Behavioral Grooves Podcast

What if work didn’t have to be something we simply “get through” five days a week? This week, we sit down with Bree Groff, author of Today Was Fun, to explore how small changes in the way we interact, communicate, and lead can make work more human and mostly fun, most days. We talk about work-life balance, chronic overwork, psychological safety, AI, and the importance of protecting the relationships, health, creativity, and small moments of joy that make our lives meaningful. Topics [0:00] Intro and Speed Round with Bree Groff [9:45] Treat your brain like a Stradivarius [13:18] Why this isn't a typical business book [19:52] The five-minute check-in [27:41] The benefits of psychological safety and cognitive offloading [30:55] The hidden cost of chronic overwork [36:16] Why “love what you do” is an exhausting goal [43:09] Why work should be mostly fun, most days [49:07] The truth about AI at work [53:45] What happens when we outsource thinking? [54:37] Bree's writing soundtrack [59:45] Grooving Session: Making work fun ©2026 Behavioral Grooves Links About Bree Today was Fun by Bree Groff Join us on Substack! Join the Behavioral Grooves community Subscribe to Behavioral Grooves on YouTube Support Behavioral Grooves Musical Links Vulfpeck - Back Pocket Qveen Herby - The Fool

This week, Dr. Jeremy Pollack joins us to explore the neuroscience of conflict, trust, mistakes, uncertainty, and psychological safety. We discuss how these obstacles and miscommunications can affect our work environments, what to do when you notice them, and how to build healthier teams by breaking old conflict patterns before they start. Topics [0:00] Intro and Speed Round with Jeremy Pollack [9:20] Can our brains rewire conflict patterns? [14:21] The neuroscience behind conflict resolution [19:50] How organizational systems can fuel conflict [32:32] Creating psychological safety at work [38:55] Why our brains crave certainty [42:09] How to rewire the nervous system after trauma [49:04] Desert Island Music Picks [50:36] Grooving Session: Self-regulation techniques for leaders ©2026 Behavioral Grooves Links About Jeremy Wired for Peace by Jeremy Pollack, Ph.D. Join us on Substack! Join the Behavioral Grooves community Subscribe to Behavioral Grooves on YouTube Support Behavioral Grooves Musical Links Grateful Dead - Friend of the Devil Phish - Sample in a Jar  

Disagreements are inevitable, but they don’t have to become conflicts. Harvard Kennedy School professor Julia Minson joins us to explore why we struggle to see perspectives different from our own and how openness, curiosity, and humility can lead to more productive conversations. We also get practical strategies for navigating difficult conversations, from asking better questions to understanding what we actually know versus what we’re simply assuming. Topics [0:00] Introduction and Speed Round with Julia Minson [6:16] Does Feeling Heard Make Us More Receptive? [19:23] Why Context Matters in Conflict [21:13] What Is Naive Realism? [37:37] Why Receptiveness Isn't Weakness [42:00] What Is "Boomer Asking"? [44:39] How to Start a Difficult Conversation [47:23] What Do You Actually Know? [49:30] Asking Better Questions [51:12] Are You Actually Being Curious? [52:30] Using Notes to Have Better Conversations [57:19] Grooving Session: Practical Tips for Better Disagreements ©2026 Behavioral Grooves Links About Julia How to Disagree Better by Julia Minson Join us on Substack! Join the Behavioral Grooves community Subscribe to Behavioral Grooves on YouTube Support Behavioral Grooves Music Links Taylor Swift - august Noah Kahan - The Great Divide

What if constraints could actually make us more creative? This week, we use behavioral science to explore how limits on our time, resources, and choices can focus our attention, spark creativity, and help us make better decisions. With author David Epstein, we look at how creatives like Bach and Dr. Seuss used constraints to generate new ideas, and how identifying bottlenecks at work can help us focus on the problems that matter most. We’ll also share practical ways to embrace constraints, think differently, and get more done. Topics [0:00] Intro and speed round with David Epstein [15:00] Choice overload and endless options [22:31] How constraints can unlock creativity  [29:53] Innovation and limitations [36:14] Great thinkers and the obstacles that met them [43:55] The Green Eggs and Ham Effect [51:10] AI and creativity [59:40] Finding the Bottleneck [1:04:02] Knowing your own constraints [1:11:13] Bach: the maestro of constraint [1:18:43] Grooving Session: Exploring the power of constraints ©2026 Behavioral Grooves Links About David Epstein Inside the Box: How Constraints Make Us Better Join us on Substack! Join the Behavioral Grooves community Subscribe to Behavioral Grooves on YouTube Support Behavioral Grooves Music Links Bach - Air on the G String (Orchestral Suite No. 3) London Grammar - Hey Now

What happens when we enter a conversation with someone we assume is different from us? Social psychologist Claude Steele argues that the tension and nerves we feel may have less to do with prejudice than we think. In his new book, Churn, Claude explores how identity threats can affect our performance and relationships, why we fear being misjudged, and how empathy, listening, and understanding can help reduce that tension and foster trust. We discuss why context matters, how our attitudes can follow our behavior, and why “colorblindness” can make it harder to understand another person’s experience. Topics [0:00] Introduction and Speed Round with Claude Steele [11:28] Does attitude follow behavior? [15:02] What exactly is “churn”? [20:12] The fear of being stereotyped [30:21] Trust as the antidote to tension [35:31] Can you really be “colorblind?” [47:48] Barack Obama and the cross-identity bridge to understanding [53:40] Why you need to look at circumstances [1:01:58] Desert Island Music [1:07:05] Grooving Session: Why our brains churn ©2026 Behavioral Grooves Links About Claude Churn: The Tension That Divides Us and How to Overcome It Join us on Substack! Join the Behavioral Grooves community Subscribe to Behavioral Grooves on YouTube Support Behavioral Grooves Musical Links Miles Davis & Gil Evans - The Duke Stevie Wonder - Don’t You Worry ‘Bout A Thing