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Optimizing for Meaning: What Industrial Engineering Teaches Us About Balance and Burnout

In this thoughtful and refreshingly honest conversation, Aly Kamel, an industrial and management engineering student at the Arab Academy for Science and Technology, explores how core industrial engineering principles like input-process-output, value-added analysis, and constraint management can be applied to something far more personal: balance, burnout, and sustainable ambition.

Aly challenges the idea that success means maximizing output at all costs. Instead, he reframes burnout not as a personal failure, but as a predictable system outcome, and one that can be redesigned.

Industrial engineering isn’t just about factories and supply chains. It’s a mindset for designing systems that last.

And the most important system you’ll ever design… might be yourself.

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Optimizing for Meaning: What Industrial Engineering Teaches Us About Balance and Burnout

We talk a lot on Problem Solved about optimizing systems, improving processes, and designing better organizations.

But what happens when the system you’re trying to design… is your own life?

In this thoughtful and refreshingly honest conversation, Aly Kamel, an industrial and management engineering student at the Arab Academy for Science and Technology, explores how core industrial engineering principles like input-process-output, value-added analysis, and constraint management can be applied to something far more personal: balance, burnout, and sustainable ambition.

Aly challenges the idea that success means maximizing output at all costs. Instead, he reframes burnout not as a personal failure, but as a predictable system outcome, and one that can be redesigned.

Together, we discuss:

• Why high achievers are especially prone to burnout
• How “value-added” thinking applies to your daily life
• The difference between intensity and sustainability
• Why constraints should be treated as design inputs, not weaknesses
• And how to optimize for meaning — not just productivity

Industrial engineering isn’t just about factories and supply chains. It’s a mindset for designing systems that last.

And the most important system you’ll ever design… might be yourself.

Learn more about The Institute of Industrial and Systems Engineers (IISE)
Problem Solved on LinkedIn
Problem Solved on YouTube
Problem Solved on Instagram
Problem Solved on TikTok

Problem Solved Executive Producer: Elizabeth Grimes
Interested in contributing to the podcast or sponsoring an episode? Email egrimes@iise.org

This week’s episode is a special bonus preview of what’s coming next on Problem Solved.

We’re heading to the Healthcare Systems Process Improvement Conference with Problem Solved LIVE, where we'll have an onsite booth. We'll be capturing real-time insights from attendees, speakers, and leaders across healthcare systems engineering.

Hear what’s coming up at HSPI, how you can get involved, and details about our live interviews and social media giveaway.

If you’re attending HSPI, stop by the Problem Solved LIVE booth and be part of the conversation. If you’re not, follow along as we bring the conference experience directly to you. Follow Problem Solved on Instagram and YouTube now!

📍 Feb 11–13 | Atlanta, GA
🎙️ Problem Solved LIVE

Learn more about The Institute of Industrial and Systems Engineers (IISE)
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HSPI Keynote Spotlight: Inside conversations with Dr. Patterson and Lennox Wildman"
In this special HSPI Keynote Spotlight episode of Problem Solved, listeners are invited inside conversations with Dr. Emily Patterson and Lennox Wildman, two leaders shaping the future of healthcare systems improvement. The episode explores how technology, workflows, and people come together to drive safer, more effective care. Through practical insights and real-world examples, these thoughtful conversations highlight how industrial and systems engineering principles are being applied to strengthen healthcare delivery and support the professionals who make it possible. Don't miss the full keynotes talks from these professionals at the HSPI Conference sponsored by Society for Health Systems!

Learn more about The Institute of Industrial and Systems Engineers (IISE)
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Problem Solved Executive Producer: Elizabeth Grimes
Interested in contributing to the podcast or sponsoring an episode? Email egrimes@iise.org

Elections are one of the most complex systems we rely on. They're decentralized, human-driven, time-critical, and under constant scrutiny. And while hundreds of decisions are made under the surface, most of us only see the final result.

In this episode of Problem Solved, IISE’s Keith Albertson sits down with Dr. Natalie Scala of Towson University to explore the systems behind the ballot and how industrial and systems engineers are strengthening elections.

From polling places to poll worker support, supply chains and trust in outcomes, Dr. Scala explains how classic ISE tools are being applied to one of the most consequential systems in society all while remaining nonpartisan.

This conversation goes beyond politics and into process, people, and design.

https://www.drnataliescala.com/

Natalie M. Scala, Ph.D., is a professor and professor and cyber fellow in the College of Business and Economics at Towson University and co-director of the Empowering Secure Elections research lab. She is a faculty affiliate at the University of Maryland Applied Research Lab for Intelligence and Security, and has shared her expertise, research and work regarding elections security in conference presentations, articles for ISE Magazine and a Season 1 episode of Problem Solved in 2020.

Learn more about The Institute of Industrial and Systems Engineers (IISE)
Problem Solved on LinkedIn
Problem Solved on YouTube
Problem Solved on Instagram
Problem Solved on TikTok

Problem Solved Executive Producer: Elizabeth Grimes
Interested in contributing to the podcast or sponsoring an episode? Email egrimes@iise.org

Elections are one of the most complex systems we rely on. They're decentralized, human-driven, time-critical, and under constant scrutiny. And while hundreds of decisions are made under the surface, most of us only see the final result.

In this upcoming episode of Problem Solved, IISE’s Keith Albertson sits down with Dr. Natalie Scala of Towson University to explore the systems behind the ballot and how industrial and systems engineers are strengthening elections.

From polling places to poll worker support, supply chains and trust in outcomes, Dr. Scala explains how classic ISE tools are being applied to one of the most consequential systems in society all while remaining nonpartisan.

This conversation goes beyond politics and into process, people, and design.

https://www.drnataliescala.com/

Natalie M. Scala, Ph.D., is a professor and professor and cyber fellow in the College of Business and Economics at Towson University and co-director of the Empowering Secure Elections research lab. She is a faculty affiliate at the University of Maryland Applied Research Lab for Intelligence and Security, and has shared her expertise, research and work regarding elections security in conference presentations, articles for ISE Magazine and a Season 1 episode of Problem Solved in 2020.

Learn more about The Institute of Industrial and Systems Engineers (IISE)
Problem Solved on LinkedIn
Problem Solved on YouTube
Problem Solved on Instagram
Problem Solved on TikTok

Problem Solved Executive Producer: Elizabeth Grimes
Interested in contributing to the podcast or sponsoring an episode? Email egrimes@iise.org

From Classroom to Career: Young Professional Lessons from the First Five Years

The first five years of your career can feel like a crash course in the real world. One moment you’re confident in your coursework, and the next you’re navigating ambiguity, imposter syndrome, and expectations no syllabus ever prepared you for.

In this episode of Problem Solved, we sit down with three IISE Young Professionals — Helen Siegrist, President of IISE Young Professionals, Jessica Aujla, and Gordon Quach — for an honest, roundtable conversation about what it actually looks like to transition from the classroom to the workforce.

Together, they reflect on:

• The transition and shock of the first year out of school
• Finding your footing and earning trust in years two and three
• Growing confidence, leadership, and career direction in years four and five
• Navigating imposter syndrome, mentorship, and professional identity
• How IISE and the Young Professionals community can support growth along the way

This episode isn’t about having all the answers — it’s about learning through experience, community, and reflection. Whether you’re a student, a recent graduate, or early in your professional journey, this conversation offers perspective, reassurance, and practical insight from those who’ve been there.

🎙️ Problem Solved — real conversations about industrial & systems engineering in practice.

Learn more about IISE Young Professionals here and on LinkedIn.

Learn more about The Institute of Industrial and Systems Engineers (IISE)
Problem Solved on LinkedIn
Problem Solved on YouTube
Problem Solved on Instagram
Problem Solved on TikTok

Problem Solved Executive Producer: Elizabeth Grimes
Interested in contributing to the podcast or sponsoring an episode? Email egrimes@iise.org

The first five years of your career can feel confusing, unstructured, and overwhelming — even for high-performing industrial and systems engineers.

In this trailer for an upcoming episode of Problem Solved, IISE Young Professionals Jess Aujla, Helen Siegrist, and Gordon Quach share candid reflections on what it really feels like to move from the classroom into the workforce — from losing the structure of school, to finding confidence, setting boundaries, and learning how to grow without burning out.

If you’re early in your career — or mentoring someone who is — this conversation will feel familiar.

🎙️ Full episode drops next week.
Subscribe now so you don’t miss it.

Learn more about IISE Young Professionals here and on LinkedIn.

Learn more about The Institute of Industrial and Systems Engineers (IISE)
Problem Solved on LinkedIn
Problem Solved on YouTube
Problem Solved on Instagram
Problem Solved on TikTok

Problem Solved Executive Producer: Elizabeth Grimes
Interested in contributing to the podcast or sponsoring an episode? Email egrimes@iise.org