David Corfield: An Equal Future... Progress & Setbacks

My guest today is David Corfield.

David believes that we all deserve an equal future, that this utopian vision is closer than we might believe, and that we are not currently on course to achieve this vision...in fact, it might be quite the opposite. David's mission is to enhance the conversation around this future vision of equality and empower leaders to make it happen. 

As the first generation in his family to attend college and many other things, he's the product of social mobility, a hell of a lot of luck, and a reasonable amount of hard work. He believes everyone should have equal access to, and the opportunity for, a happy, fulfilled life. He writes about this desired future and what we ought to do in the present to make it real, while coaching and training the next generation of leaders to bring this vision to life.

David grew up in England, studying economics and working in management consulting before moving to Berkeley California where he got his MBA and life purpose. He founded a start-up that lowers the barrier to self-employment and a non-profit that helped small business owners build sustainable businesses while embedding equitable enterprise models into the curriculum of top US business schools. 

He is passionate about wellness, learning, and travel, having lived in ten different cities in the last three years. 

I first met David in April at a mutual work event.  David is humble and understated and I’m glad I was listening carefully as small pieces of his experience and accomplishments came out… a book, a TED talk, a start-up. 

In our conversation today, David shares his entrepreneurial spirit that started at 7 years old (you’ll love this story!).  We discuss the positive shifts around work and also the concerning trends for workers.  We touch on the topic of David’s TED talk: what happens to our job identify if work is taken away… and strategies you can experiment with today to test how much your identity is tied to your job.  

Empathy and perspective taking is also highlighted as David describes visions of the future of work and finding meaning in life.  

David, thank you for sharing your insights, your ponderings, and your new edges as you transition into a new phase of life and work!  It can be vulnerable to ‘think out loud’ in a public forum and yet so insightful and meaningful.  I’m honored to share this conversation with the Make Life Less Difficult listeners.

If you’d like to connect with David, you can find links below!

One brief note on the audio quality, as I move around to various places this summer and seek out reliable spots for recording conversations… it’s a little tricky, but I’m sticking with my commitment to doing things imperfectly!  we had a few instances of internet instability throughout the conversation.  Fortunately, this doesn’t impact any of the message, but just a warning in case you hear a word or two that ends more abruptly than expected.  Thanks for understanding!

Connect with David:

Make Life Less Difficult

Make Life Less Difficult