Tony Tenaglier in the hot seat with Burnout. Purpose. Flow.
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In this episode of Listen Bitch Presents: Tell Me Why You’re Special, Branden sits down with Tony Teneglier, creator of the podcast Work Sucks, But I Like It, for a deep conversation about burnout, workplace culture, fulfillment, leadership, and what it actually means to build a meaningful life.
Tony shares his personal journey through career burnout after following traditional success paths that promised fulfillment but ultimately left him feeling disconnected. Together, Branden and Tony explore how modern work culture often rewards exhaustion, hustle, and status while ignoring purpose, relationships, and personal well-being.
The conversation dives into workplace leadership, employee engagement, manufacturing culture, office politics, and the growing disconnect between personal values and company expectations. Tony explains how understanding people as individuals—not just employees—can dramatically improve workplace morale, retention, and performance.
Branden and Tony also discuss authenticity in podcasting and social media, the dangers of chasing external validation, and why real conversations matter more than carefully curated online personas. They challenge the self-help industry’s obsession with shortcuts and emphasize the importance of discipline, consistency, and long-term growth.
Tony shares insights from his PhD work studying flow states in the workplace and explains how organizations can create environments where people thrive rather than simply survive.
This episode is for leaders, entrepreneurs, managers, employees, and anyone questioning whether success without fulfillment is really success at all.
Tony lives by a simple standard: say what you do, do what you say.
As the host of *Work Sucks, But I Like It*, an aerospace manufacturing leader, and an author, he challenges the myths around burnout, motivation, and success. With backgrounds in psychology and materials science, Tony brings honesty, discipline, and real-world experience to conversations about modern work—pushing people to stop waiting for motivation and start building integrity, mastery, and follow-through.