Season 1
Dec. 17, 2024
What I’ve Learned About Excellence, Purpose, and Showing Up: AMA with Barrett Brooks
Since the very first episode, Good Work has been about exploring why our work matters and how it helps us become the people and leaders we’re meant to be. Normally, I interview world-class guests, diving deep into their uniq…
Dec. 10, 2024
The Power of Owning Your Story with Ruthie Ackerman
This week, I talk with Ruthie Ackerman—a talented author, journalist, and writing teacher who has turned her own journey into a blueprint for helping others find their voice. Ruthie’s work has appeared in The New York Times,…
Nov. 19, 2024
Andy Crissinger: The Art of Asking Better Questions
This week, I talk with Andy Crissinger, a world-class coach and master facilitator who has guided leaders at some of the world’s most renowned startups and companies. Andy’s journey to coaching is remarkable, weaving through…
Nov. 12, 2024
How 3.7 Million Words Built a Career: Lessons from Patrick McKenzie
This week, I talk with Patrick McKenzie, better known online as “patio11.” Patrick has built an impressive career by sharing his insights publicly, with more than three million words published to date. From his years at Stri…
Nov. 5, 2024
Why Tim Grahl Had To Kill His Old Business to Find Real Success
This week, I talk with Tim Grahl, CEO of Story Grid and author of The Shithead, a novel that’s both thrilling and deeply personal. Tim made a name for himself as a book marketer who landed multiple titles on the New York Tim…
Oct. 29, 2024
Why Real Relationships Are the Secret to Growing Your Business with Mo Bunnell
This week, I talk with my friend Mo Bunnell, founder of GrowBIG and the Bunnell Idea Group, which offers one of the most in-depth, relationship-driven trainings on sales and business development. Mo is the author of Give to …
Oct. 22, 2024
The Hidden Gem of a Naturopath Who Wrote the Manual to Health and Longevity - Dr. Erika Siegel
This week, I talk with Dr. Erika Siegel, a naturopathic doctor with nearly 20 years of experience. I discovered her work through a recommendation from my doctor and was immediately drawn to her two-volume book set, The Nouri…
Oct. 15, 2024
Creating Companies with Purpose: Kevin Lavelle on Innovation, Family, and Leadership
This week, I talk with my friend Kevin Lavelle, founder of Mizzen+Main, a company that revolutionized the dress shirt industry. We talk about how Kevin built Mizzen+Main into a successful brand, and why he ultimately decided…
Oct. 8, 2024
Brie Wolfson: Building Great Company Culture, Finding Your Creativity, and Carving Your Own Path
This week, I talk with Brie Wolfson, someone whose reputation precedes her. She’s the kind of person people rave about getting to work with. Brie was instrumental in bringing Stripe Press to life, partnering with John Collis…
Oct. 1, 2024
Creating Change: Nat West on Entrepreneurship, Community, and Public Service
This week, I sit down with Nat West, founder and former CEO of Reverend Nat’s Hard Cider, a pioneering craft cider company in Portland, Oregon. Over 12 years, Nat helped shape the city’s thriving cider scene before making th…
Sept. 24, 2024
The Long Game: Clea Kolster's Mission to Solve Climate Change
This week, I talk with Clea Kolster, Head of Science and Partner at Lowercarbon Capital, a venture capital fund dedicated to solving climate change, or, as they put it, un-f***ing the planet. Lowercarbon is one of my favorit…
Sept. 17, 2024
Steph Smith: The Curator of the Internet
This week, I talk with Steph Smith, someone I consider a true curator of the internet. Steph is a writer, podcaster, and currently the host of the A16Z Podcast for the venture capital firm Andreessen Horowitz. She’s built an…
Sept. 10, 2024
Path to Green: How Laura Behrens Wu Turned Shippo into a Billion-Dollar Unicorn
This week, I talk with Laura Behrens Wu, co-founder and CEO of Shippo, a company that’s transforming the way e-commerce businesses handle shipping logistics. If you’re not in the e-commerce world, you may not have heard of S…
Sept. 3, 2024
Emily McDowell on Reclaiming Creativity, Navigating Burnout, and Finding Balance
In this episode of Good Work with Barrett Brooks, Barrett talks with Emily McDowell about their mutual experiences of burnout, identity loss, and recovery after leaving significant roles. They explore themes of letting go, h…
Aug. 27, 2024
Crafting a Narrative: Tamara Winter on the Power of Excellence and Storytelling
In this episode of Good Work with Barrett Brooks, Barrett talks with Tamara Winter, Commissioning Editor at Stripe Press, about the essential principles for early career success, the lasting impact of personal integrity and …
Aug. 20, 2024
Beyond Unicorns: Kanyi Maqubela on Identity, Innovation, and the Future of Venture Capital
In this episode of Good Work with Barrett Brooks, Barrett talks with Kanyi Maqubela about the complexities of identity, the need for nuanced dialogue in addressing economic exclusion, and the shifting dynamics in venture cap…
Aug. 13, 2024
Benji Backer is Redefining Environmentalism
Benji Backer is the Executive Chairman and Founder of the American Conservation Coalition (ACC), the largest right-of-center environmental organization in the country, and the author of The Conservative Environmentalist: Com…
Aug. 8, 2024
Chasing Light: Austin Mann on Purpose, Beauty, and Art
In this episode of Good Work with Barrett Brooks, Barrett talks with photographer Austin Mann about his unique journey merging faith, passion for technology, and photography to inspire others through storytelling and artisti…
July 30, 2024
The Art of Excitement: How Josh Scott Built JHS Pedals through Authenticity and Community
In this episode of Good Work with Barrett Brooks, Barrett talks with JHS Pedals founder Josh Scott about the accidental beginning of his YouTube journey, why the best brands are authentically weird, and the challenges of jug…
July 23, 2024
How Thinking Deeply Will Transform Your Life with Josh Kaufman
In this episode of Good Work with Barrett Brooks, Barrett talks with Josh Kaufman, best-selling author and entrepreneur, about the power of letting go of assumptions, valuing strategic thinking, and making conscious trade-of…
July 16, 2024
Michelle Tam’s Culinary Revolution
In this episode of Good Work with Barrett Brooks, Barrett talks with Michelle Tam about her journey from a career in pharmacy to becoming a celebrated cookbook author. She discusses her family's cultural and culinary traditi…
July 9, 2024
Andrew Farah is Creating the Future of Workspaces
In this episode of Good Work with Barrett Brooks, Barrett talks with Andrew Farah about the art of building meaningful relationships, the value of humility and feedback in leadership, and the innovative journey of Andrew's c…
June 18, 2024
Nathan Barry: Everything We Learned Growing ConvertKit to $40M (and What We'd Do Differently)
In this episode of Good Work with Barrett Brooks, Barrett is joined by Nathan Barry for a candid conversation about their experiences growing ConvertKit and what they wish they had done differently.
June 11, 2024
A Quadrillion Humans in the Stars with Fil Aronshtein
In this episode of Good Work with Barrett Brooks, Barrett talks with Fil Aronshtein about the intricacies of manufacturing automation, the pivotal role of software in bridging design and production, and the collective missio…