EP. 172 A Year In Review

·57 min·2 clips

I started using ChatGPT like a therapist to figure out how to manage 17 interviews in 34 days.

Jon opens the show from behind the mahogany desk to close out 2025. He and Shani B settle into their usual Friday rhythm, with holiday energy, a little banter, and a quick catch-up before the main point takes over. Shani B says he is doing pretty well. He is looking forward to the ASML holiday party the next day, with drinks, live music, games, face painting for the kids, and cookie decorating. The conversation keeps circling back to the season. That leads into the bigger turn toward the new year and the idea of getting more intentional about what deserves time and attention. The main theme stays straightforward. They want to get better at setting clear goals for 2026 at work and at home. Jon talks about a familiar work problem. He describes a lot of fluff, busywork, and tasks that seem to go in circles, leaving him visible but not really making progress. From there, he lays out a more disciplined approach. He wants to say no to the fluff and yes to the projects that will teach him something, give him useful experience, or at least build relationships with managers. That same filter carries into home life. He talks about being more deliberate about travel, spending, and the goals the family actually wants to pursue, instead of letting extra expenses or other people fill the calendar. Shani B adds a story from a mentor. The mentor had an overzealous son who said yes to everything early in his career, only to get buried by it and lose the job. The point is plain. Saying yes to everything can look energetic at first, but it can also leave a person with too much noise and not enough real accomplishment. The episode keeps that lesson grounded in ordinary life. It treats work, home, and the holidays as the same problem space when time and attention are stretched thin. The hosts do not overcomplicate the idea. They talk it through in the same easy, familiar way they use for most of the show. The closing stretch turns practical again. They ask listeners to like, comment, email, and follow, then wish everyone a safe break and a strong start to 2026. The episode ends with the same warm, conversational energy it starts with, but the takeaway is a little clearer than the banter around it. It is about choosing what matters, dropping what does not, and entering the new year with a little more discipline than the last one.

As heard by us

Loose year-end banter that lands on ignoring busywork.

The episode closes 2025 with holiday chatter and a live check-in between Jon Power and Shani B, then settles into a plain talk about what 2026 should look like.

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Why you'd press play

A holiday catch-up at the desk that turns into a practical reset on saying yes.

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