Squiggly Careers

The Squiggly Career
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  • CAREERS
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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. 2 DAYS AGO

    Learn Like a Lobster: How to Keep Growing in Your Career

    Big news! 🎉 Pre-orders for Helen and Sarah’s brand-new book *Learn Like a Lobster* are now live. In this special episode, they share why lobsters are the perfect metaphor for modern learning, what makes the book different, and how you can start “learning like a lobster” right away. You’ll hear about the free Learn Like a Lobster Library, discover three big lobster-inspired lessons, and get practical tools you can experiment with today. Pre-order the book below: PRH US - https://bit.ly/3KxTeBn Amazon UK - https://amzn.to/3KcRZaR ⏱️ Timestamps 00:00 Introduction 00:50 Big news: Learn Like a Lobster pre-orders are live 05:15 What’s in the Learn Like a Lobster Library (workshops, tools & community) 07:23 Why lobsters? 11:50 Learn as you go: experimenting with out loud vs. quiet thinking 21:15 Learning in hard moments: Fly on the wall facts 35:24 Leading your own learning: Beginner Bingo 42:43 How to join the Learn Like a Lobster Library & what’s next 🎯 What You’ll Learn - Why lobsters are the perfect model for lifelong learning - A technique to reframe tough moments into learning opportunities - Ways to fuel your own growth without waiting for permission - How to build confidence through beginner moments 📚 Resources Mentioned - Pre-order Learn Like A Lobster: https://www.penguin.co.uk/books/463488/learn-like-a-lobster-by-ellis-helen-tupper-and-sarah/9780241718957 - The Learn Like a Lobster Library (free with pre-order) For questions about Squiggly Careers or to share feedback, please email helenandsarah@squigglycareers.com More ways to learn about Squiggly Careers: 📩 Download our free career tools: https://www.amazingif.com/toolkit/ 📮 Get Squiggly Careers in Action in your inbox: https://bit.ly/SquigglyCareersInAction 📚 Read our books: The Squiggly Career and You Coach You: https://www.amazingif.com/books/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    45 min

  2. 6 DAYS AGO

    AI Skills Sprint: How To Design Your Future Career Using AI

    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. 🥇 Sign up for the sprint here: https://bit.ly/41jasYO ⏱️ Timestamps 00:00 Introduction 01:07 Why future possibilities matter in a squiggly career 02:48 AI prompt to explore different types of career possibilities 05:40 AI Tool: Yoodli 08:39 Team activity: who are your career role models? 🎯 What You’ll Learn * The importance of having multiple career options * How to use AI to generate a mind map of career possibilities * Why creating rather than waiting for opportunities matters in modern careers * How to practice curious career conversations 📚 Resources Mentioned Future Possibilities Daily Summary - https://bit.ly/scss-ai-day5-summary Yoodli - https://yoodli.ai/ For questions about Squiggly Careers or to share feedback, please email helenandsarah@squigglycareers.com More ways to learn about Squiggly Careers: 📩 Download our free career tools: https://www.amazingif.com/toolkit/ 📮 Get Squiggly Careers in Action in your inbox: https://bit.ly/SquigglyCareersInAction 📚 Read our books: The Squiggly Career and You Coach You: https://www.amazingif.com/books/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    11 min

  3. 18 SEPT

    AI Skills Sprint: How To Make Networking Easy with AI

    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. 🥇 Sign up for the sprint here: https://bit.ly/41jasYO ⏱️ Timestamps 00:00 Introduction 00:47 70% of roles come through connections 01:15 Reframing networking & creating career karma 02:04 Building your personal career board with AI 06:20 Crystal Knows: AI personality analysis tool 09:36 Team activity: Learning goals and mutual support 🎯 What You’ll Learn * How to reframe networking as "people helping people" * How to use AI to create a diverse personal career board * Team exercises for sharing learning goals and building connections 📚 Resources Mentioned Networks Daily Summary: https://bit.ly/scss-ai-day4-summary Crystal Knows: https://www.crystalknows.com/ For questions about Squiggly Careers or to share feedback, please email helenandsarah@squigglycareers.com More ways to learn about Squiggly Careers: 📩 Download our free career tools: https://www.amazingif.com/toolkit/ 📮 Get Squiggly Careers in Action in your inbox: https://bit.ly/SquigglyCareersInAction 📚 Read our books: The Squiggly Career and You Coach You: https://www.amazingif.com/books/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    11 min

  4. 17 SEPT

    AI Skills Sprint: How to cage confidence gremlins that are getting in the way of your growth

    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. 🥇 Sign up for the sprint here: https://bit.ly/41jasYO ⏱️ Timestamps 00:00 Introduction 00:37 What are confidence gremlins and why do they limit us? 03:11 Introducing the custom Confidence Gremlins GPT tool 05:29 Creating visuals of your gremlins 06:36 Using AI to role-play your gremlin during challenges 08:58 Team activity: Creating a confidence gremlin gallery 🎯 What You’ll Learn * How to identify and understand your confidence gremlins * How to use the custom Gremlins GPT for private confidence coaching * Tools for role-playing challenging scenarios with AI * Creative ways to share and discuss gremlins with your team 📚 Resources Mentioned Confidence Gremlin GPT - https://bit.ly/squigglycareerconfidencecoach Confidence Daily Summary - https://bit.ly/scss-ai-day3-summary For questions about Squiggly Careers or to share feedback, please email helenandsarah@squigglycareers.com More ways to learn about Squiggly Careers: 📩 Download our free career tools: https://www.amazingif.com/toolkit/ 📮 Get Squiggly Careers in Action in your inbox: https://bit.ly/SquigglyCareersInAction 📚 Read our books: The Squiggly Career and You Coach You: https://www.amazingif.com/books/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    11 min

  5. 16 SEPT

    AI Skills Sprint: How To Identify Your Values (Your Filter For Your Future)

    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. 🥇 Sign up for the sprint here: https://bit.ly/41jasYO ⏱️ Timestamps 00:38 What are values and why do they matter? 03:15 The best tool to identify your values 04:39 Using your values to respond to challenges 05:52 AI prompts to action your values 08:41 Team activity: Fun ways to talk about values with your team 🎯 What You’ll Learn * How to identify and clarify your core values (and why it's important) * Why values are a powerful career decision-making filter * How to use AI prompts to turn values into actionable insights * Fun and engaging methods to share values with your team 📚 Resources Mentioned Values Daily Summary: https://bit.ly/scss-ai-day2-summary Run Your Own Race Episode: https://youtu.be/cUdwIvnDpNQ Ask the Expert: Purpose with Simon Sinek, author and speaker: https://youtu.be/DATg__SZcwE Values Tool: https://values.institute/ Gemini: https://gemini.google.com For questions about Squiggly Careers or to share feedback, please email helenandsarah@squigglycareers.com More ways to learn about Squiggly Careers: 📩 Download our free career tools: https://www.amazingif.com/toolkit/ 🏃‍♀️ Join our next Skills Sprint: https://bit.ly/skillssprint2024 📮 Get Squiggly Careers in Action in your inbox: https://bit.ly/SquigglyCareersInAction 📚 Read our books: The Squiggly Career and You Coach You: https://www.amazingif.com/books/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    11 min

  6. 15 SEPT

    AI Skills Sprint: How To Discover Your Strengths Using AI (in 10 Minutes)

    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. 🥇 Sign up for the sprint here: https://bit.ly/41jasYO ⏱️ Timestamps 00:00 Introduction 00:48 What are strengths and why do they matter? 02:13 AI prompts to help discover you strengths 08:20 Optimising your LinkedIn profile around your strengths with AI 09:19 Team activity: 3 ways to talk about strengths with your team 🎯 What You’ll Learn * Why strengths evolve throughout your career * How to use AI prompts to uncover and reflect on your strengths * How to optimise your LinkedIn profile to reflect your value * Ways to stretch your strengths in a team setting for more impact 📚 Resources Mentioned Strengths Daily Summary - https://bit.ly/scss-ai-day1-summary Amy Edmondson - https://amycedmondson.com/ Claude - https://claude.ai/ Canva's AI Tool - https://www.canva.com/magic-design/ Strengths Toolkit – https://www.amazingif.com/toolkit/ For questions about Squiggly Careers or to share feedback, please email helenandsarah@squigglycareers.com More ways to learn about Squiggly Careers: 📩 Download our free career tools: https://www.amazingif.com/toolkit/ 🏃‍♀️ Join our next Skills Sprint: https://bit.ly/skillssprint2024 📮 Get Squiggly Careers in Action in your inbox: https://bit.ly/SquigglyCareersInAction 📚 Read our books: The Squiggly Career and You Coach You: https://www.amazingif.com/books/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    11 min

  7. 14 SEPT

    Welcome to the Squiggly Careers AI Skills Sprint 2025 🥇

    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. 🥇 Sign up for the sprint here: https://bit.ly/3UC3jPy 👥 Join our Squiggly Community: https://www.linkedin.com/company/amazing-if/ ⏱️ Timestamps 00:00 Welcome to the Squiggly Careers AI Skills Sprint 2025 00:43 What is a Squiggly Career? 01:10 What is a Sprint? 01:40 Supporting you while you sprint 02:13 FAQs 03:12 Learning with thousands in our community More ways to learn about Squiggly Careers: 📩 Download our free career tools: https://www.amazingif.com/toolkit/ 🏃‍♀️ Join our next Skills Sprint: https://bit.ly/skillssprint2024 📮 Get Squiggly Careers in Action in your inbox: https://bit.ly/SquigglyCareersInAction 📚 Read our books: The Squiggly Career and You Coach You: https://www.amazingif.com/books/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    4 min

  8. 9 SEPT

    #496 4 Team Habits That Are Holding You Back (and What to Do Instead)

    🥇 Sign up for the sprint here: https://bit.ly/41jasYO This week, Helen and Sarah shine a light on the unhelpful habits that teams often slip into without even realising it. From meetings that drag on autopilot to one-to-ones that don’t deliver what you need, these routines can waste time, reduce energy, and stop people from working at their best. In this episode, they share the four most common team traps and practical alternatives to try instead. You’ll hear how to spot unhelpful routines, reset them without blame, and create new habits that help your team feel more energised, inclusive, and effective. ⏱️ Timestamps 00:00 Announcement 01:02 Introduction 05:15 Why teams get stuck in autopilot 08:20 Trap #1: Repeating the same roles in meetings 15:40 Trap #2: Defaulting to recurring meetings 21:58 Trap #3: One-to-ones that lack focus 29:45 Trap #4: Unhelpful communication and collaboration 38:37 How to experiment and reset as a team 42:30 PodSheet and next steps 🎯 What You’ll Learn 4 common team habits that hold people backWhy recurring meetings and default roles reduce effectivenessAlternatives to traditional 1:1s that create more valueHow to reset team communication for clarity and collaborationSimple experiments you can try together to build better ways of working For questions about Squiggly Careers or to share feedback, please email helenandsarah@squigglycareers.com More ways to learn about Squiggly Careers: 📩 Download our free career tools: https://www.amazingif.com/toolkit/ 🏃‍♀️ Join our next Skills Sprint: https://bit.ly/skillssprint2024 📮 Get Squiggly Careers in Action in your inbox: https://bit.ly/SquigglyCareersInAction 📚 Read our books: The Squiggly Career and You Coach You: https://www.amazingif.com/books/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    40 min
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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 - 2025
  • Episodes
    506
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © Amazing If
  • Show Website
    Squiggly Careers
  • Provider

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