The way we set goals often invites a load of comparison and competition. We can even create a moral hierarchy of more and better. In this episode, I explore the roots of moralizing around the goals we set, borrowing from Dr. Devon Price, Max Weber, Kate Manne, and Simone de Beauvoir.
A few years ago, I sat with a group of entrepreneurs in the living room of a cute little condo in Whitefish, Montana. My role was facilitating conversations about their obstacles and opportunities as business owners. It was a group of super successful folks, some on...
“What does growth without striving look like?”
Rita Barry posed this question 3 years ago, and it’s stuck with me ever since.
In this episode, I talk with Rita about the journey she’s been on to answer that question as her company has exploded. We dive into validation-seeking, social conditioning, and identifying what you really want in the face of so much “common sense” about what success looks like.
You’ll hear Rita’s story, plus commentary from writer Anne Helen Petersen (via Librairie Drawn & Quarterly) and psychoanalyst Paul Verhaeghe (via Renegade Inc).
Find out more about Rita Barry at ritabarry.co
This year on What Works, I’m exploring how we can navigate the 21st-century economy with our humanity intact. Read articles, listen to the archives, and sign up for What Works Weekly at explorewhatworks.com
Why Darden Creative founder Tamera Darden decided to shut down her business at the end of 2022—and how that decision evolved. How she wrestled with the practical, emotional, and financial questions around this big decision. The experience that led her to reclaiming her original vision for the business. How she’s planning to move forward and what it means for the way she works in her own business
I took the last couple of weeks—thanks to the more flexible schedule of the holiday season—to work on bread-baking. I made a sweet potato challah bread, two different types of swirly brioche, and a multigrain sandwich bread. I’m sure you know this—but baking bread...
Creative grief worker & curator Charlene Lam shares how grief impacts us—as humans, leaders, and business owners. How she discovered a passion for understanding grief and helping others process after the death of her mother. The practical exercises she uses to process feelings of loss.
Entrepreneurs tend to be optimists. And that optimism inspires persistence and creative thinking—two key traits of success. But entrepreneurial optimism can also lead to sticking with an idea or a venture longer than is beneficial. Every new creative...
What abundance means to me is a present knowing that I am enough, that I have enough, and that there is enough time, attention, and support to live a meaningful life and do meaningful work. I can’t say that this is my mindset at all times—far from it.
But in the times when I’m feeling most hopeless or desperate, it’s the mindset that I eventually bring myself back to.
Consultant and virtual assistant Janice Plado Dalager joins Tara for a conversation about the unique skill set that virtual assistants and other support professionals bring to small businesses. How VAs end up mistreated by entrepreneurs—and the gendered and racialized components of these relationships that make mistreatment more likely. Why emotional labor is an undervalued skill for support pros, as well as why it should be a key part of how this work is compensated. How small business owners can check their own behavior to make these working relationships more humane
When Simone Biles pulled out of the Tokyo Olympics, she cited a case of the "twisties." Like most Americans, I had to look that up. Turns out, the "twisties" is the term gymnasts use to describe the feeling of losing the mind-body connection that allows them to...
Host of What Works
Tara is a podcaster, small business community leader, strategist, and speaker. She’s been helping small business owners build stronger businesses for over a decade.