Hello Monday with Jessi Hempel

Joanna Stern spent a year using AI to do (almost) everything: write her emails, analyze her medical records, text her wife, drive her around, and even fold her laundry. The result is her new book, I Am Not a Robot, which documents what she learned testing AI as a journalist, a parent, and a newly independent founder. Joanna spent over a decade as a tech reporter at The Wall Street Journal before leaving to launch her own media outlet, New Things. She brought the same approach that's defined her career — hands-on, consumer-first testing of the technology itself — to her year-long experiment in living with AI.What she found was more nuanced than the hype: some of it works, some of it really doesn't, and some of it needs guardrails. In this episode, Jessi and Joanna discuss: Why the same AI technology that's transforming cancer detection is also upselling you at the dentist The data privacy moves everyone should make right now, including the settings most people never touch What happened when Joanna tried to let AI handle all her communications Why robots are bad at folding clothes How AI gave Joanna the confidence to leave a staff job and start a business The emotional difference between work you make yourself and work a machine makes for you What it means to raise kids in a world where the struggle of figuring things yourself might disappear entirely Follow Jessi Hempel and Joanna Stern on LinkedIn.

Lesbian bars aren’t just nightlife, they’re evolving spaces of community and chosen family, and they have a special place in Jessi Hempel’s heart. On this bonus episode, Jessi sits down with one of Hello Monday’s own producers, Rachel Karp, to talk about her new book The Lesbian Bar Chronicles: The Living History and Hopeful Future of America's Dyke Dives and Sapphic Spaces. Rachel’s journey started as a passion project: a documentary podcast in which the Cruising podcast team went on a road trip to visit every lesbian bar in the US. Their goal was to tell the history of lesbian bars and stories of the people who go to them. Now, those stories– and the lessons we can learn from them about how to create real-life community spaces–are in a book. In this episode: Why Rachel and the Cruising podcast team went on their road trip Why lesbian bars have endured, even as culture, technology, and rights have shifted What makes physical spaces of belonging different from digital communities The role of leadership in shaping inclusive, values-driven spaces What “chosen family” looks like in practice, and why it matters What anyone (queer or not) can learn from lesbian bars Follow Jessi Hempel and Rachel Karp on LinkedIn.

Rituals work. They help us make meaning, process transition, and connect with each other. That’s why we’ve been doing them for more than 300,000 years. So why, in this century, have we largely abandoned them? This week, bestselling author, repeat Hello Monday guest, and longtime friend Bruce Feiler joins us in the studio to talk about his new book, A Time to Gather: How Ritual Created the World and How It Can Save Us. Bruce traveled to 16 countries on six continents to explore why ritual matters and identify how we can bring it back into our everyday lives. In this episode: Why ritual is the original human algorithm and why we've abandoned it The difference between self-care and group care, and why the latter matters so much The rise of new rituals: cancer-versaries, sober-versaries, infertility ceremonies, and divorce parties Why funerals are disappearing, and what we're losing when they do A live ritual design class: Bruce walks Jessi through building one for her daughter's preschool graduation The three things every ritual needs: a beginning, a middle, and an end From "rites of passage" to "bites of passage": why small, frequent moments of connection matter as much as the big ones Virtual vs. ritual: why 2026 feels like the year we're choosing to come back together in person Follow Jessi Hempel and Bruce Feiler on LinkedIn. And let us know how you’re incorporating ritual into your own life.

We talk a lot about what technology is doing to our minds. But what about everything below the neck? This week, Jessi is joined by Manoush Zomorodi, host of NPR's TED Radio Hour and author of Body Electric: The Hidden Health Costs of the Digital Age, and New Science to Reclaim Your Wellbeing. Unfortunately, a killer workout or a standing desk won’t save us from the long-term health consequences of a sedentary lifestyle. But five minutes of gentle movement every half hour could. In fact, Manoush helped run a clinical trial with 23,000 people to prove it. Jessi and Manoush discuss: Why sitting all day drains your energy even when you haven't done anything The Columbia study that got 23,000 people moving, and what it proved Why standing desks aren't actually the fix we thought they were The "garden hose" model of what happens to your arteries when you sit or stand too long How people can restructure their workdays (and their calendars) to make movement stick What "information athletes" can learn from dancers, musicians, and pilots The shift from screen-shaming to something kinder and more practical This one might make you want to stand up and take a lap while listening. That's kind of the point. Follow Manoush Zomorodi and Jessi Hempel on LinkedIn.

Every day is filled with negotiations. Here’s how to start winning them. Any conversation that has a want or a need is a negotiation. It's critical to approach even the low stakes negotiations with the same tools that will win high stakes conversations. But what if the key to better outcomes isn’t pushing harder, but listening better? In today’s episode of Hello Monday, Jessi Hempel sits down with Jonathan Smith, negotiation instructor and co-author of Fight Less, Win More, to break down why negotiation is really about empathy, trust, and disciplined listening. Drawing on The Black Swan Group’s negotiation framework—made famous by Never Split the Difference—Jonathan shares practical tools for navigating conflict, building influence, and getting what you need without damaging relationships. Jonathan is a business strategist and negotiation expert who has spent years teaching leaders, managers, and teams how to communicate in moments that matter most. His work focuses on tactical empathy, emotional intelligence, and the everyday negotiations that shape our careers and lives. Jonathan and Jessi discuss: Why every difficult conversation is a negotiation Tactical empathy and how to help people feel truly heard The “core four” negotiation skills: labels, mirrors, dynamic silence, and summaries How low-stakes practice builds confidence for high-stakes conversations Managing tone, emotion, and self-regulation Why listening is a discipline—and how it improves trust and influence Using AI as a preparation tool without losing human connection If you want to go deeper on these tools listen to our episode from September, 2025 with The Black Swan Group's founder and CEO, Chris Voss. Watch on YouTube: https://bit.ly/chrisvoss-hm-youtube Listen on Apple: https://bit.ly/chrisvoss-hm-apple Watch/Listen on Spotify: https://bit.ly/chrisvoss-hm-spotify We will be launching the Hello Monday Book Club soon. If you’re interested in joining, send us an email at hellomonday@linkedin.com and let us know!

Ambition. Is it a dirty word? Do you love the term, or hate it? In this Hello Monday episode from the archives, Jessi Hempel sits down with two incredible colleagues at LinkedIn, Hayley Saltzman and Ahyiana Angel, to explore how our understanding of ambition evolves, and what it means to chase personal growth rather than external validation. Hayley Saltzman is an Editor at Large at LinkedIn, focusing on vertical video strategy. Ahyiana Angel was the Podcast Ad Ops Producer at LinkedIn and the host of her own podcast called Switch, Pivot, or Quit. Together, they reflect on how ambition is often shaped by external expectations and how true fulfillment comes when we start living for ourselves. In this episode, Jessi, Ahyiana, and Hayley discuss: The tension between extrinsic and intrinsic ambition Our gendered notions of ambition, and how society’s definition of ambition is often limiting for women What happens when you quit a dream job to pursue something more aligned with personal growth The relationship between fear and ambition Practical tips for reconnecting with your own ambitions and self-worth If you've ever questioned what success and ambition truly mean for you, this episode is for you. Whether you're navigating career transitions or redefining what ambition looks like in your life, we hope this conversation will inspire you to live and work authentically.

What is your dream job? What will your life look like in ten years? Kick off the New Year with a favorite Hello Monday activity: the Dream Job Exercise. In this episode, host Jessi Hempel kicks off the new year with a powerful ritual she returns to every January: the Dream Job Exercise. It’s not about chasing a title or predicting the future—it’s about reclaiming imagination, agency, and hope in a moment when many professionals feel stuck or anxious about what comes next. Jessi explains why imagination may be the most essential career skill of the next decade—and how a simple writing exercise can help you clarify what you really want from your work and your life. Jessi walks listeners step by step through the Dream Job Exercise, sharing why looking 10 years ahead creates space to stop editing yourself and start dreaming again. Along the way, she reflects on how this practice helped her land a version of her own dream role—and why it can work as a decision-making filter in an era of constant change. In this episode, Jessi explores: The role of hope and personal agency in navigating career change Why imagination is a critical future-of-work skill How the Dream Job Exercise helps clarify what you actually want Why looking 10 years ahead unlocks bolder career thinking How this exercise can guide better career decisions year after year Whether you’re questioning your next move, feeling unsettled in a job you once loved, or simply craving more clarity as the year begins, this episode offers a grounding reset—and a practical tool to help you move forward with intention.