The "Grind": Meaningful or Meaningless? | Lydia Dugdale & James Valentini

In today's episode, a physician and a former college dean grapple with "grind culture." You'll hear from Lydia Dugdale, a professor of medicine at Columbia, and James Valentini, a chemistry professor and a former dean of Columbia College. In this conversation, moderated by Seth Freeman, they discuss the difference between meaningful work and meaningless striving, what it looks like to live with the end in mind, and the relationship between career and calling in a world defined by achievement culture. This forum was held at Columbia in April 2026. Thank you to the student planning team for making this event possible. A link to the full forum is in the podcast description. Find additional resources and quotes on the podcast episode page here.