Per My Last Email

It’s our final episode of this season of Per My Last Email, and we’re tackling a topic a lot of people struggle with: rest. Today’s letter-writer was recently laid off, and they know they need to to take a break. They can afford to take a break. Their partner supports them taking a break. And yet… they’re still struggling to let themselves actually do it. Listen in as Jen and Sara help this writer unpack why rest might be making them feel so guilty—and how they can give themselves permission to do it anyway.  Links: Book recommendations: You Don’t Need a Budget and Laziness Does Not Exist Got a work situation eating away at you? Send it to us! Submit your dilemma at PMLEshow.com.

Today’s letter-writer has become a human “answer machine”: She’s her team’s first (and only) stop to get questions answered and problems solved. But these constant interruptions are leaving her with no time to do her own work, and making her question her skills as a manager. Listen in as Jen and Sara help this manager see that sometimes, stepping back is actually the best support you can give your team.   Links: Sign up for the fall session of Power Shift— 9 weeks of classes, coaching, and community designed to help you lead with self-trust.  Got a work situation eating away at you? Send it to us! Submit your dilemma at PMLEshow.com. 

Today’s letter-writer is filling about five different roles at his company—and feels like he’s failing at all of them. Add in gaslighting executives and the finite number of hours in a workday, and he’s about ready to shut down entirely. Should he just take off all these extra hats and quiet-quit? Should he just care less about work? Listen in as Jen and Sara help him decide which balls to drop and how to redefine success, and failure, on his own terms.  Links: Sign up for Nice Work, the Active Voice newsletter Mentioned on the show: “Middle managers fade as AI rises” Got a work situation eating away at you? Send it to us! Submit your dilemma at PMLEshow.com

Today’s letter writers thought they had their work lives sorted. But… turns out, maybe not. Should they start a new job search? And if they do, what questions should they ask themselves—and their prospective employers? Listen in as Jen and Sara help these folks pause their panic and get choosy—instead of waiting around to be chosen.    Links: Check out the First Round Review’s The 40 Best Questions to Ask in an Interview Grab a copy of Simone Stolzoff’s The Good Enough Job Got a work situation eating away at you? Send it to us! Submit your dilemma at PMLEshow.com

It’s Groundhog Day for today’s letter-writer—every time she meets with her direct report for a one-on-one, they spend the entire meeting trauma dumping. It’s gotten to the point where this manager is feeling herself zoning out during their time together, and she’s worried she’s become a bad manager. Is it her job to be the team’s emotional sponge, regardless of all the other responsibilities she’s juggling? Listen in as Sara and Jen help this letterwriter set clear boundaries—and reexamine what should (and shouldn’t) be on her managerial plate. Links: Sign up for a 1:1 strategy session or our async course Team Up by June 20 and save $100 Learn how to get your needs met with the SURE Model Got a work situation eating away at you? Send it to us! Submit your dilemma at PMLEshow.com

Today’s letterwriter feels like she’s living a double life. As the only content strategist at an enterprise-level org, she’s burning herself out leading too many initiatives and trying to convince too many people to care about her work… only to go home and spend her evenings applying for jobs elsewhere. Should she feel guilty for being such an outspoken voice for change—while secretly thinking about abandoning ship? Listen in as Sara and Jen discuss how you can deal with feelings of guilt at work—and how to figure out what’s in your control and what’s not.  Links: Grab the Circle of Control worksheet Got a work situation eating away at you? Send it to us! Submit your dilemma at PMLEshow.com

Today’s letter writers are facing different challenges, but both are looking for the same thing: a way to anchor themselves when things are feeling stormy. One has reached a huge moment in their career—but stress in their personal life is threatening to derail them. The other has been looking for work so long they’re starting to forget who they are and what they care about. Listen in as Jen and Sara help these letter writers recenter themselves, build and lean on their communities, and find a path forward. Links: Sign up for Power Shift, our 9-week deep-dive into discovering who you really are as a leader. Sessions start February 6.  Got a work situation eating away at you? Send it to us! Submit your dilemma at PMLEshow.com

Today’s episode is all about ineffective leadership, and these letterwriters have a lot to say. One is fed up with their VP’s pattern of not advocating for their team…a pattern which seems to have cost their team tens of thousands of dollars in bonuses. The second writer is stuck in a culture of backbiting, fingerpointing, and a leadership team that even takes credit for other people’s work. Join Jen and Sara as they use insights from their latest research report to help these letterwriters get their power back at work—or decide when it’s time to exit gracefully. Links: Get your copy of the Managing this Moment research report Read You Deserve a Tech Union Read The Tech Worker’s Guide to Unions Check out the Tech Workers Coalition Join the Manager’s Playbook Got a work situation eating away at you? Send it to us! Submit your dilemma at  PMLEshow.com

This week, we hear from letter-writers who are up for promotions at their workplaces—but are having some mixed feelings about accepting them. One is less than thrilled at the increased scope of operation tasks, but is scared to reject a sure thing and look for other opportunities.  Another has been promoted four times in the last eight years and wants a chance to settle in and grow their team. Join Jen and Sara as they help these letter-writers make sense of where and how they want to grow right now—with or without a title change. Links: Sign up for 1:1 coaching with Sara and Jen! Got a work situation eating away at you? Send it to us! Submit your dilemma at  PMLEshow.com

It’s a Very Special Episode of Per My Last Email! This week, Sara and Jen share updates from four previous letter writers. One was upset by their company’s unfair hiring practices. Another felt they had outgrown their current role, but was scared of moving on. Yet another was contemplating burning it all down and opening a juice bar far, far away. And our last writer was processing being ghosted after a layoff. So, what’s changed for these letter writers? Did they quit their jobs, get the closure they wanted, or otherwise change their work lives? And most importantly: how have they changed in the process? Join Sara and Jen as they find out! Links: Register now for Power Shift! Sessions start September 11th Read Work Won’t Love You Back Got a work situation eating away at you? Send it to us! Submit your dilemma at PMLEshow.com

This week, we hear from letter-writers who are feeling trapped by their workplace relationships. One has a colleague who constantly escalates problems to management without talking to them first. Another quit their job a month ago, but is still being asked for free labor from their old workplace. Join Jen and Sara as they help these letter-writers prepare to have some difficult conversations, reset their barometers of what’s “normal” in the workplace, and decide what behavior they’re willing to accept from their coworkers moving forward. Links: Join us for Flip the Script on August 2! Got a work situation eating away at you? Send it to us! Submit your dilemma at  PMLEshow.com

Today, Jen and special guest host Roberta Dombrowski tackle letters from “onlys”: folks who are the only woman, person of color, adoptee, etc. in their workplace. One writer is the only Black leader in their org navigating a disgruntled coworker who wants to take their job (and hands-off management to boot). Another is feeling frozen out by their former boss after a particularly personal-feeling layoff. Listen in as Jen and Roberta lend their coaching skills (and plenty of resources!) to help these listeners combat their “only loneliness.”  Links: Join the Manager’s Playbook this August Say hi to Roberta and check out more of her work Read the latest Gallup report on loneliness at work Check out Self-Compassion by Kristin Neff Here are 70+ questions to make sure your next role meets your needs Read Heal to Lead by Kelly Campbell Got a work situation eating away at you? Send it to us! Submit your dilemma at PMLEshow.com Corrections: Internal Family Systems was developed by Richard Schwartz. Family systems theory was developed by Murray Bowen.

Today’s letter-writers are in their “Reputation” eras…and they’re struggling to move forward with management that has preconceived notions about their performance. One writer is receiving biased feedback from a manager, and oh yeah, they might also be missing out on secret company equity. Another is dealing with the aftermath of being passed up for the role they’ve been acting in for two years. Listen in as Sara and Jen help these letter-writers get a clearer picture of themselves and their needs, so they can step into the roles they really want to fill in their workplaces and in their lives. Links: Join the Manager’s Playbook this August Got a work situation eating away at you? Send it to us! Submit your dilemma at  PMLEshow.com.

Listen up, managers: this one’s for you. Today we’re hearing from letter-writers who’ve been struggling with giving feedback to their direct reports. One dilemma involves a team member whose work isn’t up to snuff—and their manager is putting in way too much overtime trying to fix it. Another deals with a team member who went over their manager’s head…and now the manager’s reputation is at stake. Listen in as Sara and Jen help these letter-writers get clear on what went wrong and how they can move forward—so they can show up as the great managers their teams need. Links: Check out 1:1 coaching at Active Voice Got a work situation eating away at you? Send it to us! Submit your dilemma at  PMLEshow.com.

This week’s letter writers are looking to change their relationships to work. One is wondering if it’s time to leave UX all together and monetize a hobby instead. The other is a budding thought leader…who gets the ick whenever they say “thought leader.” Sara and Jen have brought out all their best questions and resources to help these folks get unstuck and plan their next career move—without ignoring the human being at the center. Links: Don’t feel like an expert? Share anyway. Check out the new book Present Yourself from Women Talk Design Hone your Spiky Point of View Join the Manager’s Playbook May cohort Got a work situation eating away at you? Send it to us! Submit your dilemma at  PMLEshow.com.

Our letter writers today are really going through it—public undermining, misogyny, gaslighting, intense micromanagement. So how can you speak up or push back when your manager is making you miserable? And what if it feels pointless to even try? Sara and Jen jump in with tools for holding difficult, but healthy, conversations with your manager—and also how to avoid letting bad managers suck up all the space in your life.  Links: Identify your needs with BICEPS Read Alicia Ostarello’s essay on healing from burnout Got a work situation eating away at you? Send it to us! Submit your dilemma at PMLEshow.com.

Today’s episode is all about job titles—and all the weird feelings that come with them. Our first letter writer enjoys their work and is paid well, but feels like they’ve been leveled lower than their peers. Another is considering a “demotion” to manage burnout, but is worried about taking a long-term hit in their career. They’re turning to Sara and Jen to help them get unstuck—without racing back onto the corporate ladder. Links: Identify your needs with BICEPS Got a work situation eating away at you? Send it to us! Submit your dilemma at  PMLEshow.com.

Today’s letter writers are working to make change in their organizations…but they’re running into all kinds of roadblocks. One wants their discipline to get more respect, but feels ignored and outnumbered. The other is pushing their company to hire more inclusively than “people we already know”—and hitting a brick wall. They’re both frustrated and exhausted. Listen in as Sara and Jen help them decide how to move forward—without burning out or burning bridges. Links: On moral injury: Employees Are Sick of Being Asked to Make Moral Compromises Sign up for Power Shift (registration ends 2/6) Got a work situation eating away at you? Send it to us! Submit your dilemma at  PMLEshow.com.

Career transitions are always hard, but today’s letter writers are having an especially tough time deciding what their next move should be. One’s finding that their field of choice isn’t all it’s cracked up to be. Another’s struggling to know how to position a harmful past experience in a way that doesn’t count them out of future opportunities. Both are feeling really stuck—and looking for help from Sara and Jen to decide what’s next for them, and how to get there.  Links: Sign up for Power Shift (register by 12/31 to save $150) Got a work situation eating away at you? Send it to us! Submit your dilemma at  PMLEshow.com.

“Prioritize better,” “lead more,” “be more assertive.” In today’s episode, Sara and Jen take on questions from listeners who are deep in the midst of corporate gaslighting and help them understand their feelings, assess their options, and find a way forward—without just working harder. Links: Read Sara’s article: Hey Designers, They’re Gaslighting You Check out “Gaslighter” by The Chicks Is Therapy-Speak Making Us Selfish? The Moral Injury Project at Syracuse University   Jen’s Luddite book rec: Blood in the Machine Join us for Reclaim Your Power Got a work situation eating away at you? Send it to us! Submit your dilemma at  PMLEshow.com.