Squiggly Careers

This week, Helen and Sarah wrap up the year with 5 quick-fire questions and 3 thoughtful reflections on their personal insights and learnings from 2024. They’ll take you behind the scenes of the squiggly reality of what it’s really like running a company together, sharing the highs, the challenges, and everything in between. You’ll also be able to use the same questions to reflect on your own year, helping you close out your year with clarity and set yourself up for a successful and meaningful 2025. You can find the PodSheet, PodNote and full transcript for the episode at https://www.amazingif.com/listen/. More ways to learn about Squiggly Careers: 1. Join our free Videobook Club: https://amazingif.typeform.com/videobookclub 2. Sign up for our Squiggly Careers Skills Sprint: https://bit.ly/skillssprint20243. Sign up for PodMail, a weekly summary of the latest squiggly career tools: https://bit.ly/sc-podmail4. Read our books ‘The Squiggly Career’ and ‘You Coach You’: https://www.amazingif.com/books/If you have any questions or feedback (which we love!) you can email us at helenandsarah@squigglycareers.com

Being generous with your time and expertise can payoff in lots of ways for your career. You build stronger relationships and feel better about the work you do. However, if you give too much you can be at risk of burnout. This week, Helen and Sarah talk about different types of giver and where risk can creep in. Whether you can be a bit of a people pleaser or have a tendancy to be an adhoc helper, they share practical ideas for you to give without getting it wrong.You can find the PodSheet, PodNote and full transcript for the episode at https://www.amazingif.com/listen/. More ways to learn about Squiggly Careers: 1. Join our free Videobook Club: https://amazingif.typeform.com/videobookclub 2. Sign up for our Squiggly Careers Skills Sprint: https://bit.ly/skillssprint20243. Sign up for PodMail, a weekly summary of the latest squiggly career tools: https://bit.ly/sc-podmail4. Read our books ‘The Squiggly Career’ and ‘You Coach You’: https://www.amazingif.com/books/If you have any questions or feedback (which we love!) you can email us at helenandsarah@squigglycareers.com

This week, Helen and Sarah discuss how to build a healthier relationship with rejection in your career. They share 4 practical steps to help you process rejection, from giving yourself breathing space to creating a full-stop response.Whether you're facing rejection yourself or supporting someone who is, these actions can help you reflect, learn, and move forward with confidence. You can find the PodSheet, PodNote and full transcript for the episode at https://www.amazingif.com/listen/. More ways to learn about Squiggly Careers: 1. Join our free Videobook Club: https://amazingif.typeform.com/videobookclub 2. Sign up for our Squiggly Careers Skills Sprint: https://bit.ly/skillssprint20243. Sign up for PodMail, a weekly summary of the latest squiggly career tools: https://bit.ly/sc-podmail4. Read our books ‘The Squiggly Career’ and ‘You Coach You’: https://www.amazingif.com/books/If you have any questions or feedback (which we love!) you can email us at helenandsarah@squigglycareers.com

This week Helen and Sarah are talking about what to do when you don’t feel like you’re being heard at work. They talk about tactics and techniques that create space for you to speak. From bookending meetings to finding a supporter who can bring you into the conversation, they share 5 practical ideas to help you take action. You can find the PodSheet, PodNote and full transcript for the episode at https://www.amazingif.com/listen/. More ways to learn about Squiggly Careers: 1. Read our latest HBR article: https://bit.ly/3XmAcki-hbr10 2. Sign up for our Squiggly Careers Skills Sprint: https://bit.ly/skillssprint20243. Sign up for PodMail, a weekly summary of the latest squiggly career tools: https://bit.ly/sc-podmail4. Read our books ‘The Squiggly Career’ and ‘You Coach You’: https://www.amazingif.com/books/If you have any questions or feedback (which we love!) you can email us at helenandsarah@squigglycareers.com

In this week’s episode, Sarah is joined by author and expert Robert Poynton to explore the often-overlooked skill of pausing. Drawing from his book Do Pause, Robert shares insights on how introducing intentional pauses into your day can improve performance, sustain creativity, and help you thrive in your squiggly career. Together, they discuss:The barriers that stop us from pausingHow to think of pausing as a “plastic concept” that adapts to your needsPractical tips to fit pauses into the spaces between work and life.This episode will inspire you to rethink your relationship with time and consider how small pauses could make a big impact.To learn more about Robert and his work, visit www.robertpoynton.com.You can find the PodSheet, PodNote and full transcript for the episode at https://www.amazingif.com/listen/. More ways to learn about Squiggly Careers: 1. Read our latest HBR article: https://bit.ly/3XmAcki-hbr10 2. Sign up for our Squiggly Careers Skills Sprint: https://bit.ly/skillssprint20243. Sign up for PodMail, a weekly summary of the latest squiggly career tools: https://bit.ly/sc-podmail4. Read our books ‘The Squiggly Career’ and ‘You Coach You’: https://www.amazingif.com/books/If you have any questions or feedback (which we love!) you can email us at helenandsarah@squigglycareers.com

Taking initiative often feels like a nice idea that people don't quite know how to action. In this week's podcast, Helen and Sarah talk about why it's a skill that matters for squiggly careers and practical ways to increase your opportunity to take initiative at work. They share 4 different ideas including the importance of focusing on minimum viable progress and why you need to know the what and own the how. You can find the PodSheet, PodNote and full transcript for the episode at https://www.amazingif.com/listen/More ways to learn about Squiggly Careers:1. Read our latest HBR article: https://bit.ly/3XmAcki-hbr102. Sign up for our Squiggly Careers Skills Sprint: https://bit.ly/skillssprint20243. Sign up for PodMail, a weekly summary of the latest squiggly career tools: https://bit.ly/sc-podmail4. Read our books ‘The Squiggly Career’ and ‘You Coach You’: https://www.amazingif.com/books/If you have any questions or feedback (which we love!) you can email us at helenandsarah@squigglycareers.comListen to our live podcast with Postcards from Midlife: Careers special: second act adventures - how to make the shift & change your life

If you ever feel like you're not spending your time well at work then this week's episode will be a useful listen for you. Helen and Sarah talk through practical actions to help you be efficient (doing things right) and effective (getting the right things done). They discuss when a focus on efficiency can go too far and how to get the best balance for you and the people you work with. They share 5 ideas to help you to be more efficient with your time, your tasks, your meetings, your emails and your network. You can find the PodSheet, PodNote and full transcript for the episode at https://www.amazingif.com/listen/More ways to learn about Squiggly Careers: 1. Read our latest HBR article: https://bit.ly/3XmAcki-hbr10 2. Sign up for our Squiggly Careers Skills Sprint: https://bit.ly/skillssprint20243. Sign up for PodMail, a weekly summary of the latest squiggly career tools: https://bit.ly/sc-podmail4. Read our books ‘The Squiggly Career’ and ‘You Coach You’: https://www.amazingif.com/books/If you have any questions or feedback (which we love!) you can email us at helenandsarah@squigglycareers.com

Career complacency happens when you're not intentional about improving your skills or exploring your future possibilities. Even when you're happy in your role, it's important to actively manage your development. Without it, we risk losing relevance and being less resilient to change. This week, Helen and Sarah share 5 ideas to action to overcome career complacency. They discuss how resistance goals can counteract a passive approach to your progression and the benefit of spending time with ambition allies. You can find the PodSheet, PodNote and full transcript for the episode at https://www.amazingif.com/listen/More ways to learn about Squiggly Careers:   1. Read our latest HBR article: https://bit.ly/3XmAcki-hbr10 2. Sign up for our Squiggly Careers Skills Sprint: https://bit.ly/skillssprint20243. Sign up for PodMail, a weekly summary of the latest squiggly career tools: https://bit.ly/sc-podmail4. Read our books ‘The Squiggly Career’ and ‘You Coach You’: https://www.amazingif.com/books/If you have any questions or feedback (which we love!) you can email us at helenandsarah@squigglycareers.com