Work and Wellness

Your Attention Isn’t Yours Anymore — A Big Tech Insider Explains Why (and How to Get It Back)
What if the reason you feel distracted, overwhelmed, and mentally exhausted isn’t a lack of discipline — but the systems you’re using every day?
In this episode, I’m joined by Kenneth Schlenker, former Google product leader and founder of Opal, the screen-time app helping millions of people reclaim their focus.
After years working inside Google on products like Maps, YouTube and Ads, Kenneth saw firsthand how Big Tech uses behavioural science to capture — and monetise — human attention. He walked away to build the opposite: tools that put people back in control of their focus, time and mental wellbeing.
We explore how social media subtly rewires our desires (including how I briefly became convinced I needed a $50k Birkin bag 🙃), why attention — not time — is the real currency, and how constant information overload is quietly fuelling burnout.
This is a candid, grounded conversation about technology, mental health, shame, parenting, sleep, and what it really takes to use modern tools without letting them use us.
• What Big Tech really optimises for — and why wellbeing isn’t part of the business model
• How platforms use behavioural science (infinite scroll, autoplay, likes) to keep us hooked
• Why attention matters more than time — and how it shapes who we become
• The “Birkin effect”: how social media influences what we think we want
• Why we often feel worse after scrolling (especially women)
• The link between information overload, sleep disruption and burnout
• Why willpower alone isn’t enough — and why tools and friction actually help
• How shame keeps people stuck in unhealthy tech habits
• Social media bans for kids: do they help, or push behaviour underground?
• Why sleep is the most important boundary for both adults and teenagers
• How Opal is evolving from a tool into a trusted wellbeing partner
You’re not weak for struggling with your phone.
These systems were designed by very smart people to be hard to put down.
The goal isn’t to quit technology — it’s to use it intentionally, in service of the life you actually want to live.

In this episode, Angela unpacks three powerful work and wellness trends set to shape the workforce in 2026 — inspired by a recent Forbes article that signals a meaningful shift in how organisations think about performance.
While AI continues to accelerate, this conversation brings the focus back to the human system behind the work. Angela explores why wellbeing is no longer a “nice to have,” and how energy, recovery, connection and capacity are becoming critical drivers of decision-making, performance and longevity at work.
Why analog work is making a comeback
Face-to-face connection, offline thinking and human creativity are becoming the new luxury in an always-on world. Angela shares why digital tools can support work — but never replace real connection.

How longer lives are reshaping careers
With people living and working longer, Angela explores portfolio careers, multi-generational teams, mentoring models and how organisations can better harness decades of experience without burning people out.

The rise of biometric data in the workday
From wearables to readiness scores, we look at how data on sleep, recovery and energy could help leaders make smarter decisions, structure work more intelligently and prevent burnout before it happens.

This episode is a hopeful look at the future of work — one where performance improves not by pushing harder, but by working in better alignment with human limits.
Angela also shares why she’s encouraged to see major business publications finally treating wellbeing as a core business strategy, not a perk.

Link to Forbes Article- 4 Growing Wellness Themes That Will Shape The Workforce In 2026

As we head into a new year, social media is flooded with “ins and outs” lists — so in this episode, I’m sharing my take on what’s actually worth leaning into (and letting go of) in 2026 when it comes to work, wellbeing and how we live our lives.
This is a thoughtful, reflective episode rather than a set of rigid rules. These are ideas I’ve been sitting with, talking through with Liam, friends and my community, and noticing show up more and more in the way people are working, leading and living.
We start with what’s in for 2026 — including the skill I believe will be essential for leaders and humans alike, why fibre is having its moment alongside protein, and why your wellbeing needs to be booked into your calendar before anything else. We also explore why reading is replacing scrolling, why silent walks are staying, and what it really means to define and live your own rich life.
Then we move into what’s out — from fear-based leadership and unsustainable New Year’s resolutions, to blindly climbing the career ladder and relying on CVs that no longer reflect who we really are or what we can do.
This episode is an invitation to slow down, question what you’ve been told success should look like, and intentionally design a year — and a life — that actually supports your health, values and energy. In this episode, we cover:
Why learning to hold paradox is a critical skill for 2026

The shift from protein-only thinking to fibre and internal health

How to be more discerning with the information we consume and share

Why wellness should be scheduled before work, not around it

Reading over scrolling (and how to make it easier)

The importance of courageous conversations at work and in life

Silent walks, creativity and giving your nervous system space

Defining what a rich life means to you — not anyone else
What’s officially out for 2026:

Doing things (or not doing things) because they feel “cringe”

Unrealistic, unsustainable New Year’s resolutions

Fear-based leadership

Avoiding difficult conversations

Movement that depletes rather than builds

Blindly following the career ladder

Over-reliance on CVs instead of real connection and demonstrated value

If you’re feeling called to approach 2026 differently — with more intention, curiosity and care — this episode is for you.

Every January, we talk about goals.
But goals don’t fail because we lack motivation — they fail because we don’t have the systems to support them.
This episode is a re-visit of one of last year’s most listened-to conversations on habits — and I’m bringing it back because this time of year is exactly when we need this reminder. The energy is high, intentions are set, and now the real work begins.
In this episode, we move beyond goal setting and into the part that actually determines whether you follow through: your daily habits and the systems around them.
Research shows that around 40% of our daily actions are habits, not conscious decisions — and people with strong habits are over two times more likely to achieve their goals. That means if your environment, routines, and systems aren’t working for you, willpower alone won’t save you.
I break down:
What habits actually are and how they work in the brain

Why motivation fades — and why systems don’t

How to design habits that reduce friction and decision fatigue

The four laws of behaviour change that make habits stick

How to use your morning, evening, and weekend routines to support your goals

Why starting with one big habit beats trying to change everything at once

I also share a real example from my own life — how I’m using habit stacking and environmental design to train for an ultra marathon — and why preparation is often the difference between intention and action.
This episode is not about creating a three-hour morning routine or becoming a completely new person by February. It’s about small, deliberate habits that compound over time and make progress feel inevitable.
If you’ve set goals for the year — or you’re feeling stuck, overwhelmed, or inconsistent — this is your reminder that you don’t rise to the level of your goals, you fall to the level of your systems.
Habits remove the need for constant motivation

Environmental cues drive most of our behaviour

The easier a habit is, the more likely it is to stick

Consistency beats intensity every time

One well-designed habit can change the trajectory of your entire year

Resources

Atomic Habits by James Clear

Aristotle: “We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit.”

Summary

In this episode, Angela Davies discusses the importance of goal setting for the new year, emphasizing reflection on the past year, identifying personal values, setting intentions, and structuring achievable goals. She encourages listeners to take a thoughtful approach to planning, ensuring that their goals align with their values and desired life experiences.

Takeaways

Goal setting should support your wellbeing and energy.
Reflect on the past year to inform future goals.
Identify what went well, what was challenging, and what gave you energy.
Values act as a compass for goal setting.
Choose a word or intention to guide your year.
Visualization can help in achieving goals.
Break the year into manageable segments with intentional breaks.
Set one year-defining hard goal to challenge yourself.
SMART goals are essential for clarity and focus.
Regular reflection helps keep you aligned with your goals.

Keywords

goal setting, reflection, values, intentions, visualization, personal growth, planning, new year, self-improvement, SMART goals