Keep fighting, it matters

IS THIS WORKING?!

What if the most interesting thing about work isn’t what we do—but what it does to us?

Is This Working?! is about meaningful work and the messy humans who do it. Host Connor Diemand-Yauman talks to the leaders, builders, and creatives navigating the chaos through the moments they question everything and show up anyway.

Next episode dropping soon - subscribe to get notified!

Sarah Cooper went viral for lip-syncing Donald Trump on TikTok — and suddenly, the world knew her face. From there came a Netflix special, a memoir, acting alongside Jerry Seinfeld, and guest-hosting Jimmy Kimmel Live.

But there was also everything people didn’t see: the disorientation of sudden fame, the pressure to keep performing, and the years of self-doubt that followed.

In this conversation, Sarah and Connor go beneath the viral moment and explore how comedy became her way of moving through pain, divorce, and reinvention. They unpack how self-awareness fuels creativity, how intuition beats optimization, and how humor itself reveals the deeper work of resilience and self-leadership.

CHAPTERS

• 00:00:00 Intro — Sarah Cooper on success, doubt, and meaning
• 00:01:13 From Google to comedy
• 00:04:36 Going viral & getting humbled
• 00:07:22 The hangover after fame
• 00:11:03 Perfectionism, family, and learning to fail
• 00:15:43 Rediscovering herself after divorce
• 00:18:10 Comedy as power & perspective
• 00:21:24 The human voice in an AI age
• 00:27:01 Fame, isolation, and honesty
• 00:32:04 Leaving Google and finding courage
• 00:38:59 Manifestation gone wrong (the SNL story)
• 00:45:00 Group therapy & saying what’s real
• 00:58:25 Legacy — making people feel less alone

IS THIS WORKING?!

What if the most interesting thing about work isn’t what we do—but what it does to us?

Is This Working?! is about meaningful work and the messy humans who do it. Host Connor Diemand-Yauman talks to the leaders, builders, and creatives navigating the chaos through the moments they question everything and show up anyway.

Next episode dropping soon - subscribe to get notified!