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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. The WorkLife Question: Rachel

    2d ago

    The WorkLife Question: Rachel

    Send us Fan Mail SHOW NOTES Today's Question: What makes someone's stories visible to them? What makes someone's stories visible to them? In this episode of The WorkLife Question, I explore what Rachel discovered — that the stories which transform how a business sees itself are always already there. In the work already done. In the values already lived. What makes them visible is a question asked from genuine curiosity about what's already present. And once visible, the business impact wasn't incremental. It was transformational. RESOURCES Today’s question is from Creating Three Fundamental Stories That Define Your Identity: Success, Failure and Passion Stories Question Bank — from the section Supporting Others' Story Development. Rachel is the main protagonist in the Story Lesson: How to Create Strategic Influence Through Purpose-Driven Storytelling. Her story is featured in the episode: The Stories Behind the Stories: Rachel.  Rachel's story was told in WorkLife Stories: How to Create Strategic Influence Through Purpose-Driven Storytelling. (Free to listen). Deepen the practice with the WorkLife Compass Guided Programme:The Art of WorkLife Storytelling: Creating Three Fundamental Stories That Define Your Identity Programme Crafting Success, Failure, and Passion Narratives with Powerful Beginnings, Engaging Middles, and Memorable Endings Support the show

    5 min
  2. The Stories Behind the Stories: Mark

    2d ago

    The Stories Behind the Stories: Mark

    Send us Fan Mail SHOW NOTES The Stories Behind the Stories: Mark Mark had spent six months becoming someone he wasn't.  Mrs. Chen stopped him in one question.  What happened to the advisor who helped us understand our finances instead of just managing them? In this episode of The Stories Behind the Stories, I go deeper into the character traits at the heart of Mark's story — empathy, methodical thinking and a gift for making complexity accessible. And why adaptability as a character trait isn't about becoming someone different. It's about understanding who you are deeply enough to find new ways of expressing it. 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 Adaptability as a Character Trait Creates Sustainable Professional Success. Character-Driven WorkLife Stories That Shift How You Think. Story Lesson How Adaptability as a Character Trait Creates Sustainable Professional Success. A Story About Resilience, Authentic Strength, and Thriving Through Change. 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 have you been questioning under pressure — and what have they been creating all along that pressure couldn't diminish? When your team faces change or uncertainty — which character traits are holding everything together? And what could your organisation build if it recognised that the character traits most essential to its culture are often the ones under the most pressure to change? A Note to Listeners Every Thursday a new episode of The Stories Behind the Stories continues. From May 2026 — each new episode will be free for one week. After that it goes behind the subscriber paywall. One week to listen. One week to experience the learning. One week to build it into your working life. 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. After one week each episode joins the back catalogue — available to subscribers only. Support the show

    13 min
  3. How to Use Your Values as a Compass to Navigate Career Transitions

    4d ago

    How to Use Your Values as a Compass to Navigate Career Transitions

    Send us Fan Mail SHOW NOTES: WorkLife Stories from School of WorkLife Episode: How to Use Your Values as a Compass to Navigate Career Transitions Learning how to use your values as a compass to navigate career transitions begins with recognising that the emptiness you can't explain away is often the clearest signal you have. Jack had built exactly the technical career everyone said he should want — exceptional engineering skills, a salary that had tripled since university, recruiters messaging him weekly. Three years in, he sat at a funding celebration and felt a profound emptiness he couldn't explain away. This is the story of the Saturday afternoon that showed him why — and the eight months that followed before he was ready to act on it. 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 Use Your Values as a Compass to Navigate Career Transitions Learn how to use your core values as a compass for navigating career transitions — and build a working life on what genuinely matters to you. Guided Programme: Values Alignment Career Transition Guide - How to Navigate from Success to True Significance  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

    11 min
  4. New: The Homegoing Practice: How to Develop Cultural Intelligence and Lead Across Difference

    Jun 27

    New: The Homegoing Practice: How to Develop Cultural Intelligence and Lead Across Difference

    Send us Fan Mail SHOW NOTES The Homegoing Practice: How to Develop Cultural Intelligence and Lead Across Difference is the newest School of WorkLife Book Club online live class. It draws on Yaa Gyasi's Homegoing — and a framework exploring what cultural intelligence actually asks of us, not in major conflicts alone, but in the everyday conversations, assumptions, and misunderstandings where the invisible frameworks people carry start to matter. It's a class for anyone who has ever tried to solve a collaboration problem — and found the same friction returning in a different form. Here at the details for how to reserve your place: https://schoolofworklife.com/school-of-worklife-live-classes/  Scroll Down on School of WorkLife Live Classes to Reserve Your Place Support the show

    2 min
  5. The WorkLife Question: Daniel

    Jun 26

    The WorkLife Question: Daniel

    Send us Fan Mail SHOW NOTES Today's Question: What makes sharing your stories feel vulnerable? What makes sharing your stories feel vulnerable? In this episode of The WorkLife Question, I stay with Daniel and the question — exploring the belief he carried for five years that made sharing feel risky. Not a fear of failure. A belief that polish was what professionalism required. And what one question from a client finally gave him permission to do. RESOURCES Today’s question is from Creating Three Fundamental Stories That Define Your Identity: Success, Failure and Passion Stories Question Bank — from the section Overcoming Storytelling Resistance. Daniel is the main protagonist in the Story Lesson: How to Build Genuine Trust Through Storytelling.  His story is featured in the episode: The Stories Behind the Stories: Daniel.  Daniel's story was told in WorkLife Stories: How to Build Genuine Trust Through Storytelling. (Free to listen). Deepen the practice with the WorkLife Compass Guided Programme:The Art of WorkLife Storytelling: Creating Three Fundamental Stories That Define Your Identity Programme Crafting Success, Failure, and Passion Narratives with Powerful Beginnings, Engaging Middles, and Memorable Endings Support the show

    4 min
  6. How to Build Sustainable Wellbeing by Developing Internal Validation

    Jun 23

    How to Build Sustainable Wellbeing by Developing Internal Validation

    Send us Fan Mail SHOW NOTES: WorkLife Stories from School of WorkLife Episode: How to Build Sustainable Wellbeing by Developing Internal Validation Learning how to build sustainable wellbeing by developing internal validation begins with recognising that the search for reassurance protecting your confidence may be quietly exhausting the clarity that makes your best work possible. Josh had exceeded his targets for two years, led a high-performing team, and received consistently positive feedback — and still couldn't shake the feeling that none of it was quite enough. This is the story of the moment a conversation with his newest team member showed him that the approval he'd been seeking from everyone else was the one thing standing between him and genuine professional confidence. 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 Build Sustainable Wellbeing by Developing Internal Validation Learn how developing internal assessment skills can restore clarity, protect wellbeing, and build the kind of confidence that makes external feedback genuinely useful rather than a source of chronic anxiety. Guided Programme Take Care of Your Wellbeing Both In and Out of the Workplace — Finding Balance When Personal Crisis Meets Professional Responsibility  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

    12 min
  7. New: The Essun Practice: How to Stay Effective Through Change and Ongoing Uncertainty Online Live Class

    Jun 19

    New: The Essun Practice: How to Stay Effective Through Change and Ongoing Uncertainty Online Live Class

    Send us Fan Mail SHOW NOTES The Essun Practice: How to Stay Effective Through Change and Ongoing Uncertainty is the newest School of WorkLife Book Club online live class. It draws on N. K. Jemisin's The Fifth Season — and a framework exploring what endurance and adaptive leadership actually ask of us, not when change is temporary, but in the periods when instability becomes ongoing and where learning to function within it makes all the difference. It's a class for anyone who has stopped waiting for stability to return — and is trying to work out what to do instead. Here at the details for how to reserve your place: https://schoolofworklife.com/school-of-worklife-live-classes/  Scroll Down on School of WorkLife Live Classes to Reserve Your Place Support the show

    2 min
  8. The WorkLife Question: Sarah

    Jun 19

    The WorkLife Question: Sarah

    Send us Fan Mail SHOW NOTES Today's Question: What signals indicate engagement or disconnection? What signals indicate engagement or disconnection? In this episode of The WorkLife Question, I explore what Sarah discovered about reading signals — not in her own breakthrough moment, but in the three leadership situations that followed. The acquisition. The Tom conversation. The leadership development programme. Each one taught her something more precise about what engagement and disconnection actually look like. RESOURCES Today’s question is from Creating Three Fundamental Stories That Define Your Identity: Success, Failure and Passion Stories Question Bank — from the section Adapting Stories to Context. Sarah is the main protagonist in the Story Lesson: How to Lead Authentically Through Storytelling. Her story is featured in the episode: The Stories Behind the Stories: Sarah.  Sarah's story was told in WorkLife Stories: How to Lead Authentically Through Storytelling. (Free to listen). Deepen the practice with the WorkLife Compass Guided Programme:The Art of WorkLife Storytelling: Creating Three Fundamental Stories That Define Your Identity Programme Crafting Success, Failure, and Passion Narratives with Powerful Beginnings, Engaging Middles, and Memorable Endings Support the show

    5 min
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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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