Life Threads
Life Threads is an eight-part podcast hosted by Professor Lynda Gratton. It explores how longevity and the future of work are reshaping careers and lives. Each episode focuses on a different thread of a fulfilling working life, including mastery, cooperation, knowing, amplification, friendship, intimacy, calm, and adventure. Drawing on personal stories and expert conversations, it offers practical ideas for career transitions, relationships, and personal growth. The series is a companion to Gratton’s book Living the 100-Year Life.
Episodes
Friendship with Robert Waldinger and Shirley Cramer
Friendship is often treated as something we fit around the rest of life. But over a long working life, it becomes one of the relationships that most sustains us.
In this episode of Life Threads, Lynda Gratton explores what it takes to build and maintain meaningful friendships over time. She is joined by Robert Waldinger, Director of the Harvard Study of Adult Development, whose research sho
Amplification with Dorie Clark and Tomas Chamorro-Premuzic
Technology isn’t just disruptive; it can extend our capabilities and magnify what makes us unique at work. As AI makes routine tasks easier, our distinctiveness - judgment, relationships, expertise - matters more. The real question is, what will you choose to amplify, and what will you keep human?
In this episode, Lynda Gratton explores how technology can enhance a long working life, featuring ps
Knowing with Julia Gillard and Selin Kesebir
What does it really mean to know something?
In this episode, Lynda Gratton explores the difference between gathering information and truly knowing, with insights from Selin Kesebir, Associate Professor at London Business School, and Julia Gillard, former Prime Minister of Australia.
Selin reveals how deep understanding grows not just from facts, but from experience, reflection and openness to ch
Co-operation with Alex Beard
What can world-class opera and ballet teach us about cooperation? In this episode, Lynda Gratton sits down with Sir Alex Beard, Chief Executive of the Royal Ballet and Opera, to explore the teamwork, trust and shared standards behind every performance.
Alex reveals what happens behind the curtain, where hundreds of musicians, performers, designers, technicians and front-of-house staff work togeth
Mastery with Grayson Perry and Herminia Ibarra
What does it really mean to master something - and why does mastery keep changing? In this episode, Lynda Gratton sits down with Turner Prize-winning artist Sir Grayson Perry and leadership and career transition expert Herminia Ibarra for a conversation about creativity, reinvention, and staying relevant in a fast-changing world.
Grayson Perry talks about
