Adieu, Women at Work—thank you for everything

With Amy Gallo, former co-host of the Women At Work podcast. This was the first time we met in person (October 2022), though thanks to Amy's generosity in so many ways, we've become bi-coastal besties!

Women at Work—a favorite and truly trailblazing podcast by Harvard Business Review (HBR)—published their final episode last month 😢. Today I’m paying homage to their work, the difference it made, and its impact on me. 

I'm rounding up some of my favorite episodes (a tall order!) and sharing the episodes I was lucky to join as a guest below. I’m so thankful to Women at Work, and will always celebrate their trailblazing work. Here's why.

Finding Validation and Community

Back when I began to research and write about gender bias in the workplace, I was looking to find evidence that squared with my experiences and those of the women around me I talked to: that it was workplaces that needed fixing, not women. 

But in the mainstream narrative, I kept bumping into the idea that women were the problem—we’re not assertive/too aggressive, not friendly/too friendly, have imposter syndrome/are too dominant, etc—and it was frustrating!

So you can imagine that I was filled with relief and gratitude when I found the Women at Work podcast by HBR in 2018, the same year I became a contributor. (Serendipity?)

It was incredibly validating to hear gender in the workplace discussed candidly by their amazing hosts and guests, with the HBR brand boldly propelling the idea that women’s experiences were different at work. And gender deserved to be centered in leadership and management conversations.

YES! 

Each episode tackled different topics with the fundamental assumption that there’s nothing inherently wrong with women that blocks our progress in the workplace, and that women can thrive when given the tools, support, and chances. 

And so, for seven years and over 10 seasons, they talked about exactly that.

With Sarah Green Carmichael (past co-host and Executive Editor of HBR), Amy Gallo and Harvard Business School professor Amy Edmondson in London in 2023

Women at Work Published their Final Episode

All good things must come to an end, and it’s hard when they do. Especially a publication as unique as Women at Work. From menopause to weight bias to what it actually takes––beyond lip service––to support women of color, Women at Work always educated me, made me think, and most of all, ensured I felt seen on topics that are transformative and necessary to leadership.

The goodbye is personal too….

I was invited to join the podcast as a guest in 2018, when I was early (and very unknown) in my journey to make workplaces more gender-inclusive. And it was a life-changing experience. Being invited to a community as respected as HBR was the biggest win I’d had since I switched careers from journalism back in 2014.

How I Joined the Women at Work Podcast (!)

Rewind to early 2018, where I received a painful rejection for the first article I submitted to HBR––after years of trying to get my foot in the door.

(Side note: I recently heard a former Fortune 10 executive talk about how getting an article published in HBR was one of the most challenging and affirming moments of their career…and I felt SO validated.) This has also been one of the reasons I’ve tried to liberally make connections to their editors with my community, where I can, because gatekeeping in this industry is rampant.

Anyway, I was ecstatic when later that year, HBR agreed to publish, Women of Color Get Asked to Do More “Office Housework.” Here’s How They Can Say No. The best part was that I was introduced to Amy Gallo who became my HBR editor—later, a co-host on the podcast—and a dear friend to this day.

The article struck a chord, and when Women at Work asked if I’d join them for their episode on Doing Less Dead End Work, I nearly passed out in excitement! Podcasts were new back then and I barely knew how to speak on one. If you listen to this episode, you'll hear that my voice is shaky and more monotone (due to nerves) than the conversational way (I hope) I sound on podcasts today. Thanks to a lot of practice!

With Modupe Akinola, Amy Gallo and Selena Rezvani, all amazing women who have been part of the HBR universe in some way!

Ruchika Selects: A Few of My Favorite Episodes

Women at Work means a lot to me not just for inviting me as a guest (multiple times!), but for presenting evidence and experts to illustrate that propelling women in the workplace requires intentionality and awareness.

So to commemorate the podcast’s eight-year run, I’m revisiting my favorite episodes, as well as those I've joined:

Respect for Any Body Size 

This episode on weight bias had me crying while I listened. This is such an undercovered topic, and one that impacts me personally as a larger-than-conventional woman in workplaces I’ve been in around the world; Singapore, India, the U.K. and across the U.S. Prepare to be absolutely blown away by this one!

If We Want Equity, Work Needs to Be Less Greedy

When work is relentlessly demanding, it can be nearly impossible to see yourself as anything but a cog in the machine that has to compete (scarcity!) to get ahead. As you can tell, this episode relates closely to the principles of Uncompete. Hearing Nobel Prizewinning economist Claudia Goldin make this point so well here...is everything.

Let’s Talk About Money

I’ve struggled until recently with money conversations due to how I was socialized to be "agreeable" and not “greedy”. I love the idea of “teaching wealth,” which is discussed in this episode. And fun fact! Amelia Ransom, their guest, has become a dear friend and is launching her own new podcast soon. I'm excited to be one of her first guests when she launches. I LOVE her ideas on building and teaching wealth to enrich communities. 

Let’s Do Less Dead-End Work

This is the first episode I joined the podcast as a guest, where we talk about avoiding the drudgery that women tend to get stuck with at work. We cover handling these kinds of “dead-end work” requests and what managers can do to assign work fairly. I still come back to the advice I've gathered on this topic—eight years later, the people-pleaser in me continues to be in recovery.

We’re Beyond Stretched

This was the first episode released during the early COVID-19 pandemic, and I was so humbled to be asked to process that momentous time in history with the hosts. The increased emotional and logistical load of the pandemic was not distributed evenly: women bore the brunt. As we learnt in even more catastrophic ways as the pandemic unfolded.

I joined this episode to discuss how I was coping (while writing a book and with a young child at home) and to share my advice on handling the additional stress.

Handling Fierce Criticism

Anyone who is outspoken and visible opens themselves up to criticism. In this episode, I talk about my experiences with online harassment and how I’ve dealt with pushback and skeptics. It was a hard one for me to discuss some of the horrible trolling I’ve experienced as a woman writing on the internet….I didn’t know this was going to be the last time I’d be on the show (I secretly hoped I’d be able to share about Uncompete with this amazing community who literally model what the concept means), but I remain proud of my contributions to this conversation.

Book: You, the Leader

Women at Work wasn’t only a podcast: they hosted live events and published several books. I was honored to have the article I co-wrote on imposter syndrome included in this volume.

Thank You, Thank You, Thank You, Women at Work!

I will always be grateful to the team behind Women at Work (special shoutout to producer Amanda Kersey) for creating a space that challenged bias, spotlighted overlooked issues, and reminded us that the workplace can be reimagined to welcome us all. Fortunately for all of us, the Women at Work archive is active, and I encourage you to check out their episodes.

The last episode in particular...right at the end where they each say these deep, heartfelt thank yous…give me chills and tears. WAW is a profoundly special community.

It will leave an absence felt by many.

So…I’d love to know: do you have a favorite podcast that covers women in the workplace? I’m taking recommendations!

In solidarity,

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