Welcome to Work is Weird Now—the podcast that explores the mysteries and oddities of work in the modern age. If you’re at a mid-career impasse, questioning your career choices, looking for inspiration, or just wondering what on earth is going on —you're in the right place.
Meet your hosts:
Alice Phillips: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alice-phillips-17847b7/ (https://www.linkedin.com/in/alice-phillips-17847b7/)
Dan Emery: https://www.linkedin.com/in/danielle-emery-08869b3a/ (https://www.linkedin.com/in/danielle-emery-08869b3a/)
Mid-season wrap-up: Big news, career larders and what's next for Work is Weird Now
Eight seasons in, and things are getting bigger, weirder and considerably more interesting.
In this mid-season catch-up, Alice and Dan share some big news: Work is Weird Now is becoming Work is Weird Now Media. What started as a podcast is evolving into a platform for original research, live events, new ideas and conversations that challenge how we think about work.
We're talking about our upcoming research, why the office might need a rebrand, and an emerging idea we're calling post-ambition: what happens when you've finished climbing the career ladder but still have plenty to give?
We also revisit some of our favourite conversations from the season, including Oliver Pickup on preparing children for the future of work, Ash Jones on the changing role of LinkedIn, and Giselle Gonzalez on a different approach to finding talent.
Plus, Alice explains the career larder, Dan shares what she's learned from building with AI, and we explore why human judgement might be our most valuable skill.
There's also a healthy dose of book recommendations, personal challenges and plans for 2027.
The world of work is changing. So are we.
Join us for a look at where we've been, what we're learning and where we're heading next.
14 Oct 2026
E68: What Is the MBA For Today? With Dr Richard Longman
Is the MBA still relevant in a world where AI can analyse information, build financial models and do much of what business education traditionally taught?
This week, Alice and Dan are joined by Dr Richard Longman, Head of The Open University Business School, to explore what an MBA should actually prepare people for, why traditional management education needs rethinking and whether the qualification is still worth the investment.
Richard shares how The Open University is redesigning its MBA around the realities of modern work, why judgment and curiosity matter more than mastering frameworks, and what AI means for the future of learning and leadership.
We also explore the findings of the OU's Business Barometer 2026, including growing skills shortages, the impact of AI on early-career recruitment and whether employers are doing enough to develop the talent already within their organisations.
Alongside the bigger questions about business education, Richard shares his extraordinary personal journey from professional musician to business school leader, and why his own MBA became a turning point in his career.
A conversation about education, opportunity, reinvention and why learning to ask better questions might be the most valuable skill of all.
Useful links
The Open University Business School: https://business-school.open.ac.uk/ (https://business-school.open.ac.uk/)
Explore The Open University's MBA: https://www.open.ac.uk/postgraduate/qualifications/f61/ (https://www.open.ac.uk/postgraduate/qualifications/f61/)
The Open University Business Barometer 2026: https://business.open.ac.uk/business-barometer (https://business.open.ac.uk/business-barometer)
Connect with Dr Richard Longman: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rjlongman/ (https://www.linkedin.com/in/rjlongman/)
7 Oct 2026
E67: What if we designed work around projects, not the nine to five? With Giselle Gonzales
What happens when work stops being about having a person in a seat and starts being about delivering an outcome?
This week, we’re joined by Giselle Gonzales (https://www.linkedin.com/in/gisellegonzales/?isSelfProfile=false), founder of Equal Reach (https://www.equalreach.io/), to explore a different way of thinking about how work is structured. Drawing on her experience connecting businesses with teams of refugee and local talent, Giselle has a unique view of the changing jobs market, from the digital tasks that can provide a first rung into work to the rise of freelancing, collectives and project-based careers.
We talk about what AI is doing to the traditional career ladder, why both entry-level work and traditional senior roles could be squeezed, and whether more of us are heading towards a future somewhere in the freelance middle.
Giselle also shares why she believes the answer might be to stop going it alone. We explore the rise of collectives, sharing the feast-or-famine reality of independent work, testing ideas alongside a nine-to-five, and why finding your tribe could become increasingly important as careers become less linear.
Is project-based work less secure than a traditional job, or are we starting to realise that the traditional job was never quite as secure as we thought?
Who has been a guest on Work is Weird Now
Names identified in recent episode analyses. Showing up to five guests.
Ben Legg
Nicoletta Idili
Abigail Wilmore
Paul Lambert
Antionette Daniel
Reach and audience
Public platform figures. Ratings count people who left a rating, not total listeners.
YouTube views
2,908
Score snapshot 15 Sept 2025
Apple Podcasts (US)
5.0 / 5
1 ratings
Podcast Authority Score: 57 / 100
A composite of feed quality, social presence, YouTube performance and engagement. Read the methodology.
Quality
88
Social presence
0
YouTube
65
Engagement
0
Contact Work is Weird Now
Guest appearances
Books guests
Based on episode analysis; this does not confirm that the show is currently accepting guests.
Questions about Work is Weird Now
Who hosts Work is Weird Now?
Alice and Dan host the show. Published by Danielle Emery.
How often do new episodes come out?
The show publishes weekly, based on its RSS feed.
Does Work is Weird Now take guests?
Yes. Guests have been identified in episode analyses.
Host of Work is Weird Now?
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