Future Of Work Podcast

In this episode of The Future of Work® Podcast, Frank Cottle speaks with Lara Vandenberg, Founder and CEO of Assemble, about the structural changes redefining how modern teams are built. Drawing from her work with chief marketing officers and enterprise leaders, Lara explains why traditional headcount models are breaking down and why companies are moving toward capability-based ecosystems that combine full-time employees, freelance specialists, AI, and operational strategy. 

The conversation explores the future of work through one of its most urgent questions: how should companies design teams when speed, uncertainty, and technology are changing faster than org charts can keep up? Together, Frank and Lara unpack the rise of fractional talent, the growing importance of internal culture, the role of AI in reducing but not eliminating jobs, and why businesses must rethink talent systems from the customer backward. For leaders navigating workforce design, marketing operations, and long-term organizational resilience, this episode offers a sharp and practical look at where work is heading next.

About This Episode 
In this episode of The Future of Work® Podcast, Daniel Lamadrid speaks with Dr. Guy Winch, internationally renowned psychologist, bestselling author, and leading voice on emotional health, about why burnout, stress, and overwork continue to intensify even as awareness around well-being has grown. Drawing from his latest book, Mind Over Grind: How to Break Free When Work Hijacks Your Life, Dr. Winch explores the paradox of modern work: companies talk more about emotional health than ever before, yet people remain overwhelmed, mentally depleted, and unable to disconnect. 

The conversation examines how burnout at work now extends far beyond office hours, especially in an era shaped by remote work, AI anxiety, blurred boundaries, hustle culture, and nonstop digital access. Dr. Winch explains the psychological patterns that keep people stuck in rumination, why overwork erodes productivity rather than improving it, and what leaders and employees can do to build healthier, more sustainable ways of working. This episode offers timely insight into the future of work by showing that emotional adaptability, psychological awareness, and intentional recovery are becoming essential human skills in a rapidly changing workplace.

About This Episode 
The future of work is no longer defined by productivity alone—it is being reformed by how organizations prioritize people, leadership, and purpose. In this Expert Compilation episode of The Future of Work® Podcast, three leading voices explore the fundamental changes transforming how we work, lead, and build sustainable organizations. 

Kurtis Lee Thomas, founder of Breathwork Detox, shares how workplace well-being is evolving from a perk into a measurable, strategic business priority—impacting performance, retention, and long-term resilience. Stephanie Chung, former Chief Growth Officer at Wheels Up, brings over 30 years of leadership experience to redefine what it takes to build high-performing teams, emphasizing trust, vulnerability, and the neuroscience of winning. Finally, Jasmine Escalera, PhD, a career expert and LinkedIn Top Voice, explores how Gen Z is shaping expectations around work, identity, and success—challenging organizations to adapt or risk losing emerging talent. 

Together, these perspectives reveal a clear truth: the organizations that will thrive in the future of work are those that prioritize human experience as much as performance.

About This Episode 
Meeting culture is one of the most overlooked yet costly dysfunctions in modern organizations. In this episode of The Future of Work® Podcast, Daniel Lamadrid was joined by Rebecca Hinds, PhD—organizational behavior expert and author of Your Best Meeting Ever—to speak about why meetings persist despite being widely disliked, and how leaders can transform them into powerful tools for progress. 

Drawing on research from Stanford, Worklytics, and her experience founding the Work Innovation Lab at Asana and the Work AI Institute at Glean, Rebecca explains how visibility bias, meeting debt, and hybrid dysfunction are driving calendar overload and burnout. She introduces practical frameworks like the 4D Test (Decide, Debate, Discuss, Develop), Meeting Doomsday, and Return on Time Investment (ROTI) to help leaders and teams reset their collaboration systems. 

As AI alters how we work, Rebecca challenges organizations to use technology intentionally—freeing meetings for the deeply human work of creativity, trust-building, and decision-making. This episode is a masterclass in designing meeting culture that truly advances business outcomes in the future of work.

About this episode 
In this episode of The Future of Work® Podcast, Frank Cottle is joined by Chase Garbarino, Co-Founder and CEO of HqO, to explore how cities evolve when we treat them like outcomes-driven systems rather than tech experiments. Chase introduces the framework behind “Quantum Cities,” arguing that technology must serve measurable results—starting with GDP—while balancing essential principles like privacy, liberty, and economic dynamism. Together, they connect the dots between city revitalization, the changing demands of the workforce, and the growing need for better feedback loops on what people actually value. 

The conversation then moves into the practical reality of commercial real estate and workplace experience—from the limitations of legacy landlord thinking to the rise of “experience” as the new differentiator. Chase explains why the industry must become more customer-oriented and data-driven, including concepts like tenant health scores and better success signals tied to renewal and expansion. Frank expands the lens with a “food chain” view: if the employee experience breaks, every layer above it—tenants, buildings, cities, capital—eventually feels the impact.