Is the way we work actually making us less productive, more stressed and increasingly disconnected from ourselves?
In this episode of Better Than Yesterday, Osher Gunsberg is joined by performance and workplace expert Nick Petrie to explore why burnout, stress and rumination have become such defining features of modern work — and what we can do about them.
Nick shares insights from his own experience, including being diagnosed with stomach cancer at just 27 while playing professional rugby in Japan, and explains how the experience taught him about the difference between pressure, stress and rumination. He reveals why our brains can become trapped in cycles of thinking about problems rather than solving them, and how learning to recognise those patterns can help us regain control.
The conversation also explores the changing world of work and the impact of AI. Rather than necessarily giving us more time, Nick argues that new technology can increase expectations and create an even greater need for boundaries, focus and recovery.
Nick also introduces a different approach to productivity: “pulse more than hustle.” Instead of trying to operate at maximum intensity all day, Nick explains how alternating between different modes of work, protecting periods of deep focus and understanding when your brain performs at its best can lead to more sustainable performance.
Osher and Nick also discuss career reinvention, the importance of adapting when the skills that once made you successful are no longer enough, and why learning to switch off may be one of the most important skills in the modern workplace.
It's a practical conversation about burnout, resilience, productivity, AI, overthinking and the future of work — and how to build a career and life that can actually be sustained.
LINKS
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.