Episode 28: The Manager in the Middle - What the Data Says About the People Holding It All Together

Episode 30: In Pursuit of Optimization, We Lost the Plot

In this episode, Kyra takes a playful but pointed look at optimization culture — the Oura rings, the 4am wake-ups, the biohacking routines, and the growing pressure to engineer every corner of our lives for peak performance. Drawing on social media musings, the Global Wellness Institute's 2026 trends report, and a global look at cultures that have been doing "slow" on purpose for centuries, Kyra gets into what we’re actually optimizing for. The episode ends with three ways to use the data without losing the joy that made us want to feel good in the first place. For full show notes, key takeaways, and research sources, visit claritywest.co [https://claritywest.co/podcast/globally-grounded-episode-30].  ✨ Subscribe now so you don't miss an episode, and share with a friend who's ready for their own work-life reset.  🎙️ Hosted by Kyra Khanna 👉 Follow me on social media for more insights: LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/in/klkhanna/] | Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/claritywest.co/]

Episode 29: Is It Burnout Or Something Else Entirely?

In this episode, Kyra dives into burnout. Drawing on a recent Fast Company piece by burnout prevention consultant Sally Clarke (We don’t have a burnout epidemic. We have a burnout buzzword problem), she unpacks why the word "burnout" has become so overused that it's actually making it harder for people to get the right support. She walks through the World Health Organization’s clinical definition, takes a global look at how different cultures name and experience extreme workplace strain, and offers a vocabulary for the many shades of strain that fall short of (but still deserve!) serious attention. The episode closes with a self-assessment to help listeners figure out where they actually are and what they actually need when it comes to their own possible burnout. For full show notes, key takeaways, and research sources, visit claritywest.co [https://claritywest.co/podcast/globally-grounded-episode-29].  ✨ Subscribe now so you don't miss an episode, and share with a friend who's ready for their own work-life reset.  🎙️ Hosted by Kyra Khanna 👉 Follow me on social media for more insights: LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/in/klkhanna/] | Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/claritywest.co/]

Episode 28: The Manager in the Middle - What the Data Says About the People Holding It All Together

In this episode, Kyra zooms in on one of the most striking — and most human — findings from Gallup's 2026 State of the Global Workplace Report: the global manager crisis. Manager engagement has dropped more steeply than any other group over the past three years, and the people most responsible for holding teams together are running on empty. Drawing from her own experience leading a manager and leadership program in tech, Kyra unpacks what the data is actually telling us about the seemingly impossible job managers have been handed, who is feeling it most, and why this looks different depending on where you are in the world. From Scandinavian servant leadership to Japan's Kaizen model to Germany's codetermination system, other cultures have built something different. And it's working. Kyra closes with concrete things organizations can do to actually support the people holding everything together. This is Part Two of a two-part series, so, if you haven't listened to Episode 27 yet, start there! For full show notes, key takeaways, and research sources, visit claritywest.co [https://claritywest.co/podcast/globally-grounded-episode-28].  ✨ Subscribe now so you don't miss an episode, and share with a friend who's ready for their own work-life reset.  🎙️ Hosted by Kyra Khanna 👉 Follow me on social media for more insights: LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/in/klkhanna/] | Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/claritywest.co/]

Episode 27: What the World Is Telling Us About Workplace Stress and Engagement

In this episode, Kyra digs into Gallup's 2026 State of the Global Workplace Report and what it reveals about stress, thriving, and the complicated relationship between the two. Being engaged at work and completely exhausted at the same time isn't a personal failing, but it is a global pattern. Kyra takes a look at the data, from the cultures with the richest lives outside of work, to the regions where loneliness is climbing, to the workforces under the most strain right now. She also shares three things countries should probably put on their national action plans, and three creative practices to try personally. This is Part One of a two-part series. Part Two drops next week, and it's all about the managers. For full show notes, key takeaways, and research sources, visit claritywest.co [https://claritywest.co/podcast/globally-grounded-episode-27].  ✨ Subscribe now so you don't miss an episode, and share with a friend who's ready for their own work-life reset.  🎙️ Hosted by Kyra Khanna 👉 Follow me on social media for more insights: LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/in/klkhanna/] | Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/claritywest.co/]

Episode 26: The Messy, Complicated Truth About Retirement

In this episode of Globally Grounded, Kyra asks: What does retirement actually mean? And is the version we inherited even working for anyone? She unpacks the messy, complicated truth about retirement through a global lens, from the Japanese man her family met running a knife shop on the fourth floor of a Tokyo apartment building in his 80s, to Gen Z chasing FIRE in their 20s, to the Spanish word for retirement that literally means joy. She gets into the language, the data, the cultural differences, and three practices to help you figure out what retirement looks like for you…even if you’re nowhere near it. For full show notes, key takeaways, and research sources, visit claritywest.co [https://claritywest.co/podcast/globally-grounded-episode-26].  ✨ Subscribe now so you don't miss an episode, and share with a friend who's ready for their own work-life reset.  🎙️ Hosted by Kyra Khanna 👉 Follow me on social media for more insights: LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/in/klkhanna/] | Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/claritywest.co/]