What if performance at work isn’t just about time, effort, or even skill—but energy?

In this episode of The Future of Less Work, host Nirit Cohen sits down with Andrew Deutscher, founder of Regenerate and former VP at The Energy Project, to explore why the way we measure and manage performance is broken—and what it takes to fix it.

From redefining energy as a business construct to designing teams and systems that replenish rather than deplete, Andrew unpacks why organizations that treat energy as a core resource—not a wellness perk—will outperform those that don’t. They dive into the science of recovery, the myth of time management, and the rise of “agent bosses” managing both people and AI in a post-COVID world of work.

If you’re an HR leader, manager, or business decision-maker trying to navigate burnout, hybrid overload, or team alignment in an always-on world, this episode offers a radically practical reframe: sustainable performance starts with the energy to show up, think clearly, and recover intentionally.

https://youtu.be/BUbjPDGZI1Q

Guest Information:

Andrew Deutscher, Founder & CEO, Regenerate, is a recognized thought-leader in high-capacity leadership and sustainable performance, helping organizations address the root causes of exhaustion, overwhelm, and disengagement. With two decades of corporate leadership experience, Andrew knows firsthand what it takes to lead under pressure and what it costs when performance is built on depletion instead of energy.

After experiencing burnout at the peak of his career, Andrew didn’t just recover - he reinvented his approach to leadership. He immersed himself in the science of energy management, resilience, and human performance, ultimately translating these insights into practical tools for leaders and teams navigating today’s high-stress, always-on workplace.  Andrew advocates that well-being should be fully integrated into business strategy to become a true lever for sustainable success and lasting organizational resilience.

As the founder of Regenerate, Andrew works with global organizations through coaching, training, and consulting to unlock what he calls “capacity without compromise.” His work enables leaders to increase clarity, stamina, and collaboration while reducing stress and friction across teams. The result: high-performance cultures powered by sustainable energy—not overwork.

Clients consistently describe Andrew as a powerful voice in a crowded space - someone who blends executive credibility with deep wellness expertise and a compelling ability to shift mindsets and impact change.

Andrew’s digital report, The Hidden Cost of Overwork, is now available for download on his website. To learn more about Andrew’s work, visit regenerate.works or connect with him on LinkedIn. 

https://regenerate.works/hidden-cost-of-overwork-ebook/

Chapters:

00:00 – Why Energy, Not Time, Drives Performance
01:33 – What the Energy Project Got Right
03:07 – What Does Workplace Energy Really Mean?
04:52 – How Energy Shapes Focus and Output
07:16 – How to Align Work with Your Chronotype
09:14 – What Replenishes Energy During the Workday?
10:43 – Emotional Energy: Small Acts That Restore Us
12:05 – How Managers Can Role Model Energy Practices
13:52 – How to Set Boundaries in Hybrid Teams
16:58 – Why Burnout Is a System Problem, Not a Personal One
20:58 – How to Turn Energy into a Business Strategy
22:08 – What Belongs in a People Plan for Sustainable Work
24:02 – How to Measure and Personalize Energy Support
25:52 – Why Hybrid Teams Need Energy-Based Rules of Engagement
27:23 – What Happens When Leaders Prioritize Energy
30:38 – How Team Coaching Fuels Collective Energy
32:32 – Clarity, Alignment, and Commitment as Energy Tools
34:43 – Why Energy Creates Emotional Investment at Work
36:57 – What Less Work Really Means in the Future

What happens when freelance work gets rebuilt from the ground up—with AI at the core, output as the metric, and community replacing isolation?

In this episode of The Future of Less Work, host Nirit Cohen sits down with Stacy Pavlyshyna and Roman Sevast, co-founders of Awesomic, to explore how they’re redesigning the infrastructure of creative work. From AI-powered talent matching to subscription-based design services and micro-iteration workflows, they’re challenging everything we thought we knew about freelancing, teams, and trust.

Stacy and Roman share why they believe hours worked shouldn’t define value, how freelancers can gain stability without losing flexibility, and what it takes to build culture when your “team” spans continents and clients. Together, they unpack a new model—one where people aren’t owned, but aligned around outcomes, growth, and shared purpose.

If you're rethinking how to work with freelancers, curious about the future of creative roles, or looking for a better way to scale talent without traditional hiring—this conversation is a must-listen.

https://youtu.be/ffdoD-n8GjI

Guest Information:

Stacy Pavlyshyna and Roman Sevast co-founded Awesomic, an AI-powered talent platform that instantly connects businesses with top-tier design, marketing and development experts, redefining how companies hire and scale globally. Backed by Y Combinator and built from their own experiences as founders, Awesomic replaces outdated freelance models with a system focused on speed, trust, and results—not hours worked. Both are Forbes 30 Under 30 honorees, and together they’re building the infrastructure for a new kind of work—one where creative talent has both flexibility and stability, and companies can scale with confidence.

Chapters:

01:33 – Should We Stop Measuring Work by Hours?
03:32 – Why Output Matters More Than Time
05:59 – What Sparked the Idea Behind Awesomic?
08:02 – What’s Broken in Traditional Freelance Platforms?
10:13 – How Micro-Iterations Improve Creative Work
11:59 – Can Freelancers Have Stability and Flexibility?
13:11 – Is Awesomic Building a New Kind of Gig Economy?
14:56 – How AI Is Automating Creative Project Management
15:51 – Why Creatives Need Choice and Control
17:57 – Can You Build Culture Without Employees?
19:55 – How Awesomic Builds a Global Creative Community
21:50 – What Is a Full-Stack Creative?
23:59 – How AI Is Reshaping Creative Work
25:47 – What Happens When Co-Founders Are Also Partners?
28:02 – How to Navigate Multiple Roles at Work and Life

What if the biggest risk to your organization isn’t burnout, disengagement, or even AI disruption—but a deeper, unnamed sense that something’s off?

In this episode of The Future of Less Work, host Nirit Cohen sits down with Dr. Erin Eatough and Dr. Shonna Waters, co-founders of Fractional Insights, to unpack the rising levels of workplace angst—a leading indicator of underperformance, turnover, and apathy that traditional engagement metrics fail to capture.

Together, they introduce the Angst Index, a framework grounded in organizational psychology and data, and explore how unmet human needs—security, significance, and growth—are quietly undermining talent strategy and business results. From psychological ergonomics to AI-enabled job design, this episode is a call to rethink not just how we work, but how we design work to support human thriving in a fast-changing world.

If you’re leading organizational change, navigating the implications of AI, or trying to close the gap between what people need and what work delivers—this conversation offers a strategic and deeply human lens on what comes next.

https://youtu.be/3cYJZCdzABE

Guest Information:

Dr. Shonna Waters, Chief Executive Officer & Principal Advisor, Fractional Insights

An award-winning organizational psychologist and executive, Shonna is a recognized thought leader in HR, psychology, and business with over 100 articles, technical reports, book chapters, and books and over 100 conference talks, keynotes, and panels. With a background in consulting and executive leadership roles, Shonna has advised organizations on people strategy and transformation across various sectors. At BetterUp, she stood up and led teams in behavioral science, strategic partnerships and alliances, and executive advisory, driving research-backed insights to enhance organizational performance.

Link to full bio: https://www.fractionalinsights.ai/dr-shonna-waters 

Dr. Erin Eatough, Chief Science Officer & Principal Advisor, Fractional Insights

An award-winning research psychologist, author, and consultant, Erin brings a wealth of experience in employee well-being, work-life integration, and leadership development. She has been recognized for her research in improving performance and thriving at work and in life, with over 100 articles and book contributions across academic and popular press outlets such as the Journal of Applied Psychology and MIT Sloan Management Review.  As a former executive at BetterUp, Erin led Labs Go-to Market,  where her team used behavioral science insights to drive revenue and strategic growth.

Link to full bio: https://www.fractionalinsights.ai/dr-erin-eatough

https://www.fractionalinsights.ai/

Chapters:
00:00 – What Is Workplace Angst and Why Should Leaders Care?
03:15 – How Angst Became a Workplace Signal
05:40 – Why Naming Angst Matters for Organizational Change
07:00 – What Are the Root Causes of Angst at Work?
08:40 – How Unmet Needs Undermine Engagement
10:00 – How Can Organizations Reduce Insecurity at Work?
11:30 – What Levers Help Resolve Employee Angst?
13:00 – How to Design Work for Transparency and Trust?
14:40 – How Mayo Clinic Used AI to Empower Frontline Workers
16:15 – What Is Psychological Ergonomics?
18:00 – Why Growth and Learning Are Psychological Needs
20:40 – Can Angst Predict Turnover Before It Happens?
21:45 – What Should CHROs Do First to Address Angst?
23:00 – Why Leaders and Frontline Workers See AI Differently
25:30 – What Hidden Signals Should Leaders Pay Attention To?
28:40 – Are We Designing a Future Where Humans Still Matter?

What if fairness at work wasn’t just a value—but a system design challenge? In this episode of The Future of Less Work, host Nirit Cohen sits down with Siri Chilazi, researcher at Harvard Kennedy School and co-author of Make Work Fair, to explore how we move beyond performative DEI and redesign the infrastructure of work for real equity.

From hiring and promotions to flexibility and team culture, Siri shares how behavioral science and process design—not mindset shifts—are the real levers for change. Together, they dive into why many well-intentioned programs fall short, what it means to move from “opt-in” to “opt-out” systems, and how anyone can become a “norm entrepreneur” and drive change from wherever they sit.

If you’re rethinking what makes work truly inclusive—and how to build a future where fairness drives performance, not just policy—this conversation is for you.

https://youtu.be/LBrQHv8zllI

Guest Information:

Siri Chilazi is the co-author of MAKE WORK FAIR: Data-Driven Design for Real Results. She is a senior researcher at the Women and Public Policy Program at Harvard Kennedy School whose life’s work is to advance gender equality in the workplace. As a keynote speaker and strategic advisor, Siri collaborates with a wide range of organizations around the world. Her work regularly appears in leading media outlets. Siri has an MBA from Harvard Business School, a Master’s in Public Policy from Harvard Kennedy School, and a BA in Chemistry and Physics from Harvard College. 

Chapters:

00:00 – Why Fairness Is the Foundation of the Future of Work
01:32 – What Does It Mean to Make Work Fair?
03:22 – Why DEI Efforts Haven’t Delivered Real Change
05:10 – How to Redesign Work for Fairness?
07:17 – Why Bias Training Doesn’t Work (and What Does)
09:58 – What Small Process Changes Can Make Promotions More Equitable
11:38 – Can Managers Spot Talent Without Bias?
13:09 – What the Data Really Says About Remote and Flexible Work
15:16 – Why Managers Struggle with Flexibility (and How to Help Them)
16:58 – What Is a Norm Entrepreneur?
18:31 – What COVID Taught Us About Inclusion and Participation
20:27 – How to Build Inclusion into Everyday Team Norms
22:11 – Why Fairness Is Just Smart Management

What happens when you stop organizing work around timelines and tasks—and start designing it around value, outcomes, and real capability?
In this episode of The Future of Less Work, host Nirit Cohen sits down with Alex Adamopoulos, CEO of Emergn, to explore how organizations can move from project-based to product-based models, and why that shift changes everything—from how teams are structured to how people learn.

Together, they unpack why stable, cross-functional teams matter more than org charts, how to turn learning into part of the work (not a pause from it), and why training for today’s tools isn’t enough—we need to build the mindsets for whatever comes next. Alex shares how Praxis, Emergn’s learning platform, helps companies build real capability inside the flow of work, and why the most important question leaders should ask is: “If you had a great idea today, how long would it take to get it into the hands of a customer?”

If you’re rethinking how your teams are structured, how you deliver value, or how to equip people for faster, more continuous transformation—this episode is a must-listen.

https://youtu.be/3v0y1YUBS3g

Guest Information:

Alex Adamopoulos, a seasoned executive with over 30 years of experience, is a proven leader in driving organizational transformation through innovative business practices and technology adoption. Under Alex's leadership as CEO, Emergn has established itself as a trusted partner, empowering organizations to accelerate change, enhance their capabilities, and achieve sustainable business outcomes. He is a sought-after speaker, author, and mentor, inspiring and guiding the next generation of business leaders.

Chapters:

00:00 – What Are Work Charts and Why Do They Matter?
02:10 – What's the Difference Between Project and Product based work?
04:30 – How Do Fusion Teams Accelerate Product Delivery?
06:50 – What’s the Shift from Tasks to Outcomes in Product Teams?
10:40 – How Early Marketing Input Prevents Product Waste
14:15 – Why Capability Building Matters More Than Process?
16:30 – How To Enable Work-Based Learning?
18:00 – What Makes Product Management a Future-Proof Skill?
19:50 – How Leaders Should Rethink Digital and Learning Budgets
22:30 – What Causes Transformation Fatigue and How to Fix It
24:30 – How to Redesign Teams Around Value Streams
26:00 – How AI Can Accelerate Learning and Execution in Product Work

What happens when the most important skill for the future of work isn’t technical—but navigational? In this episode of The Future of Less Work, host Nirit Cohen sits down with Hans Meeder, former U.S. Deputy Assistant Secretary of Education and author of Preparing Tomorrow’s Workforce, to explore why career navigation may be the defining capability of our time.

From middle school classrooms to mid-career reinvention, they dive into the tools we need to thrive in a world where linear career paths no longer apply. Hans shares why the “college-first” mindset is breaking down, how career-connected learning is helping students find purpose earlier, and what it takes to align education with a rapidly shifting labor market.

If you're rethinking your own path—or helping others build theirs—this conversation is essential listening. Discover how to navigate work when the map is constantly changing.

https://youtu.be/gDBui04HrlQ

Guest Information:

Hans Meeder is an author, speaker, and consultant dedicated to empowering youth with the Career Navigation Skillset—tools essential for success in today’s rapidly evolving world of work. A former U.S. Deputy Assistant Secretary of Education, Hans has spent decades advancing career and technical education, high school redesign, and workforce development. He is the author of Preparing Tomorrow’s Workforce and several other influential resources on career-connected learning. Today, he continues his advocacy as Senior Fellow for Education and Workforce Innovation at YouScience and leads Blue Crab Talent Strategy, helping schools and communities integrate meaningful career exploration into every student’s journey.

www.BCTStrategy.com

Chapters:

00:00 – Why We Must Teach Career Navigation Early
01:22 – When Your Degree Doesn’t Match Your Career
02:48 – From Career Ladders to Rock Climbing Walls
04:16 – The 3 Skills Every Career Navigator Needs
06:12 – Middle School Is the Right Time to Start Career Training
07:47 – A School That’s Doing Career Navigation Right
09:17 – What Parents Can Do to Support Career Exploration
11:20 – The Collapse of the “College-First” Mindset
13:20 – Why Learning to Learn Is the Real Advantage
15:13 – How Skilled Trades Stay Relevant in a Tech World
16:30 – Lifelong Learning vs. Lifelong Schooling
18:41 – Why Entrepreneurial Skills Matter for Everyone
20:36 – Reinventing Yourself in Mid-Career
22:25 – Would Free College Change the Debate?
23:44 – What Policy Changes Could Prepare Us for the AI Future?
25:12 – Should Schools Be Measured by Career Outcomes?

What happens when AI doesn't just automate tasks but transforms how we build trust, communicate, and define real work? In this episode of The Future of Less Work, host Nirit Cohen sits down with Michael Litt, co-founder and CEO of Vidyard, to explore the new frontier of human-AI collaboration. From AI-generated video avatars to real-time translation and agent-driven workflows, they dive into how technology is reshaping everything from sales and communication to organizational design.

Michael shares how being "AI curious" is quickly becoming a core skill, why video still matters in a world of automation, and what it means to preserve authenticity and connection at scale. Together, they unpack what organizations can automate, what should remain human, and how trust is fast becoming the ultimate differentiator in the AI economy.

If you're navigating where people add value in a world increasingly run by agents and wondering whether video communication can be authentic, this conversation is a must-listen.

https://youtu.be/u1TbnETIoW8

Guest Information:

Michael Litt is the Co-founder and CEO of Vidyard, the leading provider of AI-powered video messaging and buyer engagement solutions for go-to-market teams. His insights on entrepreneurship, video technology, and venture capital have been featured in Forbes, The Wall Street Journal, and TechCrunch. Beyond Vidyard, Michael is a General Partner at Garage Capital, a seed-stage venture fund backing Canada’s top tech startups, and a Board Member at Quantum Valley Ideas Lab, supporting breakthroughs in quantum research. A proud University of Waterloo alumnus, Michael is passionate about supporting the next generation of innovators and engineers. Outside of business, he’s an avid adventurer, with a love for surfing, skiing, and exploring the outdoors.

Chapters:

00:00 – AI Won’t Replace Us, But Redefine Our Work
03:30 – What Jevons Paradox Teaches Us About AI and Productivity
06:00 – How AI Is Transforming Video Production
08:00 – Why Being AI Curious Matters More Than Ever  
10:00 – What Service as Software Really Means for Jobs and Headcount
12:00 – How AI Is Creating a New Kind of Workforce Tension
14:00 – Real Use Cases: How Teams Use AI Every Day
16:00 – Can AI Avatars Be Used for Authentic Communication at Scale?
18:00 – What Makes Communication Feel Real in an AI-Driven World?
20:00 – If AI Can Do the Work, What’s Left That’s Truly Human?
22:00 – Trust as the Real Differentiator in Business and Sales
24:00 – Which Tasks Should Be Automated and Which Tasks Require Human Touch?
26:00 – How to Identify When a Human Needs to Be in the Loop
27:30 – What Startups Are Doing Differently in the Age of AI
29:00 – Why Productivity per Employee Is the New Growth Metric
31:00 – What Will Communication Feel Like in 2030?
33:00 – The Future of Work Is Human Ingenuity, Not Just Tools

What if the office wasn’t a place, but a platform? In this episode of The Future of Less Work, host Nirit Cohen sits down with Mark Dixon, Founder and CEO of International Workplace Group (IWG), to unpack how hybrid work is reshaping where, and how we work. Long before “hybrid” was a buzzword, Mark saw the writing on the wall: people needed flexibility, and companies needed scalable, distributed solutions. Now, with over 4,500 coworking locations in 120+ countries, IWG is meeting that need.

Together, they explore offices 15 minutes from home, why the return-to-office debate misses the point, how the rise of commuter towns is reshaping economic maps, and why productivity in 2025 is about outputs, not hours. Mark shares data showing hybrid workers are not only more productive, but happier and healthier, and how companies that don’t adapt risk losing top talent. The conversation dives into leadership blind spots, the myth of culture tied to a building, and what organizations must do to curate connection, not just enforce presence.

If you’re rethinking office space, leadership culture, or how to keep your best people engaged, this episode is a must.

 Want to dive deeper into this topic? Read Nirit’s Forbes article, “Where Company Culture Lives When It’s Not In The Office“, to explore these ideas further.https://youtu.be/HEs_3X3cqsw

Guest Information:

Mark Dixon is the founder and CEO of International Workplace Group, the world’s largest operator of office and flexible workspaces. With hardly any starting capital, Mark had already launched, grown and sold a number of different businesses in the retail and wholesale food industry, by the time he founded IWG in 1989, after spotting businesspeople meeting around coffee tables. Now, the company rents out meeting rooms, office space by the hour, virtual offices and space in co-working sites across more than 120 countries. Mark has received many awards for enterprise and is widely acknowledged as one of the pioneers of the workspace industry who revolutionised the way business approaches its property needs with his vision of the future of work.

To find out more please visit: https://www.iwgplc.com/en-gb 

Chapters:

00:00 – What If the Office Was Never the Point?
01:30 – How a Coffee Shop Sparked the Future of Work
03:20 – Companies Wanted Flexibility Long Before Remote Work
05:15 – Tech Has Quietly Reshaped Work Since 1989
06:35 – Why RTO Is the Wrong Question
08:20 – The Commute Is Broken—Here’s What Should Replace It
09:50 – What Companies Get Wrong About Office Culture
11:00 – From Office Mandates to Curated Offsites
12:30 – HR Is Now Driving Workplace Strategy
13:40 – Can You Build Culture Without a Headquarters?
15:00 – How AI Is Powering “Work Location as a Service”
16:30 – Belonging Without Buildings: What Leaders Need to Learn
17:25 – The Future of Management Is About Curation, Not Control
19:00 – Building a Sense of Belonging20:10 – The Manchester United Test: Are You Building a Real Community?
21:55 – Predicting the Future of Work
23:10 – Offices Will Become As-A-Service Like Hotels
25:40 – On-Demand Offices Empower Startups and Solo Workers
27:10 – 2030: AI Chooses Your Best Place to Work
28:40 – Hybrid-Only Companies Are Already the Norm
30:20 – The Office Is an HR Issue, Not a Real Estate One
31:15 – The One Question Every Leader Should Ask About Work

How will AI affect hiring—and what does it mean for the future of talent?

In this episode of The Future of Less Work, Michael Kienle, Global VP of Talent Acquisition at L’Oréal, joins host Nirit Cohen to explore how global companies are navigating the shifting world of work. From AI’s role in recruitment to the growing importance of soft skills and human potential, Michael shares how L’Oréal is adapting its talent strategy in response to changing expectations, evolving technology, and a new generation of workers. Together, they dive into why companies that invest equally in people and tech will lead the future—and how candidate experience, flexibility, and internal mobility are becoming essential to staying competitive.

https://youtu.be/rvCYO-cRJHE

Guest Information:

Michael Kienle is the Global Vice President of Talent Acquisition at L'Oréal, bringing over two decades of experience in human resources. He began his career with L'Oréal in Germany in 1999 as a Junior Product Manager before transitioning to the HR department in 2001. His early roles included positions in Recruitment and Employer Branding at L'Oréal Germany, followed by a move to the Learning department within L'Oréal's Active Cosmetics Division in Paris in 2003.

Chapters:

00:00 — L’Oréal’s Five Human Potential Criteria?03:15 — How Gen Z Is Redefining Work and Success05:40 — Why L’Oréal Didn’t Go Fully Remote After COVID08:10 — How AI Is Used in the Hiring Process10:20 — Will AI Replace Recruiters?12:05 — How AI Improves Decision-Making With Better Data13:55 — What New Roles Are Emerging in the Talent Market?15:50 — Soft Skills Matter More in the Age of AI17:55 — How to Measure Potential19:45 —The Power Dynamic Has Shifted Toward Candidates21:35 — AI Won’t Reverse the Talent Shortage23:15 — Candidate Experience Impacts Brand Loyalty25:00 — Internal Mobility Resonates With Gen Z27:15 — How to Support Boomerang Employees30:15 — Why Companies Must Invest Equally in People and Tech

How do you attract a new generation of workers to an industry often seen as old-fashioned?

In this episode of The Future of Less Work, Gregory Tink, Digital Transformation Director at Schneider Electric, joins host Nirit Cohen to explore how technology, innovation, and culture shifts are reshaping the future of manufacturing. Together, they dive into how AI, automation, and digitalization are not just modernizing operations, but also making manufacturing careers appealing to Gen Z—a generation looking for impact, technology-driven roles, and meaningful work. From changing perceptions to rethinking leadership and building new pipelines through universities, this conversation unpacks how the manufacturing sector can design a future that works for the next generation.

https://youtu.be/GKPTzyFUV84

Guest Information:

Gregory Tink, Digital Transformation Director at Schneider Electric

Gregory Tink is an Operations Transformation and Technology specialist with over 20 years of industry and leadership experience primarily in oil and gas and mining. Over his career, Gregory has owned 4 businesses focused on operational excellence, technology enablement, and organizational transformation. In these businesses, he worked with a variety of clients to transform operations digitally. This included standing up operations and control centers, the implementation of operations, asset optimization, and maintenance platforms, the rollout of cyber security and risk strategies, the integration of OT/IT, and the integration of business functions supporting value chain alignment and the digital thread across the asset lifecycle.

https://www.linkedin.com/in/gregtink/

Chapters:

00:00 – How Industry 5.0 Redefines the Factory of the Future
01:28 – What Is Manufacturing’s Role in the Future of Work?
03:36 – Breaking Old Perceptions About Factory Jobs
04:48 – Does Technology Replace or Redefine Jobs?
06:54 – How Is Automation Changing Factory Roles?08:29 – Gen Z Demands Tech-Driven Workplaces
09:53 – Building Talent Pipelines Through University Partnerships
11:34 – Why Leadership in Manufacturing Must Change
15:36 – Balancing Innovation and Standardization in Factories
19:05 –Flexibility in Factory Careers
21:23 – Creating Career Mobility In Manufacturing
23:40 – How COVID-19 Changed Manufacturing Work Forever
25:49 – Redesigning Factory Jobs
27:00 – AI Will Revolutionize Factory Operations
28:57 – Preparing for the Rise of AI-Driven Manufacturing