Our weekly round up of the best articles, podcasts and videos focusing on purpose in life, work and the world:

• The secret to good conversation. A new cultural history embraces talk as an open-ended source of temporary delight – The Atlantic
• How taking a vacation improves your well-being. Answers to life’s big questions, like “What do I really want?” or “What’s most important to me?”, are more likely to come to us when there is some space and stillness – Harvard Business Review
• Women in the workplace. Persistent issues, from the gender pay gap to the ‘motherhood penalty’ and a continuing lack of female representation in senior leadership, mean there’s still plenty of room for improvement – Raconteur
• The rise and fall of neoliberalism. The free market used to be touted as the cure for all our problems; now it’s taken to be the cause of them – New Yorker
• Myths are clouding the reality of our sustainable energy future. There are challenges to overcome in building a net zero system but we must allay groundless fears – Financial Times
• Companies requiring full-time in-office are struggling to recruit new employees. Workers are demanding more flexibility with remote work and more attention on Amazon’s climate impact – Time Magazine
• Solace and saudade. In the face of an inscrutable, indifferent universe, Pessoa suggests we cultivate a certain longing for the elusive horizon – Aeon
• In conversation with: Erik Mandersloot. McKinsey Partner and former Managing Partner of Aberkyn, Erik Mandersloot, discusses how to make change personal with The Beautiful Truth’s CEO Adam Penny – The Beautiful Truth