The interview below is 100 % imaginary, created with my AI sandbox UNIMIND as a tribute to Simon Sinek and Mo Gawdat.
How this playful experiment began.
I’m the CMO who powers up with a doppio & UNIMIND. After listening the other day to Simon Sinek's fresh episode “[Your Unhappy Brain Needs Some Assistance]” featuring Mo Gawdat, I typed: > “If I could seat them both on my mic at *Lighthouse Girl**, what would I ask?”*
The imaginary interview below was born. Simon, Mo—hope the play feels respectful. Simon has steered my leadership compass for years; Mo’s Solve for Happy resonated instantly.
Me: “Good afternoon and welcome to the imaginary studio of Lighthouse Girl! My lighthouse is here to cast beams for anyone chasing dreams and staying happy at work. Thanks for accepting, even if only on the wavelength of imagination.”
Simon: “First time a lighthouse booked me—perfect symbol. A lighthouse doesn’t dictate the route; it keeps the crew safe while they choose.”
Mo: “As a former Google [X] engineer, I salute any hardware that prevents shipwrecks… even a fictional one!”
(The red REC light blinks. Imagination becomes studio.)
Me - Q1: “Why do we still need happiness at work in 2025 when we already have KPI forests, OKRs, and 2‑Gbps Wi‑Fi?”
Simon: Happiness isn’t a Friday perk; it’s proof of a shared WHY. Purpose triggers oxytocin; people act like co‑owners, not renters.
Mo: Solve for Happy says happiness is default firmware; misery happens when reality < expectations. Office bugs? Lack of autonomy, toxic feedback loops, midnight emails. Remove those, and the app called “Team” runs smooth.
My segue: “Bandwidth rocks, but if the router nests stress gremlins, packets still drop. Let’s debug.”
Me - Q2: “‘The Infinite Game’ vs. ‘Happiness Equation’—which wins?”
Simon: Organisations are infinite games; no final whistle. Happiness is renewable fuel.
Mo: My equation is the temp gauge. Dip below zero‑happiness and you seize the engine. Pair Simon’s long road with my dashboard—you finish Paris–Dakar and still love Mondays.
My segue: “Infinite rally + functional gauge = zero roadside flares.”
Me - Q3: “Can a 5 000‑person company ever become Unstressable?”
Simon: Start with the circle of safety. Leaders who ‘eat last’ lower team cortisol.
Mo: Unstressable (with Alice Law) teaches four dialects of stress—mind, emotions, body, soul—and works like antivirus catching spikes pre‑crash.
My segue: “We’ve got Jira for code bugs; why not Hira for stress bugs?”
Me - Q4: “Does AI sabotage or amplify workplace happiness?”
Simon: AI magnifies what it finds. Toxic culture goes toxic faster; empathy scales at cloud‑speed.
Mo: Scary Smart warns AI mirrors its diet. Feed it compassion, not just click‑through rates.
My segue: “Good prompts need good promises—otherwise an infinite game becomes an infinite doom‑scroll.”
Me - Q5: “A personal happy‑at‑work moment?”
Simon: A shy junior sharing their why and the whole room nodding. Like hearing ‘I love you’ for the first time and knowing it’s real.
Mo: At Google [X] a team sent me a dashboard where the happiness line popped above zero—ASCII smiley! I literally danced down the hallway.
My segue: “The lighthouse isn’t one bulb; it’s a mosaic of people shining together.”
Conclusion
A UNIMIND – Strategic & Creative Sandbox exercise turned into a vivid fireside chat. Simon reminded us that shared purpose is glue; Mo showed that happiness is humanity’s stock firmware—just delete the malware. Together they drew the compass every company should pin above the coffee machine: leaders craft meaning, engineers debug misery, and the organisation gains an infinite runway.
If this made you smile, the lighthouse did its job. And Simon, Mo — if you ever read this, the Lighthouse mic is yours anytime.
Until then, keep in mind: workplace happiness isn’t a cost centre; it’s the most durable capital for the long game.
What’s your latest #HappyAtWork moment? Drop it in the comments!
