Episodes

In this episode, Kaila and Kyle discuss the demise of the traditional corporate structure—from co-CEOs, to the elimination of middle managers, and even the death of workplace loyalty. It seems like everything we know about the way companies are organized are changing, so what does this mean for you? 00:00 Intro 01:43 What’s unique about this moment in time for workplaces 04:36 A possible explanation for why these company structures keep changing 07:46 The AT&T memo and how workplace loyalty ...

In this episode, Kaila and Kyle discuss the pivotal life experiences that helped them in their careers in unexpected ways. Listen to hear Kaila and Kyle’s personal stories of rock-bottom moments and personal epiphanies that have ultimately made them better at their jobs. 00:00 Intro 03:13 Kyle’s biggest experience with failure 08:06 Kaila’s biggest experience with failure 11:54 The non-work things that have contributed to Kaila’s and Kyle’s careers 16:35 What Kyle learned from making his fi...

In this episode, Kaila and Kyle break down “The Great Lock-In”—the Q4 period where it’s advantageous for your year-end review to focus and get down to business. Listen to hear Kaila and Kyle’s extremely tactical and actionable advice on how to accomplish the most before the end of the year. 00:00 Intro 02:01 What “The Great Lock-In” is about 07:17 The first phase of “locking in” 13:14 The second phase of lock-in 17:47 Bullet journaling 20:00 Timeboxing 23:42 Another important element of l...

In this episode, Kaila and Kyle discuss the rise of the “quiet promotion,” how to know whether or not you’re receiving one, and what to do if you have. 00:00 Intro 01:50 “job hugging” 07:42 Defining “quiet promotions” 10:12 Why quiet promotions are happening 13:40 Kaila’s experience with quiet promotions 15:28 Kyle on whether he’s been quiet promoted 17:41 What to do if YOU’RE being quiet promoted 29:29 Recap: The 3 steps to take if you’ve received a “quiet promotion” This episode was s...

In this episode, Kaila and Kyle are responding to listener-submitted career advice questions…and they’re juicy! From how to handle conflicting feedback to wading through the “work fluff”, this episode is chock-full of useful tactics for handling tricky work situations. 00:00 Intro 01:25 Grab Bag Question #1 - communication issues 06:38 Grab Bag Question #2 - conflicting feedback 12:50 Grab Bag Question #3 - learning about different jobs 18:05 Grab Bag Question #4 - office decor 22:39 Grab ...

In this episode, Kaila and Kyle debate whether you should or should NOT pursue your office crush. That’s right—we’re talking office romance this week, and Kaila and Kyle hold strongly opposing positions on the matter, based in part on their own personal experiences. 00:00 Intro 02:57 Historical context for the conversation 04:23 Kaila’s opinion on pursuing a relationship in the workplace 08:19 The types of jobs where office romance becomes more likely 15:53 The most important thing to remem...

Is it cringe to try too hard? In this episode, Kaila and Kyle are joined by Normal Gossip co-creator and Defector Media co-owner Alex Sujong Laughlin to talk about the ins and outs of being a “try hard” at work. Alex’s new podcast, Try Hard, documents people attempting things that they’re afraid to do, and in this episode you’ll hear about a couple of moments when Alex and Kaila’s fear of being cringe nearly held back their career progress. 00:00 Intro 01:40 What is “Try Hard”? 05:29 Why bein...

In this episode, Kaila and Kyle discuss the current trend of laying off middle managers and the flattening of organizations, the impact this can have on individuals, and why we can’t forget the key roles that middle managers have in your career. 00:00 Intro 01:43 Who are the middle managers? 04:15 Stats illustrating the decline of the middle manager 06:40 How an absence middle managers can hinder your career 11:09 The goal of a middle manager, and what happens when they disappear 18:44 Why...

In this episode, Kaila and Kyle discuss how AI is impacting the job market, what the future of work may look as more roles and industries become automated, and how to stand out in the age of AI-assisted hiring processes. 00:00 Intro 01:41 Research on the impact of AI on job seekers 06:28 The rise of the “he-cession” 10:07 How AI is impacting the job hunt for mid-career level individuals 14:02 Strategies for applying to jobs in the current environment 19:20 Tips for once you finally reach t...

In this episode, Kaila and Kyle discuss the three most problematic toxic workplace scenarios, and how to manage each of them. Plus, wait ‘til the end to hear a bonus fourth toxic workplace scenario that you probably haven’t considered. 00:00 Intro 01:42 Defining “toxicity” in the workplace 04:14 Stats on toxic workplaces 05:43 Toxic coworkers and how to handle them 11:46 How Kaila handled a former toxic coworker 16:34 Toxic bosses and how to handle them 24:45 An important note on “toxic b...

In this episode, Kaila and Kyle get educated on the four most important qualities of leadership that separate the top 1% of executives from the rest. Cassie Young, General Partner at Primary Venture Partners, joins Kaila and Kyle this week to discuss why these are the most important (and underappreciated) leadership traits, and why it’s important to know them even if you’re not a leader yourself. 00:00 Intro 02:32 Cassie’s career trajectory 08:00 “Highly forgettable people” 09:39 A tip for w...

In this episode, Kaila and Kyle are discussing whether or not you can actually get wealthy in your 9 - 5 alone anymore. Is the American Dream dead, or just evolved? Listen to hear their takes on the best types of companies to work for if you want to build wealth without the side hustle. 00:00 Intro 01:40 How money has played a role in career motivation for Kaila 04:14 How money factored into Kyle’s career path 07:15 Stats on people’s perceptions of wealth 09:13 Where the traditional ideas a...

In this episode, Kaila and Kyle are joined by Morning Brew Daily hosts Neal Freyman and Toby Howell to talk about a subject they know better than anyone—the reality of having a work bestie. Listen to hear Neal and Toby share the story of how they went from colleagues, to friends, to podcast co-hosts, and the unexpected benefits and potential drawbacks of having such a tight working relationship. 00:00 Intro 02:09 How Neal and Toby originally became friends 07:58 How being both friends and col...

In this episode, Kaila and Kyle discuss Kyle’s experience of paternity leave so far, what’s been the most surprising to him, and how he’s feeling about returning to his 9 to 5. 00:00 Intro 01:32 Stats on maternity vs. paternity leave in the U.S. 05:02 Research on the impact of taking paternity leave on a father’s brain 08:11 How pat leave has been for Kyle 13:53 Kyle’s feelings around returning to work 18:24 How boundaries shift after paternity leave 23:37 How Kaila’s thinking about paren...

In this episode, Kaila and Kyle debate what they consider to be some non-obvious but very real truths about the nature of work and career. Plus, listen ‘til the end of the episode to hear Kaila’s bonus productivity hack. 00:00 Intro 00:26 “Per YOUR Last Email” segment 02:32 Non-Obvious Truth #1 05:30 The 3 “right” ways to be exploited at work 11:35 Non-Obvious Truth #2 19:33 Non-Obvious Truth #3 26:18 Bonus Productivity Hack of the Week Want to get all of Kaila & Kyle’s career resources?...

In this episode, Kaila and Kyle discuss and debate the four types of jobs that they think everyone should have at least once in their career. Plus, listen ‘til the end to hear Kaila’s work fail of the week. 00:00 Intro 01:06 Job #1 06:21 Pros and cons of working for a name brand 10:54 Job #2 20:04 Job #3 23:44 Job #4 29:32 Sequencing your career trajectory 32:08 Kaila’s work fail of the week Want to get all of Kaila & Kyle’s career resources? Subscribe to Per My Last Email: https://www....

In this episode, Kaila and Kyle discuss the ins and outs of office politics, what it REALLY is, and how to improve on your office politicking skills in order to advance your career. 00:00 Intro 03:09 The two buckets of office politics 07:48 Can you opt out of office politics? 10:24 Advice for groups who face more biases in the workplace 12:57 MIT study on promotions based on potential 15:07 Kaila and Kyle’s personal experience with office politics 20:34 Office politics for remote employee...

In this episode, Kaila and Kyle discuss the difference between extrinsic and intrinsic motivation, and how to artificially generate it when you find yourself lacking motivation. 00:00 Intro 00:51 Intrinsic motivation vs extrinsic motivation 03:08 Kyle’s intrinsic motivation vs Kaila’s extrinsic motivation 08:56 How Kaila hacks her motivation 14:52 Research-backed strategies for increasing motivation 19:24 Self-Determination Theory 21:50 Manufacturing competition 27:19 Two more tactics fo...

In this episode, Kaila and Kyle dive into some conversation-sparking Reddit “Am I the A******?” submissions, and give their candid opinions on each. From whether or not you should share details of your personal life with your coworkers, to the ethics of applying for the same job as a friend, Kaila and Kyle bring some strong opinions. 00:00 Intro 00:53 Scenario #1 - Retirement Gift 05:14 Scenario #2 - Applying for the Same Job as Your Friend 10:00 Scenario #3 - Keeping Personal Life Private a...

In this episode, Kaila and Kyle talk about their biggest work fails, a different way to think about failure beyond simply as a “learning opportunity,” and share tactics on how to best move through and recover from failures in both work and career. 00:00 Intro 00:40 Kaila’s biggest work failure 04:20 Kyle’s biggest work failure 09:34 The problem with “I don’t fail, I either win or I learn.” 17:46 An NIH study on career failure among nurses 21:05 How to change your perception of “failure” 2...

In this episode, Kaila and Kyle discuss what having high agency at work really means, the problems having high agency poses in certain contexts, and how to cultivate more of it in order to help your career. 00:00 Intro 01:20 Defining what having “high agency” is 06:52 The elements of high agency 10:34 An important point about having agency 14:17 An important element of truly effective high agency 15:03 A time when Kaila demonstrated high agency in her career 17:46 A time when Kyle demonst...

In this episode, Kaila and Kyle discuss the viral Steve Madden interview and debate whether CEOs and corporations should be expressing their political views, as well as how to navigate politics in the workplace. 00:00 Intro 01:24 Steve Madden’s viral Cutting Room Floor interview 06:26 Lulu Cheng Meservey on “going direct” as a business leader 07:29 Stats on how different generations feel about companies voicing their political beliefs 09:53 Ben & Jerry’s vs. Target 15:07 Brian Armstrong’s ...

In this episode, Kaila and Kyle dive into the problems with being a “people pleaser”, and how to balance being agreeable enough while also being effective and impactful at work. Plus, Kaila introduces The Workplace People Pleasing Matrix. 00:00 Intro 00:44 Defining what “people pleasing” actually is 01:55 Why the term “people pleaser” is inflammatory 06:09 Stats on agreeableness and income 07:53 The Workplace People Pleasing Matrix 17:12 The importance of knowing when to be agreeable 19...

In this episode, Kaila and Kyle discuss work stress and whether we’ve been thinking about it in the wrong way. There’s clearly such a thing as too much stress, but what about too little? And is there an ideal amount of stress we should be aiming for in order to be most successful at our jobs? 00:00 Intro 00:24 APA stats on stress and anxiety 02:53 Kaila’s relationship with work-related stress 06:57 Stats on workplace mental health 09:58 The Eustress Curve and how to rethink our relationship...