Let’s get one thing straight: happiness isn’t the “perk” at the end of success. It’s the precondition for it.

Jessica Weiss — Happiness Expert, corporate strategist, and author of

Happiness Works: The Science of Thriving at Work — dismantles the myth that happiness is soft, fluffy, or found in a corner office.

Spoiler: it’s measurable, trainable, and completely within your control.Jessica spent 15 years advising the world’s biggest brands — Coca-Cola, J&J, AmEx — before realizing something startling: she’d hit every career benchmark and still wasn’t happy. That revelation sparked a decade of research into what truly makes people thrive at work.

What she discovered is not another feel-good formula. It’s science. It’s structure. And it’s a radical call to rewire how we define success.

In this episode, you’ll find out

• Why the “dream job” is a myth — and how to create happiness, not wait for it.
• The five pillars shared by people who flourish instead of flounder: connection, resilience, optimism, progress, and trust.
• The neuroscience behind joy — how writing down three good things literally rewires your brain for happiness.
• How psychological safety (not ping-pong tables) predicts performance and innovation.
• Why progress is more powerful than promotion — and what that means for your team.
• How to spot (and stop) burnout using the “antidote” Jessica calls strategic optimism.

The Mic Drop

Happiness isn’t a mood. It’s infrastructure.

It’s not about balance — it’s about design.

And it’s not waiting somewhere outside of you. You build it — one relationship, one mindset shift, one meaningful moment of progress at a time. (edited)

(0:00) – Intro: Why job security is outdated

(1:25) – When success doesn’t equal happiness

(4:22) – The 5 levers of real workplace happiness

(7:08) – Strategic optimism over toxic positivity

(9:25) – Building your dream job from where you are

(11:52) – Return-to-office without losing joy

(17:29) – Two metrics that predict thriving at work

(21:38) – The neuroscience of happiness & burnout

Pre-order Jessica’s book: Happiness Works: The Science of Thriving at Work — out 11/11

Connect with Jessica: jessicaweiss.com | LinkedIn

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