The Unlearning Work Podcast

When It’s Not You… Now What?

Last week, we talked about something that’s easy to miss when you’re in it.

Sometimes your role stops working.

And it’s not you.

It’s how the work is set up.

In this episode of Unlearning Work, Erin breaks down what to do once you realize that. Because knowing it’s not you doesn’t fix the problem. You still have to show up, do the work, and figure out how to move forward inside the same system.

Most people respond by doing more. They try to be helpful, build better relationships, and prove their value.

But effort doesn’t fix a setup issue.

This episode focuses on a different approach. Instead of doing more, you shift how you define, align, and deliver your work so it actually lands.

You’ll learn:

Why doing more work doesn’t create more opportunity

The difference between completing tasks and delivering value

How to define what success actually looks like before you start

Why promotions go to people already showing the next level

How to handle relationships that don’t improve, no matter how much effort you put in

A simple way to make your work clearer and more visible without changing roles

Reflection:
Where am I doing more… instead of making the work clearer?

If this episode gave you something to think about, try it in one moment this week and share this podcast with someone who feels stuck at work.

📥 Download the Unlearning Work App for exclusive tools and behavior design resources
🎧 Subscribe to the podcast on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or your favorite platform
⭐ Leave a review if this episode resonated—it helps others discover the work
📬 Join the Work Reimagined Newsletter for behind-the-scenes insights and free behavior frameworks
📱 Follow Erin Merideth on Instagram, LinkedIn, X (Twitter), and Facebook for weekly leadership and behavioral science insights

When It’s Not You: What to Do When Your Role Stops Working

Most people think if they keep doing good work, things will move.

But at work, effort doesn’t always convert into opportunity.

In this episode of Unlearning Work, Erin breaks down what’s actually happening when you feel stuck in a role that used to work for you. The issue isn’t always your performance. It’s how work is set up around you.

When you focus only on doing more, you can miss what actually creates movement. And that’s where frustration builds.

You’ll learn:

Why strong performance doesn’t always lead to opportunity

How internal movement is really driven by relationships and sponsorship

What it means when your work isn’t getting traction

The difference between a stretch role and a misaligned setup

A simple way to start creating movement without making a big change

Reflection:
Where am I putting in more effort… instead of looking at whether this setup can actually move my work?

📥 Download the Unlearning Work App for exclusive tools and behavior design resources
🎧 Subscribe to the podcast on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or your favorite platform
⭐ Leave a review if this episode resonated—it helps others discover the work
📬 Join the Work Reimagined Newsletter for behind-the-scenes insights and free behavior frameworks
📱 Follow Erin Merideth on Instagram, LinkedIn, X (Twitter), and Facebook for weekly leadership and behavioral science insights

Stop Trying to Be Right: The Strategic Shift That Gets Your Work to Move

Most people think being strategic means having the best idea.

But at work, the best idea doesn’t always win.

In this episode of Unlearning Work, Erin breaks down why smart, capable people often get labeled as “not strategic” and what’s actually going on underneath it. The issue isn’t your thinking. It’s how decisions really get made.

When you focus only on what’s right, you can miss what will actually move. And that’s where frustration starts.

You’ll learn:

Why “not strategic” feedback usually means your ideas aren’t landing

The difference between having the right idea and getting buy-in

How to identify what success actually looks like in a meeting

Why leaders respond to constraints and metrics, not just good thinking

A simple way to shift your approach so your work gets traction

Reflection:
Where am I focused on being right… instead of understanding what will actually move in this room?

📥 Download the Unlearning Work App for exclusive tools and behavior design resources
🎧 Subscribe to the podcast on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or your favorite platform
⭐ Leave a review if this episode resonated—it helps others discover the work
📬 Join the Work Reimagined Newsletter for behind-the-scenes insights and free behavior frameworks
📱 Follow Erin Merideth on Instagram, LinkedIn, X (Twitter), and Facebook for weekly leadership and behavioral science insights

Most leaders think misalignment comes from people not trying hard enough—but what’s actually happening is much simpler.

People process, decide, and act at different speeds.

In this episode of Unlearning Work, Erin breaks down cognitive agility in real terms—why some people move too fast, others move too slow, and how both create friction. When you understand the behavioral patterns underneath it, you stop getting frustrated and start designing how work actually flows.

You’ll learn:

Reflection:
Where am I expecting everyone to move at my speed—and what would change if I adjusted how I lead instead?

📥 Download the Unlearning Work App for exclusive tools and behavior design resources
🎧 Subscribe to the podcast on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or your favorite platform
⭐ Leave a review if this episode resonated—it helps others discover the work
📬 Join the Work Reimagined Newsletter for behind-the-scenes insights and free behavior frameworks
📱 Follow Erin Merideth on Instagram, LinkedIn, X (Twitter), and Facebook for weekly leadership and behavioral science insights

 Stop Solving Everything: The Leadership Skill That Changes Conversations

Most people think they’re good listeners—but often, they’re just fast problem-solvers.

In this episode of Unlearning Work, Erin breaks down a simple but powerful shift: knowing when to listen, when to give advice, and when to solve. When you respond too quickly, you take over the thinking. When you slow down and match what’s actually needed, conversations get clearer—and people become more capable.

You’ll learn:

Reflection:
Where am I stepping in too early… and what would change if I listened just a little longer? 

📥 Download the Unlearning Work App for exclusive tools and behavior design resources
🎧 Subscribe to the podcast on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or your favorite platform
⭐ Leave a review if this episode resonated—it helps others discover the work
📬 Join the Work Reimagined Newsletter for behind-the-scenes insights and free behavior frameworks
📱 Follow Erin Merideth on Instagram, LinkedIn, X (Twitter), and Facebook for weekly leadership and behavioral science insights

 The Story Your Brain Is Telling You at Work

A lot of the pressure people feel at work doesn’t come from the work itself. It comes from the story our brain creates about what’s happening around us.

A short Slack reply, a quiet meeting moment, or a quick hallway interaction can suddenly feel loaded with meaning. But often those interpretations aren’t based on what’s happening now — they’re echoes from past experiences the brain is trying to protect us from repeating.

In this episode of Unlearning Work, Erin explores how these mental stories shape participation at work and how learning to question them can create more clarity, confidence, and steadiness.

You’ll hear:

Why hesitation in meetings is often the brain managing social risk

How past experiences create “meeting echoes” that influence behavior years later

Examples of how we misinterpret everyday work interactions — from Slack messages to quick leadership conversations

Small ways to participate more comfortably, including micro-connecting in meeting chat

How AI can help you pressure-test ideas and prepare for conversations

Reflection:
What story might your brain be telling you about a recent interaction at work — and what other explanation could also be true?

Unlearning Work is about seeing the patterns shaping your work so you can choose how you show up instead of reacting automatically.

📥 Download the Unlearning Work App for exclusive tools and behavior design resources
🎧 Subscribe to the podcast on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or your favorite platform
⭐ Leave a review if this episode resonated—it helps others discover the work
📬 Join the Work Reimagined Newsletter for behind-the-scenes insights and free behavior frameworks
📱 Follow Erin Merideth on Instagram, LinkedIn, X (Twitter), and Facebook for weekly leadership and behavioral science insights

 Stop Letting Work Decide How You Feel About Yourself

When work becomes your emotional anchor, everything feels heavier than it should.

In this episode of Unlearning Work, Erin shares a simple but powerful reframe: treat your company like a client, not an identity. When work stops being the place you look for validation or fulfillment, clarity returns and so does steadiness.

You’ll hear:

Why work quietly becomes emotional fuel

A real example of how identity and job get tangled

How separating the two reduces stress and self-doubt

What it looks like to do strong work without over-attaching

Reflection:
What have I been asking this job to give me that it was never designed to provide?

Unlearning Work is about doing meaningful work without letting it define how you feel about yourself.

📥 Download the Unlearning Work App for exclusive tools and behavior design resources
🎧 Subscribe to the podcast on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or your favorite platform
⭐ Leave a review if this episode resonated—it helps others discover the work
📬 Join the Work Reimagined Newsletter for behind-the-scenes insights and free behavior frameworks
📱 Follow Erin Merideth on Instagram, LinkedIn, X (Twitter), and Facebook for weekly leadership and behavioral science insights

The Pause That Changes the Room

Have you ever walked into a work conversation already knowing how it would go only to leave frustrated when it didn’t?

In this episode of Unlearning Work, Erin shares a simple pause that helps interrupt the mental shortcuts we build with familiar people at work. You’ll learn why your brain fills in the story too fast, how that creates tension, and one small exercise that helps you see more, react less, and communicate more clearly.

This episode isn’t about being nicer or giving in. It’s about making work conversations feel easier.

You’ll learn:

Why familiarity reduces curiosity at work

What’s happening in your brain during frustrating interactions

A simple rating exercise that breaks automatic assumptions

How a short pause can change the tone of a conversation

Try this:
Before your next difficult conversation, rate the other person’s effectiveness (1–10) and ask: Why isn’t this lower? Notice what changes.
Try the pause once this week and notice how the conversation changes.

 📲 Subscribe & Stay Connected

📥 Download the Unlearning Work App for exclusive tools and behavior design resources
🎧 Subscribe to the podcast on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or your favorite platform
⭐ Leave a review if this episode resonated—it helps others discover the work
📬 Join the Work Reimagined Newsletter for behind-the-scenes insights and free behavior frameworks
📱 Follow Erin Merideth on Instagram, LinkedIn, X (Twitter), and Facebook for weekly leadership and behavioral science insights

Why does work feel hard, even when you’re capable and committed?

Often, it’s not burnout, poor focus, or lack of motivation.
It’s the way work is set up and passed between people.

In this episode of Unlearning Work, Erin Merideth breaks down why work becomes exhausting when expectations are unclear, decisions never quite land, and everything feels urgent. When work has no clear shape or stopping point, people don’t disengage—they start guessing, overcompensating, and carrying work home in their heads.

This conversation helps listeners understand:

Why work stress often comes from unclear handoffs—not personal failure

How vague requests and shifting priorities quietly drain energy

Why urgency spreads when nothing is clearly protected

How “protective habits” form at work—and why they’re not character flaws

What actually makes work feel lighter, without changing personalities or working harder

This episode is especially helpful for professionals and leaders who feel busy but unsatisfied, struggle to shut work off at the end of the day, or sense that work shouldn’t feel this heavy—but can’t quite explain why.

If work feels exhausting, confusing, or hard to finish cleanly, this episode will help you see what’s really going on—and where relief can start.

📥 Download the Unlearning Work App for exclusive tools and behavior design resources
🎧 Subscribe to the podcast on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or your favorite platform
⭐ Leave a review if this episode resonated—it helps others discover the work
📬 Join the Work Reimagined Newsletter for behind-the-scenes insights and free behavior frameworks
📱 Follow Erin Merideth on Instagram, LinkedIn, X (Twitter), and Facebook for weekly leadership and behavioral science insights

Why does work feel exhausting even when you care and work hard?
Often, it’s not burnout or lack of motivation—it’s unclear systems.

In this episode of Unlearning Work, Erin Merideth explores how workplace systems shape behavior, stress, and self-doubt. When expectations are fuzzy, feedback is vague, and priorities keep shifting, people don’t disengage—they start guessing.

This conversation helps listeners understand:

Why work stress is often a system problem, not a personal failure

How learned work habits form in response to unclear environments

Why performance reviews create anxiety when success isn’t clearly defined

How understanding organizational systems can reduce overthinking and burnout

A practical mindset shift that helps work feel lighter—even if nothing changes

This episode is ideal for professionals, leaders, and employees who want to reduce work stress, stop overthinking feedback, and understand how workplace systems really work.

If work feels heavy, confusing, or personal—this episode will help it make sense.

📥 Download the Unlearning Work App for exclusive tools and behavior design resources
🎧 Subscribe to the podcast on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or your favorite platform
⭐ Leave a review if this episode resonated—it helps others discover the work
📬 Join the Work Reimagined Newsletter for behind-the-scenes insights and free behavior frameworks
📱 Follow Erin Merideth on Instagram, LinkedIn, X (Twitter), and Facebook for weekly leadership and behavioral science insights