How Remote Work Changes Everything—If You Let It

‘Serendipity engineer’ Darcy Mayfield discusses the four stages of designing a remote life and how ‘learned helplessness’ may be holding you back.

Author

Eric Fish
January 07, 2026

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How Remote Work Changes Everything—If you Let It

‘Serendipity engineer’ Darcy Mayfield discusses the four stages of designing a remote life and how ‘learned helplessness’ may be holding you back.

Remote work has given millions of people more freedom than ever before — but for many, that freedom comes with guilt, anxiety and the pressure to recreate an office mindset at home. In this episode, host Eric Fish talks with Darcy Marie Mayfield, a hospitality-rooted culture strategist, consultant and “serendipity engineer” who’s spent more than a decade helping people, organizations and cities build remote work cultures that thrive.

Darcy explains why so many remote workers fall into “learned helplessness,” the psychological pull to cling to old habits even when the constraints are gone. She breaks down the four stages of remote life design, from recreating the office at home to fully integrating a lifestyle centered on energy, alignment and intentionality. Then she zooms out to the company and community levels — including her work with Experience Tulsa and the programs reshaping what cities can be in the remote era.

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