Shows
Working/BrokenShould Jobs Still Require Degrees?Send us a textOn this episode, we tackle a longstanding battle that has nearly boiled over: the role of college in career-preparation. Or, more specifically, why do hiring managers still require degrees for new roles? And should they? The old biases persist: many hiring managers still view a degree as a shorthand for maturity, responsibility, and readiness. But with roles evolving fast and the shelf life of job-specific skills shrinking, is that shortcut doing more harm than good?In the end, Brad and Nick are do what they always do, plunging us i...2025-07-1530 min
Working/BrokenRemix Culture and the Scraped InternetSend us a textIn this introspective and timely episode, Brad and Nick take on a deceptively simple question: Do we really own our ideas anymore?Prompted by Nick’s recent experience of having his writing lifted and reposted—sometimes respectfully, sometimes not—the conversation weaves through authorship, digital ethics, AI scraping, and the deeper emotional terrain of publishing on the internet. What begins as a conversation about plagiarism quickly becomes something bigger: a meditation on intellectual generosity, attribution, and the meaning of creative work in a remix culture.N...2025-06-1728 min
Working/BrokenNick Power: The Essential Art of Being Real on the InternetSend us a textIn this wide-ranging interview style episode, host Nick Richtsmeier sits down with one of the most unexpected and impactful voices on LinkedIn in 2025: Nick Power, the marketer and writer behind a wave of unfiltered, politically-aware, and often hilarious posts that challenged the business-as-usual tone of the platform.What began as a creative shift away from conventional “thought leadership” turned into something larger: a community movement, a form of resistance, and an experiment in what truth-telling looks like on a platform built for polished personal brands.In this epis...2025-05-3046 min
Working/BrokenIs "Politics" Breaking Work?Send us a textIn this timely and unfiltered episode, Brad and Nick explore the increasingly tangled relationship between politics and work culture. They ask the central question: Has politics become so pervasive that it’s breaking our ability to lead, work, and think clearly?Key Themes:The Blurring Line Between Culture and Politics: Brad and Nick debate whether culture is now downstream from politics or whether it's still the other way around. Nick argues that cultural trends, even fringe ones, often precede political movements (e.g., mommy bl...2025-05-2142 min
Working/BrokenCan You Stlll Sell on Fear?Send us a textIn this thought-provoking episode, Nick and Brad unpack how fear has traditionally been used as a primary tool in marketing and communication—from political campaigns and media to brand messaging. Drawing on personal experience in marketing and spiritual development, they challenge whether fear-based messaging is still effective or ethical in a world that's rapidly waking up.Key Takeaways:Fear is a primal motivator, and marketers have long exploited it to capture attention and drive action.There's a growing awareness in society that fear-based narratives lead to...2025-05-0640 min
Working/BrokenIs Fear Freezing Leaders?Send us a textIn this powerful and timely episode, Nick Richtsmeier and Brad Farris dive into the pervasive undercurrent of fear that’s shaping both politics and the workplace. From the physiological and psychological roots of fear to its impact on leadership, decision-making, and organizational culture, the conversation explores how fear manifests in leaders and teams alike.Nick breaks down the classic "Four F's" of fear—fight, flight, freeze, and fawn—and how these instinctive reactions show up in modern leadership contexts. Brad adds depth by highlighting how fear hijacks our ab...2025-04-1037 min
Working/BrokenWhat Happened to Authenticity?Send us a textAuthenticity had a good run, or so it may seem.In this thought-provoking episode of Working Broken, hosts Nick Richtsmeier and Brad Farris dive deep into the concept of authenticity in a world increasingly dominated by artificiality, distrust, and digital noise. As they wrestle with the idea of being true to oneself in an environment filled with deception—fake resumes, spammy AI-generated outreach, and manipulated social trust—they ask: Is authenticity still working, or is it broken?Brad comes into the discussion feeling disillusioned, questioning whether it's even possible to b...2025-03-1838 min
Working/BrokenMentoring: The Lost of Art of Making LeadersSend us a textIn this episode of Working Broken, hosts Nick Richtsmeier and Brad Farris explore the complex and often misunderstood topic of mentoring. Is it truly about passing knowledge from an experienced leader to a junior employee, or is it a two-way street that transforms both mentor and mentee?Nick and Brad examine how business leaders struggle to delegate responsibilities effectively, often clinging to the idea that “no one can do it like me.” They discuss the distinction between training, managing, and mentoring, highlighting why mentoring is the most chal...2025-03-1237 min
Working/BrokenThe Strange State of Email MarketingSend us a textIn this episode of Working Broken, Nick Richtsmeier and Brad Farris take a deep dive into the world of cold emails—why they’re everywhere, why people swear by them, and whether they actually work. Spoiler alert: they’re not fans.The conversation kicks off with a story about a salesperson convinced that blasting out 50 cold emails a day would bring in business. Months later? One booked meeting. That sets the stage for a bigger discussion about why businesses keep turning to cold outreach, even when it’s painfully ineffective. They explore...2025-02-2126 min
Working/BrokenTrailerSend us a textWant to get a taste of what to expect from Working/Broken? Let us tell you in just five short minutes.Ensure you are fully subscribed through your favorite podcast app so you do not miss a single episode. Have a business topic you want us to decide if it's working or broken? Have a question about the episode? You can email us at podcast@culturecraft.com.2025-02-0404 min
Working/BrokenMeasurement Mafia: Examining the Religion of ROISend us a textIn this episode of Working/Broken, Nick Richtsmeier and Brad Farris peel back the curtain on the wild world of marketing metrics. They dive into how even the biggest advertisers are left scratching their heads—overspending on TV ads that mysteriously boost sales, while 30-50% of online clicks turn out to be fraudulent. With plenty of humor and hot takes, the hosts break down insights from Lindsay Slaby—the “CMO Whisperer” at David Baker’s MYOB conference—and ponder if our obsession with precise ROI is just a modern-day myth. They question whether chasing data...2025-02-0434 min
Working/BrokenHustle Culture: Can You Productivity Your Way to Success?Send us a textIn this lively debut of Working/Broken, hosts Nick Richtsmeier and Brad Farris dive headfirst into the world of hustle culture—tracing its evolution from the early days of knowledge work to today’s digital grind. With a mix of humor and sharp insight, they debate whether the “work harder” mantra truly paves the way to success or if it simply sets us up for burnout. Along the way, the duo dissects modern hustle icons like Mr. Beast and Elon Musk, unpacking how their narratives—full of bold risks and alleged simplicity—might actually mas...2025-02-0433 min
Working/BrokenGrowth vs Scale: The Silicon Vallyification of EverythingSend us a textIn this episode of Working/Broken, hosts Nick Richtsmeier and Brad Farris dive deep into the burning debate: Is it better to grow naturally, or should you aggressively scale your business? With wit and candor, they explore how the meaning of “growth” has evolved over time—from organic, sustainable expansion to the manufactured, high-speed push for scale that risks sacrificing client experience. Drawing on industry insights, personal anecdotes (including Brad’s weight-loss journey as a metaphor for shrinking old habits), and even a nod to that iconic Jerry Maguire moment, they challenge the status q...2025-02-0431 min