35. Remote Work Loneliness: Why You Feel More Isolated Than Ever (And What Actually Helps)

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]

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]

33. Perfectionism at Work: When Your High Standards Start Sabotaging You

You care deeply about doing good work. You have high standards. You notice details other people miss and you hold yourself to a level of quality that, honestly, has served you well. And somewhere along the way, that same quality that made you good at your job started making your job miserable. Today I want to talk about perfectionism at work, not as a character flaw or a humblebrag, but as a specific nervous system pattern that has a real cost and a real solution. Because the version of perfectionism that's quietly sabotaging you isn't about standards, it's about fear. And those are two very different things. ____________________________ Full blog and show notes: https://abbymedcalf.com/perfectionism-at-work [https://abbymedcalf.com/perfectionism-at-work] Grab the free Perfectionism Reset Tool, your quick guide to catching the pattern in real time and redirecting it toward the work rather than your worth: https://abbymedcalf.com/perfectionism-reset-tool [https://abbymedcalf.com/perfectionism-reset-tool] 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]

32. How to Give and Receive Feedback at Work Without Your Nervous System Losing It

Feedback is supposed to be one of the most useful tools at work. It's how we grow, how teams improve, how managers develop their people, how problems get surfaced before they become disasters. And yet most people either dread receiving it, avoid giving it, or deliver it so carefully that nothing useful gets communicated. Today, I’ll tell you the reason feedback is so hard (spoiler alert: it’s not a communication skills problem, it’s a nervous system problem), and how to give and receive feedback with ease. ____________________________ Full blog and show notes: https://abbymedcalf.com/feedback-nervous-system-at-work [https://abbymedcalf.com/feedback-nervous-system-at-work] Download the free Feedback Reset Card, your guide to preparing to give and receive feedback without your nervous system running the show: https://abbymedcalf.com/feedback-reset-card [https://abbymedcalf.com/feedback-reset-card] 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/shop [https://abbymedcalf.com/shop/] A great idea to stay motivated and keep your head in a positive direction is to buy some of my fabulous, inspirational merchandise. Get yourself a t-shirt, mug, tote bag or notebook with that daily reminder that you’ve got this! https://abbymedcalf.com/shop [https://abbymedcalf.com/shop] 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]

31. Stop Waiting for Your Boss to Notice You

You can’t control your boss. You can’t change their personality, override their decisions, or make them manage you the way you wish they would. But you can absolutely influence how the relationship works, how much visibility you get, how well your needs are understood, and how much your contributions actually register. That’s what managing up is. It’s not manipulation. It’s not going around your boss or undermining their authority. It’s the deliberate, strategic work of building a relationship with the person above you so you can do your best work and they can do theirs. Today, I’m walking you through exactly how to do it. ____________________________ Full blog and show notes: https://abbymedcalf.com/managing-up-at-work [https://abbymedcalf.com/managing-up-at-work] Grab the free Managing Up Starter Kit, your guide to understanding your boss’s working style and communicating in ways that actually land: https://abbymedcalf.com/managing-up-kit [https://abbymedcalf.com/managing-up-kit] 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/shop [https://abbymedcalf.com/shop/] A great idea to stay motivated and keep your head in a positive direction is to buy some of my fabulous, inspirational merchandise. Get yourself a t-shirt, mug, tote bag or notebook with that daily reminder that you’ve got this! https://abbymedcalf.com/shop [https://abbymedcalf.com/shop] 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]