I’m so happy you’re here. This is a publication designed to help you find more joy at work, and also kick work out of the parts of life where it doesn’t belong.
If you’re renegotiating your relationship to work, looking to be a better leader or HR professional, seeking to feel more alive in your work and life, or simply not having a lot of fun at the moment, I’ve got you. And I get you.
Let’s figure it out together.
Why subscribe?
Here you’ll find provocations on work, business, leadership, valuing our time on this planet, and practical tips for living better days.
I really believe you can find joy at work and beyond. And I want to help you get there if you aren’t already. The world is such a stunning place, and I don’t want any of us to miss it!
Subscribers have access to:
Weekly essays on how you can feel more alive in your work and your life
Me, getting excited to answer your questions or to be your thought partner in the comments
Some lovely words from readers:
“I first heard Bree speak in 2018… and I’ve been getting a lot of inspiration from her way of thinking differently ever since. Her story and concept for a ‘Do Nothing Day’ is luminous!”
“This was such a refreshing and a powerful read! Wooow!”
“Bree Groff is an essential follow. (And she’s writing a book!)”
“I can’t stop thinking about this incredible idea. Thank you Bree.”
“This [post] was a real one. Gonna start printing these out and pamphleteering at my workplace.”
Oh, I should introduce myself
Hi! I’m Bree Groff. When I was in high school, I had handwritten “you can keep going long after you can’t” on a strip of paper and pinned it above my desk. I looked at it nearly every night when I sat late into the wee hours finishing my load of AP homework.
And I could. I could keep going. I was praised for my work ethic and focus by, well, all of society. The thing is… work works. Sure you can find productivity hacks and work “smarter not harder,” but on the whole, in my experience, hard work actually does pay off.
It’s gotten me awards, an Ivy League education, job offers, grants, and approving nods. Probably even got me a few dates. But the most important thing is… it’s not everything.
Hard work is good… and it shouldn’t always be the priority.
We can feel proud of our work… and not center our identity around it.
Work can be a source of joy… and be one of many in our lives.
Hard work has indeed taken me places. I am a Senior Advisor at the transformation consultancy SYPartners, which for the past 30 years, has been working to create organizations and a world of work that are driven by humanity as much as performance.
I have focused my career on transformation, employee experience, and the future of work, partnering with companies including Calvin Klein, Target, Google, Atlassian, Microsoft, and Pfizer. I love sharing my learnings on a stage, and have delivered dozens of keynotes around the globe on the human experience of work. Previously, I was the CEO of NOBL, a global change consultancy pioneering new ways of working.
I have founded an innovation department, advised leaders as a service designer, and researched body language while working in the R&D department of a dating app company. In a previous career, I taught high school math and physics, and before that, was an undoubtedly unsuccessful LA actor. I hold a B.A. from the University of Pennsylvania and an M.S. in Organizational Learning and Change from Northwestern University.
But that’s just work, and it’s not everything. I have a super handsome and brilliant husband named Brad, a talented and hilarious 9-year-old daughter named Arden, and I see my dad almost every day since my beautiful mom passed away. When I’m stressed, my motto is “most things, most days” and sometimes that even means ending my day in bed eating takeout queso and watching reality TV. But most days, I’m healthy. Most days, I’m happy. Most days, I have a really, really good time at work. And every day, I’m grateful to open my eyes and spend another day on this extraordinary planet that has coffee and love and hot water bottles.
Dear Bree,
Welcome to Substack.
Warmly,
Rodrigo