Uploaded November 2025 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
Work can be fun, says Bree Groff. In fact, work should be fun! And enjoying our workdays will make us not only more productive, but also more human.
This week on Lavin Voices, we talk to Lavin Exclusive Speaker Bree Groff. Bree is a workplace culture expert and author of Today Was Fun: A Book About Work (Seriously). A hotly in-demand consultant and keynote speaker, Bree has worked with organizations like Pfizer and Microsoft to transform how teams think about work, boosting productivity and happiness along the way. In her dynamic keynotes, Bree challenges audiences to rethink the "patently ridiculous" norms we've accepted about work culture and shows leaders how to create environments where people thrive. "I'm a human being with only so many days on the planet," Bree says. "It's worth making these days fun—for myself and my team."
In this episode, you'll learn:
- Why we've normalized unhealthy work practices (and how to undo them)
- The difference between work-life balance and work-life integration
- Why fun at work isn't about ping pong tables or happy hours
- How to design "Do Nothing Days" that spark creativity
- What psychological safety really looks like in practice
- Why professionalism often gets in the way of great work
In conversation with The Lavin Agency's Director of Intellectual Talent, Charles Yao, Bree answers these questions and more:
- Can you have fun at work?
- Can customer service be fun?
- Should you really "do what you love"?
- What's the first step to changing workplace culture?
- How can you tell if your employees are happy?
- Why should business leaders care about employee engagement?
- How can AI help us be more human at work?
Learn more about Bree or book her as a keynote speaker: thelavinagency.com/speakers/bree-groff/?utm_source=youtube&utm_medium=video&utm_campaign=bree+groff+lavin+voices
Follow us on Instagram, LinkedIn, and TikTok for more big ideas: @TheLavinAgency
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Credits:
Producers: Alethea Ng and Kshiteej Sawhney
Host: Charles Yao
Guest: Bree Groff
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Timestamps:
0:00 Cold Open
0:42 Intro to Bree Groff
1:45 What’s Wrong with Work Culture
2:15 The “Never Have I Ever” Exercise
4:29 Redefining Work and Fun
6:07 What Does Fun Really Mean?
8:09 What the Book Is — and Is Not
11:08 Rethinking Work-Life Balance
13:25 Making Work Fun Again
16:15 The Power of “Do Nothing Day”
18:10 Rethinking the 9-to-5
20:08 Designing for Human Creativity in the Age of AI
22:46 Psychological Safety and Authenticity
25:12 Spotting the “Business Mask”
27:09 Why Fun Matters for Business
30:40 Making Customer Work Fun
33:34 Fun Without Purpose
35:20 Audience Reaction to the Book
37:15 Most Work, Most Days Should Be Fun
39:16 Start Today — Finding Joy at Work
41:48 Outro
Work can be fun, says Bree Groff. In fact, work should be fun! And enjoying our workdays will make us not only more productive, but also more human.
This week on Lavin Voices, we talk to Lavin Exclusive Speaker Bree Groff. Bree is a workplace culture expert and author of Today Was Fun: A Book About Work (Seriously). A hotly in-demand consultant and keynote speaker, Bree has worked with organizations like Pfizer and Microsoft to transform how teams think about work, boosting productivity and happiness along the way. In her dynamic keynotes, Bree challenges audiences to rethink the "patently ridiculous" norms we've accepted about work culture and shows leaders how to create environments where people thrive. "I'm a human being with only so many days on the planet," Bree says. "It's worth making these days fun—for myself and my team."
In this episode, you'll learn:
- Why we've normalized unhealthy work practices (and how to undo them)
- The difference between work-life balance and work-life integration
- Why fun at work isn't about ping pong tables or happy hours
- How to design "Do Nothing Days" that spark creativity
- What psychological safety really looks like in practice
- Why professionalism often gets in the way of great work
In conversation with The Lavin Agency's Director of Intellectual Talent, Charles Yao, Bree answers these questions and more:
- Can you have fun at work?
- Can customer service be fun?
- Should you really "do what you love"?
- What's the first step to changing workplace culture?
- How can you tell if your employees are happy?
- Why should business leaders care about employee engagement?
- How can AI help us be more human at work?
Learn more about Bree or book her as a keynote speaker: thelavinagency.com/speakers/bree-groff/?utm_source=youtube&utm_medium=video&utm_campaign=bree+groff+lavin+voices
Follow us on Instagram, LinkedIn, and TikTok for more big ideas: @TheLavinAgency
------
Credits:
Producers: Alethea Ng and Kshiteej Sawhney
Host: Charles Yao
Guest: Bree Groff
------
Timestamps:
0:00 Cold Open
0:42 Intro to Bree Groff
1:45 What’s Wrong with Work Culture
2:15 The “Never Have I Ever” Exercise
4:29 Redefining Work and Fun
6:07 What Does Fun Really Mean?
8:09 What the Book Is — and Is Not
11:08 Rethinking Work-Life Balance
13:25 Making Work Fun Again
16:15 The Power of “Do Nothing Day”
18:10 Rethinking the 9-to-5
20:08 Designing for Human Creativity in the Age of AI
22:46 Psychological Safety and Authenticity
25:12 Spotting the “Business Mask”
27:09 Why Fun Matters for Business
30:40 Making Customer Work Fun
33:34 Fun Without Purpose
35:20 Audience Reaction to the Book
37:15 Most Work, Most Days Should Be Fun
39:16 Start Today — Finding Joy at Work
41:48 Outro
