The Hidden Cost of Always Saying Yes | A Bit of Optimism: Feelings at Work | PART 1

Welcome to Feelings at Work, a special series from A Bit of Optimism with Simon Sinek.

Work isn't just about deadlines, meetings, and getting things done. It's also where we experience frustration, excitement, trust, anxiety, belonging, conflict, and joy. If we want to build healthier teams and better workplaces, we have to get better at understanding the emotions that shape how we work together.

That's what this series is about.

In each episode, Simon Sinek sits down with Yale professor and Lifeshop founder Alex Simon to explore one emotional challenge that affects how we work, lead, and relate to one another. Together, they unpack the emotional skills most of us were never taught—but use every single day.

This episode is about saying yes.

Have you ever agreed to something... and immediately regretted it?

Maybe you didn't want to disappoint someone. Maybe you thought, I'll figure it out somehow. Maybe your calendar is packed, your to-do list never gets shorter, and somehow you're still worried you're letting people down.

Most of us don't think of ourselves as "people pleasers."

We just want to be helpful. We want to be dependable. We want to be someone others can count on.

But what if constantly saying yes is actually making things harder—for you and everyone around you?

Together, Simon and Alex explore why so many thoughtful, capable people take on more than they can realistically handle. They unpack the hidden patterns that lead to overwhelm, resentment, and burnout—and why trying to keep everyone happy can quietly make us less reliable.

The good news? This is a skill we can learn.