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.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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600 episodes
Updated Thursday

Episodes600

Newest first

Apr 29, 2025 · 37 min
#477 Why Your Energy is More Important Than Your Time
Ever wondered how Helen and Sarah juggle running a business, hosting a podcast, and everything in between? Spoiler: it’s not about having more hours in the day—it’s about managing energy more effectively than time. In this episode, they share how shifting from a time-focused mindset to an energy-first approach can transform the way you work. From identifying your high-energy moments to understanding how relationships, perspective, and your environment affect your energy levels, this conversat
Apr 22, 2025 · 37 min
#476 Ask the Expert: Self-Awareness with Dr. Tasha Eurich
 In this episode, Helen sits down with organizational psychologist and best-selling author Dr. Tasha Eurich to talk about her new book, Shatterproof: How to Be Resilient When It Matters Most. They explore why self-awareness is a key ingredient of resilience and how we can build habits that help us thrive under pressure. The Shatterproof 5-minute Resilience Ceiling Quiz can help you to understand where your resilience resource is and what can you do about it: https://resil
Apr 15, 2025 · 34 min
#475 Ask the Expert: How to say no with Dr. Sunita Sah
In this episode, Dr. Sunita Sah, expert in defiance and decision-making, shares how to confidently say "no" in challenging situations. Sarah and Sunita dive into the psychology of defiance, discussing how to assess the risks, benefits, and personal costs of speaking up or complying. They explore the power of the "pause" and the importance of third-person self-talk to help make better, more authentic decisions. Whether it's in the workplace or beyond, Sunita provides actionable advice on how t
Apr 10, 2025 · 10 min
#474 Squiggly short: How to Increase Your Impact by Understanding Your Boss
In this Squiggly Short, Helen and Sarah break down why understanding your boss is key to increasing your impact at work. Learn how to read your manager’s motivations, preferences, and challenges, and use that insight to improve your communication and performance. Whether you're looking to align with their priorities, get better feedback, or develop a more productive relationship, this episode gives you the tools to take charge of your career by understanding your manager better. Ful
Apr 8, 2025 · 27 min
#473 Why Understanding Your Manager Matters For Career Growth
Figuring out what makes your manager tick can be one of the most powerful tools for career growth. In this episode, Helen and Sarah discuss the significant impact that managers have on your development, job satisfaction, and progression within a company. They also share practical tips on how to profile your manager, allowing you to align your actions with their needs, improve your communication, and position yourself for success—all by gaining a deeper understanding of their mindset. <
Apr 3, 2025 · 8 min
#472 Squiggly short: If You're Navigating A Toxic Workplace, Try This.
In this Squiggly Short, Helen and Sarah offer a quick summary of practical tips for staying confident and coping when you’re dealing with a toxic work environment. From minimizing stressors to finding energizers outside of work, they share simple actions you can take to protect your mental health and build resilience—even when things feel tough. Plus, they discuss how to take control of your situation and find support outside of your team to help you navigate the challenges. Full ep
Apr 1, 2025 · 32 min
#471 How To Cope And Stay Confident When Work Gets Toxic
1 in 10 people are facing a toxic work environment today, and while it can be tough, you don’t have to navigate it alone. In this episode, Helen and Sarah dive into what makes a team feel toxic and who can contribute to that culture. They also share practical tips for staying confident and in control, even when the environment around you feels challenging. From finding pockets of light-relief to documenting your experience to seeking support outside your team, this episode is filled with acti
Mar 27, 2025 · 8 min
#470 Squiggly Short: Why ‘Finding Your Purpose’ Might Be Holding You Back
In this short, Helen and Sarah share why searching for your purpose could actually be holding you back in your career development, and how focusing on purposeful work instead could be a more flexible and fulfilling approach. They also offer some useful tools and prompts to help you do understand what meaningful work looks like to you - without the pressure of having it all figured out. Full episode: <a href="https://shows.acast.com/amazingif/469-do-you-need-to-have-a-purpose-at-work
Mar 25, 2025 · 23 min
#469 Do You Need To Have A Purpose At Work?
Finding your purpose can sometimes feel like a ‘should’—something we’re all expected to have figured out. The pressure to find a perfect purpose can leave us feeling stuck or unsure, especially when career paths are more squiggly than straightforward. But does having a purpose really matter? And if so, how do you stay connected to it? In this episode, Helen and Sarah explore the difference between having a purpose and feeling purposeful at work. You’ll learn how to reflect on what t
Mar 20, 2025 · 8 min
#468 Squiggly Short: The Surprising Benefits of Staying Put for Career Growth
In this short, Helen and Sarah are talking about how staying in your role can be really good for your growth. Very often in careers we’re given this narrative that up is the only way, success is about seniority and that we should all be thinking about our next step. This can create a lot of pressure for your progression, particularly if you’re thinking “I like the job that I do and I just want to do more of what I enjoy”. Listen to learn 3 ideas for action to help you grow in your current rol
Mar 18, 2025 · 30 min
#467 Pressure to Progress? Why Staying Where You Are Is Good For Career Growth
Pressure to move up, take on more, and chase promotions can leave a lot of us feeling like success only comes from climbing the ladder. But what if staying where you are could be just as valuable for your career growth? The truth is, success doesn’t actually mean seniority. In this episode, Helen and Sarah explore why staying in your current role can help you build a stronger foundation for long-term career success. They share why staying put can actually be a smart move,
Mar 11, 2025 · 36 min
#466 How to focus on outcomes to reduce overwhelm
Feeling overwhelmed is something most of us have experienced. Too many meetings, tasks, and requests—paired with too little time, clarity, and control—can make work feel unmanageable. In this episode, Helen and Sarah share three practical actions to help you regain focus and reduce overwhelm. They explore how shifting your mindset from tasks to outcomes can bring clarity, help you prioritise what truly matters, and create a greater sense of control in your work.
Mar 7, 2025 · 37 min
#465 Career Continuers: how to relook at retirement and develop career longevity
This is the fifth and final episode of the Squiggly Career Stage Series – 5 days of podcast episodes and practical tools to help you succeed in your career. We’ve focused on 5 stages where we know people need some extra squiggly support and in today’s episode we’re looking at Squiggly Career Continuers, to help people relook at retirement and develop career longevity. Sarah and Helen share their insights on continuing your career into later life and talk to two
Mar 6, 2025 · 31 min
#464 Career Changers: how to pivot and create new possibilities
This is the fourth episode of the Squiggly Career Stage Series – 5 days of podcast episodes and practical tools to help you succeed in your career. We’ve focused on 5 stages where we know people need some extra squiggly support and in today’s episode we’re looking at Squiggly Career Changers, to help people pivot and create new possibilities. Sarah and Helen share their insights on career change and interview three people to learn from their experience; Jenny Blake, author
Mar 5, 2025 · 34 min
#463 Career Setbacks: how to stay resilient which things go wrong
This is the third episode of the Squiggly Career Stage Series – 5 days of podcast episodes and practical tools to help you succeed in your career. We’ve focused on 5 stages where we know people need some extra squiggly support and in today’s episode we’re looking at Squiggly Career Setbacks, to help people stay resilient when things go wrong. Sarah and Helen share their insights on career setbacks and interview three people to learn from their experience; Amy Schoenthal
Mar 4, 2025 · 32 min
#462 Career Returners: how to build confidence after a break
This is the second episode of the Squiggly Career Stage Series – 5 podcast episodes and practical tools to help you succeed in your career. We’ve focused on 5 stages where we know people need some extra squiggly support and in today’s episode Helen and Sarah are looking at Squiggly Career Returners, to help people build career confidence after a break. Sarah and Helen share their insights on returning and interview two people to learn from their experience; Julianne Mil
Mar 3, 2025 · 43 min
#461 Career Starters: how to learn and grown in your first job
This is the first episode of the Squiggly Career Stage Series – 5 podcast episodes and practical tools to help you succeed in your career. We’ve focused on 5 stages where we know people need some extra squiggly support and in this episode Helen and Sarah are looking at Squiggly Career Starters, people who are looking to learn and grow in their first job. Sarah and Helen share their insights on this stage and interview two people to learn from their persp
Feb 25, 2025 · 40 min
#460 How to Master Small Talk (Even if You're an Introvert)
Small talk is part of lots of the meetings and moments that we experience at work and most of us don't enjoy it! This week, Sarah and Helen discuss why small talk matters for connection and how to approach it. They share 'small talk starters', the importance of listening to what is said (instead of being distracted by what you want to say) and how to transition from small talk into what needs to come next. To use the PodSheet that supports the episode, head to amazingif.com/listen</
Feb 18, 2025 · 32 min
#459 3 Types Of Awareness To Accelerate Your Career Growth
Awareness is a key skill to support your squiggly career but one that can feel hard to improve. This week, Helen and Sarah talk through 3 different types of awareness; self-awareness, situational awareness and relational awareness. They share ideas to assess your awareness and special actions you can take to improve in any area where you might have a gap. (00:00) Introduction(01:07) The different types of awareness(02:27) Self-awareness(09:53) Situational awaren
Feb 11, 2025 · 33 min
#458 How To Deal With Any Challenge At Work (Career Scenario Planning)
This week, Helen and Sarah are talking about how to use scenario planning as a tool to increase your career resilience. They work through a matrix that you can apply to your career to spot different situations and take proactive action to mitigate risk and maximise opportunity. (00:00) Introduction(01:25) Benefits of scenario planning(04:57) Part 1: a sample matrix(07:07) a) best case - promotion(08:54) b) worst case - redundancy(10:33) c) unwanted