Remotely One - A remote work podcast

Lessons from 100 Episodes of Remotely One: The Future of Remote Work - ep. 100

• RICK HANEY, KALEEM CLARKSON • Season 1 • Episode 100

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We’ve Reached 100 Episodes! Isn’t That Amazing?

In the 100th episode of Remotely One, co-hosts Kaleem Clarkson and Rick Haney celebrate this significant milestone—a journey that began three years ago—by reflecting on their incredible growth and the valuable lessons they've learned along the way! This landmark episode perfectly captures the podcast’s core mission: to bring remote work closer to listeners by sharing authentic stories from industry leaders, researchers, and everyday professionals who humanize this evolving work model.

Filled with laughter, heartfelt gratitude, and memorable anecdotes, Kaleem and Rick reflect on how far they’ve come, look forward to an exciting future, and proudly announce their recent recognition as Podcasters of the Year by Crossover, the world’s largest recruiter of full-time remote jobs—highlighting the significant impact Remotely One has had in shaping conversations around remote work.

Have you checked out some of the incredible insights shared on Remotely One? If you’re wondering where to start, the duo reflects on some of their most impactful interviews. One standout guest was Jack Nilles, who coined the term "telework" in 1967. A former rocket engineer on the Apollo mission, Nilles questioned why traffic congestion couldn’t be solved if humans could be sent to the moon! Another powerful discussion was with Brian Elliott, former executive at Slack’s Future Forum. Elliott emphasized that "time matters more than place," a perspective supported by research showing a 39% productivity boost when employees have flexible schedules.

Still learning about the advantages of remote work? Tune into the episode with Dr. Nick Bloom, a leading researcher on remote work. His data-driven analysis debunked widespread myths and highlighted the productivity advantages of flexible work models.

Curious about pay equity in remote work? Dive into their conversation with Job van der Voort, founder of Remote.com, who raised an impressive $500 million in funding. 

Insights from Dr. Kelly Monahan of Upwork’s Research Institute and from Sasha Connor, a pioneer in remote leadership at Clorox, further enriched the podcast!

Looking for more unfiltered stories? Check out the fan-favorite segment, "Not Safe for Remote Work", where frontline workers share their most hilarious and inspiring remote work experiences. One unforgettable story came from Becky Jones, who delivered a high-stakes pitch to an executive board from a café—only for a nearby child to smear frosting on her face mid-call. Then there’s Kristen Bass, whose story could rival a thriller. Jamie Jackson, co-host of the Humorous Resources podcast, also left a lasting impression with relatable stories about managing remote work while parenting.

We proudly celebrate our achievements—from meaningful interviews with top industry voices to fostering one of the largest remote work communities, now boasting over 3,500 Slack members and 5,000 email subscribers. With deep gratitude, we thank our listeners and guests for making this journey possible! Kaleem and Rick are more committed than ever to sharing authentic stories and fresh insights as they continue to explore the evolving landscape of remote work.

Here’s to the next 100 episodes!

More about us:

Kaleem:

Can't believe it though. A hundred episodes, dude.

Rick:

Jesus Christ. I know What?

Kaleem:

You've been working for so long and so hard down at the docks.

Rick:

I'm gonna go with the pub later and pick myself up a harbor Hog. Well,

Kaleem:

Been laying pipe with my uncle over at the wood shop, bub.

Rick:

Oh man.

Kaleem:

Oh man. It's good to see you, man.

Rick:

Yeah, likewise. It's been too long. We gotta do this. I wish we could do this more often.

Kaleem:

You know, there's a phrase that I've been told before shout out to my boy, Otis, something about the phrase tickle shits,

Rick:

Mmm.

Kaleem:

you know, it's almost a mix between bubble guts.

Rick:

Yeah.

Kaleem:

laughing hysterically. So you have the tickle shits.

Rick:

Indeed,

Kaleem:

I feel like that's what I have today, Rick. Yeah, because I'm super happy.

Rick:

Welcome back to remotely one. I am your cohost, Rick Haney joined by my esteemed colleague, Kaleem Clarkson. And today we're celebrating our 100th episode. What do you think of Kaleem? You

Kaleem:

shit, Rick! A hundred episodes! A hundred episodes! Like I said, I have to tickle shits! I can't believe! We started this show three years ago. Did you ever think that we would hit a hundred, bro?

Rick:

know, honestly, I don't know what to think. I can tell you that I cannot believe that we've come this far. I'm just thinking about all the amazing conversations that we've had with our guests. And you want to know what's really crazy?

Kaleem:

What's that, bro? What's crazy, bro. What's what's crazy, man. What's what's happening.

Rick:

Well, thanks for asking. I'll tell you all of our hard work has been recognized as we were just awarded podcasters of the year by crossover, the world's largest recruiter of full time remote jobs. I did not see that coming. How about you?

Kaleem:

What's come on. Crossover. That's what we're talking about, baby, bro. That first call I made to you, man, just reminiscing. We hadn't spoken to each other in 20 years and I took a shot and I called you out of the blue. For real. I don't even think you knew anything about remote work. You're like a deer in a headlights, bro. You're like a deer in a headlights. Like what?

Rick:

Well, you know, it's funny. Like I look, I'm looking down at my phone. I'm like, Oh, what's he doing calling me something must be up. I wonder who died. Right.

Kaleem:

Right. That's seriously,

Rick:

did we lose another football coach? What's going on here? And, uh, you know, the first thing I thought of when we got into the conversation, you were talking about remote work and I'm like, bro, this guy's going to have me, you know, Scouring Craigslist ads and stuffing envelopes by the end of the day. And like, next thing I know, I'm going to be selling my body in the private forums. You know, I was like,

Kaleem:

You want a remote job, sir? You want a remote job? Selling your

Rick:

work, remote work, I had no idea what the word even meant, you know, and I was terrified. And we get into this and we started talking to these high level professionals and I realized. It's just, the basic element is we all have these stories to tell, and these stories are what make remote work so much more human than I could have possibly imagined. So after a few episodes, I realized it was like, that was it. This was the thing. This, it was about telling the stories. Stories!

Kaleem:

the stories when we had that, the promo, I mean, Isn't it insane that two bubs from Bangor, Maine, dude, created, and we sustained a show for a hundred episodes and then just out of nowhere recognized as podcasters of the year, by a recruiting firm that has over 8 million followers. Oh, wow.

Rick:

I mean, at this point, there is nothing else to say but wow. Wow ee, wow. So, thank you, thanks everybody for listening. This has been a wild ride. I hope we can continue for another a hundred episodes. We'll see what the future holds, but

Kaleem:

see what the future holds

Rick:

so everybody out there again, thank you, and since you know how to find us, do us a huge favor, go to rate this podcast. com forward slash remotely one, and just leave us a review. We'll ask that in every episode. We're not tired of asking it because you guys always returned the favor. So again, rate this podcast. com forward slash remotely one. And if you could do that for us, we would be ever so thankful. Since 2015 remotely one is one of the largest communities of remote work professionals with over 3, 500 Slack members and 5, 000 email subscribers and. It's free to join. So go to check it out at remotely one. com. And with that out of the way, tell us a little bit, Kaleem, about your most favorite memorable episode.

Kaleem:

Well, sir, I can't, I can't say my most favorite episode. You know what I'm saying? Cause it's like, like our children. We love them all, man. We love

Rick:

well, my favorite, I mean, what sticks out in your mind? What's what's memorable. What's memorable.

Kaleem:

So again, guests, we love you all all the guests, and it's a really good question. So many great guests, but I'm going to have to go with my celebrity crush. The man, the myth, the legend, Jack Nilles. And for those who do not know who Jack is, Jack coined the term telework in 1967. And he's a former former rocket engineer that worked on the Apollo mission. When he replied, bro, when he replied and said, yes, first off, I thought there was no way he was going to reply. And again, back to the phrase that we were talking about earlier when he replied,

Rick:

Hmm.

Kaleem:

the tickle shits hit me hard, dude.

Rick:

Hard.

Kaleem:

hit me hard, but, uh, you know, let's Let's take a look at what he had to say. Let's take a look at what he had to say. So man, Jack Nils, man. I mean, can you imagine,

Rick:

was such a killer. I mean, I had so many questions for the guy. And as I recall, I was both flustered and having technical issues that entire episode. So I was like, uh, the whole time. Right. But I mean, You know,

Kaleem:

crazy to think that like he just casually threw out. He was a rocket scientist, casually through already working on the Apollo mission. And then the fact that somebody asked him, yo, if you can put a man on the moon, why can't you figure out remote work? And he's, he's still getting it done.

Rick:

I mean, it was, that was so crazy, you know, just talking to a brilliant mind like, you know, you're a brilliant mind when you get bored as a rocket scientist, I mean, he's, he literally said, you know, I was looking for something else to do, you know, didn't he say that?

Kaleem:

Yeah. Yeah. I was looking for something else to do.

Rick:

yeah.

Kaleem:

yeah.

Rick:

so the irony of being bored as a rocket scientist really kind of struck me, struck a chord there, but I don't know.

Kaleem:

The grandfather of telework, sir, I feel like we had the number one person to get in this world. He's 90, I believe he's over 90 years old. Just what a great feeling. So how about you, Rick? What's an episode that kind of sticks out to you a little bit?

Rick:

I knew this was coming and you know as hard as it is to make this decision, I, you know, in the moment, I'm recalling our conversation with Brian Elliot. When he said time matters more than space,

Kaleem:

Hmm.

Rick:

you know, think about like, we've gone from 1967 to 2024. That's a lot of changes occurring in that window. Employees, they went from, you know, being dispensable resources to being valued as people who can lead their organization. And I think Brian lays it out perfectly when he said time matters more than place in that placing value on people's time. Right? By not burdening their schedules and that time matters more than one location. Roll the clip. He could say it better than I could.

Kaleem:

Let's roll it. There. He said it. I mean, I love Brian, man. you know, the fact that he was with Slack's future forum is now doing his own thing. But like, to me, given people location flexibility. Like the stats that he was showing, they're crazy. It's like, yes, providing people, location, flexibility gives you 8 percent increase in productivity. But thinking about the scheduling of your time, bro, 39 percent increase of productivity, if you give them the ability to work when that's crazy shit, man, it's crazy shit.

Rick:

Yeah. No, I agreed. I mean, the research of remote work has been absolutely fascinating. When you think about what we're hearing from the media versus what we're hearing from researchers, right? It's completely night and day. And Dr. Nick Bloom comes to mind, speaking of which.

Kaleem:

You know, When you think about this, man, not only did we have the godfather on of telework, but I can't believe we had one of the leading researchers in the world on the show. Um, it's just amazing. And the reality even today is that, man, the negative headlines always sell more. And they're always getting more clicks. And he said it perfectly for every major headline that you hear, right. There's a company that has a lot of remote work, right? Like, so for every headline you're hearing, there's a company we don't hear about that's fully remote. And it's just, um, it's just crazy, man. It's just crazy.

Rick:

Yeah, that was such an engaging and quite rewarding conversation. You know, I learned so much about not only Dr. Nick Bloom, but the research that is behind everything that we've been talking about. And we also learned a little bit about President Obama as a person. How he operates. Thanks. Remember that,

Kaleem:

I do. I do remember that. I do remember that. Let's let's let's how does, how does president Obama operate? Let's let's roll the clip. Let's roll the clip. Oh, Dr. Bloom. He was, you know, was smart about that, Rick. He knew not to respond to that.

Rick:

Oh, he deflected hard. I mean, he didn't even engage, which was very smart of him. You know, it's hard to be on his level and then have to communicate with people like us. I'll be honest.

Kaleem:

Imagine if he was just like, he did have a scent of cocoa butter and it's just like the way, you know, his, his, his accent was, was,

Rick:

I know, it's, it's, it's quite funny you mentioned because I remember smelling cocoa butter. Cocoa butter. You know, that's one of the the reasons why I've always loved this show right from the beginning, you know, we're engaged in a serious discussion and then Kaleem just derails it completely with a ridiculous question about how the president smells. I mean, you just never know what you're going to get.

Kaleem:

true. It's true. Oh man. So. We've had all of these researchers on but what I've always found amazing from all of this Rick is like, no matter how much research that you have. It still doesn't change the opinions of CEO. And it just reminds me of like when Kate Lister interviewed the VP of HR from Netflix, you

Rick:

Yeah. Yeah. I do. I do remember. And it's funny because what I remember most, the guy just doesn't want to listen to her. He was not interested in anything she had to say.

Kaleem:

you know, Rick, for me. just hits home that like, when she says, no, the CEO says no good, we'll ever come from it. It's just, it's, it's funny. And then like, everyone wants to be back in the office. That's what I've been told. Talk about just being hardheaded. You know what I'm saying? Just like, talk about like, just not giving a shit or not giving a shit, not even listening.

Rick:

It's always been done this way. See, to keep doing it.

Kaleem:

We're going to keep doing it. But that comment to me, Really kind of leads me to this idea of just mindset, no matter how much information that they've been provided, their mind was set in one way. Um, and they're hardwired. And just like, you know, I remember Dr. Kelly Monahan from Upworks research Institute talking about mindset. You remember Dr. Monahan.

Rick:

I do. You know, that conversation had a profound impact on me. But the one thing I remember the most about it is the mindset of butts in seats, right? You know, we've been conditioned to value you this office hierarchy paying your dues. But the new idea is that a rising tide lifts all boats.

Kaleem:

I just love Kelly so much. She was fun to talk to, man.

Rick:

That was a great discussion.

Kaleem:

It really was. She just had so much knowledge too, like from doing research at multiple places and, you know, what she said made a lot of sense to me in that moment. Cause I hadn't really thought about. The manager's positions in all of these situations, but like, you know, these managers paid their dues with butts in seats,

Rick:

Hmm.

Kaleem:

but then, you know, during the pandemic, while we're working, they were asked to rewrite how we're working. Although they've never experienced that type of success. You know what I mean? Like, although they've never experienced success being fully remote. and really the challenge that people have. Is how can I break through that type of mindset? And I just remember, do you remember Sasha Sasha from

Rick:

Saw Cheryl Connor. Yeah. Yeah. She worked for Clorox. that was a great conversation. You know, I, I remember her talking specifically, I mean, she goes back to like 2010, when she took it upon herself to show and prove to her manager that she could manage a team remotely, despite all of the professional conditions that she was given as a result of her proposal.

Kaleem:

You know, another thing that I just really, really enjoyed about interviewing all of these crazy successful people, man, is that they're just people,

Rick:

Mmm.

Kaleem:

you know, and they're down to earth and you know, what's the best, the best thing about Sasha, Rick? The moment she said she was from Philly, you happen to go right into rapping the theme song from the Fresh Prince of Bel Air.

Rick:

Oh yeah! And it took right off. Yeah. Oh man. That was

Kaleem:

I didn't get it right either, bro.

Rick:

No.

Kaleem:

get it right,

Rick:

That's not the way I remembered it, but it still, it still went, it

Kaleem:

It doesn't matter. Oh, what a great sport. What a just good human being.

Rick:

Yeah, I mean, that, that was fun. We had a lot of laughs over that, and, but, you know. It's really poignant if you pull back a little bit and you consider that that theme song really kind of fits her story of moving from one location to another, you know,

Kaleem:

Back to Philly, in fact,

Rick:

she went back to Philly from

Kaleem:

right?

Rick:

I think.

Kaleem:

On the left coast.

Rick:

Yeah, two different, vastly different demographics. Uh, and, and she had to make that move considering that her, you know, the possibility of her pay changing. And so that kind of brings to mind the conversation we had around pay equity with Job Vandervoort. From remote. com.

Kaleem:

bro. I was so nervous. I was so nervous. I get nervous on a lot of our interviews, but it's not every day, Rick, that you get to speak to a founder that has raised a half a billion dollars. You know, like remote. com raised 500 million. one of the biggest topics in remote work is whether you should pay people based on a role that they're doing, or if you should pay people based on the location.

Rick:

You know, it's funny. I mean, of course, again, another episode of, you know, laughs and jabs, but I love the fact that you called him out on not taking a position and in the same breath, he goes on about how they have data that proves almost every company pays by location. I mean, he's so smooth, right?

Kaleem:

so

Rick:

you could do that when you got a 500 million coming in.

Kaleem:

Yeah. You, you know, you have to know how to talk if, if, if you're going to pull that out, but yeah, it was, it was a really good time, man. Um, You know, we started the show, I remember having during that conversation, I was like, man, like, I want to have a fun podcast, you know, and we're going back and forth. And we're like, it's about the stories of remote work to help humanize into the bit. Cause like, we're all behind these screens. We want to humanize it. And then we just started recording episodes and it was fun. It was cool. You know, we were feeling it out. You know, we were asking the question at the end. But one year, I think it was after we've been doing it for over a year or some change, maybe a year and a half. And you were like, you know, you pitch this idea. You're like, Hey, What if we created a new segment? And I was like, all right, tell me more, sir. Tell me more. And you were like, so we've been hearing from all of these top level executives and top level researchers. Wouldn't it be great to have like these really short episodes of the frontline workers, the individual contributors that are just doing the work. And all they did was just come on and tell us the most fucking ridiculous stories. And you were like you know, I think we asked them the questions we asked each person to come on and tell us the most comical inspirational story they had while working remotely. And I remember you came up with the name. It was like, we'll call it not safe for remote work. Great idea. Super fun, bro.

Rick:

you know, I, I wasn't sure where that was going to go. And I remember our first one, um, she was brilliant. Awesome personality, you know, just a really awesome, awesome girl. And she made a comment about, Oh, no, we were talking about comments of her. Her

Kaleem:

Yeah. So being online,

Rick:

Yeah. being

Kaleem:

being online. like what

Rick:

Yeah.

Kaleem:

know, the people love to hate in the comments,

Rick:

Yeah. Yeah. The people are hating. And you know, she's she's a pretty girl, you know, and talking about like um, somebody said that she needed Botox and I'm like, Oh yeah. Hey, somebody told me I looked like a dead guy in a coffin.

Kaleem:

I don't know why. No, Ashley, you do not need Botox at all and bro that comment. I don't know why I laugh so hard at someone making fun of you, but we make fun of ourselves so much. This person has no idea that that was the best comment that we've had on any of our shows forever. And we just, oh, I love, I love the, Go back and look at that common,

Rick:

It was great. It inspired me to put a fan in my recording booth, you know,

Kaleem:

you know, another one, another story that I just love was, um, we were talking to I think her name was Becky and she was Becky Jones. That's right. And she was talking about this time. She had to take a call, um, in a restaurant. Right. Is that what she was saying?

Rick:

she was, she was making a pitch at a restaurant. She was in a cafe. Um, and she had an important meeting with, with an exec board on something

Kaleem:

Yeah,

Rick:

and then all hell broke loose.

Kaleem:

let's see if she had this. Love this. Such a good time.

Rick:

can you imagine this, the discomfort and making a pro, you know, pitching a proposal over a zoom call and then some little shit at the table next to you just covers your face with frosting.

Kaleem:

Oh man, that is great man that

Rick:

Yeah, yeah. I mean, we've had a lot of these, a lot of these stories have come out and hopefully more and more will continue to present themselves, but we were talking to Kristen Bass this one time and it was like a horror movie. Yeah. In the middle of the day.

Kaleem:

got to be careful, bro. You can't be rolling in, in somebody's house, especially Krista. She goes, cha cha, cha

Rick:

She was also the first woman in history to get a raise over a zoom call because she had a shotgun in her hand.

Kaleem:

Oh, and then of course, you know, Jamie, Jamie Jackson, you know, her

Rick:

she was so funny.

Kaleem:

oh, she was so good. Her and Ashley, um, and another colleague of theirs run a podcast called Humorous Resources. So check it out. But, um, yeah, you know, when you have kids, man, and you're trying to do stuff. It just, you're trying to work remotely and the kids are home. There's always something that's going to happen. You know what I mean? Like there's always something, What a time, bro. What a time, man. Like,

Rick:

we are, you know, this has been, um, it's hard to believe that everything we've accomplished in, you know, a hundred episodes, podcasters of the year. We've rubbed elbows and had honest conversations with the world's leading researchers. On the subject of remote work, we have become the voices of remote work.

Kaleem:

Oh, Rick, did you just coin that? Are we the voice? Are we the voices of remote work, Rick? Holy shit, man. The stories. I just gotta say thank you, brother. The hundred episodes, it's been amazing. Couldn't have found anybody better than my, my homie, Rick from another mother. And, um, you know, it's, it's it's been a super fun ride. Can't wait to see what we have lined up next, but a hundred episodes, baby. One zero zero. We did it.

Rick:

Eat that coach price. I actually amounted to something

Kaleem:

Take that. Take that. Oh

Rick:

coach

Kaleem:

we love you all.

Rick:

love to everybody.

Kaleem:

See you on the other side. Peace.

Rick:

Peace.

People on this episode

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Kaleem Clarkson

Co-host
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Rick Haney

Co-host