Squiggly Careers

The Squiggly Career

Squiggly Careers is a weekly podcast that will help you take control of your career development. Hosted by the founders of Amazing If (https://www.amazingif.com/), Sarah Ellis and Helen Tupper, together they cover all things work: from how to manage stress and overcome your confidence gremlins to micro-aggressions and discovering your strengths. Each episode is full of ideas, actions, hints, and tips that you can put into practice straight away.

Every so often they take a break from talking to each other to interview other people who are leading the way in making work better. Past guests include entrepreneur and philanthropist Dame Stephanie Shirley, author of The Joy of Work Bruce Daisley, and neuroscience expert Amy Brann.

The Squiggly Careers podcast has been recommended by Harvard Business Review, Stylist, Marie Claire and Management Today.

For more ideas, tools and inspiration every week, you can also sign up to their newsletter Squiggly Careers in Action.

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600 episodes
Updated Thursday

Episodes600

Newest first

Thursday · 9 min
#580 Small actions to increase your assertiveness
Do you struggle to speak up in meetings or find yourself watering down your ideas? Assertiveness isn't about being the loudest person in the room; it is built through small, daily actions. In this episode, Helen shares simple actions to increase your assertiveness. 🎯 What You'll Learn – How to quash qualifiers like "maybe" and "just" – The power of being the person who creates clarity – How to offer alternative perspectives to stop groupthink – Making a habit of offering a question and a suggestion – How to identify and fix your default assertiveness mistakes For questions about Squiggly Careers or to share feedback, please email: helenandsarah@squigglycareers.com Need some more squiggly career support? 1. Download our free career tools: https://www.amazingif.com/toolkit/ 2. Sign up for our Skills Sprints: https://www.amazingif.com/squigglysprints/ 3. Sign up for our Squiggly Careers Newsletter, a weekly summary of the latest squiggly career tools: https://bit.ly/squigglynewsletter_pod 4. Order our new book Learn Like a Lobster: https://www.amazingif.com/books/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Tuesday · 31 min
#579 How to build an M-shaped career
Do you feel like you were never meant to master just one thing? It is time to move beyond the traditional career path and embrace the potential of an M-shaped career. In this episode, Helen and Sarah explore what it means to develop mastery across multiple areas. 🎯 What You'll Learn – Define the M-shaped career model and why it is a competitive advantage – Identify your existing areas of deep expertise – Learn how to connect the dots between seemingly unrelated skills – Use reflective questions to map your own M-shaped development This episode is brought to you in partnership with the Post-it® Brand. If today’s episode sparked an idea, stick it down, find out where to buy Post-it® products at go.3M.com/squiggly For questions about Squiggly Careers or to share feedback, please email: helenandsarah@squigglycareers.com Need some more squiggly career support? 1. Download our free career tools: https://www.amazingif.com/toolkit/ 2. Sign up for our Skills Sprints: https://www.amazingif.com/squigglysprints/ 3. Sign up for our Squiggly Careers Newsletter, a weekly summary of the latest squiggly career tools: https://bit.ly/squigglynewsletter_pod 4. Order our new book Learn Like a Lobster: https://www.amazingif.com/books/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
July 23 · 8 min
#578 How to overcome your distraction downfall
Do you find yourself constantly checking your phone or email instead of focusing on your most important work? In this squiggly shortcut, Helen shares practical ways to beat distraction and reclaim your attention. Drawing on Nir Eyal's research on becoming indistractable, they explore what it really means to develop this skill, and what your default response to it reveals about you. 🎯 What You'll Learn – Identify your personal distraction downfall – Understand why you are attracted to distractions – Learn why avoidance triggers procrastination – Audit your environment for high-attention work – Master the "not yet" rule to build focus – Find the best timing for your deep work For questions about Squiggly Careers or to share feedback, please email: helenandsarah@squigglycareers.com Need some more squiggly career support? 1. Download our free career tools: https://www.amazingif.com/toolkit/ 2. Sign up for our Skills Sprints: https://www.amazingif.com/squigglysprints/ 3. Sign up for our Squiggly Careers Newsletter, a weekly summary of the latest squiggly career tools: https://bit.ly/squigglynewsletter_pod 4. Order our new book Learn Like a Lobster: https://www.amazingif.com/books/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
July 21 · 28 min
#577 How to solve tame, critical and wicked work problems
Not all problems are created equal, and trying to solve them all the same way is likely to result in frustration. In this episode, Helen and Sarah explore how to identify whether you are facing a tame, critical, or wicked problem and the specific approach needed to make progress on each. Drawing on the work of Keith Grint, they explore what it means to develop this skill, and what your default response to it reveals about you. 🎯 What You'll Learn – Identify the three distinct types of problems you encounter at work – Apply the right process to clear up recurring tame problems – Manage high-stakes critical problems without losing control – Reframe wicked problems to move from stuck to progress – Use 'What if' and 'What would' questions to unlock new perspectives – Prioritize actions to stop overthinking complex challenges For questions about Squiggly Careers or to share feedback, please email: helenandsarah@squigglycareers.com Need some more squiggly career support? 1. Download our free career tools: https://www.amazingif.com/toolkit/ 2. Sign up for our Skills Sprints: https://www.amazingif.com/squigglysprints/ 3. Sign up for our Squiggly Careers Newsletter, a weekly summary of the latest squiggly career tools: https://bit.ly/squigglynewsletter_pod 4. Order our new book Learn Like a Lobster: https://www.amazingif.com/books/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
July 16 · 5 min
#576 Set yourself up to fail, so you're more likely to succeed
Want to achieve your biggest career goals this year? The answer might lie in planning exactly how you could fail first. Drawing on research from New York University on mental contrasting, Helens explore how balancing your biggest career opportunities with your realistic obstacles can significantly increase your chance of success. 🎯 What You'll Learn – What is mental contrasting and why does it build resilience? – How to identify what you want to be true in 12 months – Why optimism blindness might be holding your career back – How to honestly audit the obstacles in your way – What practical actions can reduce your risk of failure – How to take one simple step this week to move forward For questions about Squiggly Careers or to share feedback, please email: helenandsarah@squigglycareers.com Need some more squiggly career support? 1. Download our free career tools: https://www.amazingif.com/toolkit/ 2. Sign up for our Skills Sprints: https://www.amazingif.com/squigglysprints/ 3. Sign up for our Squiggly Careers Newsletter, a weekly summary of the latest squiggly career tools: https://bit.ly/squigglynewsletter_pod 4. Order our new book Learn Like a Lobster: https://www.amazingif.com/books/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
July 14 · 34 min
#575 Oracy: How to improve your speaking and listening skills
Do you often feel like you are just waiting for your turn to speak, rather than truly listening and learning? In this episode, we explore the power of oracy and how it can change the way you think and work. Drawing on the work of Voice 21, Barbara Oakley, and research from More in Common, they explore what it means to develop this skill. 🎯 What You'll Learn – Define oracy as the essential skill of speaking and listening well to build better conclusions. – Discover why talking out loud helps you spot gaps in your reasoning and critical thinking. – Identify the difference between a standard 121 and an oracy-first approach to problem-solving. – Learn how to facilitate meetings that ensure equal contribution and stop interruptions. – Practice using oracy in team settings to move away from directive leadership. – Apply oracy techniques to your squiggly career story to articulate your value more effectively. For questions about Squiggly Careers or to share feedback, please email: helenandsarah@squigglycareers.com Need some more squiggly career support? 1. Download our free career tools: https://www.amazingif.com/toolkit/ 2. Sign up for our Skills Sprints: https://www.amazingif.com/squigglysprints/ 3. Sign up for our Squiggly Careers Newsletter, a weekly summary of the latest squiggly career tools: https://bit.ly/squigglynewsletter_pod 4. Order our new book Learn Like a Lobster: https://www.amazingif.com/books/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
July 9 · 5 min
#574 How to Adapt Your Skills for Career Growth
Is your current way of working holding you back from your next career milestone? Sometimes, the very habits that helped you succeed in the past can become obstacles to your future progress. Drawing on Marshall Goldsmith’s concept of 'What Got You Here Won't Get You There', Helen explores what it means to develop this skill, and what your default response to it reveals about you. 🎯 What You'll Learn – Shift from giving all the answers to asking powerful questions – Implement the 'Now vs. Not For Now' list to prioritize effectively – Replace automatic 'niceness' with a strategic 'if-then' negotiation approach – Discover how to move from a 'getting things done' mentality to doing the right things – Learn how to manage your energy by saying no to unsustainable workloads – Develop the confidence to negotiate your time and resources for better impact For questions about Squiggly Careers or to share feedback, please email: helenandsarah@squigglycareers.com Need some more squiggly career support? 1. Download our free career tools: https://www.amazingif.com/toolkit/ 2. Sign up for our Skills Sprints: https://www.amazingif.com/squigglysprints/ 3. Sign up for our Squiggly Careers Newsletter, a weekly summary of the latest squiggly career tools: https://bit.ly/squigglynewsletter_pod 4. Order our new book Learn Like a Lobster: https://www.amazingif.com/books/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
July 7 · 48 min
#573 How to build a super team
Ever wondered what sets high-performing 'super teams' apart from those that are stalling? It's not just about talent, but a shared belief in your collective ability to learn, adapt, and succeed together. In this episode, Helen and Sarah borrow brilliance from a feeling and dive deep into one of the most relevant topics in work and careers right now. Drawing on the latest research into high-performing team dynamics and Helen and Sarah's own team-building frameworks, they explore how every team member can influence performance, and what your default response to collaboration reveals about you. 🎯 What You'll Learn – Understand the critical difference between a super team and a stalling team – Learn why collective belief is one of the strongest predictors of real-world performance – Design simple, low-risk experiments to build on what your team already does well – Make curiosity contagious by identifying and filling your collective knowledge gaps – Bring the outside in to swap ideas and accelerate your team's adaptation in an AI-driven world – Ask uncomfortable questions to uncover and remove the barriers getting in the way of progress For questions about Squiggly Careers or to share feedback, please email: helenandsarah@squigglycareers.com Need some more squiggly career support? 1. Download our free career tools: https://www.amazingif.com/toolkit/ 2. Sign up for our Skills Sprints: https://www.amazingif.com/squigglysprints/ 3. Sign up for our Squiggly Careers Newsletter, a weekly summary of the latest squiggly career tools: https://bit.ly/squigglynewsletter_pod 4. Order our new book Learn Like a Lobster: https://www.amazingif.com/books/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
July 2 · 4 min
#572 The Listening Habit That Changes Every Conversation
Are you a conversational narcissist? In this Squiggly Shortcut, Sarah introduces a deceptively simple idea from Celeste Headlee that will change how you listen, and make you notice everyone else's conversations differently too. 🎯 What You'll Learn – What a shift response is, why we all do it, and why it matters more than you might think – What a support response sounds like in practice, and how it changes the dynamic of a conversation – Why assuming your experience is the same as someone else's can get in the way of really listening – How to notice your own patterns over the next week, and what to do with that awareness 📚 Resources Mentioned Episode 207: Celeste Headlee on the Squiggly Careers podcast: xx For questions about Squiggly Careers or to share feedback, please email: helenandsarah@squigglycareers.com Need some more squiggly career support? 1. Download our free career tools: https://www.amazingif.com/toolkit/ 2. Sign up for our Skills Sprints: https://www.amazingif.com/squigglysprints/ 3. Sign up for our Squiggly Careers Newsletter, a weekly summary of the latest squiggly career tools: https://bit.ly/squigglynewsletter_pod 4. Order our new book Learn Like a Lobster: https://www.amazingif.com/books/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
June 30 · 40 min
#571 How to Get Better at Holding Uncertainty at Work
Uncertainty isn't going anywhere. So what if the goal wasn't to get rid of it, but to get better at holding it? In this episode, Helen and Sarah borrow brilliance from a feeling and dive deep into one of the most relevant topics in work and careers right now. Drawing on Margaret Heffernan's Embracing Uncertainty, Sam Conniff and Katherine Templar-Lewis's Uncertainty Toolkit, and a brilliant HBR article, they explore what it really means to develop the capacity to hold uncertainty, and what your default response to it reveals about you. 🎯 What You'll Learn – Why the goal isn't uncertainty to certainty, but uncertainty to the capacity to hold – How to find your own uncertainty tolerance score (with an AI prompt on the podsheet to help) – Why leaders feel more pressure than most to appear decisive, and what the research says about that – How to use a simple matrix to plot your uncertainty by impact and duration, and respond differently depending on which quadrant you're in – Why patience might be the most underrated skill in uncertain times, and how Helen and Sarah both score themselves on it – What it means to reframe uncertainty as opportunity rather than threat For questions about Squiggly Careers or to share feedback, please email: helenandsarah@squigglycareers.com Need some more squiggly career support? 1. Download our free career tools: https://www.amazingif.com/toolkit/ 2. Sign up for our Skills Sprints: https://www.amazingif.com/squigglysprints/ 3. Sign up for our Squiggly Careers Newsletter, a weekly summary of the latest squiggly career tools: https://bit.ly/squigglynewsletter_pod 4. Order our new book Learn Like a Lobster: https://www.amazingif.com/books/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
June 25 · 8 min
#570 The Four People Every Squiggly Career Network Needs
Your career doesn't need a bigger network, it needs a better one. In this Squiggly Shortcut, Helen shares the four roles that matter most for your career community, and why focusing on just these four makes building your career relationships feel a lot more doable. 🎯 What You'll Learn – What a mentor actually is (and why they don't need to be senior or long-term to be valuable) – Why a peer — someone going through what you're going through right now — can be one of the biggest accelerators for your career – How to spot a sponsor and what you need to do before they'll advocate for you – Why a coach doesn't have to be a qualified one, and what to look for instead – What to do if you're lucky enough to have one person who plays all four roles 📚 Resources Mentioned Episode 215 - How to find a career sponsor with Sylvia Ann Hewlett: https://www.amazingif.com/listen/how-to-find-a-career-sponsor/ For questions about Squiggly Careers or to share feedback, please email: helenandsarah@squigglycareers.com Need some more squiggly career support? Need some more squiggly career support? 1. Download our free career tools: https://www.amazingif.com/toolkit/ 2. Sign up for our Skills Sprints: https://www.amazingif.com/squigglysprints/ 3. Sign up for our Squiggly Careers Newsletter, a weekly summary of the latest squiggly career tools: https://bit.ly/squigglynewsletter_pod 4. Order our new book Learn Like a Lobster: https://www.amazingif.com/books/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
June 23 · 50 min
#569 Why zero distance will make you better at your job
How close are you to yourself, your team and the people you serve? In this episode, Helen and Sarah borrow brilliance from the concept of zero distance, a philosophy championed by brands like e.l.f. Beauty, and turn it into one of the most honest and practical self-reflection exercises they've done on the podcast. Using Post-it® Notes and a simple scale, they plot themselves live on six different dimensions of distance, from how well they know their own strengths and feelings, to how much feedback they really get from their team, to how close they are to the people they're there to help. This episode is brought to you in partnership with the Post-it® Brand. If today's episode sparked an idea, stick it down - find out where to buy Post-it® products at go.3M.com/squiggly 🎯 What You'll Learn – What zero distance means and why brands like e.l.f. Beauty have made it their entire philosophy – How to use the zero distance framework across three areas: distance from yourself, your team and your customers – Why knowing your strengths isn't enough if you're not spending time on them – What Helen's "I'm fine, it's fine" taxi moment reveals about emotional distance at work – How to make feedback unmissable rather than occasional, and why rhythm matters more than quantity – What zero distance from your customers or learners actually looks like in practice (including a story about a credit card in a glass of orange juice) For questions about Squiggly Careers or to share feedback, please email: helenandsarah@squigglycareers.com Need some more squiggly career support? 1. Download our free career tools: https://www.amazingif.com/toolkit/ 2. Sign up for our Skills Sprints: https://www.amazingif.com/squigglysprints/ 3. Sign up for our Squiggly Careers Newsletter, a weekly summary of the latest squiggly career tools: https://bit.ly/squigglynewsletter_pod 4. Order our new book Learn Like a Lobster: https://www.amazingif.com/books/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
June 18 · 4 min
#568 Why Slowing Down Makes You a Better Learner
In a world that keeps telling you to learn faster, what if slowing down was actually the smarter move? In this Squiggly Shortcut, Sarah makes the case for slow learning, and shares three questions and three actions to help you get started. 🎯 What You'll Learn – Why slow learning and fast learning aren't competing, they're complementary – Three questions from the beautiful Slow Learning website to help you zoom out and reflect on how you learn – Why asking one "why" question every day is one of the simplest ways to slow down your thinking – How to take a more intentional (and less overwhelming) approach to learning AI – A slow reading idea for Learn Like a Lobster that makes one chapter feel very doable over seven weeks 📚 Resources Mentioned SlowLearning.com Episode 524 - Spaciousness: https://www.amazingif.com/listen/spaciousness-how-to-manage-your-attention-not-your-time/ For questions about Squiggly Careers or to share feedback, please email: helenandsarah@squigglycareers.com Need some more squiggly career support? 1. Download our free career tools: https://www.amazingif.com/toolkit/ 2. Sign up for our Skills Sprints: https://www.amazingif.com/squigglysprints/ 3. Sign up for our Squiggly Careers Newsletter, a weekly summary of the latest squiggly career tools: https://bit.ly/squigglynewsletter_pod 4. Order our new book Learn Like a Lobster: https://www.amazingif.com/books/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
June 16 · 40 min
#567 How to use Tiny experiments to make progress at work | Tiny Experiments
What if the key to navigating uncertainty wasn't a better plan - but a better experiment? In this episode, Sarah borrows brilliance from Anne-Laure Le Cunff, author of Tiny Experiments. Together they explore what it means to have an experimental mindset, how to design a tiny experiment using the PACT framework, and why the only experiments that fail are the ones you don't learn from. If you've ever felt stuck waiting for the perfect plan, this episode will give you possibilities you'll be energised by. 🎯 What You'll Learn – Why a linear mindset is like climbing a ladder, and why an experimental mindset is a loop that keeps moving you forward – What makes a tiny experiment "tiny", and why keeping the duration short is the whole point – How to use the PACT framework (Purposeful, Actionable, Continuous, Trackable) to design experiments that actually teach you something – Why you should only track outputs while running an experiment — and save the outcome reflection for the Plus Minus Next tool afterwards – How to apply tiny experiments to career change, team culture, and the moments when you feel most stuck 📚 Resources Mentioned Tiny Experiments — Anne-Laure Le Cunff Ness Labs Newsletter For questions about Squiggly Careers or to share feedback, please email: helenandsarah@squigglycareers.com Need some more squiggly career support? 1. Download our free career tools: https://www.amazingif.com/toolkit/ 2. Sign up for our Skills Sprints: https://www.amazingif.com/squigglysprints/ 3. Sign up for our Squiggly Careers Newsletter, a weekly summary of the latest squiggly career tools: https://bit.ly/squigglynewsletter_pod 4. Order our new book Learn Like a Lobster: https://www.amazingif.com/books/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
June 11 · 5 min
#566 The Only Script You Need for Curious Career Conversations
Most people wait until they're ready to make a career move before having career conversations. In this Squiggly Shortcut, Helen shares the only script you need to make curious career conversations feel less daunting and a lot more useful. 🎯 What You'll Learn – What a curious career conversation actually is, and why having them regularly (not just when you're ready to move) makes a real difference – How to make the ask in a way that's low pressure and easy to say yes to – Three questions to structure the conversation: one to get people talking, one about strengths, and one about future-proofing your skills – What to listen out for in each answer, and how to use it to work out whether an opportunity is actually a good fit for you For questions about Squiggly Careers or to share feedback, please email: helenandsarah@squigglycareers.com Need some more squiggly career support? 1. Download our free career tools: https://www.amazingif.com/toolkit/ 2. Sign up for our Skills Sprints: https://www.amazingif.com/squigglysprints/ 3. Sign up for our Squiggly Careers Newsletter, a weekly summary of the latest squiggly career tools: https://bit.ly/squigglynewsletter_pod 4. Order our new book Learn Like a Lobster: https://www.amazingif.com/books/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
June 9 · 48 min
#565 Networks, Progression and Guilt: Six Career Opinions From Emma Grede | Start With Yourself
Emma Grede has some strong opinions about careers, and not everyone will agree with all of them. In this episode, Helen and Sarah borrow brilliance from Start With Yourself, Emma's new book, picking out six of her most provocative statements and asking the question: do we agree? Emma Grede, co-founder of Skims and Good American, is refreshingly unfiltered about what it takes to build a career on your own terms. Helen has curated the statements most relevant to squiggly careers, and Sarah hasn't seen them in advance. What follows is honest, at times uncomfortable, and occasionally results in a rewrite. This episode is brought to you in partnership with the Post-it® Brand. If today's episode sparked an idea, stick it down, find out where to buy Post-it® products at go.3M.com/squiggly 🎯 What You'll Learn – Why guilt might actually be a useful signal (and when it isn't) – What "you can do all things, just not all at the same time" really means for how you prioritise at work – Whether an extraordinary career always requires extraordinary effort, and why the word "extraordinary" is more personal than you think – Why pushing off difficult conversations is costing you more than you realise – The difference between networking and actually building a network – Why you can't build anything of value by yourself (and where Helen respectfully disagrees) 📚 Resources Mentioned Start With Yourself: Emma Grede For questions about Squiggly Careers or to share feedback, please email: helenandsarah@squigglycareers.com Need some more squiggly career support? 1. Download our free career tools: https://www.amazingif.com/toolkit/ 2. Sign up for our Skills Sprints: https://www.amazingif.com/squigglysprints/ 3. Sign up for our Squiggly Careers Newsletter, a weekly summary of the latest squiggly career tools: https://bit.ly/squigglynewsletter_pod 4. Order our new book Learn Like a Lobster: https://www.amazingif.com/books/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
June 5 · 12 min
Communication and how to use it to create opportunity in your career (Day 5) | Open to Work
In a world full of words, the people who communicate with clarity, humanity and story will stand out. In the fifth and final episode of this special series, Helen and Aneesh Rahman close out Open to Work with the last of the five Cs, communication, and why it might be the skill that ties everything together. From Martin Luther King to Pixar to the pressure of a TED Talk, this is a conversation about why great communication has never been more human, and what you can do to make yours more so. 🎯 What You'll Learn – Why AI making generic communication universally available raises (not lowers) the value of human storytelling – Why the most important story you'll ever tell is the story of yourself – How clarity fits into communication, and why speaking simply doesn't mean thinking simply – Two practical things you can do right now to make your next presentation more human: add a story or make an analogy – Why the future of communication comes down to four words: speak human, be human 📚 Resources Mentioned Open to Work: Aneesh Rahman and Ryan Roslansky For questions about Squiggly Careers or to share feedback, please email: helenandsarah@squigglycareers.com Need some more squiggly career support? 1. Download our free career tools: https://www.amazingif.com/toolkit/ 2. Sign up for our Skills Sprints: https://www.amazingif.com/squigglysprints/ 3. Sign up for our Squiggly Careers Newsletter, a weekly summary of the latest squiggly career tools: https://bit.ly/squigglynewsletter_pod 4. Order our new book Learn Like a Lobster: https://www.amazingif.com/books/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
June 4 · 10 min
Compassion and why being more human is becoming a career advantage (Day 4) | Open to Work
What if compassion isn't just a nice-to-have, but one of the most important skills for the future of work? In day four of this special five-part series, Helen and Aneesh Rahman explore the fourth C, compassion, and why the new world of work demands something the industrial age actively discouraged. From quietening your inner critic to really listening to a colleague, this is a conversation about what it means to be more human at work, starting with yourself. 🎯 What You'll Learn – Why compassion wasn't valued in the industrial age (and why that's changing fast) – Why compassion for yourself has to come first, and what that looks like in practice – How to show genuine (not performative) compassion for the people you work with – Why phone calls and walk-and-talks might be better than video calls for building real connection – One simple exercise to anchor yourself in your own strengths, without listing a single job title or degree 📚 Resources Mentioned Open to Work: Aneesh Rahman and Ryan Roslansky For questions about Squiggly Careers or to share feedback, please email: helenandsarah@squigglycareers.com Need some more squiggly career support? 1. Download our free career tools: https://www.amazingif.com/toolkit/ 2. Sign up for our Skills Sprints: https://www.amazingif.com/squigglysprints/ 3. Sign up for our Squiggly Careers Newsletter, a weekly summary of the latest squiggly career tools: https://bit.ly/squigglynewsletter_pod 4. Order our new book Learn Like a Lobster: https://www.amazingif.com/books/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
June 3 · 11 min
Creativity and the human skill AI can't replicate (Day 3) | Open to Work
Creativity isn't a talent some people have and others don't, it's a skill. In day three of this special five-part series, Helen and Aneesh Rahman explore the third C, creativity, and why it's becoming one of the highest-value human skills in an age when AI can generate generic content at scale. From Pixar's science of storytelling to the neuroscience of flow, this is a conversation that will change how you think about your own creativity, and how to bring more of it to your team. 🎯 What You'll Learn – Why AI making generic creative content widely available actually raises the premium on human creativity – What the neuroscience of flow tells us about when we're at our creative best (and what gets in the way) – Why creativity is a team sport, and what that means for how you design your working week – A simple question to ask in your team: when are you at your creative best and what contributes to it? – One practical thing anyone can do right now to build their creative muscle, even if they don't feel creative at all 📚 Resources Mentioned Open to Work: Aneesh Rahman and Ryan Roslansky Creativity Inc.: Ed Catmull Peak: Anders Ericsson For questions about Squiggly Careers or to share feedback, please email: helenandsarah@squigglycareers.com Need some more squiggly career support? 1. Download our free career tools: https://www.amazingif.com/toolkit/ 2. Sign up for our Skills Sprints: https://www.amazingif.com/squigglysprints/ 3. Sign up for our Squiggly Careers Newsletter, a weekly summary of the latest squiggly career tools: https://bit.ly/squigglynewsletter_pod 4. Order our new book Learn Like a Lobster: https://www.amazingif.com/books/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
June 2 · 12 min
Courage and why playing it safe in your career is becoming riskier (Day 2) | Open to Work
Even if you're not changing jobs, your job is changing. In day two of this special five-part series, Helen and Aneesh Rahman explore the second C, courage, and why it's becoming one of the most important skills you can bring to work right now. From Polynesian wayfarers to Apollo 13 to leaving a high-profile CNN career to become an unpaid intern on a presidential campaign, courage has always been at the heart of how humans do anything worth doing. The good news? You don't have to start with a giant leap. 🎯 What You'll Learn – Why courage is necessary for curiosity (and why being told to be compliant at work has made courage harder than it should be) – Why if you aren't failing, you aren't doing enough in this new world of work – How micro courage compounds over time (and why small, uncomfortable actions build to bigger leaps) – What companies and leaders need to do to create environments where courage is actually possible – One thing you could do tomorrow that feels uncomfortable today 📚 Resources Mentioned Open to Work - Aneesh Rahman and Ryan Roslansky Email Helen and Sarah to share your moment of courage and get an accountability partner: helenandsarah@squigglycareers.com For questions about Squiggly Careers or to share feedback, please email: helenandsarah@squigglycareers.com Need some more squiggly career support? 1. Download our free career tools: https://www.amazingif.com/toolkit/ 2. Sign up for our Skills Sprints: https://www.amazingif.com/squigglysprints/ 3. Sign up for our Squiggly Careers Newsletter, a weekly summary of the latest squiggly career tools: https://bit.ly/squigglynewsletter_pod 4. Order our new book Learn Like a Lobster: https://www.amazingif.com/books/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices