Hello Monday with Jessi Hempel

The Hidden Beliefs Quietly Holding You Back at Work

What if the very habits that made you successful are now the ones holding you back? In this episode of Hello Monday, host Jessi Hempel is joined by executive coach and leadership expert Muriel Wilkins to explore the hidden beliefs that quietly shape how we lead and make decisions. These “blocking beliefs”—like I need it done now, if I can do it, so can you—often begin as strengths. But over time, they can fuel burnout, micromanagement, and disengaged teams. Drawing from her new book, Leadership Unblocked, Muriel offers a practical framework for identifying the beliefs that no longer serve us and replacing them with more flexible, sustainable ways of leading—without losing ambition, standards, or control. Together, Jessi and Muriel unpack how leaders can expand their range, lead with greater ease, and grow their organizations by first growing themselves. In this conversation, you’ll learn: What “blocking beliefs” are and how they develop over the course of a career A three-step process for uncovering, unpacking, and unblocking limiting beliefs Why urgency and perfectionism often undermine leadership effectiveness How the belief “I need it done now” contributes to burnout and unclear priorities How the truth of our external environment can be reframed in the narrative we tell ourselves How to stop micromanaging without sacrificing accountability We are no longer hosting weekly Office Hours but are thrilled to launch the Hello Monday Book Club. If you’re interested in joining, send us an email at hellomonday@linkedin.com and let us know!

2026 Dream Job Exercise: Unlocking Your Future

What is your dream job? What will your life look like in ten years? Kick off the New Year with a favorite Hello Monday activity: the Dream Job Exercise.  In this episode, host Jessi Hempel kicks off the new year with a powerful ritual she returns to every January: the Dream Job Exercise. It’s not about chasing a title or predicting the future—it’s about reclaiming imagination, agency, and hope in a moment when many professionals feel stuck or anxious about what comes next. Jessi explains why imagination may be the most essential career skill of the next decade—and how a simple writing exercise can help you clarify what you really want from your work and your life. Jessi walks listeners step by step through the Dream Job Exercise, sharing why looking 10 years ahead creates space to stop editing yourself and start dreaming again. Along the way, she reflects on how this practice helped her land a version of her own dream role—and why it can work as a decision-making filter in an era of constant change. In this episode, Jessi explores: The role of hope and personal agency in navigating career change Why imagination is a critical future-of-work skill How the Dream Job Exercise helps clarify what you actually want Why looking 10 years ahead unlocks bolder career thinking How this exercise can guide better career decisions year after year Whether you’re questioning your next move, feeling unsettled in a job you once loved, or simply craving more clarity as the year begins, this episode offers a grounding reset—and a practical tool to help you move forward with intention.

Out of Office: A Hello Monday Holiday Special

This week, a show about work brings you an episode about time away from work, and why we all need it. We hope you enjoy this classic holiday rerun from Hello Monday's very first year of production featuring some favorite vacation stories, and we’ll see you in the new year!

How to Live With Uncertainty: Asking Better Questions About Work and Life

Uncertainty has become a defining feature of modern work. From shifting economic signals to rapid technological change, many professionals feel stuck in a constant state of not knowing—and they’re exhausted by it. In today's episode, Jessi Hempel sits down with journalist and behavioral scientist Elizabeth Weingarten to explore how asking better questions --not demanding faster answers--can help us navigate uncertainty.  Elizabeth is the author of How to Fall In Love With Questions. Her work focuses on uncertainty, decision-making, and how curiosity can help us build more meaningful lives and careers. In this conversation, she challenges the culture of binary thinking, and offers a powerful framework for living well in the unknown. Elizabeth and Jessi discuss: Why our tolerance for uncertainty is shrinking—and how technology plays a role The danger of binary questions and why “yes or no” often isn’t the right frame How to change the relationship we have to our questions Burnout, work, and what happens when we stop asking meaningful questions How to use questions as an internal GPS for career and life decisions We are no longer hosting weekly Office Hours but are thrilled to launch the Hello Monday Book Club starting in 2026. If you’re interested in joining, send us an email at hellomonday@linkedin.com and let us know!

Layoffs, Leadership and the Question to Ask Before You Start “Doing”

High achievers like to go after their goals, but what if in the face of disruption, we’re skipping a step in our hurry to get going and get “doing”?  With ongoing layoffs and a new (sometimes scary) work landscape, so many of us are trying to figure out what opportunities remain, and what we should do next. But today’s guest, Victoria Foster, suggests we’re starting from the wrong place. Before trying to figure out what we can do, we should first ask: who do I want to be?  Victoria is an executive coach and co-founder of FutureWomenX. She invites us to step out of scarcity, tap into our deeper gifts, and reclaim our agency. She argues that instead of clinging to old definitions of success or the skills we’ve mastered, we need to understand the values, beliefs, and strengths beneath them. That’s where possibility lives. In this episode of Hello Monday, Jessi and Victoria discuss: Why defining ourselves by what we do limits our ability to adapt How to uncover the gifts beneath our skills, and why they matter Why layoffs often trigger shame, and how to reclaim your story The importance of honoring where you’ve been before choosing what’s next How community and courageous conversations help us face the unknown Why 2025 demands a new mindset for navigating work and identity Continue the conversation with us at our last Hello Monday Office Hours! Join us Wednesday at 3 PM ET on the LinkedIn News page.