Brea Starmer: Redefining Work Around Highest and Best Use, Not Hours Logged

The Unmistakable Creative Podcast

Srinivas Rao

Society & Culture

4.8 • 1K Ratings

🗓️ 20 November 2025

⏱️ 47 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Brea Starmer, founder of Lions and Tigers, challenges the outdated workplace model that measures face time over impact. Drawing from her experience as a mother of three running a company during COVID-19, she introduces the concept of "highest and best use"—a real estate framework adapted to human potential that prioritizes outcomes over hours logged. Starmer reveals why 11.5 million workers quit their jobs between April and June 2021 alone, with burnout as the number one driver and women of color disproportionately affected. She unpacks how traditional workplace structures fail parents, especially mothers, who navigate staccato schedules dictated by sick kids, COVID testing, and survival-mode 15-minute work chunks. Through Lions and Tigers' model of flexibility, inclusive culture, and organizational clarity, Starmer demonstrates why companies that center their people's actual needs achieve better collective results—and why the eight-hour workday built for a different era must be dismantled.

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Transcript

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0:00.0	As you probably notice, this month, we're bringing you our Life of Purpose series and revisiting
0:04.6	some of our most transformative episodes. Tune in to explore expert insights and practical
0:09.4	strategies on help, performance, and community well-being, all aimed at helping you achieve
0:14.4	personal and professional fulfillment. If you sign up for the newsletter, you'll not only get
0:18.5	recaps of the key ideas in each interview, but at the end of the series, you'll receive our free Life of Purpose ebook.
0:24.7	What you have to do is go to UnmistakableCreative.com slash LifePurpose. Again, that's
0:28.9	unmistakablecreative.com slash life purpose.
0:36.2	I'm Sreeny Rao, and this is the Unmistakable Creative Podcast, where you get a window into the stories and insights of the most innovative and creative minds who started movements, built thriving businesses, written bestselling books, and created insanely interesting art.
0:49.6	For more, check out our 500 episode archive at UnmistakableCreative.com.
0:57.0	Bria, welcome to at UnmistakableCreative.com. Brea, welcome to the Unmistakable Creative.
0:58.7	Thanks so much for taking the time to join us.
1:00.4	Thanks for having me, Trini.
1:01.6	I'm so happy to be here with you today.
1:03.7	It is my pleasure to have you here.
1:05.5	You are one of a long line of amazing people that has been referred to our show by our mutual friend, Sarah Peck.
1:12.8	Every single person who she refers is amazing.
1:15.4	And every time I say that to somebody, I'm like, no pressure, but now you have to knock it out of the park.
1:20.2	Sarah is so good.
1:21.5	And she knows so many wonderful people.
1:23.3	So I'm grateful for her connection.
1:25.9	Absolutely.
1:27.7	You have this very interesting world that you live in where you're at the intersection of motherhood
	...

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