A Word With Yourself

Do Degrees Still Matter? Rethinking What Makes a Great Hire

In this episode, we dig into the role of degrees in modern hiring—and whether they’re still relevant in a skills-based world. Lesley and Jennifer explore how requiring a degree for roles that don’t need them can limit talent, reinforce privilege, and quietly exclude great candidates. They also reflect on personal experiences from both sides of the hiring table, and what equity in recruitment really looks like.

Return of the Office: The Sequel No One Needed

In this episode, we look at the pros and cons of remote, hybrid, and full-time office work — and the economics that keep standardization so appealing to management. We discuss how control, proximity bias, and outdated ideas about productivity continue to shape corporate decision-making, and why a one-size-fits-all model is the easiest way out, but rarely the right one. Time Stamps: 00.00 – 06:00: Catch up, Halloween, and the Blue Jays 06:00 – end: More return to office mandates, what model is the best?

Elevate Tech Conference, Repetitive Strain Injury, and the AI Bubble

After a packed week at Elevate Conference, Lesley and Jennie unpack everything from the rise of Canada-first tech talk to the overuse of “AI” as a buzzword. Plus, an unexpected repetitive strain injury, an emergency room detour, and a cultural deep dive into high-fives.

I ChatGPT-ed It: ChatGPT, Google and the Future of Marketing

In this episode of A Word With Yourself, we explore how Large Language Models (LLMs) are reshaping the way people find information, make decisions, and engage with brands. As more of us turn to tools like ChatGPT for product research and recommendations, the traditional rules of SEO are being rewritten. We discuss what this shift means for marketing teams — from why credibility and context now outweigh keywords, to how businesses can build visibility in a world where discovery happens through conversation, not search rankings. Along the way, we touch on brand names that became verbs, and what it really takes to stay relevant when technology changes how consumers think. Timestamps 0.00 - 8.19: Intro and catch up 8.20 - 23.02: The rise of LLMs as search engines 23.03 - 32.09: Brand names becoming verbs 32.10 - end: The cost of streaming services and close

Unfortunately, I Do Love… Doomscrolling, Fidgeting, and Expensive Lattes

In this episode of A Word With Yourself, we talk about the little rituals that get us through the day — even when they’re not exactly helpful. From the comfort of take-out coffee cups to scrolling ourselves into a hole, we unpack why certain habits feel productive even when they’re not. Plus: why fidgeting helps some of us think, and the endless appeal of a new notebook.