When announcing her new album, The Life of a Showgirl, on the New Heights podcast, Taylor Swift said, You should think of your energy as if its expensive. . . . Not everyone can afford it. She was encouraging people to have a healthy relationship with social media and not get sucked into online drama and endless scrolling.
As a working mom with three kids, this hit me deeplyabout much more than social media. I have spent a good portion of my adult life talking about productivity, apps, and tools to save time. But Swift used a different word: energy. I can do dozens of things to save time in my day, but if I dont have any energy left, what have I really gained?
If you want to treat your energy as if its expensive, you should think about how youre spending your time and what things drain too much of your finite energy resources. Heres how to get started.
{"blockType":"creator-network-promo","data":{"mediaUrl":"https:\/\/images.fastcompany.com\/image\/upload\/f_webp,q_auto,c_fit\/wp-cms-2\/2025\/04\/workbetter-logo.png","headline":"Work Better","description":"Thoughts on the future of work, career pivots, and why work shouldn't suck, by Anna Burgess Yang. To learn more visit workbetter.media.","substackDomain":"https:\/\/www.workbetter.media","colorTheme":"blue","redirectUrl":""}}
Audit how you spend your time
Think of a block of time in your daymaybe for a meeting or picking your kids up from school. What drains your energy far beyond the amount of time on the clock?
Years ago, I was part of a book club that I really enjoyed. But then the group started fighting about everything from the books we chose to the members we accepted. As much as I loved the people I met through the group, it was draining too much of my energy. So I left.
A good way to audit your time is to ask yourself: What is taking up too much space in my brain? If you get sucked into work drama, youll probably find yourself upset or stewing hours later. A 30-minute meeting ends up absorbing much more of your time and energy.
Things that take up too much of your energy leave you feeling drained, defeated, or exhausted later. Identifying these is the first step to setting boundaries.
Reframe your priorities
Next, youll look at the demands on your time and energy. Figure out what is required and how you can cut back on things that are too expensive.
A meeting with your boss might require a lot of your energy, but you have to do it because its part of your job. Volunteering for a local organization might require a lot of your time, but is low energy or something you enjoy.
Break down your time into four quadrants: high-priority + high-energy, high-priority + low-energy, low-priority + high-energy, and low-priority + low-energy.
High-priority + high-energyHigh-priority + low-energyLow-priority + high-energyLow-priority + low-energy
Low priority + high energy is not a good combination. If you treat your energy as expensive, those are things you should cut back on. Low priority + low energy might be something you can cut altogether, unless its something that can give your brain a reprieve and doesnt interfere with your high priorities.
Reclaim your energy for what matters the most
While you cant necessarily get rid of high-priority + high-energy demands, you can try to protect yourself. Keep the interactions or work to the bare minimum.
I used to work with a group of people who were very high-drama. Meetings turned into battles, and the disagreements would continue in long strings of emails. I couldnt escape the interactions, because it was part of my job.
But later in the day, I would complain about the group at dinner with my family. I would stew over the interactions while I was driving around. I let the drama absorb way more of my energy than it deserved. With effort on my part, I learned to say, Nope. Im going to leave work at work.
You can also find ways to recharge your energy, whether its a walk, a nap, or locking your phone so you dont get sucked into an endless doomscroll.
Recharging isnt a luxuryits essential, especially when youre locked into a lot of high-priority + high-energy work. If youre not careful with how you spend your time, its a quick path to burnout, feeling frazzled, or lacking the energy for things that matter in your life.
{"blockType":"creator-network-promo","data":{"mediaUrl":"https:\/\/images.fastcompany.com\/image\/upload\/f_webp,q_auto,c_fit\/wp-cms-2\/2025\/04\/workbetter-logo.png","headline":"Work Better","description":"Thoughts on the future of work, career pivots, and why work shouldn't suck, by Anna Burgess Yang. To learn more visit workbetter.media.","substackDomain":"https:\/\/www.workbetter.media","colorTheme":"blue","redirectUrl":""}}
When I first entered the workforce, my mantra was simple: Do whatever it takes.
So when I was organizing and running programming for an event early in my career and the need for visitor transportation came up, I didnt hesitate. Thats how I ended up behind the wheel of a 12-person Sprinter vandoing pickups, drop-offs, and general schlepping in between running the actual event.
Saying yes to every extra task doesnt make you indispensable. It makes you exhausted. And worse, it raises the question of your value as an employee. Are you just duct tape slapped over a leak when needed, or is there real substance and strategy to your role in the organization?
A stretch project that builds skills or visibility? Now, thats worth stepping up for. But, extra work that adds no upside except more caffeine paired with a shot of anxiety? Not so much.
Ah, but theres always a catch, and in this case, its a tricky one. We want to keep our jobs, impress our managers, and ideally get promoted. This is, after all, our careers were talking about. So the question becomes: How do you say no to extra work without looking like a slacker?
It comes down to communicating boundaries in a way that demonstrates clarity, professionalism, and commitment to outcomes.
Anchor in Your Priorities
The first strategy is to make your no about what you are doing, not what you arent. The fastest way to get labeled not a team player is to just say no. This isnt D.A.R.E.
The smarter move is to show what youre focused on and why it matters. Try framing your response around impact instead:
Id love to help, but I need to stay focused on delivering X by the end of the week. If this new task is a priority, lets discuss what gets shifted so that can happen.
Youre not avoiding responsibility, youre managing it. By being clear about your workload and bandwidth youre reminding your manager that resources are finite. And, by anchoring in your priorities, youre signaling that you know how to make thoughtful choices, not frantic ones.
Offer an Alternative
Sometimes a no can feel harsh. Thats where the second strategy comes in: redirecting. Offering an alternative shows youre flexible without overcommitting.
This could look like offering to take on a smaller piece of the work, proposing a revised schedule, or simply extending the timeline:
I cant take this on right now, but I can jump in next week once I wrap Y project.
And heres the bonus, because we all love a little lagniappe (that lil something extra, as they say in New Orleans): Offering alternatives doesnt diminish credibility. It builds it by showing youre thinking like a problem-solver, not a martyr. (See my article on workplace martyrdom for more on why that mindset is so dangerous.)
Zooming Out: The Big Picture
And finally, zoom out. The third strategy is to reframe boundaries not as personal preference, but as organizational protection.
The biggest fear people have about saying no is how it will look. But, and this is a big ol but, theres a difference between looking like a slacker and actually being a slacker.
You were hired to do a job, and that job likely came with a description and a somewhat defined scope. There wasnt (I hope) an expectation that you were signing your life away with an open tab on your time.
Theres also a ripple effect when people keep saying yes: It convinces leadership that no extra resources are needed, or worse, that priorities are clear when theyre not. Overflow work gets absorbed, masking the fact that the team could use more support. Ironically, saying yes to everything can keep your company from making the very decisions that would help everyone succeed.
Boundaries arent laziness: theyre strategy. They signal that you understand the value of your time, and that youre willing to protect it.
I still cringe when I think about that Sprinter van. But it was the lesson I neededand like many early-career professionals, not one I learned quickly. Heres hoping youre a faster learner than I was.
Americans’ mental health is suffering and it’s not just due to stressful news feeds or not getting enough steps in. Toxic work environments are playing a large role in an epidemic of worsening mental health.
According to Monster’s newly released 2025 Mental Health in the Workplace survey of 1,100 workers, 80% of respondents described their workplace environment as toxic. The alarming statistic is an increase from 67% just a year ago.
The challenging environment has major implications. An astonishing 71% of workers say their mental health is poor (40%) or fair (31%), while only 29% rank it positively: 20% said it was good and 9% described it as great. Workers say that a toxic workplace culture is the top cause of their poor mental health (59%), followed closely by having a bad manager (54%).
Vicki Salemi, a career expert at Monster, says that toxic work environments can lead to more than burnout. Stressful and toxic work environments arent just bad for businesstheyre dangerous for employee health, Salemi explained in a press release. Our findings show workers are reaching a breaking point, prioritizing their mental well-being even over promotions or raises.
Employers cited some ways that their employers can support their mental health. Half of workers who feel supported say theyre allowed time off for doctor/therapy appointments; 29% say they feel supported by having a generous amount of paid time off and 23% say that policies specific to mental health are important ways to show support.
Mental health is incredibly important to employees. The majority (63%) care more about it than having a “brag-worthy” job. Likewise, many would pass on a promotion (43%) or opt out of a raise (33%) if it was better for their mental health.
However, most workplaces are not meeting workers’ standards when it comes to properly supporting employee mental health. Regardless of the fact that workers seem to be feeling strained, most of them don’t feel their employer is responding to workers’ mental health needs. The vast majority (93%) say their employer isn’t focused on supporting employee mental healtha statistic that rose drastically since just a year ago, with 78% claiming the same.
While not every worker struggling with their mental health is able to throw in the towel. That’s especially true in the era of “job hugging.” But that doesn’t change the fact that many would like to. According to the survey, more than half of workers (57%) say they’d rather quit their job than continue working in an environment they feel is toxic and overall, causing major strains to their mental wellbeing.
Agentic AI is redrawing the boundaries of value creation in corporate America. Gartner projects that by 2028, 33% of enterprise software applications will incorporate agentic AI, and at least 15% of daily business decisions will be made autonomously by AI agents. The AI race isnt about building the most sophisticated algorithms, its about whether employees actually adopt these digital collaborators and use them to expose inefficiencies long hidden in plain sight.
Yet many business leaders are still grappling with how to integrate agentic AI seamlessly into existing operations, and deliver meaningful results. A recent MIT Nanda report found that 95% of AI pilots fail. The core barrier? The learning gap, a disconnect between what the tools can do, and how organizations leverage them. The same report noted that buying AI solutions from specialized vendors succeeds around 67% of the time, while in-house builds succeed only a third as often.
RETHINK WORK AT THE ATOMIC LEVEL
Agentic AI isnt just another automation tool, its a new way of automating. Its true potential lies in reimagining work at its most granular level: breaking down complex processes into smaller, modular components that can be quickly reconfigured for maximum flexibility and impact by LLM-driven systems and reasoning.
Consider the music industrys digital transformation. When the world shifted from CDs to digital downloads, record labels no longer had to sell entire albums to move a single hit. Tracks could be released individually, targeting specific audiences, and responding instantly to demand. Agentic AI lets work evolve the same way.
Instead of forcing employees through rigid, linear processes, AI agents can identify whats needed in each moment, suggest next steps, and help people move forward while still ensuring all compliance requirements and approvals. Every step becomes a point of value creation, not just a box to check. Now, the energy once lost to bureaucracy gets redirected toward more meaningful progress that drives improved business outcomes.
EXPOSE HIDDEN INEFFICIENCIES
One of agentic AIs most powerful capabilities is surfacing inefficiencies that go unnoticed under legacy systems. When workflows become more visibleand dramatically fasterflaws built up over years are suddenly impossible to ignore.
At one large industrial company, a frontline employee needed to order a $50 backpack from a trusted supplier. On paper, the process looked fine, a simple purchase order flowing through the required workflows. But when an agentic AI was implemented, the reality was clear: The request required seven separate approvals, each one adding delay. The AI didnt just move through the workflows faster; it turned the entire process into a conversation, exposing how much unnecessary friction had crept in over time. That visibility sparked an important discussion: Did they really need so many layers of sign-off for such a routine expense?
The technology made the inefficiency undeniable, but it took a cultural and compliance shift within the company to actually eliminate the redundancy. By combining automation with organizational will, the company not only streamlined purchases but also gained insight into how work actually gets done, building momentum for broader changes regarding outdated processes.
FROM RIGID TO RESPONSIVE
Traditional enterprise software enforces strict compliance: every field filled, every form completed, every step followed in order. But work in the real world is rarely so tidy. Employees operate with partial information and constantly adapt to shifting priorities.
Agentic AI changes the equation. It adapts to how people work, not the other way around. AI agents capture whats available, ask follow-up questions later, and complete tasks dynamically as information emerges.
The most advanced agentic deployments go further. When a major movie studios engineering team noticed unexplained server spikes, their ambient AI scanned logs, release schedules, and forums, revealing leaked content driving traffic from torrent sites. It flagged the issue and suggested scaling options, while the agentic AI spun up extra servers and alerted the security team, immediately turning insight into action.
These breakthroughs only matter if people actually use the tools. Thats where most enterprises stumble.
THE REALITY OF RESISTANCE
Many organizations are already overwhelmed by digital complexity. Employees face fragmented workflows, siloed teams, and outdated systems. Agentic AI wont erase this complexity overnight, and adoption will be uneven.
Thats why successful implementations dont force new processes or best practices. Instead, agentic systems leverage how work already happens, and makes it easier. Agentic AI wont debate how you onboard vendors or process reimbursements, they just help get it done faster and with less friction.
This builds trust. When employees see AI agents handling tasks they already do like finding files, filling out forms, or submitting requests theyre more likely to engage. And the best agentic systems dont just wait for instructions; they reach out proactively, helping people stay one step ahead. The more useful and interactive the assistant, the faster adoption spreads.
CAREER IMPLICATIONS
Working with AI is fast becoming a core career skill. Employees who learn to collaborate with AI agents by asking smart questions, interpreting insights, and applying them to real-world challenges will be better prepared as roles evolve.
This isnt about replacing humans, but amplifying their capabilities. Those who master conversational AI, navigate multiple systems, and use AI to manage complexity will accomplish what once took entire teams. That fluency will set top performers apart.
WHAT THIS MEANS FOR TOMORROW
PwCs Value in motion report predicts AI adoption could boost global GDP by up to 15% by 2035, an impact on par with the industrial revolution. But realizing that future requires responsible deployment, clear governance, and a culture of trust.
The workplace of the future will be built on collaboration between people and AI. Companies that get this right will break down silos, eliminate waste, and empower employees to focus on what matters most. The technology is ready; the real challenge is building cultures that value transparency over complexity and see AI agents as essential partners, not threats.
Agentic AI wins when people use it because it makes their jobs easier, shines a light on hidden inefficiencies, and unlocks new ways of working that were once out of reach.
Bhavin Shah is founder and CEO of Movework.
I grew up in the Netherlands, so I know the upsides of living in Europe. I also know how hard it is to build a company here. The rules change across borders, funding is limited, and things move slower than they should.
When we started Remote, we knew we had to think globally but also anchor in the U.S. Its the biggest tech market, and succeeding there gives you the best chance to scale everywhere else. That choice wasnt unique to us. More and more European founders are making the same call.Whats changed is the timing of the move. Expanding to the U.S. used to happen once companies were well-established in Europe. Now theyre showing up earlier and moving faster. Index Ventures found that 64% of startups expand to the U.S. at preseed or seed stage now, an increase from the 2015-2019 rate of 33%.
WHY IT MATTERS
This shift matters for American businesses. European startups are arriving with funding and moving in as both competitors and potential partners. That changes how U.S. companies compete for capital, customers, and talent.
Spotify did this early. They started in Sweden in 2006 and quickly expanded into the U.S. They opened offices, built partnerships, and kept much of their engineering base in Europe. U.S. investment anchored them in the American market. It gave them credibility with local customers, visibility with partners, and the resources to scale fast. By the time they raised their $1 billion Series F, led by a U.S. VC, they were ready to take on Apple. Today, they lead the streaming market.
So why is this happening now? On paper, Europe is a huge market. In reality, its fragmented. Tax, labor, and compliance rules differ from one country to the next. Expanding from France into Germany can be as complex as expanding from Europe into Asia. Late-stage capital is harder to find, which slows growth, and enterprise customers are slower to move on smaller deals.
Thats why European startups are looking to the U.S. earlier. American buyers move faster, spend more, and make decisions quickly. The U.S. is still the market that signals credibility, and winning there carries weight abroad. Enterprise buyers in other regions often want proof a product works there before they commit.
These moves benefit more than just the startups. They raise the bar for everyone by pushing U.S. companies to get leaner, scale faster, and think globally.
4 TAKEAWAYS
So what should U.S. founders take away from all this?
1. Dont slow down
European founders are showing up with clear goals and aggressive timelines. If youre in a crowded market, theyll be chasing the same deals, talent, and capital. Use that pressure to improve your product and move faster.
2. Build with discipline
European founders often scale with fewer resources and smaller teams. They build distributed companies early, with strong culture and tight alignment. Instead of debating office models, they figure out how to work across borders and time zones. That discipline can give U.S. companies an edge on speed and cost.
3. Think global from day one
European startups dont have a big home market. They build for multiple markets early, which means products that work across languages, currencies, and regulations. U.S. companies that do the same are better positioned to scale fast and win abroad.
4. Work with them, not against them
Working with these companies can give you access to new markets, talent, and expertise. Investors who back them get exposure to broader networks and operating models. Treat partnership as a growth strategy.
My advice to American founders: Dont ignore this wave. The best European startups are already here. Competing with them or working alongside them will make your company better. Dont see it as a threat. Learn from it.
Job van der Voort is CEO and cofounder of Remote.
I recently had an unsettling rideshare experience. Let me paint a visual picture. You have a Tesla doing its self-driving thing, a guy just sitting in the drivers seat supervising, and a terrified human (me) in the backseat looking on in horror.
Finally, I said, Please keep your hands on the wheel when youre driving me, OK?
Teslas autonomous functionality might be safe, but I dont have enough trust yet to allow a Tesla to get me from Point A to Point B without a human steering it.
Theres a parallel between self-driving cars and the current perceptions of AI and agents. You might be comfortable letting one of these automobiles make a simple right-hand turn, but turning left to cross through busy traffic? Probably not so much.
Were in the early days of agentic transformation, which describes the shift from traditional software to a more autonomous enterprise that relies on software that can act independently. Businesses are eager to embed agents in processes to make operations more efficient. Yet were in a remarkably similar place to autonomous vehicles with our level of trust, or lack thereof.
Implementing simple agentic pilot use cases are one thing. But yielding control of critical workflows is another.
WHAT RESEARCH TELLS US
This trust gap isnt just a hunch on my part. Its backed by respected research.
In a recent KPMG International study of more than 48,000 people in 47 countries, 66% said that while they use artificial intelligence, 54% were unwilling to trust it. A McKinsey & Company report cited something similar, calling it the GenAI paradox. It found that almost eight in 10 companies use generative AI, but the same number has not seen any significant bottom-line impact. This is why the biggest AI challenge isnt technical, the report stated. Instead, It will be human: earning trust, driving adoption, and establishing the right governance to manage agent autonomy and prevent uncontrolled sprawl.
AI adoption is happening, but its not happening with great confidence. Every business leader should also think about a Pew Research Center study that found a vast chasm between the views of AI experts and the general public. The public is far less optimistic and enthusiastic about the technology.
Bridging this skepticism divide will be the difference between success and failure for businesses as they agentify their operations.
So, we still dont fully trust AI to make meaningful decisions for us. Weve all heard the stories of AI hallucinations and businesses rolling out initiatives that, in hindsight, werent ready for prime time. Caution is not the same thing as moving slowly. That said, the companies that figure out how to adeptly use agents in their businesses sooner will be the ones that move faster, execute smarter, and operate leaner.
Building trust is the key that unlocks it all.
WHY TRUST IS THE HARD PART
Of course, the trust in technology issue predates AIs arrival. Ive worked in software for three decades. For a significant portion of that time, the focus has been on digital transformation to make businesses more efficient through digitizing processes. One of the biggest obstacles companies have long faced is a deep distrust of their data.
Incomplete, inaccessible, or inaccurate data can fundamentally paralyze organizations. Businesses dont know what to trust. When facing critical decisions that can impact their companies trajectory, some of the most intense leadership team discussions are whether they believe what the data tells them. Ive been part of those conversations.
Now, as we shift into agentic transformation, if you dont get the data right, AI can make the problem 10 times worse. Thats because AI models and agents use the data available as fuel to make decisions and generate outputs based on probabilities and likelihoods in a black box environment that can lack transparency. Because AI responses and actions are based on those probabilities, it will never be 100% accurate. (Much like humans, by the way.) But AI can be made as trustworthy as possible. Its all predicated on:
Accurate data.
Access to information.
Without setting a strong foundation for managing data and fully connecting systems so that information moves where needed, the conviction required to support your AI initiatives will be lacking. Youll understandably have doubts about the actions that agents are taking within your organization and externally on behalf of your business.
WHAT EVERY LEADER SHOULD CONSIDER
Change only happens at the speed of trust. If we believe in something, well use it. Building confidence in AI models and agents requires control and governance. It starts with the foundation I mentioned: well-managed data and well-integrated systems. Solving the age-old garbage in, garbage out problem of poor data is a crucial first step. It will give AI what it needs to make more accurate and responsible decisions.
Then there are the agents themselves. Weve reached a point where every organization can build agents, and every vendor is making them part of their products. But something else is more essentialmanaging them.
You need to know about every agent in your operations. Youll need visibility into what theyre doing and how theyre performing their assigned tasks. If theyre not acting as expected, you must be able to fix the issue quickly.
These guardrails are the backbone upon which trust is nurtured as this new agentic world evolves and matures. For leaders, this requires striking the right balance between championing speed and responsible innovation in ways that enable AI to enhance efficiency while amplifying human capability. Thats because human interactionshelping customers, managing employees, and so onwill always be those more challenging left-hand turns where we want people to make decisions requiring empathy and judgment.
Just as were moving toward a self-driving car that inspires unequivocal trust, were also on a path to metaphorically creating the self-driving enterprise with agents. For now, though, most of us arent yet willing to take our hands off our businesss steering wheel.
Agents have to earn that kind of trust through governance.
Steve Lucas is chairman and CEO of Boomi.
Too many jobs today have a PR problem, limiting opportunities for our young people and our economy.
The jobs that now exist and the training needed for them have changed dramatically over the past half-century, but our perceptions havent kept up. Consider the manufacturing industry. A sector once synonymous with grimy factory floors, repetitive labor, and aggressive offshoring is now a hub for advanced technologies like artificial intelligence, robotics, and big data analytics. Yet Deloitte found that only 4 in 10 Americans would likely encourage their children to pursue a manufacturing career.
While working in Kentucky several years ago, I heard from many parents who were hesitant for their kids to go into manufacturing because they had lost manufacturing jobs due to economic factors. But the manufacturing floor and global dynamics have evolved, and their generations experiences may bear little resemblance to modern manufacturing work.
PERCEPTION VERSUS REALITY
Today, reshoring has gained political popularity. Advanced technologies do much of the heavy lifting, and the most in-demand skills are AI, big data, cybersecurity, and creative thinking. Still, the World Economic Forum predicts that nearly half of the 3.8 million new U.S. manufacturing jobs expected by 2033 may go unfilled. Parents may not know that many of these are quality jobs that dont require a bachelors degree yet provide high wages, great benefits, and opportunities for postsecondary education and career advancement, and the employer may cover the costs. While the manufacturing industry is just one example, it comprises a wide range of occupations, from semiconductor manufacturing in clean rooms to advanced manufacturing of reinforced composite materials used for clean energy sources.
This gap between perception and reality is more than a branding problemit’s a barrier to opportunity.
And this isnt a criticism of parents. Its an acknowledgement that the professionals helping students and their families explore options after high school need moreand more compellinginformation on whats available. If we want to prepare the next generation for a thriving future, we need to do a better job communicating the full range of high-quality education, training, and career pathways.
COLLEGE FOR ALL?
If the education and workforce space has branded one thing well in the past 30 years, it may be the college for all movement. The notion catalyzed classroom changes, like plastering pennants on the wall, that put college awareness front and center as early as kindergarten. It led to local investments in pioneering college promise programs (the Kalamazoo Promise is celebrating 20 years) to make college financially accessible to more students.
The branding was arguably too good. What started as an initiative to ensure any child, regardless of background, could go to college (such as by increasing awareness and removing barriers) turned into an assumption that every child should attend college. Conversely, many assumed that anyone who did not go to college had somehow failed.
ALTERNATE PATHWAYS
If only other paths to careers had similarly effective slogans.
The Voices of Gen Z Study, released recently by Gallup, Jobs for the Future, and the Walton Family Foundation, found that most parents of high schoolers say they know a great deal about only two postsecondary pathways for their child: earning a bachelors degree or working at a paid job. Meanwhile, only about 1 in 10 say they know a great deal about other options like completing an internship or apprenticeship, earning a short-term certificate, starting a business, or enlisting in the military.
As career paths have changed, the need to better define the skills for success in a fast-changing economyand develop an effective PR strategy for the many quality jobs still seen as dirty or less thanhas perhaps never been greater.
Too often, we in the education community have oversimplified a complex space by defining things by what theyre not, or by their relationships to other things (usually, a four-year degree). Great careers in occupations that require more education than a high school diploma but less than a four-year degree are often called middle-skill jobs. This reflects the type of education and training the roles require, not the skill level or capabilities needed for those fields. Similarly, industry-relevant certificates or certifications that can offer a pathway to secure, well-paying jobs are called non-degree credentials.
While both terms aim to highlight areas of the economy that deserve more attention, they might reinforce the idea that a college degree is the only path to success. They overlook the reality that having a degree doesnt always mean youll land one of those jobs. And they reinforce the artificial either-or between college and non-college pathways into the workforce.
APPRENTICESHIPS
One area of particular PR failure is apprenticeships. The idea of learning while earning has attracted growing interest among businesses and policymakers alike, but apprenticeships are still struggling to break out of their historic association with the trades. President Trumps Executive Order on apprenticeships, for instance, focuses predominantly on skilled trades, despite the growing number of apprenticeships that are a path to occupations such as teaching, firefighting, and advanced manufacturing. Today, over half of apprenticeships are outside of the trades. All of these programs are powerful tools for financial resilience and economic mobility, but only if people know about them.
If we want to solve this PR problem, we need a PR overhaul across the education and workforce sectors. We need compelling narratives about quality jobs, shared terminology that isnt centered on college as a default, and storytelling that reflects the realities of todays opportunities. We also need to provide better career guidance at earlier ages so that young peopleand their parentsunderstand all of the options available, see the steps required to move forward, and overcome outdated perceptions. Just as the college for all movement sparked a shift in thinking, a similar campaign for skills-baed, multiple-pathway approaches to career development could do the same.
Lets move toward a world where the new rallying cry is about the right path for each person, not the same path. Where internships, apprenticeships, certifications, service programs, and entrepreneurship are seen not as fallback options, but as strategic choices tailored to individuals strengths and aspirations. Where a bachelors degree is one of many validand valuedpaths, not the only one.
Maria Flynn is president and CEO of Jobs for the Future.
Before I was ever involved in the flower business, I jumped from job to job, trying to figure out where I belonged. I grew up in South Queens, New York, where the role models on my block were police officers and firemen who showed up when others needed them most. Naturally, I thought Id follow that path and become a cop.
That dream shifted into social work, a field that fed my heart but not my wallet. To make ends meet, I took on whatever work I could, flipping houses, tending bar, you name it. Through it all, I never forgot what my dad, a painting contractor, used to tell me: If youre old enough to walk, youre old enough to work.
On paper, none of this looked like the résumé of someone who would build a company still thriving 50 years later. But every odd job and hard-earned lesson taught me the secret to longevity: the relationships you build along the way.
Plant the seed in a flower shop
In 1976, I bought my first flower shop on Manhattans Upper East Side and poured all I had into the little business. It soon became clear to me that we were not just selling bouquets but also becoming part of peoples lives. While customers came in to buy flowers, they also sought restaurant advice and shared stories of love and loss, among many other things. Before long, the shop had become a neighborhood hub.
As I opened more locationsfirst one, then another, until there were about 40the lesson became even clearer: Success didnt come from the number of shops, it came from the trust and connection inside them.
But physical store growth could only take us so far. Thats when opportunity knocked in the form of a failing company that owned the 800 number that spelled the word FLOWERS. Everyone told me I was crazy to buy it. After all, they said, who would order flowers over the phone?
Turns out, a lot of people do! Before long, thousands were calling every day, sending flowers across town or across the country, and discovering a new way to stay connected with the people they loved no matter the distance.
Stay the course in a changing world
A few years later, my younger brother Chris convinced me the internet was going to change everything. He was right. We became one of the first e-commerce retailers, making it even more convenient for people to show up for each other.
Of course, none of this was a straight line. We tried dozens of technologies and abandoned most of them. But failure never discouraged us; it reminded us that learning and evolving were part of our DNA.
Sometimes, luck and relationships create a breakthrough. In 1988, for instance, I met Ted Turner, who gave me a shot to run ads on CNN. When the Gulf War broke out a couple of years later and advertisers pulled their spots, Ted asked me to leave ours on. Suddenly, 1-800-Flowers was everywhere. The war, brought to you by 1-800-Flowers, people joked.
Such exposure transformed our brand overnight. But it never would have happened if Ted hadnt taken an interest, if I hadnt been willing to take a risk, or if we hadnt forged a relationship.
Over the ensuing years, we embraced social media, mobile shopping, and conversational commerce. We were one of the first retailers on Facebook. When COVID hit, we paused traditional marketing and started writing directly to our community. That Sunday newsletter, Celebrations Pulse, has grown to more than 14 million subscribers. It isnt about selling flowers but rather speaks about resilience, rituals, and the relationships that matter most.
Enter the latest wave
Today, AI is the latest wave. I know it sparks both excitement and concern, but to me its simply the next tool to help us serve people better. Imagine sitting down to write a note to your mom on Mothers Day and not knowing how to put your feelings into words. Our AI tools, properly positioned, can help you express yourself in a way that feels authentic. Or think about a campaign designed around your needs, not ours. Its technology that serves humanity, not the other way around.
If theres one lesson from five decades of building 1-800-Flowers, its this: Longevity comes from evolving with every new wave while staying rooted in your values. You have to listen, learn, adapt, and keep experimenting. But at the heart of it all, you have to remember why: More meaningful relationships are not only good for business, they also make life better for everyone.
Jim McCann is founder of 1-800-Flowers.com.
La Nia, a climate pattern that can affect weather worldwide, has officially arrived.
La Nia is fueled by colder-than-normal Pacific ocean temperatures, which then affect the pattern of the Pacific jet steam. Its the cooler counter to El Nio, which involves warmer-than-normal ocean waters. Both are part of a weather system called the El Nio-Southern Oscillation (ENSO).
La Nia conditions emerged in September, the National Weather Services Climate Prediction Center said on Thursday. They’re expected to continue through the end of the year, and potentially until February 2026.
This La Nia is expected to remain weak, weather experts said, but it could still affect the winter, and even the hurricane season.
[Image: NOAA]
What does La Nia mean for winter weather?
During La Nia, cold waters push the Pacific jet stream northward, which creates a ripple effect on the atmosphere. That jet stream then dips back down, dividing the U.S.
That then brings dry, warmer-than-usual conditions to southern states. Northern states see colder-than-normal temperatures and wetter conditions, particularly in the Pacific Northwest.
La Nia winters tend to bring a lot of snow to the Pacific Northwest, and even across the Great Lakes and into New England. Southern states, by contrast, tend to see below-average snowfalls.
[Image: NOAA]
La Nia can also mean a more severe Atlantic hurricane season. So far this year, five tropical storms and four hurricanes have formed over the Atlantic, a bit below expectations. (On average, a hurricane season sees 18 topical storms.)
But La Nia could bring more. “La Nia conditions are associated with more activity (double the amount) in November when compared to ENSO Neutral and especially when compared to Novembers with El Nio conditions, Matthew Rosencrans, lead hurricane seasonal forecaster with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), told USA Today.
La Nia events can last one to three years, and a La Nia did span 2020 to 2023. The 2020 hurricane season saw the most tropical storms in the Atlantic ocean in any year on record, with 30 total.
A weak La Nia, and whats next
This La Nia is expected to be weak, experts say, but it could still alter our weather. A weak La Nia can also make it more difficult to predict that weather.
A weak La Nia would be less likely to result in conventional winter impacts, though predictable signals could still influence the forecast guidance, per the Climate Prediction Center.
2024 saw a weak La Nia winter, but it still gave us typical La Nia impacts. Most of the southern U.S. and northern Mexico were predicted to be and turned out to be drier than average, with record-dry conditions in southern Arizona and parts of New Mexico, NOAA meteorologist Nat Johnson wrote last spring. Wetter conditions were forecasted and did prevail over the northern part of the continent, particularly in Alaska and parts of the Pacific Northwest.
In some instances, though, the reality differed from forecasts, like when a ribbon of wetter-than-expected weather hit Texas, Arkansas, Kentucky, and western Virginia. Despite these regional differences from expectations, Johnson wrote, the big picture was pretty La Nia-ish overall.
La Nia and El Nio arent always active. These events typically happen every two to seven years, on average. The ENSO cycle is a break in normal wind and water patterns, and weather experts say well likely see a transition to ENSO-neutral conditions this spring.
For many high-impact runners, it fels like Mom and Dad are fighting.
Strava, the popular fitness-tracking app, is suing the fitness wearable giant Garmin over alleged patent infringement and breach of conduct. The lawsuit, filed Sept. 30 in a Colorado district court, alleges that Garmin is infringing on two patents segments and heatmaps and also broke a written agreement between the two companies, as first reported by DC Rainmaker.
For many athletes, Strava and Garmin go together like Oakley sunglasses and On Running shoes. A trend report published last year by Strava showed that Garmins Forerunner was among the most popular smartwatches for its users. If you didn’t track your run on Garmin and upload it to Strava, did it even happen?
Now with a number of big races coming up, including the Chicago and New York City marathons, athletes are not taking the recent news well.
When Garmin is going to stop uploading data to Strava on November 1st and thats literally the date of your marathon youve been training for a big PR for, one running influencer posted on TikTok.
“Have you see the news that Mom and Dad are fighting?” ultra-runner Andy Glaze said in another video. “I’m sitting here with my thousand-dollar watch and my $80 app and thinking, can we just get a family meeting and start getting along again?”
Already, some are taking sides and pledging their loyalties to one or the other, or joking about giving up on running altogether now that they may not be able to easily track their runs and post for their followings to see.
On Thursday, Matt Salazar, Stravas chief product officer, took to Reddit to defend the companys lawsuit. Setting the record straight he shared that Garmin was requiring their logo be displayed alongside all activity posts or they will cut off access permitting Garmin activities to be uploaded to Strava.
“We consider this blatant advertising. These new guidelines actively degrade your user experience on Strava,” Salazar wrote. The post, however, was met with widespread criticism, with the most upvoted replies calling Stravas stance hypocritical at best. So how do I get rid of the Strava logo when I want to share my data on social media? one Reddit user asked.
As a premium (paid) Strava member I want to be clear that Strava’s only of use to me if works with Garmin, another wrote. The moment Strava no longer syncs with Garmin connect is the last time I open Strava.
Fast Company has reached out to Garmin and Strava for comment.
So what happens now? Likely nothing. Its in neither companys interest to stop the steady flow of data from Garmin to Strava, as the online backlash to the news of the lawsuit has shown.
For those planning to simply switch to another smartwatch, like Suunto, in case the integration between the two companies does end, bad news: The Finnish brand has launched its own lawsuit against Garmin for patent infringement.
Maybe its a sign to go back to when every 5K didnt need to be posted on social media.
