The Working Well Podcast

Burnout isn’t caused by lack of resilience — it’s caused by unfiltered demand.

In Lesson 10 of the 52 Life Lessons series, Tim Borys explains why high performers build positive walls and gates to protect energy, focus, and passion.

This episode explores how boundaries improve clarity, reduce burnout, and unlock sustained performance — for leaders, teams, and anyone running on empty.

💡 Topics Covered:

Energy vs. time management

Why motivation fails under pressure

How to say no with clarity

Building boundaries without guilt

Leadership, burnout, and performance

#WorkingWellPodcast #52LifeLessons #TimBorys #Leadership #Boundaries #EnergyManagement #Burnout #Performance #Wellbeing

In this episode of the Working Well Podcast, host Tim Borys speaks with Celeste Warren, former VP & Global Chief Diversity and Inclusion Officer at Merck, where she spent nearly 30 years building measurable, scalable DEI systems across a global workforce.

Celeste shares what most companies get wrong about DEI — and what it takes to make inclusion part of leadership DNA, organizational structure, and business performance.

💡 Topics Covered:

How to measure equity in real business terms

Why DEI must be led by leadership, not just HR

The systems that drive cultural transformation

Psychological safety as a performance advantage

Why every employee shapes culture daily

#DEI #Diversity #Leadership #Merck #CelesteWarren #TimBorys #WorkingWellPodcast #Culture #Inclusion #Equity

Most leaders think joy is optional — or worse, unprofessional.

In this episode of the Working Well Podcast, Tim Borys explains why smiling, laughter, and joy are powerful tools for leadership effectiveness, resilience, creativity, and performance.

Backed by neuroscience and real-world leadership experience, this lesson shows how joy helps leaders think better, connect deeper, and lead more sustainably — without adding time or pressure.

💡 Topics Covered:

The neuroscience of smiling

Why joy expands thinking and creativity

How laughter reduces stress hormones

Why joyful leaders are more trusted

Simple ways to engineer joy into your workday

#WorkingWellPodcast #52LifeLessons #TimBorys #Leadership #Joy #Wellbeing #Performance #Neuroscience #Culture

What if leadership wasn’t about intelligence, but wisdom?

Most adults don’t realize it, but they’ve eliminated one of the most important ingredients for wellbeing, creativity, and performance: play.

In this episode of the Working Well Podcast, host Tim Borys explores how play transforms your mental, emotional, and physical health — and why it’s the key to staying energized, resilient, and fully alive.

Learn 20 simple ways to bring play back into your workday and personal life, and discover the neuroscience that proves play isn’t optional — it’s essential.

💡 Topics Covered:

Why adults stop playing

How play fuels creativity and wellbeing

The science behind play (Stuart Brown, Broaden & Build Theory)

10 ways to add play at work

10 ways to add play outside work

How to use play to reduce stress and improve happiness

#WorkingWellPodcast #TimBorys #Play #AdultPlay #Happiness #Wellbeing #Leadership #52LifeLessons #MentalHealth #PeakPerformance

In this episode of the Working Well Podcast, host Tim Borys speaks with Mark Reich, Senior Coach and Chief Engineer of Strategy at the Lean Enterprise Institute and former Toyota executive, about how leadership, culture, and process design work together to build high-performing teams.

Mark shares how Hoshin Kanri—Toyota’s legendary strategy deployment system—transforms vision into execution, and why leadership is less about authority and more about developing people.

💡 Topics Covered:

What Hoshin Kanri really means

How to align purpose, people, and performance

Leadership as people development

Focusing on fewer priorities for greater impact

Building culture through behavior and coaching

#Leadership #LeanThinking #MarkReich #WorkingWellPodcast #TimBorys #PeopleDevelopment #HoshinKanri #ContinuousImprovement

In this episode of the 52 Life Lessons series, host Tim Borys tackles one of the toughest truths for high achievers—your value isn’t defined by your title, income, or achievements.

Drawing from personal experience and two decades of coaching leaders, Tim reveals how chasing external success leads to burnout and dissatisfaction—and how to rebuild identity around values, integrity, and purpose.

💡 Topics Covered:

Why chasing “when I…” keeps you stuck

How to separate identity from achievement

The three reflection questions that reveal what really matters

Living from alignment instead of validation

Redefining success through integrity and relationships

#52LifeLessons #WorkingWellPodcast #TimBorys #Leadership #PersonalGrowth #SuccessMindset #Identity #SelfWorth

In this episode of the Working Well Podcast, host Tim Borys sits down with Carol MacKinlay, Chief Human Resources Officer at Pebble and board director for a leading publicly traded crypto company.

With more than 30 years of global HR experience—including leadership roles at Binance US, Xero, and Plantronics—Carol shares how data, technology, and diversity are transforming the future of HR.

💡 Topics Covered:

How HR can become a data-driven business partner

The role of blockchain and crypto in compensation

Building inclusive, measurable workplace cultures

Balancing analytics with empathy

The evolution of HR leadership in the digital age

#CarolMcKinley #WorkingWellPodcast #TimBorys #HRLeadership #DataDrivenHR #FutureOfWork #DiversityAndInclusion #DigitalTransformation

In this episode of the 52 Life Lessons series, host Tim Borys shares a deceptively simple but life-changing truth: It’s not about you.

Learn how curiosity, listening, and genuine interest can transform your relationships, influence, and leadership impact. Backed by neuroscience and real-world experience, Tim explains why being interested, not interesting, is the ultimate superpower for connection.

💡 Topics Covered:

How curiosity fuels trust and influence

The neuroscience of meaningful connection

Asking better questions that spark conversation

Listening beyond words to understand intent

How to shift focus and elevate every interaction

#ItsNotAboutYou #52LifeLessons #WorkingWellPodcast #TimBorys #Leadership #Communication #Curiosity

In this episode of the Working Well Podcast, host Tim Borys speaks with Bianca D’Alessio—top New York real estate broker, author of Mastering Intentions, and star of Selling the Hamptons—about how authenticity, mindset, and wellbeing are transforming leadership.

Bianca shares her journey through adversity, the lessons she’s learned about building resilience, and why leaders must move beyond hustle culture to lead with intention and self-awareness.

💡 Topics Covered:

Authenticity and vulnerability in leadership

Why intention beats intensity

The power of mindset during adversity

Wellbeing as a leadership strategy

Creating culture through connection and empathy

#BiancaDAlessio #Leadership #Authenticity #Wellbeing #WorkingWellPodcast #MasteringIntentions #TimBorys