In this episode of Hope and Possibilities, I share a personal reflection on what's unfolding in the United States—and why it feels both shocking and familiar to me.

I spent nearly 18 years in global financial services, 16 of them working closely with American clients, many based in Minnesota. That experience gave me an inside view of how U.S. systems shape people's daily lives—and where those systems quietly fail. Long before today's headlines, I began making deliberate choices to reduce American exposure in my work and center my career in Canada and other global contexts where values aligned more closely with mine.

This episode isn't about blame. It's about perspective. I speak with deep respect for Americans—their decency, humor, and care—and with clarity about a hard truth: lasting change can only come from within. External voices have limits. Ownership matters.

Drawing on professional experience, historical training, and family history shaped by wartime Europe, I reflect on why nostalgia is such a powerful force, why democratic pressure often looks uncomfortable, and why other countries are quietly recalibrating their relationship with the U.S.

This is a reflection, not a prescription—an invitation to think more honestly about responsibility, leadership, and what it takes to shape what comes next.

00:00 – Why this moment feels personal
Why I chose to talk about this now

02:05 – My American work life
Nearly 18 years in financial services, 16 with U.S. clients—many in Minnesota

05:15 – Working across values gaps
What you learn when you avoid "safe" topics like healthcare, labor law, and maternity leave

09:10 – 2016 as a turning point
Healthcare rollbacks, medical hardship calls, and knowing when work becomes untenable

13:30 – History as an early warning system
How family history and studying history shaped my perspective

17:00 – A deliberate shift
Why I chose, ten years ago, to reduce American exposure in my career

21:15 – Canadians opting out quietly
Travel, consumption, culture, and economic consequences

24:50 – Why change must come from Americans
The limits of external critique and the necessity of internal advocacy

29:00 – Protest, boycott, and democracy
Why discomfort is often the price of democratic pressure

33:20 – Respect without nostalgia
Holding affection for Americans while refusing to romanticize systems

37:10 – The long arc of change
Why the Canada–U.S. relationship has been shifting for longer than most realize

40:45 – Closing reflection
What the future depends on—and who must shape it

There's a lot of data showing that trust in governments, institutions, and organizations is declining worldwide. Employers were once considered the last trusted institution—and even that is eroding. As someone who has spent years working independently, I've often noticed that these conversations leave out people like us entirely. When you don't have an employer, trust shows up differently. Stability looks different. And the relationship you have with yourself matters more than most people realize.

So I wanted to start there.

I talk about what it actually means to trust yourself when you're self-employed, when you don't see many role models living or working the way you do, and when the noise—from well-meaning friends, family, and society—keeps asking, "Why don't you just get a job?"

For me, self-trust isn't abstract. It's practical. It shows up in how I decide to work, how I communicate, and how I choose between remote, in-person, or hybrid ways of connecting. It shows up in my values—impact, meaning, and helping shape a future of work that supports people, families, and communities, not just productivity metrics.

I also share the inner practices that help me stay grounded when things feel uncertain. Meditation. Walking. Swimming. Paying attention to my body. Noticing what has always been true about me—what I'm drawn to, what calms me, what fuels my curiosity. I talk about rituals, habits, and even "extreme noticing": light on water, changes in seasons, how my body reacts to people, places, and decisions.

These practices help me recognize what's changing, what isn't, and where opportunity actually lives—for me.

As we move through uncertainty, I believe self-trust becomes a form of leadership. When you know your own reactions, values, and rhythms, you're better equipped to make decisions, form opinions, and move forward without needing constant external validation.

I close the episode with an invitation:
What helps you trust yourself? What rituals, habits, or inner practices keep you grounded? I'd love to hear your stories, and I may share some of them in a future episode as we explore how self-trust shapes how we lead, work, and relate to others.

Because maybe—just maybe—trusting ourselves more is the first step toward trusting each other again.

• Leave me a voicemail with your questions or thoughts: https://podcastfeedback.com/hopeandpossibilities

• Follow me on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/nolasimon

• Subscribe to my newsletter: Hope & Possibilities: A Love Letter to the Future of Work | Nola Simon | Substack

• Hire me via website: www.nolasimon.com

In this episode of the Hope and Possibilities Podcast, I talk about what I'm seeing for 2026 and the future of work. My focus is shifting from solely helping companies adopt hybrid and remote work to looking at leadership more broadly. Flexibility, autonomy, and well-being aren't just perks anymore—they're core to how people want to work and how organizations succeed.

We'll talk about the pressures around office return mandates, AI, and workforce reduction, and why I don't buy the narrative that humans are expendable. Instead, leadership in the future is about reinvention, redistributing work, and making sure people feel that they matter.

I'll also share how I plan to use this podcast, my newsletter, LinkedIn, and email to create space for nuanced conversations about the future of work. And I want to hear from you—what questions are keeping you awake at night?

Key Topics & Timestamps:

• [00:00:22] Why I'm pivoting my focus for 2026

• [00:00:53] Why hybrid and flexible work aren't going away

• [00:01:32] Why autonomy and well-being often matter more than compensation

• [00:03:00] The circular debates around office space, identity, and leadership

• [00:04:39] How AI is changing the way work happens

• [00:06:26] Navigating conflicting narratives about AI and workforce reduction

• [00:07:16] Leadership as continuous reinvention, not a one-time project

• [00:08:34] Why making people feel they matter is central to leadership

• [00:09:49] Discernment as a critical skill in an increasingly complex world

• [00:11:05] How work is evolving—universal benefits, portfolio careers, and new models

• [00:12:06] How I'm shifting the podcast, newsletters, and my content strategy

• [00:15:10] How you can interact with the podcast and share your questions

• [00:16:26] Questions to reflect on: identity, life quakes, and navigating change

Connect & Engage:

• Leave me a voicemail with your questions or thoughts: https://podcastfeedback.com/hopeandpossibilities

• Follow me on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/nolasimon

• Subscribe to my newsletter: Hope & Possibilities: A Love Letter to the Future of Work | Nola Simon | Substack

• Hire me via website: www.nolasimon.com

Takeaway:
The future of work is about flexibility, discernment, and creating environments where people feel valued. Change is constant—how we respond and evolve will define the next chapter of our work and our lives.