Squiggly Careers

The Squiggly Career
  • 4.9 (783)
  • CAREERS
  • UPDATED WEEKLY

Squiggly Careers is a weekly podcast that will help you take control of your career development. Hosted by the founders of Amazing If (https://www.amazingif.com/), Sarah Ellis and Helen Tupper, together they cover all things work: from how to manage stress and overcome your confidence gremlins to micro-aggressions and discovering your strengths. Each episode is full of ideas, actions, hints, and tips that you can put into practice straight away.  Every so often they take a break from talking to each other to interview other people who are leading the way in making work better. Past guests include entrepreneur and philanthropist Dame Stephanie Shirley, author of The Joy of Work Bruce Daisley, and neuroscience expert Amy Brann.  The Squiggly Careers podcast has been recommended by Harvard Business Review, Stylist, Marie Claire and Management Today. For more ideas, tools and inspiration every week, you can also sign up to their newsletter Squiggly Careers in Action. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

  1. 53 MIN AGO

    Could Gamifying Your Work Week Make You Better at What You Do?

    Are you a "track everything" person or a "just do the thing" person? In this episode, Helen and Sarah borrow brilliance from the world of gamification — and have a genuinely fun debate about whether it actually works for your career. Helen comes in as a convert (she gamifies her sleep, her deep sleep, her exercise, her steps, and possibly her vegetables). Sarah comes in as a sceptic. What unfolds is an honest, practical exploration of when gamification helps, when it doesn't, and how to design a game that works for you — not one that makes you feel judged by an app. 🎯 What You'll Learn – What gamification actually is and why it taps into some very human motivations – Four games you could play at work right now — from your to-do list to your energy, relationships and learning – Why the question to ask of any game is: does this make me feel more capable, or just more compliant? – How teams can play together without it turning into an uncomfortable competition – The rules of the game: how to design your own two-week experiment 📚 Resources Mentioned The Big Think Tim Harford's newsletter Squiggly Careers Skills Sprints For questions about Squiggly Careers or to share feedback, please email: helenandsarah@squigglycareers.com Need some more squiggly career support? 1. Download our free career tools 2. Sign up for our Skills Sprints 3. Sign up for our Squiggly Careers Newsletter, a weekly summary of the latest squiggly career tools 4. Order our new book Learn Like a Lobster Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

    36 min

  2. 5 DAYS AGO

    Mentor with Your Talents, Not Your Title

    What if mentoring had nothing to do with seniority — and everything to do with strengths? In this Squiggly Shortcut, Sarah makes the case for a more inclusive, more accessible approach to mentoring that every team can make happen straight away. 🎯 What You'll Learn – Why strengths-based mentoring is more useful than traditional senior-to-junior mentoring – Three ways to make it work: one way, two way (strengths swapping), and one to many – How to make your ask for mentoring specific, easy to say yes to, and genuinely flattering to receive – Why building a spreadsheet of team strengths could be one of the most useful things your team does this year 📚 Resources Mentioned Episode 122 — How to make your strengths show up and stand out  For questions about Squiggly Careers or to share feedback, please email: helenandsarah@squigglycareers.com Need some more squiggly career support? Download our free career tools Sign up for our Skills Sprints Sign up for our Squiggly Careers Newsletter, a weekly summary of the latest squiggly career tools Order our new book Learn Like a Lobster Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

    10 min

  3. 20 APR

    Draw Your Way to a Better Workday

    When did you last draw something at work? In this episode, Helen and Sarah borrow brilliance from the science of drawing — and make a surprisingly strong case for why picking up a pen (or a Post-it® Note) could be one of the most useful things you do this week. From boosting your mood to supercharging your memory, drawing does things for your brain that writing simply can't. Helen and Sarah put this to the test live, working through four drawing exercises — some just for you, some brilliant for teams — including how you're feeling about work this week, a strength you want to make stronger, your confidence gremlins, and your dream work day.Want to see Helen and Sarah's drawings for yourself? Make sure you're signed up to the Squiggly Careers Newsletter — we'll be sharing them there.This episode is brought to you in partnership with Post-it® Brand. If today's episode sparked an idea, stick it down — find out where to buy Post-it® products at go.3M.com/squiggly 🎯 What You'll Learn – Why drawing beats writing for memory and mood — and the research behind it– Four drawing exercises to try by yourself or with your team– Why "I'm not a good drawer" is the one thing that should never hold you back– How drawing someone else's dream day can tell you more about their values than almost any other team exercise 📚 Resources Mentioned Squiggly Careers on YouTube (watch the drawings in action)Squiggly Careers on SpotifyFor questions about Squiggly Careers or to share feedback, please email: helenandsarah@squigglycareers.com Need some more squiggly career support? Download our free career tools 1. Sign up for our Skills Sprints 2. Sign up for our Squiggly Careers Newsletter, a weekly summary of the latest squiggly career tools 3. Order our new book Learn Like a Lobster Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

    39 min

  4. 15 APR

    3 Ways to Be More Persuasive at Work

    How do you get people to actually listen — and say yes — more often? In this Squiggly Shortcut, Helen shares three simple, research-backed ways to become more influential at work. Whether you're trying to get an idea across, shift an outcome, or build stronger working relationships, this episode will give you practical things you can do both in the moment and over time. 🎯 What You'll Learn Why mirroring language (not just body language) is a subtle but powerful way to build connection– How likability works as a persuasion tool — and why it's less about being smiley and more about genuinely listening– Why reciprocity is a long game, and how to think about what you have to give 📚 Resources Mentioned Influence with Robert CialdiniFor questions about Squiggly Careers or to share feedback, please email: helenandsarah@squigglycareers.com Need some more squiggly career support? 1. Download our free career tools 2. Sign up for our Skills Sprints 3. Sign up for our Squiggly Careers Newsletter, a weekly summary of the latest squiggly career tools 4. Order our new book Learn Like a Lobster Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

    8 min

  5. 13 APR

    The Difference Between Working Hard and Getting Better | Big Think

    What does it actually take to go from good to great at work — and is "mastery" even the right word for it? In this episode, Helen and Sarah borrow brilliance from The Big Think's collection of articles on mastery, and make it feel a lot more relevant to everyday squiggly careers than the word itself might suggest. They explore two big ideas: how to master your response to tricky situations (think: the passive aggressive Canva comment, the "I'll just do it" default, or the unexpected tears in a meeting), and how to master your ability to succeed — including how elite athletes think about risk and failure in a way that's surprisingly useful for anyone with an ambitious goal. 🎯 What You'll Learn How to move from a default response to a deliberate decision — and why that space in between is everything– What elite athletes do differently when things go wrong (and how to apply it to your own goals)– Why naming your version of success — and stress-testing the risks — makes you more likely to actually get there– How to reframe failure as a data point rather than a verdict on you 📚 Resources Mentioned The Big Think newsletter The Big Think — Mastery collection For questions about Squiggly Careers or to share feedback, please email: helenandsarah@squigglycareers.com Need some more squiggly career support? 1. Download our free career tools 2. Sign up for our Skills Sprints 3. Sign up for our Squiggly Careers Newsletter, a weekly summary of the latest squiggly career tools4. Order our new book Learn Like a Lobster Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

    32 min
  6. Squiggly Shortcut: Listen Like You Mean It (5 Ways to Improve)

    8 APR

    Squiggly Shortcut: Listen Like You Mean It (5 Ways to Improve)

    90% of us think we're good listeners — but we retain about 20% of what we hear. In this Squiggly Shortcut, Sarah shares five practical ways to close that listening gap, starting with the one thing most of us never even notice. 🎯 What You'll Learn – Why listening isn't just about words — and what to pay attention to instead – How the pressure to respond is the biggest enemy of good listening – Why repeating back the words someone uses can unlock a whole new conversation – What a no-interruption meeting feels like — and why it's worth trying with your team – The simple summarising habit that will make you a noticeably better listener overnight 📚 Resources Mentioned Episode 319 — Listening with Kate Murphy You can also find Kate Murphy's book I Never Said I Was a Good Listener via your usual bookshop. For questions about Squiggly Careers or to share feedback, please email: helenandsarah@squigglycareers.com Need some more squiggly career support? Download our free career tools 1.Sign up for our Skills Sprints 2.Sign up for our Squiggly Careers Newsletter, a weekly summary of the latest squiggly career tools 3.Order our new book Learn Like a Lobster Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

    8 min
  7. How to read with a learning mindset

    6 APR

    How to read with a learning mindset

    What if the way you read could transform how much you actually learn, remember and use? In this episode, Helen and Sarah borrow brilliance from Ryan Holiday's video How to Read Like a Pro — and add a few rules of their own. From building an anti-library (the books you'd never normally pick up) to treating your books like they're meant to be used, not preserved, this is a practical and personal exploration of how to get more from your reading. Helen also unveils her new Post-it® Note system, and there's a genuine debate about whether folding a page corner is an act of ownership or an act of disrespect. This episode is brought to you in partnership with Post-it® Brand. If today's episode sparked an idea, stick it down — find out where to buy Post-it® products at go.3M.com/squiggly 🎯 What You'll Learn – What an anti-library is and why reading outside your comfort zone changes how you think – How to read with a pen and Post-it® Notes in a way that actually sticks – Why rereading a book you love can be more valuable than picking up a new one – The five rules for reading nonfiction more intentionally — plus Helen and Sarah's personal additions – Books Helen and Sarah would both reread and recommend right now 📚 Resources Mentioned How to Read Like a Pro — Ryan Holiday (please swap in direct link if you have it) Unreasonable Hospitality — Will Guidara Right Kind Wrong — Amy Edmondson Uncharted — Margaret Heffernan The Wonder Box — Roman Krznaric Mash-Up — Ian Sanders How to Have a Good Day — Caroline Webb The First 90 Days — Michael D. Watkins Essentialism — Greg McKeown Toby Sinclair on LinkedIn For questions about Squiggly Careers or to share feedback, please email: helenandsarah@squigglycareers.com Need some more squiggly career support? 1.Download our free career tools 2.Sign up for our Skills Sprints 3.Sign up for our Squiggly Careers Newsletter, a weekly summary of the latest squiggly career tools 4.Order our new book Learn Like a Lobster Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

    35 min
  8. Squiggly Shortcut: 3 Ways to Feel Less Stuck When Work Feels Uncertain

    1 APR

    Squiggly Shortcut: 3 Ways to Feel Less Stuck When Work Feels Uncertain

    Does work feel a bit knotty right now? In this Squiggly Shortcut, Helen shares three practical ways to find your footing when everything around you feels uncertain — whether that's a restructure, a shifting role, or just the general noise of a complicated economic moment. 🎯 What You'll Learn – Why focusing on what you do know is the best antidote to feeling overwhelmed by what you don't – How to use uncertainty as a trigger for learning — and how to build a simple learning list that puts you back in control – Why "mental time travel" — fast forwarding 12 months into the future — can help you get unstuck and decide what to do differently right now For questions about Squiggly Careers or to share feedback, please email: helenandsarah@squigglycareers.com Need some more squiggly career support? 1.Download our free career tools 2.Sign up for our Skills Sprints 3.Sign up for our Squiggly Careers Newsletter, a weekly summary of the latest squiggly career tools 4.Order our new book Learn Like a Lobster Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

    6 min
See All (570)

Trailers

Hosts & Guests

4.9
out of 5
783 Ratings

About

Squiggly Careers is a weekly podcast that will help you take control of your career development. Hosted by the founders of Amazing If (https://www.amazingif.com/), Sarah Ellis and Helen Tupper, together they cover all things work: from how to manage stress and overcome your confidence gremlins to micro-aggressions and discovering your strengths. Each episode is full of ideas, actions, hints, and tips that you can put into practice straight away.  Every so often they take a break from talking to each other to interview other people who are leading the way in making work better. Past guests include entrepreneur and philanthropist Dame Stephanie Shirley, author of The Joy of Work Bruce Daisley, and neuroscience expert Amy Brann.  The Squiggly Careers podcast has been recommended by Harvard Business Review, Stylist, Marie Claire and Management Today. For more ideas, tools and inspiration every week, you can also sign up to their newsletter Squiggly Careers in Action. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Information

  • Creator
    The Squiggly Career
  • Years Active
    2017 - 2026
  • Episodes
    570
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © 3dde6ae0-10a9-11f1-ba69-4db03cc06081
  • Show Website
    Squiggly Careers

More From Pixiu

You Might Also Like