Honest conversations about the psychology of modern work culture
My midlife crisis arrived without much drama. No sports car, no drastic career shift. Just a slow-burning restlessness that turned everything into a question. Was I fulfilled? Did my life align with what I valued? Would I regret the choices I hadn’t made? My friends were asking the same things. We met for coffee, traded …
In 15 days, my office will collect my badge, disable my login credentials, and distribute the obligatory retirement cake. After 27 years climbing the technical ladder to become a Technical Architect Director, I’m walking away at 52 — decades before the traditional retirement age. My calendar, once packed with system deployments and architecture reviews, will …
Janelle was in free fall. Her long-term boyfriend left without warning, and she unraveled fast — panicked texts, endless loops of what-ifs, forgotten meals. I brought over tea and a notepad. We made a plan. It was less about feelings and more about function. Who to avoid. What to say. Where to put the grief …
Diane had a way of making even a casual coffee meeting feel like a battlefield strategy session. The espresso machine hissed behind us as she dissected my latest career mistake. I’d shown empathy to a struggling team member, offered flexibility when she was going through a divorce. “Never expose yourself like that,” Diane said, stirring …
In 17 days, I’ll turn in my badge, log out of the company network, and walk away from a long career with unfinished spreadsheets and an unfinished mortgage. People keep asking if I’ve lost my mind. I smile. They mean well. The numbers don’t impress the financial professionals. I haven’t hit their magical thresholds. I …
My technical architecture diagrams mirror my childhood drawings — everything in its box, every connection mapped, no surprises allowed. In design reviews, I track micro-expressions like I once tracked my father’s moods. The senior developer’s slight hesitation becomes a red flag. The product manager’s tightened jaw signals incoming conflict. My colleagues praise my foresight. My …