#166 No Hard Feelings: The Secret Power of Embracing Emotions at Work w/ Liz Fosslien

Elisabeth Fosslien is an author, illustrator, and head of content at Humu. She illustrated and co-authored the bestselling Wall Street Journal book "No Hard Feelings: The Secret Power of Embracing Emotions at Work." The groundbreaking nonfiction is also hailed as a hilarious guide to effectively expressing emotions at the office, finding that seemingly elusive fulfilment, and defining work-life balance on one's own terms. Her book also takes an affectionate look at how emotions can have a profound impact on key aspects of one's professional life. It also serves as a meticulously researched guide to un-repressing emotions at work, demystifying digital interactions and co-worker communication styles, and finding constructive channels even for negative emotions like anxiety and jealousy. Aside from "writing and drawing" emotion, Liz also works as a consultant on experience design projects and product design for companies like SYPartners, Ernst & Young, and Salesforce. She also regularly runs scientifically-backed and interactive workshops on creating a culture of belonging, navigating different work styles, helping remote workers avoid burnout, and effectively harnessing emotions as a leader. Elisabeth has also spoken and delivered keynote presentations at numerous organisations and conferences including Google, LinkedIn, SXSW, Viacom, Dropbox, The American Gas Association, First Round Capital, HackMIT, and The Wing. Her work has also been featured by The Economist, TIME, NPR, and the New York Times. She has also led community and product projects at Genius and ran statistical analyses at Analysis Group. The coffee lover starts her day by eating yogurt and reading abstracts. She lives in Berkeley, California and is a fan of ghouls and mathematical art.   This week's episode talks about her definition of a burnout, the difference between introverts and extroverts, and the importance of communication in the workplace. Elisabeth also shares the top 3 signs of burnout as well as the different levels, one of the biggest things she talked about in her book, and what an ambivert is. On dealing with a bad day at work, Elisabeth offers the following advice, "First is to try and understand what's driving that negative emotion."