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Career Espresso
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Episode 98 - How to find your people as a leader
16:42|How to find your people as a leaderYou're in a leadership role and something's shifted. The people you used to talk things through with? That's complicated now. Your team can't be your sounding board because you're their boss. Your own boss has their own agenda. And the networking advice you see everywhere feels exhausting when what you actually need is someone you can be real with.This episode of Career Espresso is about finding people who actually get what you're dealing with. Not networking contacts or professional visibility. Actual people who understand leadership from the inside.What you'll discover* Why isolation isn't just uncomfortable - it makes you make worse decisions and lose perspective on how you're doing* The three criteria that define your actual people (not just professional contacts)* Where to look for peer relationships that work, including the people you're probably overlooking* How to start these connections without it feeling awkward* What keeps leadership relationships alive when you're overwhelmedPerfect for women leaders who need people they can be honest with, not just a professional network.Want more support with real-world leadership challenges? Head to How to Build a Leader on Substack for in-depth guides and scripts.Never miss an episode. Sign up for the weekly Espresso Brief email and get each episode with quick takeaways in your inbox.Get the full episode transcript
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Episode 97 - Why doesn't good enough feel good enough?
11:37|Why doesn't good enough feel good enough?You're exhausted. You're managing a thousand things at once. At the end of every day, you look back at everything that went wrong, everything you didn't get to, everything that's still not quite right. What you're not noticing? Your team is functioning. Work is getting done. Things are moving forward. You're the one making that happen but it doesn't feel like enough. This episode of Career Espresso is about recognising what's actually working, even when it doesn't feel like anything is.What you'll discoverWhy your attention naturally goes to problems and how that creates a skewed picture of realityThe research on why women attribute success to luck but blame themselves entirely for failureThe exhausting pattern of constantly preparing for the next crisis instead of noticing what's going wellHow to see the full picture instead of just the problem-shaped bitsPerfect for women leaders who are doing better than they think but can't quite believe it.Want more support with real-world leadership challenges? Head to How to Build a Leader on Substack for in-depth guides and scripts. Never miss an episode. Sign up for the weekly Espresso Brief email and get each episode with quick takeaways in your inbox. Get the full episode transcriptEpisode 96 - How to have career conversations that help
13:49|How to have career conversations that helpYou schedule a career conversation and both of you immediately feel that slight dread. You ask where they see themselves in five years. They give a polished answer that means nothing. You both tick the box and move on. Nothing actually changes. This episode of Career Espresso is about having career conversations that actually help people—not as a performance review exercise or a tick-box requirement, but as a genuine conversation about what's possible and what you can do to support them.What you'll discoverWhy career conversations feel awkward or surface-level for most leaders What people actually need from these conversations (it's not "where do you see yourself in five years?") How to ask questions that open up real conversation instead of extracting rehearsed answers What to do when someone doesn't know what they want How to support growth without making promises you can't keep Perfect for women leaders who want these conversations to feel useful instead of awkward.Want more support with real-world leadership challenges? Head to How to Build a Leader on Substack for in-depth guides and scripts.Never miss an episode. Sign up for the weekly Espresso Brief email and get each episode with quick takeaways in your inbox.Get the full episode transcriptEpisode 95 - Making decisions when you're not 100% sure
15:15|What if I make the wrong decision?You need to make a decision but you're not sure what the right answer is. Every option has it's downsides and every choice feels like it could go wrong. The longer you sit with it, the heavier it gets because you're responsible for other people now. This episode of Career Espresso is about making decisions when you can't be certain, trusting your judgment when the information is incomplete, and what to do when things don't work out.What you'll discoverWhy decision making feels completely different when you're responsible for othersThe legitimacy doubts women leaders face that make second-guessing worseHow to know when you've got enough information to make the callHow to explain your reasoning without apologising for the decisionWhat to do when the decision doesn't work out the way you expectedPerfect for women leaders who care about getting decisions right but find themselves stuck in the "I need more information" loop.Want more support with real-world leadership challenges? Head to How to Build a Leader on Substack for in-depth guides and scripts.Never miss an episode. Sign up for the weekly Espresso Brief email and get each episode with quick takeaways in your inbox.Get the full episode transcriptEpisode 94 - How to support your team without doing their work
13:56|How to support your team without doing their workSomeone brings you a problem and you jump straight in with the answer. You think you're helping but you're actually building a team that can't function without you. This episode of Career Espresso is about supporting people without rescuing them, asking questions instead of solving everything, and recognising when stepping in is the right call versus when it just feels faster.What you'll discoverWhy jumping in to fix things doesn't help anyone long-termThe impossible balance women leaders face (not supportive enough vs too involved)Specific questions to ask instead of providing instant solutionsHow to spot when you're rescuing rather than supportingWhat to do when someone says "I don't know" without taking overWhen stepping in actually is the right movePerfect for women leaders who want to build capable teams without working late to do everyone else's thinking.Want more support with real-world leadership challenges? Head to How to Build a Leader on Substack for in-depth guides and scripts.Never miss an episode. Sign up for the weekly Espresso Brief email and get each episode with quick takeaways in your inbox.Get the full episode transcriptEpisode 93 - Now I'm their boss and it's awkward
11:56|Now I’m their boss and it’s awkwardYou got promoted and now you manage the people you used to work alongside. It feels odd for you and for them. This episode of Career Espresso is about naming the shift early, resetting how you work together, and staying human while you do it. We'll also talk about the quiet “who does she think she is” undercurrent women can face and how to hold your ground.What you’ll discoverwhy this discomfort is normal when a peer becomes the managerwhat to say in your first 1:1 so no one is guessinghow to step back from group chats and after-work venting without making a scenehow to respond if a colleague goes around you to another managera simple coffee-shop check-in that helps clear the air fastPerfect for women leaders now managing former peers who want steady, practical language they can use this week. Want more support with real-world leadership challenges? Head to How to Build a Leader on Substack for in-depth guides and scripts.Never miss an episode. Sign up for the weekly Espresso Brief email and get each episode with quick takeaways in your inbox.Get the full episode transcript92. Episode 92 - How to give feedback people can use
09:33||Season 6, Ep. 92You've given feedback. They nodded. They said they understood. Nothing changed.Sound familiar? This episode tackles one of the hardest parts of managing - giving feedback that actually works. You host Amanda breaks down why most feedback fails and what to do instead.What you'll discoverWhy "be more proactive" means nothing and what to say insteadThe hidden challenge women face when giving feedback (we're either "too nice" or "too direct")Exactly how to be specific without being harshThe one question that ensures people actually understand what you needThe reality check: Research shows 57% of employees prefer corrective feedback over praise. They want to improve. But when you tell someone to "communicate better" without explaining what that means, they're left guessing. And guessing rarely leads to change.Perfect for women leaders tired of the feedback loop that goes nowhere.Want more support with your leadership challenges? Check out our How to Build a Leader substack for in-depth guidance on getting onto and staying on the leadership ladder.Never miss an episode. Sign up for weekly Espresso Brief emails and get each episode plus practical takeaways delivered straight to your inbox.Get the full transcript