Born to Yap, Forced to Work

We adapt and adjust our personalities and personas based on our environment. We cover, cope, and often mask our authentic selves. But why? We unpack these learned behaviors and how we can push back on them by being a little more punk rock every day.Read the companion article here: Punk Rock Training GuyYour Preschooler’s Developing Personality: 6 Tips for Parents (WebMD)When do children show evidence of self-esteem? Earlier than you might think. (The Conversation)Normal Social Expectations by Age (Brain Balance)Baby Begins to Develop Self-Awareness (Parenting Counts)Identify Covering at Work - A Majority Phenomenon (Tanenbaum)The Costs of Code Switching (Harvard Business Review)Impression Management: Erving Goffman Theory (SimplyPsychology)Surface Acting at Work: What it is and how to cope in a post-COVID world (Thunderbird School of Global Management)First Impressions: Making up your Mind After a 100-Ms Exposure to a Face (Association for Psychological Science)

Are you yearning for the ultimate super hero team up - Batman and Shrek? We aren't...until now... We asked ChatGPT about some of the weird and funny requests it has received. The results did not disappoint.

Does the phrase "corporate casual" make you cringe? Have you ever been sent to the principal's office for a too-short skirt or inappropriate t-shirt? Then you are in good company. This week we dress down dress codes.Oppressive Dress Codes Need to Go: https://www.vice.com/en/article/its-time-to-rethink-eurocentric-office-dress-codes/Dress Codes: A Racist, Sexist History and Why They Must Go:https://www.idra.org/resource-center/dress-codes-a-racist-sexist-history-and-why-they-must-be-changed/Most Workplace Dress Codes Are Immoral:https://blog.apaonline.org/2025/01/28/most-workplace-dress-codes-are-immoral/The Evolution of Business Wear:https://www.harvieandhudson.com/the-evolution-of-business-wear/

Our calendars are lousy with meetings. We asked ChatGPT to fix meetings for us. We all have to be in them, so let's add some levity.

After a brief gap year-rumspringa-time off to find ourselves we are back with a new episode about creativity. This you aren't creative? Think again!

So many things feel like they might be in or headed to the toilet lately. So here is an episode about work and public bathroom etiquette to provide a little levity during these strange times.

So many emails, responsibilities, budgets, meetings, crap to do. You might be inspired to put a blanket over it and then set the blanket on fire. But try some of these less incendiary techniques first.

This week we have a short episode about resumes and cover letters. If you are actively in the job market or just trying to keep your options open maintaining a killer resume is essential.

Cram people together in an office building and there are bound to be some nerve-testing behaviors. Here is a humorous take that will hopefully help you chuckle rather than grumble the next time someone stinks up the break room microwave.

On March 11th 2025 the US Department of Education announced that it would reduce its workforce by 50% laying off 1,300 workers in addition to the 600 have that have resigned in recent weeks. What work were these public servants doing? What are we at risk of losing?Show Notes:School House Burning:https://www.derekwblack.com/schoolhouse-burning-public-education-and-the-assault-on-american-democracy-copyEducational Inequality and School Finance:40611407-educational-inequality-and-school-financeDepartment of Education: Senate Confirms Linda McMahonhttps://www.ed.gov/about/news/press-release/us-senate-confirms-linda-mcmahon-13th-secretary-of-education-0U.S. Department of Education Initiates Reduction in Force:https://www.ed.gov/about/news/press-release/us-department-of-education-initiates-reduction-forcePublic School Revenue Sources:https://nces.ed.gov/programs/coe/indicator/cma/public-school-revenueAn Overview of the U.S. Department of Education: https://www.ed.gov/about/ed-overview/an-overview-of-the-us-department-of-education--pg-1A History of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA):https://sites.ed.gov/idea/IDEA-HistoryEducation for All Handicapped Children Act:https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/STATUTE-89/pdf/STATUTE-89-Pg773.pdf

Fake meetings about very real dinosaur business, office chair races in the hallway, office supply stacking. We explore the subtle art of goofing around at work.Also, we issue our first correction! Cat's secret society is entitled the North American Pseudohistorical Society. They are a "...shadowy organization of dubious morals that has been laying low for a while, but rumor has it that deep in the heart of it's archives a revival is stirring."

Regardless of where you fall politically, reactions to political events can provoke strong emotional responses. Following the 2024 presidential election, stories emerged about distraught individuals across the nation, fearful of what a second Trump presidency might bring. Their concerns were understandable. Donald Trump presented a vastly different vision for America than his predecessor, Joe Biden, and his ultimate presidential opponent, Kamala Harris.Conversely, there were also those who celebrated Trump’s victory. They saw it as an opportunity for him to finish what he started in his first term and further a conservative agenda. Some even felt vindicated, never believing he had truly lost the 2020 election to Biden.This episode isn’t about politics. Rather, it’s about how the political landscape and recent events highlight an important issue: we are inundated with emotional triggers, and unless we learn to manage them, they will continue to dominate our mental and physical well-being.Read the companion article here Internet Anger and Your Shrinking Brain: Why You Need to Change

Chase, Nationwide, Wendy's, and now you. You've just been returned to the office from your remote or hybrid work. Now what? This episode is the companion to Ryan's Medium article which you can read here:https://medium.com/@RyanCairneyWrites/you-just-got-rtod-6cc0265683b0

Welcome to Born to Yap, Forced to Work. Meet yappers Ryan and Molly. They have a lot to say about the thing we do almost everyday - work.