Why Work Feels Better Together
The Science of Happiness
PRX and Greater Good Science Center
4.5 • 2K Ratings
🗓️ 26 March 2026
⏱️ 27 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
From a worker-owned restaurant in Oakland to a nonprofit built on shared leadership, we explore how collective work models can help people feel heard, valued, and more invested in their work.
Summary: In this episode of The Science of Happiness, we examine how people can build cultures of care, accountability, and belonging together. Through stories from a worker-owned restaurant and insights from a leader in collective nonprofits, we share what research reveals about why collective decision-making can help teams thrive and organizations succeed.
Scroll down for a transcription of this episode.
Today’s Guests:
NINO SERRANO AND JENABI PAREJA are the co-founders of Understory, a worker-owned and community-built restaurant in Oakland.
Learn more about Understory here: https://understoryoakland.com/
NILOUFAR KHONSARI is the co-founder of Pangea Legal Services, a nonprofit that defends immigrants facing deportation and the author of the book, Future is Collective: Effective Workplace Strategies for Building a Culture of Care.
Read the book here: https://www.niloukhonsari.com/thebook
Related The Science of Happiness episodes:
How to Talk to People You Disagree With: https://tinyurl.com/4cpm8m3a
When It’s Hard to Connect, Try Being Curious: https://tinyurl.com/bde6wyu7
Why Compassion Requires Vulnerability: https://tinyurl.com/yxw4uhpf
Related Happiness Breaks:
A Self-Compassion Meditation For Burnout: https://tinyurl.com/485y3b4y
5 Minutes of Gratitude: https://tinyurl.com/r6pkw2xx
Making Space For You: https://tinyurl.com/yk6nfnfv
Message us or leave a comment on Instagram @scienceofhappinesspod. E-mail us at happinesspod@berkeley.edu or use the hashtag #happinesspod.
Help us share The Science of Happiness! Leave us a 5-star review on Apple Podcasts or share this link with someone who might like the show: https://tinyurl.com/2p9h5aap
Transcription: https://tinyurl.com/ya9vuy4n
Transcript
Click on a timestamp to play from that location
| 0:00.0 | Collective leadership really opens doors, really opens portals. |
| 0:06.0 | From the hospitality to the care put into the food and like just how we work as a team, I feel like, |
| 0:13.0 | it's so special and different from working at any other restaurant. |
| 0:18.0 | Everyone has some kind of skill or expertise or passion that deserves to be lifted up and centered. |
| 0:27.6 | Every person I know that works here is just so happy to be here, which I don't think you always hear from like restaurant workers or just people who often have to work in |
| 0:40.1 | customer service. We feel supported at all times. Why would you do this work any other way? |
| 0:50.7 | Welcome to the Science of Happiness. |
| 0:55.4 | I'm Shuka Kalentari. |
| 1:01.0 | For many of us, the idea that everyone deserves a seat at the table is a core value. |
| 1:02.8 | We all want to have a voice. |
| 1:06.1 | But in reality, that's not always how things play out. |
| 1:10.1 | Leadership tends to be top-down, especially in our workplaces. |
| 1:11.6 | But what if it wasn't? It doesn't feel like work, like being here. |
| 1:13.6 | It feels like chilling with your family or hanging out with your family, kind of in a way, you know? |
| 1:18.6 | In this episode, we're joined by the founders of Understory, a collectively run restaurant in Oakland, California. |
| 1:25.6 | We hear about how mutual respect and shared values led |
| 1:29.8 | them to success and purpose in the workplace. Later, we'll talk with Nilafar Honsari, author of |
| 1:36.3 | The Future is Collective, Effective Workplace Strategies for Building a Culture of Care. She'll share |
| 1:43.2 | some of the ins and outs |
| 1:44.6 | of building a collective nonprofit. |
| 1:47.3 | Better decisions and outcomes come about |
| 1:49.1 | when more insight and more expertise is brought in. |
... |
Please login to see the full transcript.
Disclaimer: The podcast and artwork embedded on this page are from PRX and Greater Good Science Center, and are the property of its owner and not affiliated with or endorsed by Tapesearch.
Generated transcripts are the property of PRX and Greater Good Science Center and are distributed freely under the Fair Use doctrine. Transcripts generated by Tapesearch are not guaranteed to be accurate.
Copyright © Tapesearch 2026.