Identity Work

Between work, family, and being tired from work and family, hobbies can feel like something we’ll get back to eventually. This week, Adam and Stephen talk about why making room for something fun matters, especially when your calendar already feels full.The conversation starts with Adam wondering whether to shut down his newsletter at 5:30 in the morning. That question leads to a surprising appreciation for the creative space he’s built, even on weeks when the writing feels hard. Stephen shares how friendship keeps the podcast going and why he’s writing a children’s book for an extremely small target audience: his daughter.Together, they discuss finding time, talking with your spouse about having an evening to yourself, and letting a hobby evolve without turning it into another job. Along the way, there’s a questionable fantasy-book recommendation, some AI tinkering, and a reminder that a hard day at work feels different when work isn’t the only thing that makes you, you.Four TakeawaysPick something before you pick the perfect thing. You don’t need to discover your lifelong passion before getting started. Choose something that sounds fun and let the experience help you figure out what comes next.Protect the time, then adjust how you use it. Creating space is often harder than choosing the activity. A recurring evening, an earlier morning, or a standing plan with a friend can make that space easier to keep.Let a hobby stay small. An hour and a half on Thursday nights can be enough. You can enjoy something, put it down, and come back next week without feeling guilty for failing to spend your whole Saturday on it.Give your identity more places to live. Writing, reading, making something, or spending time with a friend can remind you that your job is one part of your life. Those other parts matter when work gets hard.Chapters00:00 — Welcome back and a shout-out to Eugene01:48 — Answer first: Any hobby is better than no hobby05:01 — Why Adam continues writing07:51 — Making time in the morning or evening11:14 — Friendship, accountability, and a night to yourself13:33 — Stephen’s next children’s book14:23 — Choosing something that’s actually fun17:11 — An identity with more than one part19:20 — Is real estate still part of Adam’s identity?20:35 — AI as a creative outlet22:43 — Always-on questions: home decor23:57 — Trend spotter: email automation and corporate espionage27:16 — This week’s challenge27:54 — A look ahead at our next guestsListener ReflectionWhat’s one creative activity you could spend 30 minutes on this week simply because it sounds fun?What would you need to put on the calendar, change in your routine, or talk through with your spouse to make that happen?

What would you do if you didn’t have to worry about money? Most of us start imagining a different job, a different schedule, or a beach somewhere. Eugene Luning asked Stephen a slightly different question: What if money were taken care of, but you had to stay in your current role? How would you approach the work you already have?Eugene is the director of The Union and Stephen’s spiritual director, a relationship that apparently began with Adam’s Christmas letter. He joins us to talk about ambition, anxiety, faith, and the pressure to figure out what our lives are supposed to become. We explore what changes when we trust that God knows where we are, and that the people and opportunities in front of us deserve our attention today.The conversation gets practical: using the space between meetings to reset, building small rhythms of gratitude, and recognizing when a commitment has become something we keep doing because we feel guilty stopping. Lexi joins us to talk about parenting guilt, and Eugene shares a story about his daughter leaving for college that brings the whole conversation home.Along the way, we discuss the humanity and humor of Jesus, Stephen maintains his unofficial count of Adam’s reading, and we consider whether a meaningful life might feel a little freer than we’ve been making it.TakeawaysThere is meaning available where you are today. Career planning can consume our attention. Eugene invites us to consider how we would treat our current work and the people around us if we felt less pressure to secure the future.Small moments of returning can become a way of life. A pause before a meeting, a reminder of past provision, or three things you’re grateful for can help bring your attention back to the present. Doing it once is a place to start.Pay attention to what you’re being drawn toward. Persistent friction can be a reason to reconsider a commitment. Asking what you want to give yourself to can help clarify what you need to release.Let your children experience being deeply loved. Eugene offers a simpler focus for the pressure of parenting: being interested in your children, helping them feel seen, and ending the day with them knowing you’re delighted they’re yours.Chapters00:00 Introducing Eugene and the Christmas letter that started it01:57 What if you stayed in your current job?04:54 God knows where to find you07:12 Connection and meaning in the present moment12:02 Using transitions to practice presence15:13 Anxiety as a reminder to return to God20:06 Gratitude and building small rhythms24:15 The pressure to keep doing good28:51 Knowing when it’s time to move on31:52 The humanity and humor of Jesus35:15 Parenting guilt and helping children feel loved41:15 Learning to receive love ourselves43:10 Being set free for your work46:57 Trends spotter47:52 Is meaning in work found or created?50:07 Where to find EugeneListener ReflectionWhere are you waiting for your circumstances to change before you let yourself be fully present? What would it look like to bring a little more attention, love, or freedom to that part of your life today?Connect with EugeneFind Eugene’s writing at unionists.org and listen to The Unionists on Apple Podcasts.

You want people to know what you do. You also don’t want to become the person posting about "7 quick tips to earn $10m a year". How do you put yourself out there while still feeling like yourself?Adam and Stephen sit down with Harris Fanaroff, founder and CEO of Linked Revenue, to explore personal branding, humble brags, and the fear of being judged. Adam shares his four attempts at finding his voice on LinkedIn, from fintech commentary to weekly meaningful moments. Harris explains how sharing useful ideas and building relationships can create opportunities, even when you aren’t selling anything.We also discuss what to share early in your career, why human stories matter in a feed full of AI content, and how Harris approaches meaningful work through providing for his family and building a team where people can be honest.Four TakeawaysStart with someone you can help. Thinking about what another person could learn from your experience gives you a practical way to approach posting without making every post a celebration of yourself.Your brand can grow from who you already are. Adam’s meaningful moments helped him notice more of what he values and gave others a clearer picture of him. Being thoughtful, curious, and consistent can carry professional value.Relationships build over time. Harris approaches LinkedIn as a place to share useful ideas, notice who engages, and start conversations. Those connections can become clients, collaborators, or a network to lean on during a career change.You can share while you’re still learning. Early in your career, useful observations, questions, and lessons from more experienced colleagues can give you something worthwhile to contribute. Fear of judgment often keeps people from starting.Chapters00:00 Meet Harris Fanaroff01:17 Personal Branding Without Narcissism05:51 Adam’s Four Attempts at LinkedIn11:26 Finding Your Why for Posting15:02 Turning Engagement Into Relationships20:04 Humble Brags, Ego, and Sharing Your Success27:18 Getting Past the Fear of Being Judged30:45 Algorithms, AI Content, and Staying Human35:18 Practical Advice for Promoting a Podcast39:09 Providing for Family as the Purpose of Work41:23 Building a Vulnerable Team Culture44:29 Is Meaningful Work Found or Created?45:09 Favorite Places and Finding Time to Be an Adult48:57 Where to Find HarrisReflection QuestionWhat is something you’ve learned or noticed recently that could help someone else, and what holds you back from sharing it?Connect With HarrisFind Harris Fanaroff on LinkedIn or visit Linked Revenue.

What would it be like to start your career with AI?In this episode, Adam and Stephen explore how AI is changing the substance of entry-level work. Young professionals can now produce polished analysis, models, and presentations in minutes, but bypassing the struggle may also mean missing the judgment that struggle once developed.They discuss why speed is not the same as learning, how managers can help younger employees build judgment, and why time and human feedback remain essential even when AI can produce a strong first draft. They also consider whether every entry-level employee is now becoming a manager, with AI serving as their first team.Four TakeawaysAI is not simply making entry-level work faster. It is changing what the job requires, replacing some tactical skills with leadership, judgment, and strategic thinking.Struggle can be formative. Building the model or wrestling with the first draft helps people understand how the answer was created and recognize when something does not make sense.Efficiency does not guarantee learning. AI can help someone finish faster, but developing real understanding still requires time with the material.Junior employees need human feedback, peer review, and coaching. AI can challenge a recommendation, but a five-minute conversation with someone who has lived the problem can reveal what hours of research missed.Chapters00:00 Welcome and introduction01:27 What would it be like to start a career with AI?03:20 How AI changes the substance of entry-level work05:30 What we learn through struggle09:53 AI, homework, and the importance of time11:49 How managers can help junior employees learn15:02 Why human feedback still matters17:16 Is every entry-level employee now a manager?22:19 Evaluating the process, not just the answer24:48 Trend Spotter: The language and future of AI30:31 Showing appreciation for others31:54 Closing reflectionReflection QuestionIf entry-level work now requires management skills, how should we change the way we train, coach, and encourage people at the beginning of their careers?

After more than 70 episodes asking what makes work meaningful, Adam finally has a working answer: learning with people who make him laugh while providing for his family.Then AI changed how he experiences all three.In this episode, Adam and Stephen explore whether AI strengthens our connection to work or quietly erodes it. It can accelerate learning, eliminate tedious tasks, and increase our ability to provide. But it can also remove the small human interactions that make work enjoyable and introduce an uncomfortable question: What happens when the systems we build can do our jobs too?TakeawaysMeaningful work is personal. Adam finds it through learning, laughter, and providing for his family, while Stephen looks for strengths, community, and balance.AI may not eliminate learning, but it changes what we need to learn and can leave us feeling permanently behind.Efficient answers can come at a relational cost. A 15-minute conversation with a coworker may be inefficient, but it can also make work feel more human.AI is neither inherently meaningful nor meaningless. The challenge is using it intentionally to strengthen the parts of work that matter most to us.Chapters00:00 Did Adam finally figure out meaningful work?02:45 The questions that started Identity Work03:50 Adam’s three pillars of meaningful work05:10 Why “people who make me laugh” matters08:33 What happens when AI changes the equation?09:52 Is AI helping us learn or removing the struggle?14:27 Learning versus operating in your strengths19:11 The human interactions lost to efficiency24:42 Will AI help us provide or replace us?27:20 When AI comes for the product manager29:23 Using AI to deepen meaning and connection31:18 Epiphany Corner and the Delve Deck36:55 How is AI changing your experience of work?Listener ReflectionWhat makes work meaningful for you? Write your answer in one sentence. Then consider how AI is affecting each part of it. Where is it increasing your connection to work, and where might it be quietly taking something away?