Welcome to Workplace Weirdness Season 3!Â
Maya Kadar Kovalsky kicks off the season with a special guest, VAN JONES, a political commentator, social entrepreneur, CNN host, Emmy Award-winning producer, bestselling author, and founder of Dream Machine Innovation Lab and Rapport. Â
Join a fascinating conversation about working across radically different environments, from the rules of working in the White House to Silicon Valley to the future of AI in the workplace. Van and Maya explore why psychological strength matters more than psychological safety and why the best managers need better tools to navigate a diverse, distributed, and divided workforce.
If you manage people, lead teams, or just want to understand how humans actually work together, this episode is packed with practical insight and motivation.
Chapters:
00:00 – Disagreeing agreeably
04:28 – Workplace slogans: Keep It, Kill It, or Fix ItÂ
09:47 – Can we be apolitical at work?
14:41 – Psychological safety versus psychological strength
18:18 – The three D workplace: diverse, distributed, divided
19:55 – Why Rapport exists and what problem it solves
25:47 – Why managers need help interpreting people data
28:59 – Technology can bring out the worst in people
29:39 – Culture shock across different work environments
35:10 – The weirdness of living and speaking on live TV
39:20 – High-amplitude careers come with real lows
44:43 – Final thoughts on Rapport and a free consultation offer
Resources and Links:
The Official Workplace Weirdness Amazon Store: https://www.amazon.com/shop/workplaceweirdnesspodcastÂ
Rapport
· Website: http://www.rapport.coÂ
Offer to our listeners: A 30-minute leadership and talent development strategy audit.
Receive a complimentary, private 30-minute Leadership & Talent Development Strategy Session to uncover opportunities and sharpen your talent strategy.
Email hi@rapport.co and mention “Workplace Weirdness Podcastâ.
Van Jones
· Rapport Website: http://www.rapport.co
· Website: https://www.vanjones.net/
· Instagram: @vanjones68
· YouTube: @vanjones68
· Tiktok: @vanjones68
· Substack:https://vanjones.substack.com/
Maya Kadar Kovalsky
· LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mayakadar/
Workplace Weirdnessâ¢
· Email: info@workplace-weirdness.com
· Website: workplace-weirdness.com
· Instagram: @workplaceweirdpod
· Tiktok: @workplaceweirdpod
· Substack: https://workplaceweirdness.substack.com/
Disclaimer: The content of this podcast is intended for entertainment purposes only and should not be construed as professional, legal, or workplace-specific advice. Listeners are encouraged to seek guidance from qualified professionals for their individual situations. Â