Inner Work World - Rethinking Mental Wellbeing At Work
Claim This Podcastby Susanna Sjöberg
Podcast Overview
<p><b>Inner Work World </b>is a podcast for professionals who care about mental health and wellbeing at work. Hosted by Susanna Sjöberg, a registered mental health professional and workplace wellbeing expert, each episode brings science-backed insights and real stories from people around the world.</p><p></p><p>From neuroscience to psychology to management practices to ancient wisdom adapted for modern work, this podcast offers new perspectives and supports professionals in making small shifts that create big changes in how they feel and approach work and life.</p><p></p><p>Press pause on the noise and join us in doing the inner work.</p>
Language
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Publishing Since
2/15/2026
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Recent Episodes
July 26, 2026
The Power of Nutrition in Resilience & Performance with Jessica Hofmans
<p>When we talk about managing workplace stress and burnout, we usually reach for mental solutions—mindset shifts, breathing exercises, or calendar audits. But stress is a physical experience, and the body relies entirely on how we fuel it to navigate high-pressure demands.</p><p></p><p>In this return episode of <i>Inner Work</i>, host Susanna Sjöberg welcomes back Jessica Hofmans, a certified Health Coach, Nutrition Specialist, and expert in public health and hormone health. Jessica breaks down why nutrition is so often overlooked in the stress conversation and unpacks the powerful gut-brain connection—the continuous data highway running through our nervous system that determines how our bodies process pressure. Moving away from restrictive diet culture, Jessica shares practical, sustainable strategies to protect your energy, stabilize your blood sugar, and build genuine resilience through everyday food choices.</p><p></p><p>Susanna and Jessica explore the real impact of common habits like drinking coffee on an empty stomach, how chronic stress alters our protein and nutrient requirements, and simple ways to support your microbiome without sacrificing life’s pleasures. Whether you are navigating back-to-back corporate meetings, travel, or busy routines, this conversation offers an empowering, science-backed approach to fueling your mind and body from the inside out.</p><h3><b>Key Takeaways</b></h3><ul><li><b>The Mind-Body Disconnect:</b> Stress is commonly treated purely as an emotional or mental challenge, but the nervous system runs on physical fuel. Because nutrition is often associated with weight-loss diets and sacrifice, its power as a tool for mental performance and stress resilience is frequently ignored.</li><li><b>The Gut-Brain Highway:</b> The enteric nervous system contains over 500 million neurons that communicate directly with the brain via the vagus nerve. Highly processed, long-shelf-life foods disrupt the gut microbiome and trigger inflammatory responses, signaling threat state messages directly to the brain.</li><li><b>Rethinking Morning Habits:</b> Drinking coffee on an empty stomach amplifies early-morning cortisol spikes and triggers blood sugar crashes. Delaying caffeine slightly, hydrating first, and anchoring breakfast with a source of protein and healthy fats helps maintain steady energy throughout the day.</li><li><b>Crowding In, Not Restricting Out:</b> Sustainable wellness is not about cutting out carbs, chocolate, or social drinks. Shifting the focus to adding nutrient-dense, colorful whole foods naturally satisfies hunger and reduces the impulse to reach for ultra-processed energy fixes.</li><li><b>Supporting the Microbiome Simply:</b> Introducing small daily servings of fermented foods (like kefir, kimchi, sauerkraut, or miso) and "eating the rainbow" supplies the gut with diverse fibers and beneficial bacteria that directly boost mood-regulating neurotransmitters.</li></ul><h3><b>Connect with the Guest</b></h3><ul><li><a rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://jhofmanscoaching.com" target="_blank">Visit Jessica's Website</a></li><li><a rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://www.google.com/search?q=https://www.linkedin.com/in/jessica-hofmans" target="_blank">Connect with Jessica on LinkedIn</a></li><li><a rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://www.google.com/search?q=https://www.instagram.com/jhofmanscoaching" target="_blank">Follow Jessica on Instagram</a></li><li><a rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://www.google.com/search?q=mailto%3Ajessica%40jhofmanscoaching.com" target="_blank">Email Jessica Directly</a></li><li><a rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://calendly.com/jhofmanscoaching-booking/30min" target="_blank">Book a free 30-minute discovery call with Jessica</a></li></ul>
July 26, 2026
How Bullying and Gaslighting Impact the Brain with Dr. Jennifer Fraser
<p>What actually happens inside our bodies when workplace pressure turns toxic? Why do psychological threats, subtle microaggressions, and institutional gaslighting leave deep, measurable impacts on employee well-being and performance?</p><p></p><p>In this episode, Susanna Sjöberg sits down with Dr. Jennifer Fraser—founder of <i>The Bullied Brain</i>, award-winning educator, and author of <i>The Gaslit Brain: Protect Your Brain from the Lies of Bullying, Gaslighting, and Institutional Complicity</i>. Dr. Fraser shares how uncovering a systemic bullying scandal at her school propelled her into years of research across medicine, psychology, and neuroscience. Moving past outdated assumptions that treat emotional or psychological abuse as mere "tough management," Dr. Fraser details how toxic behaviors inflict physical damage on brain architecture and how organizations can shift from being trauma-informed to trauma-preventative.</p><p></p><p>Susanna and Dr. Fraser explore the global crisis of workplace incivility, why authority figures often protect high-performing abusers over truth-tellers, and how gaslighting functions as a form of institutional self-preservation. This eye-opening conversation offers a radical, neuroscience-backed perspective on breaking habits of compliance, restoring biological safety, and building workplaces grounded in truth and accountability.</p><h3><b>Key Takeaways</b></h3><ul><li><b>Psychological Abuse Causes Physical Brain Damage:</b> Psychological mistreatment, belittling, and microaggressions are not soft issues—they cause visible structural damage to the brain, including an enlarged amygdala (chronic threat state), a demyelinated corpus callosum (impaired left-right communication), and a shriveled hippocampus (impaired learning and memory).</li><li><b>The Danger of Habituation:</b> Brains naturally run on "autopilot" to conserve energy. When toxic behaviors and minor abusive acts are normalized repeatedly, employee brains habituate to the toxicity, viewing severe mistreatment as ordinary or acceptable.</li><li><b>The Paradox of the Dark Tetrad:</b> High-powered manipulative personalities (Machiavellians, narcissists, psychopaths, and sadists) often climb organizational ranks quickly. Because they lack affective empathy and emotional burden, they can fake empathy and charm while focusing all cognitive energy on acquiring power.</li><li><b>Why Institutions Turn on Truth-Tellers:</b> Leaders frequently protect abusers to preserve their own reputation and legacy (the "remembering self") rather than face the uncomfortable crisis (the "experiencing self"). As a result, whistleblowers and truth-tellers are often ousted while toxic behavior is swept under the rug.</li></ul><h3><b>Connect with the Guest</b></h3><ul><li><a rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://bulliedbrain.com/" target="_blank">Visit Dr. Fraser's Website</a></li><li><a rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/jen-fraser-phd-1466a417/" target="_blank">Connect with Dr. Fraser on LinkedIn</a></li><li><a rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://www.psychologytoday.com/ca/blog/the-bullied-brain" target="_blank">Read "The Bullied Brain" series on Psychology Today</a></li><li><a rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://www.amazon.com/Bullied-Brain-Scars-Restore-Health/dp/1633887782" target="_blank">Get <i>The Bullied Brain</i> on Amazon</a></li><li><a rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://www.amazon.com/Gaslit-Brain-Gaslighting-Institutional-Complicity/dp/1493090925" target="_blank">Get <i>The Gaslit Brain</i> on Amazon</a></li><li><a rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://bulliedbrain.substack.com/" target="_blank">Subscribe to Dr. Fraser's Substack on Gaslighting</a></li></ul>
July 26, 2026
The Science of Making Work Fair with Siri Chilazi
<p>Why are traditional diversity and workplace initiatives falling short? What happens when we stop trying to "fix" individuals and instead focus on fixing the structures, processes, and systems they operate within?</p><p></p><p>In this episode, Susanna Sjöberg sits down with Siri Chilazi, a senior researcher at the Women and Public Policy Program at Harvard Kennedy School and co-author of <i>Make Work Fair: Data Driven Design for Real Results</i>. Siri shares how her early career experiences in management consulting exposed the stark gap between meritocratic intentions and workplace reality, sparking her lifelong commitment to advancing gender equity. Moving beyond performative celebrations, endless unconscious bias training, and programmatic "fix-the-woman" approaches, Siri reveals how behavioral science and evidence-based design can create truly fair, high-performing organizations.</p><p></p><p>Susanna and Siri explore the deep parallels between workplace equity, innovation, and mental health. They discuss the "intention-action gap," why well-meaning initiatives often backfire on the very people they are meant to help, and how simple, data-backed tweaks to everyday processes can yield massive structural changes. This grounded, practical conversation offers a clear roadmap for leaders, managers, and individuals to move from arbitrary "best practices" to proven "best evidence" in building healthier, fairer workplaces.</p><h3><b>Key Takeaways</b></h3><ul><li><b>Fixing Systems, Not People:</b> Equity and well-being issues stem from flawed structures, biased processes, and overwork culture—not individual deficits. Redesigning how we hire, evaluate, and conduct meetings yields far better results than trying to "fix" employees.</li><li><b>The Intention-Action Gap:</b> Most people genuinely desire a meritocratic workplace, but flawed processes, organizational incentives, and environmental cues lead to behavior that contradicts those good intentions.</li><li><b>Evidence Over "Best Practice":</b> Many standard DEI programs (e.g., mandatory training, targeted social tasks) fail to move the numbers and can actively harm marginalized groups through backlash or distraction. Organizations should rely on tested behavioral research and internal experiments rather than copying popular trends.</li><li><b>Diagnosis Before Prescription:</b> There is no universal fix. Organizations must collect data to diagnose their specific operational bottlenecks before applying solutions like resume anonymization or policy adjustments.</li><li><b>Focus on the 80%:</b> Following the 20-60-20 rule, leaders should stop wasting energy trying to convince dedicated detractors (the bottom 20%) and instead focus on empowering early adopters (the top 20%) and winning over the moveable middle (the 60%).</li></ul><h3><b>Connect with the Guest</b></h3><ul><li><a rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/sirichilazi/" target="_blank">Connect with Siri on LinkedIn</a></li><li><a rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://makeworkfair.com/" target="_blank">More on Siri’s book, <i>Make Work Fair</i></a></li><li><a rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://makeworkfair.com/newsletter/" target="_blank">Join Siri’s newsletter for the latest research</a></li><li><a rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://sirichilazi.com/" target="_blank">Check out Siri’s latest work</a></li></ul>
13 total episodes available
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- What is Inner Work World - Rethinking Mental Wellbeing At Work?
<p><b>Inner Work World </b>is a podcast for professionals who care about mental health and wellbeing at work. Hosted by Susanna Sjöberg, a registered mental health professional and workplace wellbeing expert, each episode brings science-backed insights and real stories from people around the world.</p><p></p><p>From neuroscience to psychology to management practices to ancient wisdom adapted for modern work, this podcast offers new perspectives and supports professionals in making small shifts that create big changes in how they feel and approach work and life.</p><p></p><p>Press pause on the noise and join us in doing the inner work.</p> - How often does this podcast release new episodes?
This podcast updates daily.
- Where can I listen to this podcast?
This podcast is available on 4 platforms including Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and more. You can also use the RSS feed directly.
- Does this podcast accept guests?
Yes, this podcast regularly features guests.
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