58. The One Where Sam Says Goodbye

Rodney Evans (0:00)

Mm-hmm, it's a party. We make a podcast, go Sam. He's a co-host.

Hey, everybody, welcome back to At Work with The Ready, a podcast about work design and how organizations can make change work in their favor. I am Rodney Evans, and I am here sadly and celebratorily and happily and nostalgically for the last time with my co-host, Sam Spurlin.

Sam Spurlin (0:33)

Hello, everyone, and hello, especially to you, Rodney Evans.

Rodney Evans (0:36)

Hey, Sam. So today is a send-off for Sam and a celebration for Sam. And like any good ritual, we will start with a check-in question, which Sam generously brought to his final show. Of course. I know my job.

Which you've got. He's doing a job all the way to the bitter end. That's right.

Sam Spurlin (0:58)

Rodney, it's early September, so my brain turns to the turning of the seasons. So my question for you, what's your favorite way to mark the transition from summer to fall for us Northern Hemisphere folks right now?

Rodney Evans (1:13)

Oh, I mean, it's such an easy answer. Jeans.

I am a jeans person. I have so many pairs of jeans, pair of jeans, pairs of jeans, pairs of jeans, pairs of jeans. I don't know.

I have a lot of them. And like, as the kids now only wear sweat garments, I'm just like, no, I will never conform. From my cold dead hands, you will prime my fancy denim. And I feel like yesterday was the first day that I wore jeans all day and into my evening plans and at no point had regrets. And I'm like, it's fall. It's decorative gourd season. Let's go.

Sam Spurlin (1:57)

That's a good that's a good answer for the video, folks. I'm going to do something real quick.

Rodney Evans (2:02)

Oh, look at him. He's in his jeans, folks. Wow. And he's doing some kicks. So you might want to hop on over to YouTube.

Sam Spurlin (2:10)

I think I just pulled my groin. But yeah, I'm wearing jeans, so I can go with that answer.

I'm going to go with something a little bit more less concrete. There's a morning, generally around this time, where you go outside and it just feels a little fally. The day still may get into the 80s, but the morning is like 62 and you walk outside and you're like, oh, that's a little different. So like the first time I get one of those, oh, that's a little different. That's how I think we're in the fall now. And it usually means there's a couple of weeks are still like too hot in the afternoon, but we're on the path to hockey starting again and other fall things, jeans and sweaters and hoodies. So yeah, I think we've hit that for sure already.

Rodney Evans (3:01)

Well, yeah, up where you are. TGFH is what I'm gonna call, thank God for hockey.

Sam Spurlin (3:08)

That's right.

Rodney Evans (3:08)

Or else, what would Sam do all winter?

Sam Spurlin (3:11)

What would I talk about? What would I do? And I actually don't want to get into it because my team has been bad forever and they're only getting worse, I feel like.

Rodney Evans (3:18)

Oh no.

Sam Spurlin (3:18)

So we're just gonna leave it at that.

Rodney Evans (3:20)

Maybe they should recruit you and maybe you could help. It'll be like one of those Netflix movies where they bring like the guy back from retirement.

Sam Spurlin (3:28)

The 40 year old guy who just pulled his groin, lifting his leg up to show off his jeans. Yeah, you're right. I think I might make them better.

Rodney Evans (3:39)

Like maybe not for this season.

Sam Spurlin (3:41)

Maybe you need to get back in shape.

Rodney Evans (3:42)

You need a little notice. You need a little heads up. Yeah.

Sam Spurlin (3:45)

Exactly.

Rodney Evans (3:46)

I don't know. Wait, what's your team again? The Red Leaf Maple something or something?

Sam Spurlin (3:50)

You nailed it. The Red Leaf Maple somethings.

Rodney Evans (3:52)

Is that them?

Sam Spurlin (3:53)

The Detroit Red Wings.

I was so close. You were close. And the Maple Leafs are a team.

Rodney Evans (4:00)

Okay.

Sam Spurlin (4:00)

It's not my team.

Rodney Evans (4:01)

Not your team. Okay, so Detroit Sam Spurlin is coming for you. Give him a call.

Sam Spurlin (4:07)

Yeah, exactly.

Rodney Evans (4:08)

So, you know, a bittersweet send off, as these things always are, today is just going to be about a couple of reflections. Also, we don't want to just like disappear, Sam. Like we've had an amazing run. We've really enjoyed making this show together. Everyone like felt like we had come to a very natural point where it was time to do some other things. Everyone is still friends and, you know, will remain so.