Squiggly Careers

In this special live episode of Squiggly Careers, Helen and Sarah take to the stage to explore one of the trickiest parts of career growth - learning through the uncomfortable, uncertain, and messy moments. Borrowing brilliance from lobsters, they share the idea from their new book Learn Like a Lobster of 'shell shedding' — the vulnerable transitions we all go through when we outgrow old roles, identities, or ways of working.Through honest stories, practical tools, and conversations with three brilliant guests, Maya Raichoora, Timeyin Akerelethey & Amy Conroy unpack how setbacks and unexpected change can become fuel for growth, if we know how to spot the learning.This episode is all about turning hard moments into helpful ones, building the confidence to adapt, and leading your own development through the discomfort.Episode 527

This is the fifth and final episode in our Shell-Shedding Moments series, a series where CEOs and leaders share the vulnerable moments, the challenges, mistakes, and personal revelations that most people never see. In this episode, Logan McClure Davda, CEO of TED, reflects on stepping into leadership at one of the world's most influential idea-sharing organisations and the personal shifts that came with it. From making the hard decision to leave a dream role, to learning how to move from “doing” to creating space for others to lead, Logan shares her learnings on letting go and finding the courage to lead in a new way.

This is the fourth episode in our Shell-Shedding Moments series, a series where CEOs and leaders share the vulnerable moments, the challenges, mistakes, and personal revelations that most people never see. In this episode, Nick Bent, CEO of UpReach, opens up about the moments that tested him, from handling technology mishaps to resetting organizational culture. He shares how embracing challenges, maintaining perspective, and surrounding yourself with the right people are key to navigating tough times in leadership.

This is the third episode in our Shell-Shedding Moments series, a series where CEOs and leaders share the vulnerable moments, the challenges, mistakes, and personal revelations that most people never see. Today's episode is with Flight Story CEO Georgie Holt, who shares why great ideas are rarely obvious or easy, why comfort is the enemy of growth, and the necessity of experimentation to drive real progress.

In this special CEO Shell-Shedding Moments episode, Sarah interviews Helen, about the uncomfortable moments that help us grow. From difficult interviews to co-founder friction and communication challenges, Helen shares what happens when things feel hard at work and how to fix friction fast before it festers. If you've ever replayed a mistake, avoided an awkward conversation, or felt stuck in a working relationship, this episode is full of practical ideas to help you learn quickly and move forward with confidence.

Welcome to Shell-Shedding Moments, a series where CEOs share the vulnerable moments, the challenges, mistakes, and personal revelations that most people never see. Today's episode is with CEO Zaid Al-Qassab who opens up about his experiences with depression, the challenges of leading while managing mental health, and the power of vulnerability in the workplace. Zaid shares how embracing these moments can strengthen resilience, deepen connections, and create healthier work environments.

In this Squiggly Shortcut episode, Helen shares a practical, step-by-step framework for asking for help at work in a way that feels confident, clear, and effective.Many of us struggle to ask for help because we fear looking incompetent, don't want to burden others, or try to push through on our own. Helen breaks down how to neutralize that anxiety, identify what kind of help you need - support, solutions, or a sounding board- figure out who can give it, and frame your ask so it's actionable and easy to respond to.If you've ever felt stuck or overwhelmed at work, this episode will give you a simple, Post-It-note-sized system to get the support you need and move your squiggly career forward.Episode 527

How do you introduce yourself in a way that turns a polite “nice to meet you” into a genuine “tell me more”? In this episode, Helen and Sarah are Borrowing brilliance from Rebecca Okamoto's TED Talk How to Introduce Yourself and Get Hired. They unpack five simple formulas you can use to make high-impact introductions — whether you're meeting someone new, speaking at an event, or kicking off a meeting. This episode is all about short, practical introductions that help you be heard, remembered, and taken seriously.Episode 526

In this fifth and final episode of the Learn Like a Lobster skill sprint, Helen and Sarah introduce "Helpful How-Tos" - a simple, fun way to share knowledge that helps you learn faster and helps your team too. You'll discover why sharing makes learning stick, how to overcome confidence gremlins, and a practical (and fun) format you can use immediately with your team to keep learning and growing.

When it comes to learning at work, it's easy to wait for permission - from managers, organisations, or “the right moment.” In this episode, Helen and Sarah explore how to lead your own learning, even when time, money, or support feel limited. This is Day 4 of the Learn Like A Lobster skill sprint, and the focus is on adaptability — the skill that helps you keep learning when things don't go to plan. Helen and Sarah explain why relying on perfect conditions can stall your development, and how adapting your approach helps you stay resilient and relevant at work.

This is Day 3 of the Learn Like a Lobster skill sprint, and today Helen and Sarah share a simple way of reflecting on hard moments at work so you can learn faster, avoid recency bias, and take control in tough situations.Because when work feels messy, reflection is often the first thing we skip - or overdo. In this episode, you'll learn practical tools, including the 5:1 formula and the WWW/EBI framework, to help you regain perspective, stay in control, and turn difficult moments into learning.

This is Day 2 of the Learn Like a Lobster skill sprint, and today Helen and Sarah focus on one of the hardest - and most important - career skills: how to give and receive tough feedback. Learning doesn't just happen after the difficult moment has passed - some of the most powerful development happens while things feel uncomfortable. In this episode, Helen and Sarah explore how to learn in the hard moments — particularly when feedback feels awkward, emotional, or risky.

Today, Helen and Sarah are kicking off the Learn Like A Lobster skill sprint with Day 1: Learn As You Go.In this episode, Helen and Sarah explore how you can keep learning as part of your everyday, without having to find more time. They share practical ways to collect data for your growth - including understanding your strengths, tracking your listen-talk ratio, and optimising your productivity - to gain clarity, confidence, and actionable insights.By combining self-reflection with simple data-gathering techniques, you'll discover how small adjustments in what you already do can accelerate your career and help you be known for the impact you actually want to make.

January is always a good moment to pause, think about the big picture and zoom out when we're thinking about the future and direction of our career. In today's shortcut, Sarah shares 5 questions to help you have useful career conversations whether that's with your manager, a friend or with yourself.Episode 525

In this episode, Helen and Sarah do something they've made a tradition at Squiggly Careers: a year in review. This year they're sharing honest reflections using a simple but powerful framework: high–low learning. This chatty, behind-the-scenes episode is designed to help you reflect too. Whether you do this solo, with a learning buddy or as a team, the questions Helen and Sarah use can help you turn reflection into insight — and insight into action.Episode 520

Sometimes your career can feel unclear, uncertain, or hard to navigate — especially in a squiggly world where linear paths don't really exist. If you're feeling stuck, unsure of your next step, or craving more direction, these simple clarity-creating strategies will help you find focus, feel more in control, and move forward with confidence.Episode 519

Sometimes work (and life) can feel full-on — especially at this time of year when deadlines, expectations and emotions all seem to intensify. Whether your mind is racing before a meeting, you're feeling overwhelmed by everything on your plate, or emotions are getting in the way of what you want to say, these simple and science-backed breathing practices can help you reset, refocus and respond with more calm and clarity.Episode 518

Sometimes work can feel messy, complicated, or simply “a lot”. Whether you're drowning in tasks, unsure where to begin, or struggling to make sense of something hard, these small-but-mighty strategies help you pause, prioritise and move forward with more confidence.Episode 517

This week, Helen and Sarah revisit insights from three podcast guests—Amy Gallo, Celeste Headlee, and Dr. Sunita Sah—to tackle a topic many of us shy away from: difficult conversations.From team conflicts and moments of defensiveness to speaking up when something feels off, these everyday challenges can shape how we collaborate, grow, and thrive.In this episode, you'll learn practical strategies to handle tension with ease: turning irritation into curiosity, using affirmations to stay grounded, and recognising the early “tension signals” that signal it's time to speak up. You'll learn how to navigate disagreements without defensiveness, communicate with confidence, and act in alignment with your values—even when it's uncomfortable.Episode 516

In this Squiggly Career Shortcut, Helen shares five simple, everyday ideas that can have a big impact on your development—no long courses or huge time commitments needed. These micro-habits take just minutes but build confidence, clarity, and resilience over time.Episode 515

This week on the Squiggly Careers podcast, Helen and Sarah borrow brilliance from Dr. Zach Mercurio's book The Power of Mattering. They talk about how mattering goes beyond belonging, why it boosts motivation and wellbeing, and what happens when we feel invisible or replaceable at work. From personal reflections on high and low mattering moments to practical ways to help others feel noticed, affirmed, and needed, Helen and Sarah bring this idea to life with real-world examples. You'll learn how small actions — from giving meaningful feedback to showing appreciation — can make a big difference to how people feel, perform, and connect at work.Episode 514

When people describe their week at work in one word, pretty much 90% of people use the word busy. By swapping this vague default for a more specific and honest word, you can understand your week more clearly, make better choices, and create more meaningful momentum in your squiggly career. From feeling overwhelmed to making progress, Sarah shows how “naming it to tame it” helps you turn how you feel into useful actions.Episode 513

This week, Helen and Sarah borrow brilliance from Dr. Saundra Dalton-Smith, who writes about the seven types of rest that everyone needs.Rest is far more than sleep — it's a set of rituals that help you restore energy, creativity, and motivation in your squiggly career. From physical and mental rest to creative, emotional, and social rest, Helen and Sarah share how to identify your biggest “rest gaps” and design routines that actually work for you.You'll also hear how Helen used AI to create a personalised rest profile (with some surprising insights) and how you can try the same coaching prompt to find your own rest reset.Episode 512

In this Squiggly Shortcut, Helen shares five practical ideas to help you become a speed learner at work — so you can keep growing, adapting, and learning even when time is tight. From instant inspiration to everyday experiments, these quick and simple strategies will help you learn faster, stay curious, and build learning into your day-to-day routine.Episode 511

This week on the Squiggly Careers podcast, Helen and Sarah borrow brilliance from a sweet source — the marshmallow experiment — to explore how the science of delayed gratification applies to our work and career choices.Inspired by the famous psychology study, they unpack what it means to make one marshmallow versus two marshmallow decisions — the everyday trade-offs between instant satisfaction and long-term success. From replying to emails and saying yes to everything, to applying for jobs and building relationships, Helen and Sarah share real-life examples of how to recognise and reframe your choices for greater impact.You'll learn how to spot your own marshmallow moments, connect them to what motivates you most, and choose progress over quick wins (at least some of the time!).Episode 510

Most of us will change career up to 5 times in our squiggly careers. In this shortcut, Sarah shares why career change isn't about having the perfect plan — it's about getting started. She gives three practical ways to make progress without pressure, from small experiments to curious conversations that open new doors.Episode 509

This week on the Squiggly Careers podcast, Sarah and Helen borrow brilliance from Vanessa Urch Druskat's research on team emotional intelligence, first featured in Harvard Business Review.While emotional intelligence is often talked about at an individual level, this episode explores what happens when you apply it to teams — and how emotional awareness can build motivation, trust, and high performance together.Sarah shares how she used AI (Claude) to turn Druskat's research into a practical team emotional intelligence quiz, helping teams assess their habits and find simple ways to improve.Episode 508


✨ Welcome to Squiggly Shortcuts— a series from the Squiggly Careers podcast, bringing you quick career tips in just 5 minutes, every Thursday. In this shortcut, Helen shares three practical ways to stand out with senior stakeholders — the people who can influence your impact, support your development, and open up new opportunities. Whether it's your manager or another leader in your organisation, these ideas will help you build better relationships and be remembered for the right reasons.Episode 507

This week on the Squiggly Careers podcast, Helen and Sarah borrow brilliance from an unexpected source — the psychology of seats. Inspired by a conversation about how we choose where to sit, Helen talks about how your seating choices can shape the way you feel, behave, and influence others at work. From safe seats that help us feel in control to power positions in meetings and even virtual seating on video calls, this episode reveals how something as simple as your seat can affect confidence, inclusion, and collaboration. You'll leave with small, practical shifts to help you show up differently — and boost your impact and influence at work.Episode 506

✨ Welcome to Squiggly Shortcuts — a series from the Squiggly Careers podcast, bringing you quick career tips in just 5 minutes, every Thursday. In this shortcut, Sarah shares three practical reframes to help you quieten your inner critic — the fears, doubts, and limiting beliefs that hold you back in your squiggly career. From fear of failure to feeling “not good enough” or being put on the spot, we all have gremlins trying to stop us.Episode 505

This week on the Squiggly Careers podcast, Sarah and Helen borrow brilliance from an unexpected source — maps. Inspired by Jürgen Appelo's Substack post “I Started Drawing Maps”, they explore how mapping can help you find clarity, confidence and direction in your squiggly career.You'll hear about five different types of maps you can create to understand yourself and your work better — from mapping your energy and relationships to visualising your skills, possibilities and problems.Episode 504

✨ Welcome to Squiggly Shortcuts — a series from the Squiggly Careers podcast, bringing you quick career tips in just 5 minutes, every Thursday.In this shortcut, Helen shares four powerful questions to help you make a difficult career decision. When you're weighing up your next move, it's easy to get stuck in overthinking or uncertainty. These questions are designed to help you zoom out, get clear on what matters most, and move forward with confidence.Episode 503

What does it mean to live — and work — with moral ambition? In this episode of the Squiggly Careers podcast, Sarah introduces ideas from Rutger Bregman's book Moral Ambition and Helen helps turn them into practical actions you can apply in your own career.You'll hear why moral ambition is about using your 80,000 working hours wisely, how to close the belief–behaviour gap, and what small steps you can take to make a bigger difference. Together, Helen and Sarah explore how to connect Bregman's big ideas to the everyday reality of squiggly careers.Episode 502

✨ Welcome to Squiggly Shortcuts — a series from the Squiggly Careers podcast, bringing you quick career tips in just 5 minutes, every Thursday.In this shortcut, Sarah shares a practical idea to help you confidently ask for a pay rise. While the conversation can feel anxiety-inducing, waiting rarely works — you need to advocate for yourself and highlight the impact you're having. Sarah breaks it down into 3 simple tips to set you up for success.How To Ask For A Pay Rise Episode 501⏱️ Timestamps00:00 Welcome to Squiggly Shortcuts00:24 Create don't wait 01:23 Tip 1 – Understand the pay rise process in your company02:26 Tip 2 - How to approach the conversation 05:09 Tip 3 - Summarise what's been said 05:08 Think about your pay rise tradeoff

Is “just be yourself at work” really the best advice? In this 500th episode of the Squiggly Careers podcast, Helen and Sarah explore the tricky topic of authenticity — and why being 100% yourself at work might not always help you succeed.Borrowing brilliance from Dr. Tomas Chamorro-Premuzic, they discuss the difference between effective vs. ineffective authenticity, why trust often matters more than “being real,” and how to adapt without feeling fake. You'll learn three practical actions to help you show up authentically and intentionally in ways that work for you, your team, and your career.Episode 500

✨ Welcome to Squiggly Shortcuts — a brand new series from the Squiggly Careers podcast, bringing you quick career tips in just 5 minutes, every Thursday. In this shortcut, Helen shares a practical idea to help you spot and stop people pleasing at work, so you can set boundaries, protect your time, and focus on what matters most.How To Stop Being A People Pleaser (3 Tips) Episode 499⏱️ Timestamps00:00 Welcome to Squiggly Shortcuts00:35 What is people pleasing? 01:09 Tip 1 - Find your pause statement02:06 Tip 2 - Use "don't" rather than "can't"03:45 Tip 3 - Practice your no-cabulary05:10 A reminder for your week

What can a Nobel Prize-winning physicist teach us about navigating squiggly careers? In this new Borrowed Brilliance format, Helen introduces the curiosity-driven ideas of Richard Feynman and Sarah helps turn them into practical actions for work. Together, they explore how Feynman's playful approach to learning can help all of us grow with more clarity and confidence.You'll discover the power of the Feynman Technique, why keeping a Don't Know Notebook builds smarter learning habits, and how Problem-Testing can help you see new solutions to old challenges.Episode #498

Big news!

This is the fifth and final episode of the Squiggly Careers x AI skills sprint series.Today, Helen and Sarah talk about exploring Future Possibilities in your career. As careers become less linear and more unpredictable, having multiple options and directions is essential for resilience and control.In this episode, they show how to use AI prompts to generate a mind map of career possibilities, from obvious to ambitious, pivot, and dream options. They also introduce an AI tool for practicing curious career conversations through role play, helping you build confidence and get feedback first.With people having 10-15 different jobs on average throughout their working life, embracing a variety of possibilities actually reduces career risk and builds long-term resilience.

This is the fourth episode of the Squiggly Careers x AI skills sprint series. Today, Helen and Sarah are talking about Networking. Before you skip this one (we know some of you want to!), remember this squiggly stat: 70% of people's roles come through connections.The key is reframing networking from "people knowing people" to "people helping people." This creates career karma - when you help others, good things come back to you over time.In this episode, Helen and Sarah introduce AI tools to build your personal career board with different personas like challengers, supporters, and questioners. They also explore Crystal Knows, an AI tool that helps you communicate better with your team and network by understand their communication style.

This is the third episode of the Squiggly Careers x AI skills sprint series and today Helen and Sarah are tackling Confidence. We all have gremlins - those beliefs, doubts and fears that hold us back in our careers. They're often hidden and they can grow when we don't address them. When you learn to cage them, you get better at navigating tough moments and saying yes to opportunities that stretch you.In this episode, Helen and Sarah introduce their brand-new custom Gremlins GPT - a tool they've trained with everything they've written about confidence. This AI coach helps you identify what gremlins are getting in your way and practice difficult conversations in private. You'll discover how to create visual representations of your gremlins, role-play challenging scenarios, and build a "confidence gremlin gallery" with your team.

This is the second episode of the Squiggly Careers x AI skills sprint series and today Helen and Sarah are diving into Values. Your values are what motivate and drive you - they're your internal compass that guides decision-making and career choices.In this episode, Helen and Sarah share the best tool for identifying your values and how AI can accelerate the actions you take about your values, turning them into a brilliant filter for your future. They'll show you practical ways to use your values to respond to challenges at work, and share some playful approaches you can also use with your team.When you understand what really drives you, you make better decisions for your career and become more confident as a result of having clarity about what matters most to you.

This is the first episode of the Squiggly Careers x AI skills sprint series and today Helen and Sarah are kicking things off with Day 1: Strengths. Our strengths are what we're known for - they shape how we show up and help us make more impact at work. And because strengths develop throughout your career, it's important to keep reflecting on them. In this episode, Helen and Sarah share how to give AI the right prompts to help you spot your strengths in action, stretch your strengths in your team and build a clearer and more confident LinkedIn profile. AI doesn't know you better than you know yourself, but it can act as a sparring partner - giving you new ways of looking at your experiences and surfacing patterns you might miss. By combining reflection with the power of AI, you'll walk away with practical ways to build on your strengths and accelerate your squiggly career.

AI is on everyone's minds and we're getting curious about how it can help to develop our squiggly career skills. Join us for a 5-day sprint from the 15th September where we'll be exploring lots of AI tools to support our 5 squiggly career skills: Strengths, Values, Confidence, Networking, and Future Possibilities. Just 10 minutes a day for lots of ideas and insights on how AI can help you to accelerate your squiggly career.