About What Works

Hi, I’m Tara McMullin. I’m a writer, podcaster, and producer.

And… I think about work all the time.

That’s not as boring (or neurotic) as it sounds.

I think about how we can work less, why our relationships to work are changing, and what conditions we need to do remarkable work. I’m curious about how social, economic, and political systems impact how work informs our identities.

What Works is a podcast and newsletter for humans navigating the 21st-century economy.

I study business owners, independent workers, and emerging workplace trends to discover what we need from work—and what needs to change to make the future of work sustainable.

I draw on research on organizational psychology, sociology, and media. I make use of social and political philosophy, critical theory, and ethnography. And I interview people who are making unconventional choices about how they work.

I’m a feminist and a progressive—and I don’t hide it.

I’m also autistic (which I’ve written about for Fast Company and The Muse). I live with chronic depression and anxiety.

When I’m not thinking about work (and quite often when I am), I’m a runner, paddleboarder, hiker, bookworm, wife, mother, and podcast listener.