WorkLife Stories from School of WorkLife

Carmel
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Character-Driven WorkLife Stories That Shift How You Think Short, character-driven stories about real WorkLife challenges — how we communicate, lead, make decisions, and navigate what happens at work. Each story shows a moment where something shifts: a conversation changes, an idea lands, a different approach opens up.  Working examples you can recognise and use — designed to be useful immediately. The stories explore five themes, each a different lens on the same essential question:  How do we create WorkLives that matter? Self-Discovery — understanding what truly matters to you.  Book Club Books — learning from the wisdom found in great books.  The Art of WorkLife Storytelling — crafting your distinctive narratives.  Character Traits — enhancing your natural strengths.  Mental Health and Wellbeing — navigating workplace wellbeing challenges. Every episode is complete and free to listen.  Each story connects to a full Story Lesson — a deeper, structured resource with frameworks, reflection, and practical application.  And for those who want to go deeper still, Story Lessons connect to Guided Programmes — comprehensive learning journeys available at School of WorkLife. New episodes every Tuesday.

  1. 18h ago

    Introducing Get the Partnership

    Send us Fan Mail SHOW NOTES: WorkLife Stories from School of WorkLife Episode: Introducing Get the Partnership Introducing Get the Partnership — a new Professional Self-Coaching resource from School of WorkLife, created for one important professional moment: turning your expertise into genuine working relationships. You know your subject, and your expertise is taken. And still the work stays transactional — people accept what you tell them, and the real engagement never comes. When expertise fails to create partnership, the thinking itself is rarely the reason. It fails because the thinking arrives without the journey that produced it. Get the Partnership takes you from your expertise to three prepared professional stories — success, failure and passion — that carry that journey. Each one prepared for a colleague, for the person deciding, and for a room. And then the same questions turned outward, to draw out other people's three stories, which is where analysis becomes partnership. RESOURCES MENTIONED GET THE PARTNERSHIP: Professional Self-Coaching for Turning Your Expertise Into Genuine Working Relationships — Tell the Three Stories That Make Your Insight Land, So People Engage With It, Not Just Receive It — Prepare the Success, Failure and Passion Stories That Turn Respected Work Into Real Working Relationships Work With Me: Commissioned learning resources, speaking engagements, and organisational partnerships. The stories I write are based on real WorkLife challenges, obstacles, failures and successes. Persons and companies portrayed in the stories are not based on real people or entities. Carmel O' Reilly schoolofworklife.com Support the show

    Introducing Get the Partnership

  2. 19h ago

    Why "What Are the Best Books for Leaders?" Is the Wrong Question

    Send us Fan Mail SHOW NOTES: WorkLife Stories from School of WorkLife Episode: Why "What Are the Best Books for Leaders?" Is the Wrong Question Why "what are the best books for leaders?" is the wrong question is something Nadia discovered only after asking it — and the question beneath it changes what reading can do for you. Nadia had been a team lead for eight months — long enough to notice that the parts of the job that came hardest weren't technical, and that she was managing tasks and missing people. This is the story of what happened when she stopped asking which books to read — and asked what the reading was for. RESOURCES MENTIONED School of WorkLife — Story-based professional development for working life. Work With Me: Commissioned learning resources, speaking engagements, and organisational partnerships. The stories I write are based on real WorkLife challenges, obstacles, failures and successes. Persons and companies portrayed in the stories are not based on real people or entities. Carmel O' Reilly schoolofworklife.com Support the show

    Why "What Are the Best Books for Leaders?" Is the Wrong Question

  3. 20h ago

    Introducing Get the Recognition

    Send us Fan Mail SHOW NOTES: WorkLife Stories from School of WorkLife Episode: Introducing Get the Recognition Introducing Get the Recognition — a new Professional Self-Coaching resource from School of WorkLife, created for one important professional moment: being seen for the value you create. You are probably doing more than your job title describes — work that has quietly grown beyond the role it was written for, into something that has no name yet. And because it has no name, nobody sees it, including you. Get the Recognition takes you from your experience to three prepared professional stories that make your real value visible: first to yourself, then to the people around you, and finally in a way that lets you draw out the value in others — where recognition becomes partnership. RESOURCES MENTIONED GET THE RECOGNITION: Professional Self-Coaching for Being Seen for the Value You Create — Tell the Three Stories That Reveal the Strategic Value Hidden Inside Your Everyday Work — Make Visible What You've Been Doing All Along, So the Right Opportunities Can Find You Work With Me: Commissioned learning resources, speaking engagements, and organisational partnerships. The stories I write are based on real WorkLife challenges, obstacles, failures and successes. Persons and companies portrayed in the stories are not based on real people or entities. Carmel O' Reilly schoolofworklife.com Support the show

    Introducing Get the Recognition

  4. 1d ago

    The WorkLife Question: Elena

    Send us Fan Mail SHOW NOTES Today's Question: What character traits could serve different purposes? What character traits could serve different purposes? In this episode of The WorkLife Question, I sit with Elena and the question — exploring what it means when character traits are already expressing themselves in more than one context. And what becomes possible when you finally see all the places they show up. RESOURCES Today's question is from The Longest Way Round for Character Trait Development Question Bank — from the section Recognising Natural Character Traits. Elena is the main protagonist in the Story Lesson: How Hidden Character Traits Shape Your True Professional Calling. A Story About Discovering Purpose Through Unexpected Character Development. Her story is featured in the episode: The Stories Behind the Stories: Elena Elena's story was told in WorkLife Stories: How Hidden Character Traits Shape Your True Professional Calling. Character-Driven WorkLife Stories That Shift How You Think. (Free to listen). Deepen the practice with the WorkLife Compass Guided Programme: The Longest Way Round: A Journey of Character — How Embracing Your Natural Traits and the Wisdom of Great Storytellers Can Transform Your Path to Purpose. Support the show

    The WorkLife Question: Elena

  5. 3d ago

    The Stories Behind the Stories: Annie

    Send us Fan Mail SHOW NOTES The Stories Behind the Stories: Annie Fifteen feedback forms. Dutifully completed. Filed away unread. In this episode of The Stories Behind the Stories, I go deeper into the character traits at the heart of Annie's story — systematic thinking, attention to detail and empathy. And what happens when character traits working together as a system are finally given the conditions they need to create their full value. RESOURCES The Storytelling Newsletter (Free) Short, focused, and grounded in real WorkLife situations — how we communicate, lead, make decisions, and navigate challenges at work.   WorkLife Stories from School of WorkLife (Free). How Character Traits Transform Professional Development and Organisational Success. Character-Driven WorkLife Stories That Shift How You Think. Story Lesson How Character Traits Transform Professional Development and Organisational Success. A Story About Hidden Capabilities, Business Value, and Sustainable Growth. Guided Programme The Longest Way Round: A Journey of Character — How Embracing Your Natural Traits and the Wisdom of Great Storytellers Can Transform Your Path to Purpose  Your Character Trait Takeaway What character traits do you bring to your work that need better conditions to create their full value? What would your team be capable of if the conditions allowed their character traits to operate as they should? And what could your organisation achieve if it invested in the conditions that allow character traits to create what they're genuinely capable of? A Note to Listeners If an episode resonates — pass it to someone who would find it useful. A colleague. A client. A friend. That’s how this work finds the people it’s meant for. Thank you. Carmel Support the show

    The Stories Behind the Stories: Annie

  6. 3d ago

    How Do I Talk About Failure in a Job Interview?

    Send us Fan Mail SHOW NOTES: WorkLife Stories from School of WorkLife Episode: How Do I Talk About Failure in a Job Interview? How do I talk about failure in a job interview is the question every candidate braces for — and owning it whole is how it becomes the strongest answer you give. Callum's one big mistake was public, recent, and known to everyone on the panel — two of them had helped clean it up. This is the story of three deleted drafts, the harder question he asked himself, the decision that frightened him as much as the interview did — and the obstacle that turned out to exist only in his own mind. RESOURCES MENTIONED Get the Job — Professional Self-Coaching for Job Interviews Tell the Three Stories That Reveal Your Professional Value, Character and Potential Work With Me: Commissioned learning resources, speaking engagements, and organisational partnerships. The stories I write are based on real WorkLife challenges, obstacles, failures and successes. Persons and companies portrayed in the stories are not based on real people or entities. Carmel O’ Reilly  schoolofworklife.com  Support the show

    How Do I Talk About Failure in a Job Interview?

  7. 4d ago

    How to Recognise Community-Building as a Character Trait to Transform Your Professional Impact

    Send us Fan Mail SHOW NOTES: WorkLife Stories from School of WorkLife Episode: How to Recognise Community-Building as a Character Trait to Transform Your Professional Impact Learning how to recognise community-building as a character trait to transform your professional impact begins with seeing what feels so natural you've never thought to call it a strength. Anita had been managing projects for years, quietly apologising for the one thing she did more naturally than anyone else around her. This is the story of the crisis that unfolded when she suppressed it, the moment she held her ground to reclaim it, and what became possible when she stopped treating her natural gift for creating connection as a professional liability. RESOURCES MENTIONED The Storytelling Newsletter (Free) Short, focused, and grounded in real WorkLife situations — how we communicate, lead, make decisions, and navigate challenges at work.   Story Lesson: How to Recognise Community-Building as a Character Trait to Transform Your Professional ImpactDiscover how recognising your natural gift for creating connection can unlock deeper impact, stronger leadership, and your most powerful professional contribution. Guided Programme: The Salt of the Earth: A Journey of Character How Embracing Your Natural Traits and the Wisdom of Everyday Heroes Can Transform Your Path to Purpose Commissioned learning resources, speaking engagements, and organisational partnerships: carmel@schoolofworklife.com schoolofworklife.com The stories I write are based on real WorkLife challenges, obstacles, failures and successes. Persons and companies portrayed in the stories are not based on real people or entities. Carmel O' Reilly Support the show

    How to Recognise Community-Building as a Character Trait to Transform Your Professional Impact

  8. 5d ago

    What Is Self-Leadership?

    Send us Fan Mail SHOW NOTES:  WorkLife Stories from School of WorkLife Episode: What Is Self-Leadership? What is self-leadership is the second question at the heart of my work — and Orla's first ninety days answer it one notebook page at a time. Orla got the role: an interim directorship she'd made her case for in ten days. This is the story of what happened next — a restructure finally hers to call, afternoons that kept slipping back into her old job, one Monday morning that took ninety seconds, and the three lines in a notebook that governed all of it. RESOURCES MENTIONED Professional Self-Coaching from School of WorkLife — Each resource created for one important professional moment. One purpose. One challenge. One outcome. The thinking, the sequence, the questions and the frameworks a coach would bring to hours of one-to-one work — placed in your hands, to work through in your own space and time. Work With Me: Commissioned learning resources, speaking engagements, and organisational partnerships. The stories I write are based on real WorkLife challenges, obstacles, failures and successes. Persons and companies portrayed in the stories are not based on real people or entities. Carmel O’ Reilly  schoolofworklife.com  Support the show

    What Is Self-Leadership?
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Character-Driven WorkLife Stories That Shift How You Think Short, character-driven stories about real WorkLife challenges — how we communicate, lead, make decisions, and navigate what happens at work. Each story shows a moment where something shifts: a conversation changes, an idea lands, a different approach opens up.  Working examples you can recognise and use — designed to be useful immediately. The stories explore five themes, each a different lens on the same essential question:  How do we create WorkLives that matter? Self-Discovery — understanding what truly matters to you.  Book Club Books — learning from the wisdom found in great books.  The Art of WorkLife Storytelling — crafting your distinctive narratives.  Character Traits — enhancing your natural strengths.  Mental Health and Wellbeing — navigating workplace wellbeing challenges. Every episode is complete and free to listen.  Each story connects to a full Story Lesson — a deeper, structured resource with frameworks, reflection, and practical application.  And for those who want to go deeper still, Story Lessons connect to Guided Programmes — comprehensive learning journeys available at School of WorkLife. New episodes every Tuesday.

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