EPISODE · Sep 17, 2025 · 1H 13M
Your Work Is A PRISON, Until You Make This One Mental Shift | Naily Makangu, Product, Tech, and Play
from Lost and Searching with Seven Jacobs · host Seven Jacobs
Most of us accept that work should feel like an obligation, something we endure to pay the bills. But what if that's completely backwards? If it wasn't about ping pong tables and free snacks, but psychological safety, meaningful challenges, and the freedom to experiment? 👉 Find the full playlist of episodes HERE: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLO6l9CNQoSFdYrSofAAHBcTdsnpYk8iYgNaily Makangu is a software engineer turned Fractional CPO and CTO, leveraging her 10+ years at Siemens Industry Software to transform tech teams from founder liabilities into strategic assets. Known as "The Mary Poppins of Startups," she helps companies from FinTech to ClimateTech build platforms that often reduce development costs by over 60%. She serves as Director at Founder Institute London, hosts The Mary Poppins of Startups Show, and bridges technical and business teams to deliver the right product, on time and on budget.Today, expect to learn:How do we transform toxic workplaces into places where people can thrive?Why do most workplaces feel like prisons?- What is the "playground affect"?How to conduct a life-changing self-reflection practice that Naily does twice yearly to reassess everything.Why "quitting mentally" every six months can revolutionize your relationship with work and life.How personality profiling can rebuild broken teams when done right (and destroy them when done wrong).Why vulnerability is actually a superpower for leaders, not a weakness.How to create psychological safety in teams so people can take risks and innovate without fear.Why startups can't compete on features anymore in the age of AI, and what they should focus on instead.How to launch with a "kebab" approach—one core feature that solves a real problem perfectly.The neuroscience behind why we stay stuck in negative patterns and how small experiments can reprogram our brains.Why the future belongs to companies that solve human problems, not just technical ones.W H A T T O D O N E X T :GUEST LINKS ~WEBSITE: https://athenaleaders.comLINKEDIN: https://linkedin.com/in/nailymakanguYOUTUBE: https://youtube.com/@athenaleadersINSTAGRAM: https://instagram.com/nailymakHOST LINKS ~WEBSITE: https://sevenjacobs.com SUBSTACK: https://sevenjacobs.substack.com SOCIALS: https://sevenjacobs.com/linksSHOW LINKS ~WEBSITE: https://sevenjacobs.com/lost-and-searchingYOUTUBE: https://www.youtube.com/@lostandsearchingpodcastALL EPISODES (Spotify): https://creators.spotify.com/pod/show/lostandsearchingALL EPISODES (Apple): https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/lost-and-searching/id1771369908JARGON BUSTER:● Fractional Executive: Part-time senior leadership role across multiple organizations● Psychological Safety: Team environment where people feel safe to take risks and voice opinions● Playground Effect: Work culture where employees feel empowered, creative, and engaged● Retrospectives/Prospectives: Agile practices for reflecting on past work and planning improvements● NLP: Neuro-Linguistic Programming - techniques for changing thought and behaviour patterns
What this episode covers
Most of us accept that work should feel like an obligation, something we endure to pay the bills. But what if that's completely backwards? If it wasn't about ping pong tables and free snacks, but psychological safety, meaningful challenges, and the freedom to experiment? 👉 Find the full playlist of episodes HERE: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLO6l9CNQoSFdYrSofAAHBcTdsnpYk8iYgNaily Makangu is a software engineer turned Fractional CPO and CTO, leveraging her 10+ years at Siemens Industry Software to transform tech teams from founder liabilities into strategic assets. Known as "The Mary Poppins of Startups," she helps companies from FinTech to ClimateTech build platforms that often reduce development costs by over 60%. She serves as Director at Founder Institute London, hosts The Mary Poppins of Startups Show, and bridges technical and business teams to deliver the right product, on time and on budget.Today, expect to learn:How do we transform toxic workplaces into places where people can thrive?Why do most workplaces feel like prisons?- What is the "playground affect"?How to conduct a life-changing self-reflection practice that Naily does twice yearly to reassess everything.Why "quitting mentally" every six months can revolutionize your relationship with work and life.How personality profiling can rebuild broken teams when done right (and destroy them when done wrong).Why vulnerability is actually a superpower for leaders, not a weakness.How to create psychological safety in teams so people can take risks and innovate without fear.Why startups can't compete on features anymore in the age of AI, and what they should focus on instead.How to launch with a "kebab" approach—one core feature that solves a real problem perfectly.The neuroscience behind why we stay stuck in negative patterns and how small experiments can reprogram our brains.Why the future belongs to companies that solve human problems, not just technical ones.W H A T T O D O N E X T :GUEST LINKS ~WEBSITE: https://athenaleaders.comLINKEDIN: https://linkedin.com/in/nailymakanguYOUTUBE: https://youtube.com/@athenaleadersINSTAGRAM: https://instagram.com/nailymakHOST LINKS ~WEBSITE: https://sevenjacobs.com SUBSTACK: https://sevenjacobs.substack.com SOCIALS: https://sevenjacobs.com/linksSHOW LINKS ~WEBSITE: https://sevenjacobs.com/lost-and-searchingYOUTUBE: https://www.youtube.com/@lostandsearchingpodcastALL EPISODES (Spotify): https://creators.spotify.com/pod/show/lostandsearchingALL EPISODES (Apple): https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/lost-and-searching/id1771369908JARGON BUSTER:● Fractional Executive: Part-time senior leadership role across multiple organizations● Psychological Safety: Team environment where people feel safe to take risks and voice opinions● Playground Effect: Work culture where employees feel empowered, creative, and engaged● Retrospectives/Prospectives: Agile practices for reflecting on past work and planning improvements● NLP: Neuro-Linguistic Programming - techniques for changing thought and behaviour patterns
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Your Work Is A PRISON, Until You Make This One Mental Shift | Naily Makangu, Product, Tech, and Play
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