If Adam Grant and Brené Brown had a smart, funny, slightly bossy sister who showed up with her own table, her own chairs, and a slightly inappropriate snack tray, you’d get Dr. Abby Medcalf.
Welcome to Workplace Therapy, the podcast where workplace relationships finally get the therapy they’ve always needed. Whether you're burned out from boundary-less coworkers, stuck in a people-pleasing loop with your boss, or dreading yet another “quick” check-in from a micromanaging manager, Abby has the insight and attitude you’ve been craving.
With decades of experience as a psychologist, organizational consultant, and no-nonsense New Yorker, Abby delivers research-backed tips and strategies you can use today. No fluff. No vague leadership lingo. Just honest talk about the human side of work and how to finally feel energized and confident in your career again.
36. From Coworker to Boss: Why Great Employees Don't Always Make Great Managers
You got promoted! Congratulations. Your reward? Now you get to manage the same people you used to complain about the boss with. On Friday, you were part of the team, joking around and sharing frustrations. On Monday, you're responsible for evaluating those same people, making decisions they won't always like, and maybe telling a friend that their work isn't cutting it. Meanwhile, you're still jumping in to fix everyone's problems because that's what got you promoted in the first place.
Here's the problem: being great at your job doesn't automatically make you great at managing people. Today, I'm going to show you how to make the transition from coworker to boss without losing your relationships, your credibility, or your mind.
____________________________
Full blog and show notes: https://abbymedcalf.com/ (https://abbymedcalf.com/first-time-manager-former-coworkers)first-time-manager-former-coworkers (https://abbymedcalf.com/first-time-manager-former-coworkers)
Download the Free Guide - New Manager’s Attention Reset: https://abbymedcalf.com/manager-reset (https://abbymedcalf.com/manager-reset)
Join my online community, One Love Collective, on Substack: (https://abbymedcalf.com/substack)https://abbymedcalf.com/substack (https://abbymedcalf.com/substack)
Check out Cure Hydration and use my code RME for a great deal: https://www.curehydration.com (https://www.curehydration.com/)
Get my new book now available on Amazon, Stop Reacting, Start Connecting: No Couples Therapy Required: https://abbymedcalf.com/stop-reacting-book (https://abbymedcalf.com/stop-reacting-book)
You'll get...
✨ Early drops + ad-free podcast episodes
✨ Worksheets, journal prompts, downloads, and guided visualizations
✨ Community chats and live Q&A calls with Abby
_________
👉 Subscribe to the Love Letter and get my little messages each week!
https://abbymedcalf.com/loveletter-opt-in/ (https://abbymedcalf.com/loveletter-opt-in/%C2%A0)
👉 Pick up a copy of my new book, Boundaries Made Easy: Your Roadmap to Connection, Ease and Joy: (https://abbymedcalf.com/boundaries)https://abbymedcalf.com/boundaries (https://abbymedcalf.com/boundaries)
👉 Pick up The Workbook: Boundaries Made Easier to use as a companion to the book or as a standalone masterclass: (https://abbymedcalf.com/boundaries-workbook)https://abbymedcalf.com/boundaries-workbook (https://abbymedcalf.com/boundaries-workbook)
👉 Buy my #1 bestselling book on Amazon, Be Happily Married: Even If Your Partner Won’t Do a Thing: (https://abbymedcalf.com/book%C2%A0)https://abbymedcalf.com/book (https://abbymedcalf.com/book%C2%A0)
____________________________
Looking for past episodes of the Relationships Made Easy Podcast? Head over to (https://abbymedcalf.com/podcast-the-archives/)https://abbymedcalf.com/podcast-the-archives (https://abbymedcalf.com/podcast-the-archives/) where you’ll find past episodes.
Ready to dig deeper? Take one of my online courses (some are FREE!) or grab a workbook: (https://abbymedcalf.com/resources)https://abbymedcalf.com/resources (https://abbymedcalf.com/resources)
Say hello on social:
Substack: (https://substack.com/@abbymedcalfphd)https://substack.com/@abbymedcalfphd (https://substack.com/@abbymedcalfphd)
Instagram: (https://www.instagram.com/abbymedcalfthriving/)https://www.instagram.com/abbymedcalfthriving (https://www.instagram.com/abbymedcalfthriving/)
LinkedIn: (https://linkedin.com/in/abbymedcalfthriving)https://linkedin.com/in/abbymedcalfthriving (https://linkedin.com/in/abbymedcalfthriving)
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@abbymedcalfphd (https://www.tiktok.com/@abbymedcalfphd)
YouTube: https://abbymedcalf.com/youtube (https://abbymedcalf.com/youtube)
Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands (https://redcircle.com/brands)
Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy (https://redcircle.com/privacy)
15 Jul 2026
35. Remote Work Loneliness: Why You Feel More Isolated Than Ever (And What Actually Helps)
You have more flexibility than you've ever had. You're saving hours on a commute. You can work in your pajamas, and nobody knows. And somehow, despite all of that, you feel more isolated, more disconnected, and lonelier at work than you did when you were sitting in an office surrounded by people you didn't even necessarily like. Remote work loneliness is one of the most underreported costs of the modern way of working, and it's affecting far more people than will admit it. Today, I want to tell you what's actually driving it, because it's not what most people think, and what the research says actually helps, as opposed to the advice that sounds good but doesn't move the needle.
____________________________
Full blog and show notes: https://abbymedcalf.com/remote-work-loneliness (https://abbymedcalf.com/remote-work-loneliness)
Grab the Remote Connection Plan, your one-page guide to building the kind of connection that actually addresses remote work loneliness rather than just filling the silence: https://abbymedcalf.com/remote-connection-plan (https://abbymedcalf.com/remote-connection-plan)
Join my online community, One Love Collective, on Substack: https://abbymedcalf.com/substack (https://abbymedcalf.com/substack).
You'll get...
✨ Early drops + ad-free podcast episodes
✨ Worksheets, journal prompts, downloads, and guided visualizations
✨ Community chats and live Q&A calls with Abby
_________
👉 Subscribe to the Love Letter and get my little messages each week!
https://abbymedcalf.com/loveletter-opt-in/ (https://abbymedcalf.com/loveletter-opt-in/%C2%A0)
👉 Pick up a copy of my new book, Boundaries Made Easy: Your Roadmap to Connection, Ease and Joy: https://abbymedcalf.com/boundaries (https://abbymedcalf.com/boundaries)
👉 Pick up The Workbook: Boundaries Made Easier to use as a companion to the book or as a standalone masterclass: https://abbymedcalf.com/boundaries-workbook (https://abbymedcalf.com/boundaries-workbook)
👉 Buy my #1 bestselling book on Amazon, Be Happily Married: Even If Your Partner Won’t Do a Thing: https://abbymedcalf.com/book (https://abbymedcalf.com/book%C2%A0)
____________________________
Looking for past episodes of the Relationships Made Easy Podcast? Head over to https://abbymedcalf.com/podcast-the-archives (https://abbymedcalf.com/podcast-the-archives/) where you’ll find past episodes.
Ready to dig deeper? Take one of my online courses (some are FREE!) or grab a workbook: https://abbymedcalf.com/resources (https://abbymedcalf.com/resources)
Say hello on social:
Substack: https://substack.com/@abbymedcalfphd (https://substack.com/@abbymedcalfphd)
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/abbymedcalfthriving (https://www.instagram.com/abbymedcalfthriving/)
LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/in/abbymedcalfthriving (https://linkedin.com/in/abbymedcalfthriving)
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@abbymedcalfphd (https://www.tiktok.com/@abbymedcalfphd)
YouTube: https://abbymedcalf.com/youtube (https://abbymedcalf.com/youtube)
Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands (https://redcircle.com/brands)
Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy (https://redcircle.com/privacy)
8 Jul 2026
34. Working With People You'd Never Choose: When You Don't Like Your Team
You didn't hire them and you didn't choose them. In some cases, you wouldn't have them over for dinner if your life depended on it. And yet here you are, expected to collaborate, coordinate, and produce results together five days a week.
Working with people you genuinely don't like is one of the most universal and least discussed workplace experiences. Today, I'm going to tell you what's actually happening neurologically when certain personalities set off your threat response, why the "just be professional" advice falls so flat, and what actually works when you're stuck with a team you'd never have assembled yourself.
____________________________
Full blog and show notes: https://abbymedcalf.com/working-with-people-you-dont-like-team (https://abbymedcalf.com/working-with-people-you-dont-like-team)
Grab the free Team Friction Decoder, your one-page tool for identifying what's actually driving the difficult dynamic and where to focus your energy: https://abbymedcalf.com/team-friction-decoder (https://abbymedcalf.com/team-friction-decoder)
Join my online community, One Love Collective, on Substack: https://abbymedcalf.com/substack (https://abbymedcalf.com/substack).
You'll get...
✨ Early drops + ad-free podcast episodes
✨ Worksheets, journal prompts, downloads, and guided visualizations
✨ Community chats and live Q&A calls with Abby
_________
Subscribe to the Love Letter and get my little messages each week!
https://abbymedcalf.com/loveletter-opt-in/ (https://abbymedcalf.com/loveletter-opt-in/%C2%A0)
👉 Pick up a copy of my new book, Boundaries Made Easy: Your Roadmap to Connection, Ease and Joy: https://abbymedcalf.com/boundaries (https://abbymedcalf.com/boundaries)
👉 Pick up The Workbook: Boundaries Made Easier to use as a companion to the book or as a standalone masterclass: https://abbymedcalf.com/boundaries-workbook (https://abbymedcalf.com/boundaries-workbook)
👉 Buy my #1 bestselling book on Amazon, Be Happily Married: Even If Your Partner Won’t Do a Thing: https://abbymedcalf.com/book (https://abbymedcalf.com/book%C2%A0)
____________________________
Looking for past episodes of the Relationships Made Easy Podcast? Head over to https://abbymedcalf.com/podcast-the-archives (https://abbymedcalf.com/podcast-the-archives/) where you’ll find past episodes.
Ready to dig deeper? Take one of my online courses (some are FREE!): https://abbymedcalf.com/resources (https://abbymedcalf.com/resources)
Say hello on social:
Substack: https://substack.com/@abbymedcalfphd (https://substack.com/@abbymedcalfphd)
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/abbymedcalfthriving (https://www.instagram.com/abbymedcalfthriving/)
LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/in/abbymedcalfthriving (https://linkedin.com/in/abbymedcalfthriving)
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@abbymedcalfphd (https://www.tiktok.com/@abbymedcalfphd)
YouTube: https://abbymedcalf.com/youtube (https://abbymedcalf.com/youtube)
Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands (https://redcircle.com/brands)
Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy (https://redcircle.com/privacy)
Reach and audience
Public platform figures. Ratings count people who left a rating, not total listeners.
Apple Podcasts (US)
5.0 / 5
7 ratings
Spotify
5.0 / 5
17 ratings
Contact Workplace Therapy with Dr. Abby Medcalf
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