Dream life, best fit role with Nikki Smith

A fulfilling role requires role fit and culture fit. But what is culture? And how do you get an insight into an organsation's culture before joining it? In this interview, Renee Barnes draws upon her expert perspective and deep experience to answer these questions. Renee Barnes is the founder of HR consultancy The People Paradox.…

Now is a fantastic time to find and land your dream role. But there are a few key things you need to know about the job market and how to approach an opportunity in order to land it. I recently spoke with Sarah Piper from Invisible Partners about this. Sarah works with organisations to identify…

In this podcast I share one of my client's journey through my 7 Step Career Change Program to finding her best fit role. When I met Lucy she was ready to take the next step in her career, but lacked clarity about what that would be. She had a number of ideas, but none of…

I would say 1 in 2 of my clients work for, or have worked for, a boss with narcissistic traits and in some cases a fully expressed narcissist. That means there's around a 50% chance that you have worked for one, or have one in your personal life. Interestingly, I am often the one pointing…

Are you a ‘Yes’ person? Do you have the responsibility or achiever strengths? Many clients who come to me are fed up at work and wondering what to do next. They often have the achiever or responsibility strength, say ‘yes’ too often and have been over-working for a long time. And this usually involves a…

Lisa Corduff makes running an online business look easy. In this interview she reveals how she has gone from exhausted mother to whole foods blogger, to successful online entrepreneur. Lisa is a transformational coach who works with women to help change their mindset; to uncover all the subconscious stories that are keeping them stuck and…

What kind of people do you imagine when you think of government employees? Can you imagine working alongside such people? In this interview government recruiter Jody Smith debunks numerous myths about working in government. It turns out that you don’t need experience in government to work in government. And you’ll be working alongside as diverse…

Elite athletes and global leaders have a coach. Someone who helps them to be the best and most effective version of themselves. We want to believe that we can do anything simply through hard work, but if that were the case, we’d all be either an elite athlete or global leader. The fact is, we…

Sam Sutherland is a talented workshop facilitator and podcaster. She wants to make the workplace more human: to empower women and equality in the workplace through a variety of projects, which we cover in our chat. Sam’s podcast is relatively new and has taken off! But when we initially discussed it during her 7 Step…

Olivia Downing, founder and CEO of Liv Mindfully, is a psychologist, meditation teacher and mindfulness coach and educator. She helps corporates, schools and individuals to live and work to their full potential. I recorded this interview with Liv in 2017. It's one of my favourites because it contains tips that you can apply every day.…

Are you feeling stuck in your industry? This podcast provides an inspiring example of how you can make dramatic change in your career and find genuine fulfilment. That’s what Fred did. When I met Fred he was a senior manufacturing engineer in the sugar industry, who often worked on continuous improvement projects. He was ready…

Have you taken time off from your career, perhaps to raise a family, only to struggle to return to work a few years later in a similar role? You’re not alone. And if you think it’s hard, that’s not just you – it really is. When seeking to re‑enter the workforce, there are systemic and…

Do you crave more time? Perhaps more income so you can travel or do more of the fun stuff you love? One way to leverage our time and money in our lives is to create / sell / teach something online. You could also go out on your own as a consultant or coach. Is…

The stories we tend to hear about people who have left the police force (and the military and emergency services) tend be about struggles with PTSD. But that is not the case for many, and certainly not for Richard James. Richard’s career path has taken him from being a sprinter, to a rugby player, to…

Sally Wilson is a multi‑passionate. She’s a hypnotherapist, singing teacher, performer, runner and writer. But before she was all of those things, she had a successful 20 year international career as an opera singer. In this interview, Sally talks about the shift from an all-consuming singular focus, to discovering what she wanted to do next…

Karly is a multi-passionate who wears many different hats: she’s a communicator, connector and creator. She has had successes and failures and shares both in this interview. She is a voice over artist and runs a voice agency called KillerKopy. Karly believes that everyone has a message inside of them and it’s her job to…

I met Tammy in 2016 at a symposium in the beautiful Blue Mountains. She is a naturopath, ex-scientist, helicopter pilot, mother and speaker. She blew my mind with just one of the tips she shared to boost vitality and lower stress, and in this interview we cover three! @5 mins: How to reduce your stress levels…

Are you just pretending to be happy in your role? Jem Fuller has moved from barefoot traveller wandering around Central and South East Aisa to a suit and tie corporate leader of a $100 million division of a multi‑national organisation. He now helps others to find fulfillment through mindful and authentic leadership and helping them…

Some perspective from a 79 year old who still finds work fulfilling This podcast interview is with one of my favourite people - Moshe Lang - who I’ve known since I was a psychology student. He is a world renowned psychologist who specialises in family therapy. In this interview he reveals some of his key…

Strengths play a critical role in success and happiness, regardless of how junior or senior you are in your role. In this podcast I speak with the amazing Alex Tullio. Alex has had a stellar career in finance, but realised something was missing. As it turns out, what was missing was the insights that came…

Are you in an industry that lacks flexibility? So many organisations now boast about their culture and flexible practices, but struggle to actually support, let alone enable, their people to work flexibly. Meet Rob Rankin who has created a strikingly different employee experience in the law. The legal industry tops the charts with anxiety and…

Whether you want to fulfill your bucket list (see last episode), create your dream job or business, or simply to create your best life, mini‑experiments create clarity, momentum and fulfillment. Do you think about writing a book, starting a podcast, public speaking, or running an event that would fill a gap you’ve noticed? In this…

“A lot of people think that everything we want to do costs time and money. But it’s not a matter of resources. It’s a matter of resourcefulness. If you want to do something badly enough – when the what and the why is strong – the how will work itself out.” Trav Bell, The Bucket…

As a palliative care nurse, Mel has seen many people work hard and earn with a focus on enjoying retirement. Then they reach retirement and their life is cut short by cancer. In this podcast, Mel shares how to live now rather than waiting for this or waiting for that. Discover how working in this…

Are you an achiever running on empty? Spinning your wheels with a job search that’s unsustainable AND anxiety inducing? Is it me or this part time job? Why am I not coping? No matter how good a role/business looks like on paper, it may not be the best-fit for you or your family. Katie had…

I’ll say it again: mini-experiments create magic in your work and life! They: take the pressure off you – remove the need for something new to be a success from the get go calm the people around you – they don’t need to worry about you as you’re simply testing something out. You don’t need…

Do you ever fantasise about working from home by the sea? Sarah Marshall has realised this dream while being employed by a Melbourne-based organisation. Listen to us chat about her career change and the mini-experiments that have landed her there. If you’re inspired by Sarah’s story, book in for a free discovery session & find…

I have a lovely friend from uni days, Ness, who now lives close by on the Victorian coastline. We caught up a while ago and had a chat about her school admin role and how frustrated she was. I suggested we look at her strengths profile and see how it matched her role. You can…

Olivia Downing, founder and CEO of Liv Mindfully, is a psychologist, meditation teacher and mindfulness coach and educator. She helps corporates, schools and individuals to live and work to their full potential. Liv and I go way back, and I love her refreshing take on mindfulness. She combines the science with self-deprecating humour and bite‑sized…

Do you ever feel like a fraud at work (for a minute, an hour or even half the day)? If yes (and if we’re honest, we’ve all been there!), you’ll love this interview with Sam Sutherland. Sam shares how to: negotiate your salary like an expert, even though you’re likely to feel like a fraud!…

This podcast episode provides an inspiring example of how you do have choices when you’re in a negative work environment. Meet Jacqui Brauman. She who took an extreme approach when she was fed up working in a negative environment in which she was subjected to sexual harassment, being slapped and a significant pay gap. Jacqui…

Are you feeling stuck in your industry? My latest podcast provides an inspiring example of how you can make dramatic change in your career and find genuine fulfilment. That’s what Fred did. When I met Fred he was a senior manufacturing engineer in the sugar industry, who often worked on continuous improvement projects. He was…

In this interview with Orissa Feeney we discuss the crossroads she faced in deciding whether to work for someone else or for herself; her desire for a more flexible work life: one where she could drop‑off/pick‑up her son from school; and her path to ‘make it work’ living where she wants to - on the…

Kate’s story will resonate with many of you. Kate has two beautiful kids. Once they were both at school, she thought about returning to work but felt stuck and depressed. For 6 months she repeatedly thought to herself, I don’t want to go back to my old role, but have no idea what to do…

Jacob is the founder of sensophy.com. He works with people in their 20s and 30s to help them find and live their purpose. We discuss how he changed from a role he was ‘allergic’ to in his 20s to create a successful business that plays to his strengths and fuels his passion. Let me know…