Are your meetings driving results—or just draining your calendar? This week, Lauren sits down with organizational scientist and Your Best Meeting Ever author Dr. Rebecca Hinds to rethink how meetings are designed, measured, and led. Learn how to eliminate meeting debt, reclaim your time, and turn collaboration into a competitive advantage.

You’ll learn:

• Why “meeting debt” is costing companies trillions—and how to reset your calendar
• The simple design shifts (like ROTI and the Rule of Halves) that instantly improve meetings
• How to run inclusive, energizing hybrid meetings people actually want to attend

Show Notes

Weekly Newsletter Sign-Up: http://bit.ly/37hqtQW

New Manager course: https://careercontessa.teachable.com/p/the-new-manager-manual/

Efficient Meetings course: https://careercontessa.teachable.com/p/building-efficient-meetings/

Guest Resources:

Rebecca Hinds website: https://www.rebeccahinds.com/

Book: https://www.rebeccahinds.com/book

Career Contessa Resources

Book 1:1 career coaching session: https://www.careercontessa.com/hire-a-mentor/

Take an online course: https://www.careercontessa.com/education/

Get your personalized salary report: https://www.careercontessa.com/the-salary-project/

Sponsors

Go to momentumshake.com/careercontessa to get a free Welcome Kit and Travel Collection ($70 value) to get you started!

Sign up for your one-dollar-per-month trial today at shopify.com/careercontessa.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Ever feel like the default project manager at home or work? In this episode, Lauren sits down with Dr. Regina Lark to unpack soft incompetence—a subtle dynamic that quietly shifts emotional labor onto one person, often with good intentions. Learn how to spot it, talk about it, and rebalance responsibility without resentment.

You’ll learn:

1. How soft incompetence differs from weaponized incompetence.
2. Early signs of emotional labor imbalance.
3. One simple shift to redistribute responsibility more fairly.

Show Notes

Weekly Newsletter Sign-Up: http://bit.ly/37hqtQW

Guest Resources:

Dr. Regina Lark: https://www.reginalark.com/

Career Contessa Resources

Book 1:1 career coaching session: https://www.careercontessa.com/hire-a-mentor/

Take an online course: https://www.careercontessa.com/education/

Get your personalized salary report: https://www.careercontessa.com/the-salary-project/

Sponsor

Sign up for your one-dollar-per-month Shopify trial today at shopify.com/careercontessa.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Communication isn’t just a soft skill—it’s the foundation of influence, trust, and leadership at work. In this episode, Ravi Rajani, author of Relationship Currency, breaks down the five habits that make communicators truly influential. From reframing the stories you tell yourself to building trust without being the loudest voice in the room, Ravi shares practical, immediately usable shifts that help you communicate with more clarity, credibility, and impact—starting this week.

You’ll learn:

• How to build trust through the Three C’s: connection, character, and competence
• Why patience (not charisma) is the secret weapon of influential communicators
• Simple habits introverts can use to speak with confidence and be taken seriously at work

Show Notes

Weekly Newsletter Sign-Up: http://bit.ly/37hqtQW

Guest Resources:

Relationship Currency book: https://www.theravirajani.com/book

Ravi LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/theravirajani/

Ravi website: https://www.theravirajani.com/

Career Contessa Resources

Book 1:1 career coaching session: https://www.careercontessa.com/hire-a-mentor/

Take an online course: https://www.careercontessa.com/education/

Get your personalized salary report: https://www.careercontessa.com/the-salary-project/

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.