Work For Humans

Emily Yang’s work sits at the intersection of AI ethics, governance, and human experience. She is an early advocate for bringing human-centered design and responsible innovation into the heart of enterprise AI, especially in HR and talent functions. For her, ethics is an activity — something we do, not just something we believe. In this episode, Dart and Emily talk about why AI feels both helpful and destabilizing, how bias and invisible harms emerge, and what it takes to preserve human agency as AI tools shape our work and lives.

Emily Yang is the Head of Human-Centered AI and Innovation at Standard Chartered, where she leads efforts to embed ethics, governance, and design into enterprise AI. She is a global speaker and advisor on responsible AI and human-centered innovation.

In this episode, Dart and Emily discuss:
- How AI is changing the meaning of data consent
- How training data bakes in human bias
- Why checklists aren’t the same as ethics
- Trust between people vs. trust in companies
- How design preserves or erodes human agency
- Why councils alone can’t govern AI responsibly
- Emily’s personal struggle with AI’s big questions
- How generative AI reshapes identity, craft, and trust
- The rise of “AI stewards” in organizations
- And other topics…

Emily Yang is the Head of Human-Centered AI and Innovation at Standard Chartered. She works to bring ethics, governance, and human-centered design into AI, especially in HR and talent. Emily serves on the bank’s Responsible AI Council, Data Ethics Working Group, and GenAI Task Force. She has more than a decade of experience in UX, innovation consulting, corporate venture building, and big tech. Emily began her AI journey researching empathy and emotional intelligence in virtual agents. She is also an advisor to the Centre for Synchronous Leadership’s “Agents of Change” and a frequent global speaker on responsible AI.

Resources Mentioned:
Diaspora, by Greg Egan: https://www.amazon.com/Diaspora-Novel-Greg-Egan/dp/1597805424
WFH Episode 11 with Don Norman: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-design-of-everyday-things-design-for-a/id1612743401?i=1000582265202

Connect with Emily:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/emilyyangy/ 

Work with Dart:
Dart is the CEO and co-founder of the work design firm 11fold. Build work that makes employees feel alive, connected to their work, and focused on what’s most important to the business. Book a call at 11fold.com.

When we think about fixing burnout, most conversations start with purpose, work design, or leadership. But according to Jennifer Moss, the real starting point is hope. And not vague optimism, but cognitive hope—a measurable skill that gives people the power to set goals, find ways to reach them, and keep moving forward, even in uncertain times. In this episode, Dart and Jennifer discuss the link between hope and purpose, the warning signs of hopelessness at work, and what leaders can do to build cultures where people thrive.

Jennifer Moss is an award-winning journalist and author of The Burnout Epidemic and Why Are We Here? She’s a leading expert on workplace well-being who has advised Fortune 500 companies, governments, and the UN.

In this episode, Dart and Jennifer discuss:
- Why hope comes before purpose
- How hopelessness shows up in workplaces today
- How micromanagement kills hope
- The “language of permanence” as a red flag
- Moving from empathy to compassion in leadership
- What organizations can do to steward hope at scale
- How community and belonging fuel hope at work
- Why self-care alone won’t fix burnout or despair
- Practical ways leaders can build pathways and agency
- And other topics…

Jennifer Moss is an award-winning journalist, international speaker, and workplace culture strategist recognized globally as a leading voice on burnout and well-being. She is the author of Unlocking Happiness at Work, The Burnout Epidemic and Why Are We Here? A former member of the Global Happiness Council and co-founder of the Work Better Institute, Jennifer has advised governments, the UN, and dozens of Fortune 500 companies on building cultures where people can thrive. Her work has earned honors including Canadian Innovator of the Year, International Female Entrepreneur of the Year, and a Public Service Award from the Office of President Obama.

Resources Mentioned:
Why Are We Here?: Creating a Work Culture Everyone Wants, by Jennifer Moss: https://www.amazon.com/Why-Are-We-Here-Creating-ebook/dp/B0CT6NB5Q3
The Burnout Epidemic: The Rise of Chronic Stress and How We Can Fix It, by Jennifer Moss: https://www.amazon.com/Burnout-Epidemic-Rise-Chronic-Stress/dp/1647820367

Connect with Jennifer:
Website: https://www.jennifer-moss.com
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jenleighmoss 

Work with Dart:
Dart is the CEO and co-founder of the work design firm 11fold. Build work that makes employees feel alive, connected to their work, and focused on what’s most important to the business. Book a call at 11fold.com.

Sam Arbesman writes deep, beautiful books about the boundary between technology, knowledge, and wonder. His most recent book, The Magic of Code, is another profound exploration—this time into the wonders revealed by code. Sam describes code as “a universal force—swirling through disciplines, absorbing ideas, and connecting worlds.” In this episode, Dart and Sam talk about the experience of coding: what makes it great, when it feels arduous or magical, and how AI could change the experience.

Sam Arbesman is a complexity scientist trained in computational biology and applied mathematics. He is the author of The Magic of Code, Overcomplicated, and The Half-Life of Facts. Sam is currently Scientist in Residence advising on emerging trends at Lux Capital—a venture firm investing at the outermost edges of what’s possible.

In this episode, Dart and Sam discuss:
- The experience of writing software—and how to improve it
- How Sam first discovered the magic of code
- When code feels magical and why
- How simple tools spark creativity
- Two ways to see computing: utilitarian vs. wondering
- The joy of coding just for yourself
- What simulations teach us about reality
- How coding reframes how we see the world
- The hidden connections and limits of debugging
- How AI could reshape coding and create leaner teams
- Why the history of computing matters
- And more…

Sam Arbesman is Scientist in Residence at Lux Capital, where he advises on emerging trends at the edges of science and innovation. Previously he was a Senior Scholar at the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation and a Research Fellow at Harvard. His work has appeared in The New York Times, The Atlantic, Wired, Wall Street Journal, and Harvard Business Review. He holds a PhD in computational biology, and is the author of The Magic of Code, Overcomplicated, and The Half‑Life of Facts.

Resources Mentioned:
The Magic of Code: How Digital Language Created and Connects Our World―and Shapes Our Future, by Sam Arbesman: https://www.amazon.com/Magic-Code-Language-Connects-World_and/dp/1541704487/

Connect with Sam:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/arbesman/
Website: https://arbesman.net/ 

Work with Dart:
Dart is the CEO and co-founder of the work design firm 11fold. Build work that makes employees feel alive, connected to their work, and focused on what’s most important to the business. Book a call at 11fold.com.

Bree Groff’s new book, Today Was Fun, pushes the reset button on expectations about work. There is no reason work can’t be fun. About half of the things that make it un-fun are self-inflicted—we can just stop doing them. Take off the serious-people costume. Stop all performative work. Take a nap that is for you, not just to recharge for more work. Stop suppressing emotions. Have fun with work friends, and keep work in its place—a good part of life, but not your whole life.

Bree Groff is a former partner at SYPartners and a transformation expert who helps organizations lead through change. With a background in systems thinking and behavioral science, she works at the intersection of strategy, leadership, and culture.

In this episode, Bree and Dart discuss:
- Why most transformation efforts fail
- The role of rituals in driving behavior change
- What leaders often get wrong about resistance
- Why relationships matter more than strategy
- How to build “cozy teams” and why that matters
- Designing systems that reinforce cultural shifts
- The emotional and ethical case for fun at work
- Why professionalism often kills creativity
- How to know if it’s time to leave your job
- What it means to “shoot straight with love”
- What Bree means by putting “laughing” on your KPIs
- And other topics…

Bree Groff is a transformation expert who helps leaders and organizations navigate complex change. A partner at SYPartners, she works at the intersection of strategy, culture, and human behavior, bringing together systems thinking, design, and behavioral science to shape workplaces that actually work for people. She’s also the author of Today Was Fun, a book that rethinks our relationship with work and makes the case for putting joy and humanity at the center of it. Bree is a frequent speaker on the future of work and teaches graduate courses on innovation and organizational change at Northwestern University.

Resources Mentioned:

Today Was Fun: A Book About Work (Seriously), by Bree Groff: https://www.amazon.com/Today-Was-Fun-About-Seriously/dp/1774585596 

Connect with Bree:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bree-groff/
Website: https://www.breegroff.com/home 

Work with Dart:
Dart is the CEO and co-founder of the work design firm 11fold. Build work that makes employees feel alive, connected to their work, and focused on what’s most important to the business. Book a call at 11fold.com.

Sandra Waddock has spent decades exploring the systems beneath the systems, asking questions about purpose, story, and the deeper operating logic of business. Sandra argues that the current model focused on growth, control, and short-term profit is no longer serving people or the planet. Instead of fixing surface-level symptoms, she invites us to reimagine the foundational assumptions business is built on.

In this episode, Dart and Sandra talk about the myths that drive our current system, the limits of control, and the power of new narratives. They explore leadership as sensemaking, how small actions can shift big systems, and what it means to build organizations that support life, not just profit.

Sandra Waddock is a professor at Boston College and a leading voice on systems change, corporate responsibility, and sustainable business. She’s the author of Catalyzing Transformation and has earned multiple lifetime achievement awards for her work.

In this episode, Dart and Sandra discuss:
- Why business needs a new operating system
- The myths that hold outdated systems in place
- How to shift from control to connection
- Leadership as sense-making
- Why small wins matter more than we think
- The role of moral imagination in business
- Designing for flourishing, not just growth
- And more…

Sandra Waddock is the Galligan Chair of Strategy, Carroll School Scholar of Corporate Responsibility, and Professor of Management at Boston College’s Carroll School of Management. A globally recognized expert in systems transformation, corporate responsibility, and sustainable enterprise, her work brings together systems thinking, narrative change, and human development to explore new models for business. She has received multiple lifetime achievement awards, including honors from the Principles for Responsible Management Education (PRME), Humboldt University, and the Humanistic Management Network. Sandra’s latest book, Catalyzing Transformation, offers a practical framework for driving large-scale systems change.

Resources Mentioned:
Sandra’s Book, Catalyzing Transformation: Making System Change Happen: https://www.amazon.com/Catalyzing-Transformation-Making-System-Change/dp/1637425082

Connect with Sandra:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sandra-waddock/
Profile: https://www.bc.edu/bc-web/schools/carroll-school/faculty-research/faculty-directory/sandra-waddock.html 

Work with Dart:
Dart is the CEO and co-founder of the work design firm 11fold. Build work that makes employees feel alive, connected to their work, and focused on what’s most important to the business. Book a call at 11fold.com.

As one of the world’s leading experts on customer centricity, Peter Fader noticed that many businesses were making a critical mistake: they were treating all customers the same. Peter argues that customer centricity means focusing on the customers who matter most—those who are truly driving value for your company. His work is reshaping how businesses think about growth, loyalty, and strategy.

In this episode, Dart and Peter talk about why not all customers are created equal, how to measure true customer value, and why brand loyalty may be overrated. They also explore what it takes to design a business around your best customers and why doing so might be the most human move of all.

Peter Fader is a Professor of Marketing at the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania and a leading expert on customer centricity. His research helps companies identify their most valuable customers and build strategies around them.

In this episode, Dart and Peter discuss:
- Why product-first thinking holds companies back
- How loyalty programs often reward the wrong people
- What customer lifetime value really tells you
- Why probabilistic models beat classic segmentation
- How personas can hide what customers actually do
- The power of small wins in shifting company mindset
- What top customer-centric brands get right
- And other topics…

Peter Fader is the Frances and Pei-Yuan Chia Professor of Marketing at The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania. He is also the co-founder of Theta, a company that helps firms value their customer base. Peter is the author of Customer Centricity and The Customer-Base Audit, and his research has been featured in outlets including The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, The Economist, and Harvard Business Review. Through his work, he helps companies identify their highest-value customers and build strategies around them.

Resources Mentioned:
Customer Centricity: Focus on the Right Customers for Strategic Advantage, by Peter Fader: http://amazon.com/Customer-Centricity-Customers-Strategic-Essentials/dp/1613630166

Connect with Peter:
Profile: https://marketing.wharton.upenn.edu/profile/faderp/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/peterfader 

Work with Dart:
Dart is the CEO and co-founder of the work design firm 11fold. Build work that makes employees feel alive, connected to their work, and focused on what’s most important to the business. Book a call at 11fold.com.

Ashley Whillans has spent years studying how time, money, and workplace culture shape our well-being. As a behavioral scientist at Harvard Business School, she’s found that time poverty is more than a personal stressor—it’s a leadership challenge, an organizational blind spot, and one of the biggest barriers to well-being at work.

In this episode, Dart and Ashley talk about why traditional perks miss the point, why more control over your time can matter more than a raise, and what it looks like to build companies where people actually have time to think, rest, and grow. They explore urgency culture, the myth of work-life balance, and the tradeoffs we make without realizing it.

Ashley Whillans is a professor at Harvard Business School and the author of Time Smart. Her research has been featured in The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, and Harvard Business Review.

In this episode, Dart and Ashley discuss:
- How time poverty affects performance and well-being
- Why leaders should care about how their teams spend time
- The limits of traditional perks
- How to shift from burnout to sustainability
- Why work-life balance is a myth—and what matters more
- What “time affluence” really means
- And other topics…

Ashley Whillans is the Volpert Family Associate Professor of Business Administration at Harvard Business School. Her work focuses on how people spend their time and money—and how those choices shape happiness and success. She is the author of Time Smart, a book that helps people reclaim time in a world that constantly steals it. Ashley’s research has been featured in The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, and Harvard Business Review. Her PhD from the University of British Columbia earned the 2018 CAGS Distinguished Dissertation Award in Canada for her work on time and happiness.

Resources Mentioned:
Time Smart: How to Reclaim Your Time and Live a Happier Life, by Ashley Whillans: https://www.amazon.com/Time-Smart-Reclaim-Your-Happier/dp/1633698351

Connect with Ashley:
Harvard Business School profile: hbs.edu/faculty/ashley-whillans 

Work with Dart:
Dart is the CEO and co-founder of the work design firm 11fold. Build work that makes employees feel alive, connected to their work, and focused on what’s most important to the business. Book a call at 11fold.com.

Stephanie Reuss and Victoria Stuart noticed that companies were making big decisions about jobs, teams, and strategy without really knowing what people were doing. So they built Beamible, a platform that maps work at the task level. It helps organizations see what is working, what is slowing people down, and what actually creates value for the business. In this episode, Dart, Steph, and Vic talk about why visibility is the first step to meaningful change, how AI is transforming job design, and what it looks like to optimize rather than simply balance the needs of people and business.

Steph and Vic are the co-founders and co-CEOs of Beamible. Steph is an award-winning entrepreneur and former global consultant with a background in finance, futures trading, and executive advisory. Vic is a former Google executive with expertise in strategy, technology, and workforce innovation.

In this episode, Dart, Steph, and Vic discuss:
- Why visibility into actual work is the first step to change
- What the “bubble chart” reveals about energy and value
- How AI transforms the way we think about job design
- What drains employees and how to identify it
- The human cost of misalignment between teams and leaders
- How to design for optimization instead of balance
- Shifting culture toward transparency and shared ownership
- And other topics…

Stephanie Reuss is the co-founder and co-CEO of Beamible. Her career spans corporate finance, consulting, and leadership roles across four continents, including positions at KPMG, the New York Mercantile Exchange, and CEB. She was named Entrepreneur of the Year by Women’s Agenda and was a finalist for NSW Business Woman of the Year. Steph is known for challenging traditional workforce models, and her work has been featured in the AFR, Sydney Morning Herald, and SmartCompany.

Victoria Stuart is the co-founder and co-CEO of Beamible. Before launching the company, she led industry strategy at Google and held leadership roles at Accenture and Digitas, working across technology, banking, and retail. With a background in both business and science, Vic brings a systems lens to complex workforce challenges. Her focus is on creating flexible, human-centered workplaces that are ready for the future.

Resources Mentioned:
Beamible: https://beamible.com/

Connect with Steph and Vic:
Steph’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/stephanie-reuss-04a8ab15
Vic’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/victoria-stuart-76508810/

Work with Dart:
Dart is the CEO and co-founder of the work design firm 11fold. Build work that makes employees feel alive, connected to their work, and focused on what’s most important to the business. Book a call at 11fold.com.

Most of us don’t realize how much fear shapes how we live and show up at work. But Amon Woulfe sees it clearly. As the founder of 432Hz, he has spent over a decade helping leaders understand the deeper fears that silently drive behavior, limit growth, and erode connection. In this episode, Dart and Amon explore how fear shapes leadership, why change agents often burn out, and what it takes to shift from protection to presence. They also discuss the limits of personality tests, the illusion of control, and how tuning in can unlock more grounded, courageous leadership.

Amon Woulfe is a leadership coach and founder of 432Hz, a company that blends psychology, performance, and transformation to help people lead with presence, clarity, and courage.

In this episode, Dart and Amon discuss:
- The nine psychological fears that shape leadership
- How fear creates protective patterns that limit range
- Why personality tests can become boxes instead of tools
- The role of curiosity in emotional freedom
- How leaders can move from performance to presence
- What it means to be "in tune" as a human being
- Why change agents burn out
- And other topics…

Amon Woulfe is the CEO of 432Hz and the creator of the world’s first holistic MAP of human development. He helps leaders overcome fear, unlock their potential, and grow from the inside out. As a coach and consultant, he has worked with executives, elite athletes, first responders, and military teams around the world. Amon’s mission is to help people live beyond fear so they can lead, grow, and create lasting change. He’s now focused on scaling this work to reach more people through human-centered technology.

Resources Mentioned:
432Hz: https://432hz.global

Connect with Amon:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/amonwoulfe

Website: https://www.amonwoulfe.com/

Work with Dart:
Dart is the CEO and co-founder of the work design firm 11fold. Build work that makes employees feel alive, connected to their work, and focused on what’s most important to the business. Book a call at 11fold.com.

Michael Cholbi approaches work not just as a function of economics or management but as a deep philosophical question. He brings a rare lens to the topic, one that connects ancient wisdom, contemporary ethics, and the day-to-day experience of workers today. In this episode, Michael and Dart explore how work shapes us and how it might be reimagined to serve us better. From Plato and Marx to Bullshit Jobs, dignity to autonomy, they ask what makes work just, and whether companies are morally responsible for the work they design.

Michael Cholbi is a Professor of Philosophy at the University of Edinburgh and the author of the Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy’s definitive entry on the philosophy of work. His research explores ethics, justice, and how societal structures influence human well-being.

In this episode, Dart and Michael discuss:
- Why many people are “work-positive” by necessity, not choice
- What adaptive preferences reveal about our relationship to labor
- The moral obligations of companies that design work as a product
- Is the duty to work just?
- How automation could decenter work and expand freedom
- Working for dignity vs. being used as a means
- What a less work-centered future might offer us all
- And other topics…

Michael Cholbi is a Professor of Philosophy at the University of Edinburgh, specializing in moral philosophy and the philosophy of work. He is the author of the Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy’s definitive entry on work and labor—a leading scholarly resource. His research examines ethics, justice, and how social structures impact human well-being. He is also widely recognized for his work on the philosophy of death, grief, and autonomy. Michael has written or edited numerous influential books and frequently contributes to both academic and public debates on labor, meaning, and ethics. His work connects ancient philosophical insights with contemporary issues like automation and workplace dignity.

Resources Mentioned:
Bullshit Jobs: A Theory, by David Graeber: https://www.amazon.com/Bullshit-Jobs-Theory-David-Graeber/dp/150114331X
The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy entry on Work and Labor, by Michael Cholbi: https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/work-labor/
The Republic, by Plato: https://www.amazon.com/Republic-Plato/dp/1503379981
Economic and Philosophic Manuscripts of 1844, by Karl Marx: https://www.amazon.com/Economic-Philosophic-Manuscripts-Western-Philosophy/dp/0486455610

Connect with Michael:
Website: https://michael.cholbi.com/ 

Work with Dart:
Dart is the CEO and co-founder of the work design firm 11fold. Build work that makes employees feel alive, connected to their work, and focused on what’s most important to the business. Book a call at 11fold.com.