Rethink Work
8 Weeks
·Cohort-based Course
Ever get the feeling that work isn't working? Deconstruct 8 outdated beliefs about work to create practical, meaningful change.
Rethink Work
8 Weeks
·Cohort-based Course
Ever get the feeling that work isn't working? Deconstruct 8 outdated beliefs about work to create practical, meaningful change.
Featured In
Course overview
Approach work in a way that builds you up instead of breaking you down
“We have become a civilization based on work—not even ‘productive work’ but work as an end and meaning in itself.”
— David Graeber, Bullshit Jobs: A Theory
So, you want to slow down. To work less. Or maybe work more intentionally.
You want to have better boundaries. Say "no" more often. To use your vacation time or simply unplug on the weekends.
You want to feel less rushed. In less need of proving yourself. More confident that good enough really is good enough.
It's not like these are difficult goals, right? So why is it such a challenge to follow through on a more gentle approach to work (and yourself)?
For fifteen years now, I've coached people who want to work differently but find themselves stuck in the same old patterns. What I discovered was that those "same old patterns" were the result of deeply held beliefs about work, discipline, and success.
They (maybe you, too?) didn't realize that those beliefs kept overriding their efforts to change how they work. Nor did they realize that those beliefs were being constantly reinforced by virtually inescapable cultural, political, and economic narratives.
Rethink Work is an 8-week program for examining these outdated beliefs about work.
This course aims to reveal, brick by brick, how our beliefs about work and our identities as workers create the work reality we exist within so that we can tear those bricks down and build something better.
Each week, we'll look at the social and structural roots of a particular belief about work. Then, we'll unpack how that belief plays out in our day-to-day lives. And finally, we'll look at practical and concrete ways to apply your updated thinking so you can make meaningful, lasting changes to the way you approach work.
By the end of our 8 weeks together, you'll see your work in a whole new light.
“…if work is the way we are molded and made, we must remake the work that makes us.”
— Al Gini, My Job, My Self
This course if for you if:
01
You’ve set the intention to work in a gentler or more sustainable way but find yourself backsliding into old habits
02
You can’t resolve the tension between dueling priorities like “doing less” and “being productive”
03
You manage team members who can’t seem to shake the expectations and rules they inherited at a past job
04
You’re parenting or mentoring a future worker and want to help them think creatively about how they approach their career
Here's what you'll do:
Examine the cultural & structural roots of our beliefs about work
Your personal challenges with work—from trying to achieve "work-life balance" to fretting over your level of productivity—aren't a You Problem. By examining the origin of our frustrations, we gain valuable perspective and context.
Catalyze sustainable change with a holistic & systemic perspective
Changes to your workweek, time management, or personal boundaries don't exist in a vacuum. By analyzing the greater systems at play, we adjust how we work in longer-lasting and more sustainable ways.
Choose "useful work" rather than "useless toil"
Work really matters—it's a key part of how we form our identities, engage with the world, and create meaning in our lives. By focusing on the positives of work, we reclaim its usefulness and purpose.
Develop your own critical framework for work in all its forms
It takes practice to notice the beliefs and stories that scaffold our relationships with work. Each week is a new opportunity to practice with tools that help you develop your own unique approach to sustainable work.
This course includes
8 interactive live sessions
Lifetime access to course materials
8 in-depth lessons
Direct access to instructor
8 projects to apply learnings
Guided feedback & reflection
Private community of peers
Course certificate upon completion
Maven Satisfaction Guarantee
This course is backed by Maven’s guarantee. You can receive a full refund within 14 days after the course ends, provided you meet the completion criteria in our refund policy.
Rethink Work
Course syllabus
Post-Course
Modules
- A New Work Creed?A New Work Creed?0 Lessons • 0 Projects
Meet the Instructor & Coach
Tara McMullin
Lead Instructor | Author of What Works
I’m a former coach and strategist turned writer and critic. I’ve investigated the future of work for over 15 years. From personal coaches to influencers, independent educators to marketing professionals, and gig workers to micro-entrepreneurs, I probe how today’s workers navigate the uncertainty and precarity of the 21st-century economy. I’m also the host of What Works and co-founder of YellowHouse.Media, a boutique podcast production company. My work has been featured in Fast Company, The Muse, Quartz, and Substack.
I'm an experienced online educator with more than a dozen courses under my belt for CreativeLive. I'm also a seasoned facilitator and group coach who blends rigorous preparation with student-driven adaptation.
Praise for Tara's Work and Teaching
Rachel Fomaro
Jenny Blake
Ash Wylder
Jenn
Sarah Peck
Amanda Konopacki
Donna Herbster
Course schedule
2-3 hours per week
Thursdays
12:30pm - 2:00pm EST
Live sessions are 60-90 minutes, depending on discussion. Each session will include teaching, time for quiet reflection, a Q&A, and group discussion.
Jumpstart Resources
15 Minutes to 1 Hour Each Week
Each week, you'll receive resources you can watch, read, or listen to so you can get a "jumpstart" on the week's topic. From 2-minute videos to long-read essays, you'll have a variety of options to choose from so you can match your available time.
Weekly Reflection
Asynchronous
You'll have a chance to reflect during each live session, plus you'll receive a prompt each week to spark asynchronous discussion in our private community area.
Data Isn't Everything
Do all our dashboards & data trackers lead to smarter, more effective choices? Or are we being seduced by the promise of clarity? Learn how metrics have a tendency to flatten complex values into easily tracked numbers. Then, practice analyzing whatever metric has caught your attention to see what you're missing.
Download this free resource
Rethinking work isn't a solo project
Active hands-on learning
Each week's session is delivered in a live and interactive format. You'll learn, reflect, and discuss.
Plenty of opportunities for reflection & collaboration
Share your responses to weekly prompts—live during our sessions or asynchronously between sessions.
Personal learning—amplified
This course is about you & your relationship to work, but it also connects you with like-minded people who share your values. Together, our personal learning can create cultural change.