reThink: How you think, work and thrive

Nicki Hambleton
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reThink: How You Think, Work and Thrive The podcast that helps you picture what you hear. I’m on a mission to change the way you think, literally.reThink helps you see things differently and think more visually. Visual thinking isn’t just doodles and diagrams, it’s a powerful tool for clearer communication, better collaboration and smarter problem-solving. Whether you're a leader, educator, student, or entrepreneur, this podcast offers practical strategies to map your thinking, master visual metaphors and use creative shortcuts that make your work easier and more effective. 🧠 Need a fresh take on problem-solving?👥 Want to unlock better teamwork?🎯 Ready to rethink how you make decisions? If so, hit play and discover a clearer, more creative way to work, lead, and learn.

  1. Episode 51: Slides as Mirrors to what you Hear

    JAN 22

    Episode 51: Slides as Mirrors to what you Hear

    Slides as Mirrors to what you Hear Design choices that make ideas stick We often think slides are there to hold content. But what if their real role is to support memory and meaning instead? In this short solo episode, Nicki Hambleton reflects on a recent experience helping a neurodivergent speaker prepare slides for a high-pressure presentation. The challenge wasn’t the thinking or the script, it was distilling what mattered and knowing how to represent it visually. This episode explores: Why slides work best as visual cues, not bullet pointsHow simple design choices can reduce cognitive loadThe role of imagery and restraint in supporting memoryWhy slides that mirror what we hear help ideas stick for both the speaker and the audienceIf you’ve ever felt overwhelmed by slide design, or wondered why some presentations linger while others fade, this episode offers a calmer, more human way to think about visual support. Because sometimes, clarity isn’t about adding more, it’s about designing with intention. We all need a rethink once in a while, so why not start today?

    5 min

  2. JAN 16

    Episode 50: Thinking Becomes Stronger When It’s Shared

    Episode 50: Thinking Becomes Stronger When It’s Shared with special guest Tricia Friedman Episode 50 of Rethink: The Podcast offers a moment to pause and reflect, not on numbers or milestones, but on how the podcast, and the thinking behind it, has evolved over the past year. In this reflective conversation, Nicki Hambleton is joined by Tricia Friedman to explore a simple but powerful idea: Thinking becomes stronger when it’s shared. Together, they discuss the shift from solo episodes to shared conversations, and how inviting another mind into the space has deepened ideas, strengthened confidence, and changed the nature of the podcast itself. The episode explores: The difference between thinking alone and thinking togetherWhy conversation can act as a powerful thinking toolHow curiosity, challenge, and perspective strengthen ideasMoving away from performance towards reflection and connectionWhat has changed through choosing to share the thinking spaceEpisode 50 is not a celebration in the traditional sense. Instead, it is a thoughtful reflection on growth, learning, and the quiet impact of thinking alongside others. This episode will resonate with anyone who has noticed that their clearest ideas often emerge through conversation. We all need a rethink once in a while, so why not start today?

    43 min
  3. Episode 49: Are You Sitting Comfortably? Let Me Begin

    JAN 5

    Episode 49: Are You Sitting Comfortably? Let Me Begin

    Episode 49: Are You Sitting Comfortably? Let Me Begin. Story, Rehearsal and Authentic Communication with James Healy In this episode of reThink, Nicki Hambleton is joined by communication specialist James Healy for a thoughtful conversation about story, presence, and what it really means to rehearse. James shares his journey from classical drama training to working with leaders, law firms and organisations around the world, helping them communicate with confidence, clarity and impact. Along the way, the episode explores a common challenge many people face: feeling well-prepared, yet still nervous, flat or disconnected when it comes time to speak. Together, they unpack why preparation alone often fails and why rehearsal, storytelling and embodied presence make such a difference. James introduces his SOAR storytelling framework, showing how: situation sets contextobstacles create engagementaction builds momentumand results make ideas memorableThe episode also talks about: why stories engage us more than dataauthenticity and vulnerability in the age of AIhow quieter voices can still command attentionand how imperfection often builds stronger connection than polishThis episode is an invitation to slow down, speak ideas out loud, and rethink how stories, including your own, are told. 🎧 Whether you’re leading, presenting, teaching or simply trying to be heard, this conversation offers a more human way to communicate. The Shift James Healy LinkedIn The Squiggly career: Helen Tupper Forbes: From Classroom to Career Olivier Mythodrama We all need a rethink once in a while, so why not start today?

    46 min
  4. Ep48 From Visuals to Voice: A Year of Rethinking Out Loud

    12/29/2025

    Ep48 From Visuals to Voice: A Year of Rethinking Out Loud

    From Visuals to Voice: A Year of Rethinking Out Loud As the year comes to a close, this episode of Rethink: The Podcast is a moment to pause and reflect. Rather than introducing a new visual tool or hosting a guest conversation, Nicki steps back to join the dots between the ideas, conversations and moments that have shaped the podcast over the past year. From revisiting her 2014 Learning2 talk on the power of visuals, to noticing recurring themes across conversations with educators, leaders, creatives and facilitators, Nicki reflects on how visualising thinking has helped people make sense of complexity, reduce cognitive overload and communicate ideas more clearly. This episode explores the shift from thinking visually to thinking out loud and how hosting the podcast has become a quiet practice in finding confidence, clarity and voice. Nicki also reflects on her earlier podcast, The Confessions of an Introvert, and shares why she feels drawn to revisiting those quieter, story-led conversations. If you’re someone who thinks deeply, sketches ideas, or feels overwhelmed when thoughts stay stuck in your head, this end-of-year reflection offers a gentle reminder: making thinking visible doesn’t require perfection, just space, curiosity and the courage to say the next honest thing out loud. Learning2 Asia 2014: The Power of Visuals by Nicki Hambleton We all need a rethink once in a while, so why not start today?

    10 min
  5. Episode 47: Rethinking Journalling.

    12/22/2025

    Episode 47: Rethinking Journalling.

    Rethinking Journalling: Calm, Creativity, and the Power of Visual Reflection In this episode of reThink, Nicki Hambleton is joined by educator, coach, and podcast host Kim Cofino for a reflective conversation about journalling, not as a writing habit, but as a visual, calming practice. Kim shares how journalling supported her through a demanding year, helping her slow down, process experiences and remember everyday moments more clearly. Rather than focusing on written entries, the conversation explores how simple visuals, doodles, colour, and small observations can make journalling feel more accessible and sustainable. The episode explores: How journalling can support calm and emotional processingWhy visual cues help memory and recallLetting go of perfection and consistencyJournalling as a personal, flexible practice rather than a performanceThis episode offers a gentler way into journalling, particularly for those who have struggled to maintain traditional written journals. https://www.linkedin.com/in/kimcofino/ https://www.instagram.com/superkimbocreates/?hl=en https://www.1101.com/store/techo/en/all_about/ We all need a rethink once in a while, so why not start today?

    48 min
  6. Episode 46: What Happens When You Stop Typing and Start Seeing Your Notes?

    12/15/2025

    Episode 46: What Happens When You Stop Typing and Start Seeing Your Notes?

    What Happens When You Stop Typing and Start Seeing Your Notes? An Introduction to Sketchnoting Most of us type far more notes than we ever return to. We capture everything, but remember very little. So what actually changes when we stop writing pages of text and start seeing our notes instead? In this episode, I share how sketchnoting transformed the way I process information over ten years ago, because dense text overwhelmed me, bored me, and stayed hidden on my computer. I needed a way to stay engaged while capturing ideas, and a way to actually use them later. I explore: Why sketchnoting isn’t about drawing wellHow visual notes help you see, choose and act on ideasHow to get startedWhy choosing what matters reduces overwhelmHow sketchnotes become notes you actually revisit Try capturing one idea visually and see what happens when you come back to it. We all need a rethink once in a while, so why not start today?

    9 min
  7. Episode 45: Permission to Play. Rethinking facilitation

    12/08/2025

    Episode 45: Permission to Play. Rethinking facilitation

    In this episode, Nicki is joined by creative facilitator and multipotentialite Angel Takooree for an insightful conversation about what truly makes a workshop engaging, human, and meaningful. Angel shares how her squiggly career, spanning food innovation, interior design, service design, LEGO® Serious Play®, and visual thinking, has shaped her approach to facilitation. She talks about designing workshops through the senses, rethinking space, using visuals to reduce overwhelm, and creating environments where people feel safe, relaxed, and ready to contribute. Together, Nicki and Angel explore: How thoughtful space design transforms group dynamicsWhy sensory cues (music, scent, layout) help people feel at easeHow visual thinking invites people into conversations differentlyWhy metaphors and LEGO bricks help adults stop overthinkingWhat multipotentialites bring to creative and collaborative workWhen people feel comfortable, curious, and cared for, they begin to relax into experimentation and that’s when real creativity emerges. This episode is full of joyful stories, practical insights, and gentle encouragement for anyone wanting to rethink how they design meetings, workshops, or learning experiences. We all need a rethink once in a while, so why not start today?

    42 min
  8. Episode 44: Rethinking Journalling. One Day. One Drawing

    12/01/2025

    Episode 44: Rethinking Journalling. One Day. One Drawing

    Episode 44: Rethinking Journalling. One Day. One Drawing. In this reflective episode of Rethink: The Podcast, Nicki Hambleton explores why traditional journalling is so hard to sustain and how a simple daily drawing ritual can turn reflection into something calming, consistent, and deeply grounding. Nicki shares her own struggle with keeping a diary, yet drawing, especially ten minutes a day, became a meditative practice she could return to again and again. So what happens when you combine the two? Through personal stories, family memories, cognitive science, and a practical four-step method, Nicki shows how visual journalling can help anyone create a small, meaningful daily ritual. Listeners are invited to try their own “one day, one drawing” moment and share their methods, tools, and pages. We all need a rethink once in a while, so why not start today?

    10 min
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About

reThink: How You Think, Work and Thrive The podcast that helps you picture what you hear. I’m on a mission to change the way you think, literally.reThink helps you see things differently and think more visually. Visual thinking isn’t just doodles and diagrams, it’s a powerful tool for clearer communication, better collaboration and smarter problem-solving. Whether you're a leader, educator, student, or entrepreneur, this podcast offers practical strategies to map your thinking, master visual metaphors and use creative shortcuts that make your work easier and more effective. 🧠 Need a fresh take on problem-solving?👥 Want to unlock better teamwork?🎯 Ready to rethink how you make decisions? If so, hit play and discover a clearer, more creative way to work, lead, and learn.

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