Pilot episode of the new Work. Shouldn't. Suck. podcast. What’s in store for this adventure? Listen to find out.

1. The Pilot

In this episode, Tim chats with Lauren Ruffin about the launch of a new AR/VR co-op, Black capitalism, Work as the new religion, Vocations & Callings, Figuring out physical mail distribution for an entirely virtual workplace, and at what point you might own too many bicycles.

LAUREN RUFFIN has over 15 years experience in policy, marketing, non-profit management, business development, fundraising, and strategic planning in the for-profit and nonprofit sectors. She is the Co-Founder of Crux and has served as Chief External Relations Officer for Fractured Atlas, the nation's largest association of artists and creators, since 2016. At Fractured Atlas, she is responsible for the organization’s marketing, communications, community engagement, and fundraising. She also leads Artist Campaign School, a new educational program that trains artists to run for political office.

Prior to joining the team at Fractured Atlas, Lauren served as Director of Development for DC-based organizations Martha’s Table and the National Center for Children and Families. She was also fortunate to serve in various roles at the NAACP Legal Defense Fund, Children’s Defense Fund, New Leaders, and AAUW.  Prior to transitioning to the nonprofit sector, Lauren was Assistant Director of Government Affairs for a boutique firm in Washington, DC where she represented a broad array of clients, including Comcast, SiriusXM, the Thurgood Marshall College Fund, and the City of Philadelphia.

In her spare time, she can be found mountain biking with her dog or gesturing wildly at the teevee in support of Duke University’s men’s basketball team. She graduated from Mount Holyoke College with a degree in Political Science and obtained a J.D. from the Howard University School of Law. Lauren serves on the governing board of Black Girls Code and on the advisory boards of ArtUp and Black Girl Ventures.

2. Lauren Ruffin

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Exploring people-centric organizational design to craft places where people thrive.

Join host Tim Cynova, and his colleagues and friends, as they journey through stories and strategies for being more intentional in How We Work. We'll look at how to create great places to work, where people thrive, that have commitments to anti-racism and anti-oppression, and that are grounded in resilience and self-care.

SEASON 1: Episodes explore how much of ourselves can we bring to work, shared leadership team approaches, and fully virtual organizations. We'll connect current events to approaches for recruitment and hiring; recognition and engagement; building psychologically safe environments; how to help teams engage in healthy conflict; creating alignment, accountability, and transparency across teams and organizations; and much more.

ABOUT THE HOST
Tim Cynova spends the bulk of his day assisting teams with creating workplaces where people thrive.

In his “day job,” he serves as Co-CEO/Chief Operating Officer of the U.S.-based non-profit Fractured Atlas. The organization is publicly committed to being anti-racist and anti-oppressive in its work and operations as they build tools to support a network of over 1 million artists, creatives, and makers. In his role as Co-CEO, he serves on the organization’s four-person, non-hierarchical shared leadership team as it guides an entirely virtual organization with team members in 11 states and 6 countries.

When not at Fractured Atlas, Tim is on faculty at Canada’s Banff Centre for Arts & Creativity and New York's The New School teaching courses in People-Centric Organizational Design and Leadership & Team Building; he's a trained mediator, and a certified Senior Professional in Human Resources (SPHR). He's also a Principal of the consulting group Work. Shouldn't. Suck, and a certified trainer of the Crucial Conversations and What Motivates Me frameworks.

Earlier in his career, Tim was the Executive Director of The Parsons Dance Company and of High 5 Tickets to the Arts, had a memorable stint with the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra, was a one-time classical trombonist, musicologist, and for five years in his youth he delivered newspapers for the Evansville, Indiana Courier-Press.

Also, during a particularly slow summer, he bicycled across the United States. Tim's pronouns: he/him/his.

Work. Shouldnt. Suck.