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714 Shell's top 10 books to grow your career, build your confidence & spark creativity
In today's episode Shell shares her top 10 book recommendations for 2025. From mastering your mindset to becoming a better leader, these reads will help you grow at work and as a human. Find the links for them below:
The Dip by Seth Godin: https://amzn.to/3R7vl3U
The Communication Book by Mikael Krogerus & Roman Tschäppeler: https://amzn.to/4jqY93t
Courage is Calling by Ryan Holiday: https://amzn.to/4ibnXzE
Legacy by James Kerr: https://amzn.to/3R7vB2S
The First Rule of Mastery by Michael Gervais: https://amzn.to/3G4mmOA
The Quick Start Guide to Investing by Glen James & Nick Bradley: https://amzn.to/4j3cLGl
Sort Your Career Out and Make More Money by Shelley Johnson & Glen James: https://amzn.to/4ia7FGW
My Life in Full by Indra Nooyi: https://amzn.to/4j6W3Gf
The Artist’s Way by Julia Cameron: https://amzn.to/3YkwEAf
Scaling People by Claire Hughes Johnson: https://amzn.to/4iW1ZSe
Atlas of the Heart by Brené Brown: https://amzn.to/4j3cO4Z
The Creative Act by Rick Rubin: https://amzn.to/4jpfdqv
(Yes, that’s 12... Shell snuck in a couple of extras 😉)
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best of 2025: the 5 questions that will transform your career
34:51||Season 8Feeling stuck in your career or not sure of your next step? Grab your notes app or a journal cause in this popular ep from 2025, Shell shares five game-changing questions that can unlock clarity and guide you toward epic career moves. Get ready to reflect, confront your fears and dream big as you explore:👉🏾 what you really want👉🏿 what’s stopping you from taking action👉🏻 the cost of staying in your comfort zone👉 what could go right if you take the leap👉🏼 and the one step you need to take nextCheck out Tim Ferris's fear-setting exercise: https://tim.blog/2017/05/15/fear-setting/Emotional Agility by Susan David: https://amzn.to/3WxwNQgConnect with Shell on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/shelley-johnson/If you lead teams, check out Shelley’s business, Boldside: https://www.boldside.com.au/Shell & Glen’s book 'Sort Your Career Out & Make More Money' is available here: https://amzn.to/4k3YSrrWe hate email spam so we don’t create it! Sign up to our newsletter to get only the valuable money, careers and property info you need.To get help, and to check out our online courses, books, resources and downloads (+ our disclaimers and warnings), click here.
best of 2025: managing a toxic boss, getting promoted & feeling stuck at work
23:18||Season 7Got a tough boss? Struggling to get promoted? Feeling stuck in your job? Shell tackles your work dilemmas in this popular episode from 2025. Connect with Shell on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/shelley-johnson/If you lead teams, check out Shelley’s business, Boldside: https://www.boldside.com.au/Shell & Glen’s book 'Sort Your Career Out & Make More Money' is available here: https://amzn.to/4k3YSrrWe hate email spam so we don’t create it! Sign up to our newsletter to get only the valuable money, careers and property info you need.To get help, and to check out our online courses, books, resources and downloads (+ our disclaimers and warnings), click here.
750 how to talk about pay, benefits & your value at work (with Matt McFarlane)
51:27||Season 7Talking about pay can feel awkward, emotional and high-stakes but avoiding it can quietly stall your career. In this episode, Shell is joined by compensation expert Matt McFarlane to unpack what’s really happening in the job market, how to talk about money earlier (not when resentment hits), and the non-salary levers that matter just as much as dollars.👉🏾 why the pay market feels “beige” right now👉🏿 earning vs learning, why changing jobs boosts pay and the cost to employers 👉🏻 how to raise pay conversations with your employer👉 why are there a lot of people job hugging right now?👉🏼 loyalty, trust & the changing employer-employee relationship👉🏽 making money conversations less awkward👉🏾 benefits beyond salary that actually matterConnect with Matt on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/matthewmcfarlane/Check out his website: fndn.com.auConnect with Shell on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/shelley-johnson/If you lead teams, check out Shelley’s business, Boldside: https://www.boldside.com.au/Shell & Glen’s book 'Sort Your Career Out & Make More Money' is available here: https://amzn.to/4k3YSrrWe hate email spam so we don’t create it! Sign up to our newsletter to get only the valuable money, careers and property info you need.To get help, and to check out our online courses, books, resources and downloads (+ our disclaimers and warnings), click here.
749 the 25 work & life lessons we learned in 2025 (with Dr Amantha Imber)
59:44||Season 7As 2025 comes to an end, Shell and Dr Amantha Imber reflect on the big (and little) learnings, mindset shifts and practical stuff that they'll be taking into the new year! They touch on:👉🏼 energy, focus & what really drives performance👉🏾 boundaries, rest & staying out of burnout👉 confidence, self-belief & playing bigger👉🏿 navigating discomfort, embarrassment & growth👉🏼 connection, influence & communicating well👉🏽 psychological safety & healthier team dynamics👉🏿 creativity, margin & making space to think👉 AI workflows & working smarter👉🏾 culture, trust & team transformation👉🏽 small habits that compound over timeHere are the tools Amantha mentioned: Wisper Flow: https://wisprflow.ai/Nexstand: https://amzn.to/4s82cXJConnect with Shell on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/shelley-johnson/If you lead teams, check out Shelley’s business, Boldside: https://www.boldside.com.au/Shell & Glen’s book 'Sort Your Career Out & Make More Money' is available here: https://amzn.to/4k3YSrrWe hate email spam so we don’t create it! Sign up to our newsletter to get only the valuable money, careers and property info you need.To get help, and to check out our online courses, books, resources and downloads (+ our disclaimers and warnings), click here.
748 the 15 things you need to hear in your career at least once
34:56||Season 7In today's episode Shell shares 15 thoughts, musings and career advice that she needs you to hear loud and clear which touch on:👉🏼 mindset shifts👉🏾 navigating fear, discomfort & embarrassment👉🏽 what actually holds people back in their careers👉 confidence & self-belief👉🏿 leadership realities most people don’t talk about👉🏽 practical ways to show up better in your role👉 getting out of your own way👉🏿 and small habits that make a big impact over timeConnect with Shell on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/shelley-johnson/If you lead teams, check out Shelley’s business, Boldside: https://www.boldside.com.au/Shell & Glen’s book 'Sort Your Career Out & Make More Money' is available here: https://amzn.to/4k3YSrrWe hate email spam so we don’t create it! Sign up to our newsletter to get only the valuable money, careers and property info you need.To get help, and to check out our online courses, books, resources and downloads (+ our disclaimers and warnings), click here.
747 bringing personality to work, quitting without a plan, making mistakes & managing up
48:37||Season 7In today's Q&A Shell discusses your work questions with return guest, Steph Clarke. They chat about:👉🏻 how do you show up with personality and still be seen as professional?👉 is it okay to quit a job without a plan?👉🏾 how to rebuild credibility and trust after making a mistake at work👉🏿 how do you manage up when your boss isn’t great at communication? Connect with Steph on LinkedIn here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/steph-clarke/If you lead teams, check out Shelley’s business, Boldside: https://www.boldside.com.au/Shell & Glen’s book 'Sort Your Career Out & Make More Money' is available here: https://amzn.to/4k3YSrrWe hate email spam so we don’t create it! Sign up to our newsletter to get only the valuable money, careers and property info you need.To get help, and to check out our online courses, books, resources and downloads (+ our disclaimers and warnings), click here.
746 big conversations every leader needs to have (awkward chats, talented jerks + why 1:1s matter)
01:02:23||Season 7Shell and Rohan Dredge riff on the big topics leaders tend to avoid:👉🏾 communicating with clarity👉🏿 managing distractions for you and your team👉🏻 why discipline beats desire👉 the power of 1:1s👉🏼 managing talented jerks, energy vampires & personality hires👉🏽 the power of awkward honesty👉🏾 what does vulnerability meanConnect with Rohan on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rohandredge/If you lead teams, check out Shelley’s business, Boldside: https://www.boldside.com.au/Shell & Glen’s book 'Sort Your Career Out & Make More Money' is available here: https://amzn.to/4k3YSrrWe hate email spam so we don’t create it! Sign up to our newsletter to get only the valuable money, careers and property info you need.To get help, and to check out our online courses, books, resources and downloads (+ our disclaimers and warnings), click here.
745 how to prepare for the future of work with futurist Steph Clarke
45:14||Season 7Today Shell sits down with futurist Steph Clarke to unpack how to think about the future of work without spiralling. They chat about uncertainty, AI, imagining different possible futures, and how to stay flexible instead of trying to ‘future-proof’ your career.👉🏾 why future-proofing your career is a myth + what to do instead👉🏿 spotting signals of change👉🏻 the high-impact / high-uncertainty quadrant👉 how to prepare for uncertainty👉🏼 what Steph means by "trying a different future on"👉🏽 fear setting & preparing for what could go wrong👉🏾 navigating anxiety about the unknown👉🏿 a simple practical step you can take nowConnect with Steph on LinkedIn here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/steph-clarke/Work with Steph: https://www.28thursdays.com/If you lead teams, check out Shelley’s business, Boldside: https://www.boldside.com.au/Shell & Glen’s book 'Sort Your Career Out & Make More Money' is available here: https://amzn.to/4k3YSrrWe hate email spam so we don’t create it! Sign up to our newsletter to get only the valuable money, careers and property info you need.To get help, and to check out our online courses, books, resources and downloads (+ our disclaimers and warnings), click here.
744 how to friend at work: navigating workplace friendships with Steph Clarke
53:00||Season 7Can you be friends with the boss or the people that you lead? In this episode Shell chats with Steph Clarke who has a Substack called How To Friend, about the messy, beautiful, and sometimes awkward world of workplace friendships.👉🏾 Steph’s interest in studying friendship and starting How to Friend👉🏿 can you be friends with the boss?👉🏻 perceptions of favouritism👉 proximity, frequency, and why it's normal for work friendships to fade👉🏼 the foundation for good work friendships👉🏽 energy giving vs energy draining behaviours👉🏾 identifying oversharing and emotional hijacking👉🏿 showing your best self vs whole self at work👉🏻 defining friendship👉 Shell's thoughts on work friendshipsConnect with Steph on LinkedIn here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/steph-clarke/Subscribe to Steph's Substack, How To Friend: https://howtofriend.substack.com/If you lead teams, check out Shelley’s business, Boldside: https://www.boldside.com.au/Shell & Glen’s book 'Sort Your Career Out & Make More Money' is available here: https://amzn.to/4k3YSrrWe hate email spam so we don’t create it! Sign up to our newsletter to get only the valuable money, careers and property info you need.To get help, and to check out our online courses, books, resources and downloads (+ our disclaimers and warnings), click here.