Do you sometimes wake up in the middle of the night realizing a problem can be understood, and perhaps even solved, by reflecting on the last line of “The Great Gatsby?” SAME HERE! That’s why in this episode Suzy waxes poetic about the power of literature to make us better leaders, followers, parents, friends, whatever, everything. Also on the pod: A listener's question about feeling defeated that made Suzy cry so we had to re-record, thoughts on being in sales, more toxic corporate jargon, and the one emotion that should be against the law. Tune in, we’re waiting for ya.

In this week’s episode, we ponder, “Are we all just one long list of commas, as we reinvent and reinvent and reinvent ourselves to stay current in this crazy world of ours?” Short answer: Yes! But the longer answer may include a surprise for you, as it certainly surprised Suzy…the inventor? Also this week: two new features. “My Favorite Mistake,” about, hm, well, you know what it’s about. And “Listen Up,” a music tip sheet with a moral to the story. Turn the volume up!

In this week’s episode, we consider the annoying age-old question, “Why does everything good have to be so stinking hard?” And also, “Was Suzy actually being clueless when she told the Today Show audience that they should all go get themselves fired?” Spoiler alert: No! And that’s not all. The pod this week covers preparing for tough interviews, crabby celebrities, and Suzy’s most creative insults, which she concocts because, really, she loves everyone.

What a strange and unnecessary thing it is that people enter the working world mostly clueless about the working world. For instance, school teaches you certain ways of behaving and thinking that will actually get you into a lot of trouble, and it can take the first five to ten years of your career to unlearn them. Or, you can listen to this podcast, and unlearn them in less than an hour. Also: Suzy’s final thoughts on final wishes.

There are only two things that everyone agrees on in this world. That Dolly Parton is great, and that networking is awful. In this episode, Suzy focuses on the latter, making the case that we should all deep-six stupid, boring, useless small talk in hotel conference rooms for making true friends. Which of course, leads to a long diatribe on her own personal besties. Career advice ensues.

You could jump into your pool fully clothed on a cool spring morning to save your dog from drowning, and come out saying, “Wow, that was close,” or you could do the exact same thing I did, and spend the rest of the day wondering, “What else would I die for?” This week’s ever-cheerful episode of Becoming You pod goes there! Because #values! Also on the agenda: a new who-am-I hack, Joan of Arc ruminations, and Suzy’s very un-fuzzy-wuzzy take on the man v. bear showdown.

It’s graduation season, so advice is in the air. But if you want graduation advice that could seriously help you get ahead in life AND possibly get you arrested at an airport, this episode's got you! Also on the agenda, less incendiary life and generally very useful career advice, a values excavation exercise inspired by Ernest Hemingway, a new installment of secret mentor crush, tough love for working moms, and Suzy’s advice to her 20-year-old self, which, it ends up, she still needs today.

Every now and again, often out of the blue, we realize something kind of wild about ourselves. Like, we always want to be in Italy even though we live in Chicago. Or, we truly miss work on a random Saturday. Or, we’re on a plane that’s been delayed seven hours…and we’re not mad at all. What do these aha moments tell us about? Our values. Which is why we shouldn't ignore them, but lean way in to find out more. That’s where we go in today’s podcast, with an exercise to help, along with other various ranting and raving around why we resist our dream jobs, who wins this week’s secret crush award, and what Anna Wintour recently said that is so true it’s scary.