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The Work Unlocked podcast

There has never been a better time to broaden our views about how we work. Join the conversation as freelancers, the businesses that rely on them, and future-of-work experts share insights with hosts Gene Gates, Sheri Baker, and Tim Sanders.

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You’re invited to look at work in a whole new way.

Work Unlocked features thought-provoking stories. Freelancers from around the world talk about how they built successful businesses and redefined the meaning of “workday” for themselves. And business leaders from companies of all sizes share how they have built relationships with freelancers to drive innovation and gain competitive advantage.

Our hosts

Tim Sanders

Vice President of Customer Insights, Upwork

Author of five books, including the New York Times bestseller "Love Is the Killer App: How to Win Business and Influence Friends."

Former chief solutions officer at Yahoo! and early-stage member of Mark Cuban's broadcast.com. Faculty member of the Global Institute of Leadership Development.

Gene Gates

Award-winning radio personality and podcast host

Hosted top-rated morning radio shows in Los Angeles, San Francisco, Dallas, and Atlanta.

In 2015 won the Marconi Award  from the National Association of Broadcasters for Personality of  the Year.

Sheri Baker

Marketing Lead, Upwork

More than a decade of  experience leading marketing  and communications for Fortune 500 companies.

Turned to Upwork during her first pregnancy in search of a better working life and has been leading programs for Upwork ever since.

Latest podcast episodes

Teams, Unlocked

In our final episode of this season, we learn why two iconic brands—Budweiser and Amway—both turned to Upwork to tap into a new way of working and how the platform has helped them hire video and design crews on the other side of the world, bring their values to the forefront, and change the way they look at teams moving forward. We also share our biggest takeaways from all of our conversations this season, all of which you can start implementing today to unlock your own potential.

How to Find and Open the Third Door

What does the creative director at one of the world's largest companies have in common with a freelancing mom of five? When faced with challenges, they both tapped into the freelance economy for a third option. Abbi Perets shares the secrets to her success as a freelance writer and mother of five, one of whom has special needs. Ken Circeo of Microsoft shares the remarkable story of flying 7,000 miles from Seattle to New Delhi to meet Deep Chawla, a freelancer he hired on Upwork.

Increasing Your Income Starts with Finding Your Wow

In this episode, web designer Chris Misterek shares six steps to winning more business by staying true to your values and wowing your clients. Then we meet John Winsor, an executive-in-residence at Harvard University and founder of Open Assembly, where he provides strategic advice on the future of work. He’s a big problem solver, and he’ll share how his approach helped NASA 10x their number of missions and reduce cost by 90%.

Reimagine What’s Possible

Videographer Frisco Chavez has a wait list of clients. In this episode, you’ll hear how he built his business and increased his flexibility, and special guest Katie Evans shares a behind-the-scenes look at how Frisco has become essential to Upwork’s content efforts. You’ll also hear from Zoë Harte, Chief People Officer at Upwork, who discusses how putting independent talent at the heart of your business can help you achieve your mission and goals and lead to a better work life for all of us.

The Great Resignation: Is It the End of the 9-5?

Let’s face it: The way we were working before the pandemic wasn’t working for a lot of people. In this episode, Latasha James, independent professional on Upwork, shares why she left a Fortune 500 company to build a six-figure business that enables her to work anytime, anywhere. We also hear from Adam Ozimek, chief economist at Upwork, who shares the latest research about the mass exodus of employees from their current jobs, coined the Great Resignation, and how businesses can rethink their talent strategies in light of a tight labor market.

How to Work Smarter, Not Harder

What if you didn’t have to work the 9-5 anymore and instead could live on your own terms—and more than double your income while doing it? What if you could have your biggest challenges solved overnight by tapping into a virtual talent bench of experts in time zones around the world? That’s exactly what these two women did together. This episode shows the power of relationships between one of the millions of extraordinary freelancers on Upwork, Morgan Overholt, and her client, Cara Bedford of CompuVision. The two share their secrets on how to live a balanced life as a freelancer and as a client who uses the amazing talent on the platform to produce unmatched business results.

Living Your Best Life Working From Anywhere

Are you living your best life? In this episode, freelancer Hugo Roger talks about working from all over the world while simultaneously earning more money than he ever thought possible. You will learn how he created this amazing life and how you can too. We also talk to best-selling author Larry English about his book "Office Optional: How to Build a Connected Culture with Virtual Teams," a road map to virtual work success. As co-founder and president of Centric Consulting, he has been teaching business leaders how to manage remote teams for over 20 years and shares his actionable insights to create a positive culture.

How to 10x Your Business With the Freelancer Economy

What does it take to build a dynamic and fast-growing business? In this episode, top-rated freelancer Courtney Allen reveals how she’s creating a million-dollar business on the Upwork platform and offers advice to her colleagues on how to achieve financial freedom. Best-selling author Matthew Mottola brings enterprise savvy as well as his own business-building experience to the show, sharing ways for companies to harness “the human cloud” to accelerate their work and produce world-class results.