About this episode
Welcome to This Year in Work!
As we countdown to Christmas, we’ve pulled together the standout moments from our Tuesday episodes across 2025 — the stories, segments and listener questions that defined the year.
From new workplace vocabulary to tech scandals, CEO tantrums and the wildest listener dilemmas, this episode is a celebration of everything that made TWIW what it is.
Word of the Year: Duck Shuffler
Our unanimous pick. A perfect term for those colleagues making a lot of noise on the surface while quietly shuffling chaos underneath. Straight from Episode 202 — and yes, the Bosnia-and-Herzegovina reference still makes sense in context.
Stories of the Year:
Big Toddler Energy
When we first discussed CEOs behaving like overgrown toddlers, we didn’t expect the avalanche of DMs, confessions, and even a YouTube thumbnail featuring us as actual toddlers. From Episode 196.
Rule-Bending Leaders
From Episode 200, the unforgettable debate on rule-breaking founders… including Al’s confession about his beer-delivery business days.
The Great Employment Heist
Episode 214 gifted us one of the wildest workplace stories of the year: a single engineer secretly working for 22 startups and earning over $1m without doing the work.
Hot Take of the Year: Gossip is Good
Rebecca Taylor argued that workplace gossip isn’t just normal — it’s useful. One of our most talked-about segments of the year (Episode 194).
Truth or Lies of the Year:
The triangle that never was. From Episode 240, the myth-busting moment that sent LinkedIn into meltdown.
Workplace Surgery Question of the Year:
My Ex is My New Boss!!
From Episode 180 — still one of the most awkward, gripping dilemmas we’ve ever received.
? Episodes Featured
Duck Shuffler – Ep 202http://truthliesandwork.com/episodes/202-divorce-disruption-and-the-death-of-the-watercooler-plus-are-you-a-duck-shuffler-with-kristyna-hawkett-this-week-in-work-3-rd-june-2025
Big Toddler Energy – Ep 196https://truthliesandwork.com/episodes/196-does-your-ceo-have-big-toddler-energy-plus-touching-grass-accidental-bullies-and-hiring-mistakes-with-stuart-mace-this-week-in-work-13th-may-2025
Rule Benders – Ep 200
