In Conversation with Daryl Fairweather: Unpacking the Rules of the Game

Life's biggest decisions, whether to ask for that promotion, negotiate your salary, buy or rent, or even when to quit, aren't just personal choices. They're economic games with rules that most of us were never taught.

Daryl Fairweather, Chief Economist at Redfin and author of the acclaimed Hate the Game: Economic Cheat Codes for Life, Love, and Work, joins us to reveal how understanding these hidden rules can transform your approach to career and financial success.

As the first Black woman to earn an economics PhD from the University of Chicago, Daryl brings both elite academic insight and hard-won personal experience to the conversation. Her expertise in behavioural economics and housing markets has made her a sought-after voice, featured on 60 Minutes, Today, and in The New York Times, Washington Post, Bloomberg, and Forbes.

Hate the Game tackles the economic anxieties that keep us up at night: Should I buy or rent? Do I ask for a promotion? What salary do I deserve? Should I just quit this job? Rather than accepting these decisions as fixed or terminal, Fairweather shows us how to use game theory and behavioural science to map out options and choose directions while offering readers a sense of control and agency in an economy where those things are increasingly rare.

Key insights you'll discover:

Most challenges in life can be viewed as games where strategy and decision-making determine outcomes. Players can make strategic choices that improve their chances of success, and crucially, players can opt out when their chances are better elsewhere. Most games are designed by and for the winners, but learning the rules is the key to success.

The book doesn't just theorise, it provides practical frameworks for:

• Career Navigation: From entry-level worker to accomplished professional
• Salary Negotiation: Understanding your actual market value and leveraging it
• Financial Decisions: Whether to buy, rent, or invest in your future
• Life Planning: Making strategic choices about education, relationships, and location

In an increasingly win-lose society, economic decisions often feel fixed, and mistakes seem terminal. Fairweather's approach offers something revolutionary: practical strategies for the hardest competitive negotiations in our lives—those where we face bias and uncertainty. She shows how applying fundamental insights from economic theory can turn competition into cooperation.

This isn't about playing dirty or getting ahead at others' expense. Fairweather's message is clear: if you find yourself the winner of an unfair game, you have a responsibility to pay your success forward in levelling the playing field for others.

Join us for a candid discussion about:

The Hidden Rules: Economic principles that govern career success but are rarely taught

Strategic Decision-Making: How to evaluate opportunities, negotiate effectively, and know when to walk away

Navigating Unfairness: Practical tools for thriving in systems that weren't designed for your success

Building Agency: Moving from frustration and helplessness to strategic thinking and confidence

At WorkVue, we believe thriving at work begins with understanding yourself and the systems around you. Daryl's expertise in making "economics feel not only essential, but personal" perfectly aligns with our mission to empower people in their careers.

Don't miss this opportunity to learn from an economist who combines elite knowledge with real-world wisdom—and who isn't afraid to challenge the rules of the game.