Breaking the Timeline by Shana Francis

Shana Francis
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Breaking the Timeline is for the women who are building careers, chasing ambitions, and refusing to wait for permission, all at the same time. Hosted by Shana Francis, Senior Lecturer, leadership coach, and the woman doing exactly what she's talking about. Every episode covers one idea properly: career growth, self-development, and what it actually looks like to live a full life without picking a lane. No hustle culture. No fluff. Just honest conversations that make you feel understood and leave you with something to do today. newslettershanafrancis.substack.com

  1. 1d ago

    Paper Planner vs Digital Planner: Why I Use BOTH + My Obsidian Second Brain

    ➡️ Link to my Agenda inserts — 500+ pages to support you on your paper planner journey:https://shanafrancis.com/digitalproducts?category=pcol_01M40SJBDYQJ6NHTKQ4X0X4F14 Paper planner vs digital planner — which one is actually better? After years of trying Notion dashboards, digital planners, productivity apps, time blocking and all-in-one organisation systems, I realised something: I don't actually need one tool to do everything. I need different tools to do different jobs. In this episode of Breaking the Timeline, I'm sharing the productivity system I currently use to organise my life, career, business, learning and ideas, combining Obsidian as my digital second brain with a physical paper planner for weekly planning and execution. ⏱️ CHAPTERS 00:00 Paper Planner vs Digital Planner04:58 Why My Old Productivity System Stopped Working10:55 Why I Switched to Obsidian11:20 What Is Obsidian?12:56 How Obsidian Connects My Ideas14:52 The Problem With AI + Multiple Productivity Apps21:58 Using AI as a Thinking Partner24:14 Why I Still Need a Paper Planner26:28 Inside My Physical Planner33:22 Obsidian vs Paper Planner: Their Different Jobs41:53 When Your Second Brain Becomes a Warehouse42:36 Building a Personal Ecosystem43:10 How to Build Your Own System 📌 FOLLOW MY JOURNEY Instagram → https://www.instagram.com/shanafrancisofficialTikTok → http://tiktok.com/@shanafrancisofficial 🔗 EVERYTHING ELSE Links to all products: https://stan.store/shanafrancisofficialCollab with me: https://portfolio.shanafrancis.com/ ABOUT BREAKING THE TIMELINE The podcast for emerging professionals who are done waiting for permission to lead, build, and create the life they actually want. Every week I talk about the things nobody says in your staffroom, at your appraisal, or in your first few years. I became a senior lecturer by 28 by climbing the system instead of leaving it, and I'm still there, still building the thing that's mine alongside it. Everyone showing you how it's done already left their job. I didn't, and I don't want to. Subscribe if you're building a full life, not just a successful one. #careeradvice #earlycareer #ukcareers #worklife #careerprogression

  2. Aug 21

    The Step Nobody Prepares You For After You Qualify

    ➡️ Complete your free personal ecosystem assessment and start building the life you deserve: https://ecomap.shanafrancis.com/ You were told to just keep learning and the rest would follow. Nobody mentioned that "the rest" doesn't follow on its own — you have to build it, deliberately, or it doesn't happen at all. This episode is about the gap I kept running into, from my first year as a qualified teacher through to becoming a senior lecturer: the space between knowing what to do and actually becoming who you want to be. Not because the effort wasn't there. Because nobody ever taught me what to do with it. We get into why structure matters more than motivation when you're trying to grow, what I've actually learned about reflection versus just doing more reps, why competence and confidence show up on completely different timelines, and what it actually looks like to learn from people outside your own room. By the end, you'll have one action plan you can actually start on this week. ⏱️ CHAPTERS 1:12 — Introduction to Building Ourselves 2:14 — The Importance of Structure in Professional Development 3:54 — Personal Experiences in Career Development 12:18 — The Role of Reflection in Growth 16:32 — Learning from Others and Expanding Skills 21:12 — The Difference Between Competence and Confidence 29:57 — Creating Action Plans for Personal Development 📌 FOLLOW MY JOURNEY Instagram → instagram.com/shanafrancisofficial TikTok → tiktok.com/@shanafrancisofficial 🔗 EVERYTHING ELSE Collab with me: portfolio.shanafrancis.com Links to all products: stan.store/shanafrancisofficial ABOUT BREAKING THE TIMELINE The podcast for young professionals who are done waiting for permission to lead, build, and create the life they actually want. Every week I talk about the things nobody says in your staffroom, at your appraisal, or in your first three years. I became a senior lecturer by 28 by climbing the system instead of leaving it, and I'm still there, still building the thing that's mine alongside it. Everyone showing you how it's done already left their job. I didn't, and I don't want to. Subscribe if you're building a full life rather than just a successful one. #careeradvice #earlycareer #ukcareers #worklife #careerprogression

  3. Aug 14

    Why your manager remembers 6 weeks of your year

    You were told good work speaks for itself. Nobody mentioned that in the room where it actually counts, you're the one who has to speak for it. This episode is about the year I built something for 200 people, held it up for nine months, and then sat in a review meeting with nothing to say for it. Not because the work wasn't there. Because I couldn't retrieve it. We get into the difference between praise and tangible praise, and why they get handed out at completely different rates. What the latest UK data says about career advancement right now, and why the gap between being noticed and being remembered is bigger than most of us think. And the actual mechanism behind why a manager's memory was never going to hold nine months of your work in the first place. By the end, you'll have one task for the week, and it takes about ninety seconds. Read the full breakdown, including the exact three-line framework I use every week, in this week's Breaking the Timeline: newslettershanafrancis.substack.com/subscribe Articles mentioned:Hays UK Salary & Recruiting Trends Guide 2026: hays.co.ukScullen, S. E., Mount, M. K., & Goff, M. (2000). Understanding the latent structure of job performance ratings. Journal of Applied Psychology, 85(6), 956–970: psycnet.apa.org Collab with me: portfolio.shanafrancis.comLinks to all products: stan.store/shanafrancisofficial The podcast for young professionals who are done waiting for permission to lead, build, and create the life they actually want.

  4. Aug 7

    The danger of being too yourself at work

    Link to my Evidence Tracking Masterclass (Promoted, Not Praised): https://stan.store/shanafrancisofficial/p/promoted-not-praised-the-masterclass You were told to bring your whole self to work. Nobody mentioned the honest version gets written down and read back to you two years later by someone who wasn't in the room. This episode splits a piece of career advice almost everyone gets, and almost nobody defines. Being yourself at work and telling people things at work are two different activities, and they were sold to us under one word. One builds your career. The other gets filed. I get into why what you disclose outlives the context you said it in, the difference between editing yourself and erasing yourself, and the cost nobody prices: if you sand yourself down far enough to feel safe, nobody can describe you in the rooms where promotions get decided. There's a four-second test you can run before you say the honest thing, and one thing you should be far louder about than you currently are. By the end, you'll have one task for the week. It takes about ninety seconds. Chapters 00:00 Bring your whole self to work, they said01:00 Character and disclosure are two different things03:11 Why the honest thing gets remembered wrong03:59 The four-second test before you say it05:58 What to be loud about instead08:02 Editing yourself vs erasing yourself11:06 Be fully yourself, be selectively known11:59 Your one thing this weekSubscribe to Breaking the Timeline and get the free guide, How to Stop Feeling Stuck in Your Career: newslettershanafrancis.substack.com/subscribe Every episode ends with a question, and I reply to the answers properly. This week's: what's the honest thing you said at work that you'd take back, or the one you'd say again, louder? Find me: InstagramTikTokProducts and templatesBreaking the Timeline is the podcast for young professionals who are done waiting for permission to lead, build, and create the life they actually want. I became a senior lecturer by 28 by climbing the system instead of leaving it, and I'm still there, still building the thing that's mine alongside it. Everyone showing you how it's done already left their job. I didn't, and I don't want to.

  5. Jun 6

    The Productivity Trap Nobody Talks About In Your First Job

    You've been told to be more productive since your first week. Nobody told you that the way most people define productivity is built for a completely different type of career than the one you're building. In this episode, I'm talking about what happens when you try to run a multi-track life, career, learning, and personal ambitions on a system that was designed for one job, one output, one version of success. We go into flexible planning, how to stop your to-do list from running your life, and why doing less on paper might actually be the sharper move. Article mentioned in today's episode: https://www.stylist.co.uk/life/careers/how-to-ask-for-longer-lunch-break-boost-productivity/1086879 ⸻ Get my exact Claude thinking partner and CoWork system: Full Character Claude OS; your complete AI setup built around your whole life, not just your work. Career, movement, mindset, lifestyle. All of it, running at once. 👉 https://fullcharacteros.netlify.app ⸻ ✨ IF THIS LANDED ✨ 📰 Subscribe to the Breaking the Timeline Newsletter and receive a free guide: How to Stop Feeling Stuck in Your Career: https://newslettershanafrancis.substack.com/subscribe ⸻ 🎧 LISTEN ON THE PODCAST Listen on Spotify: https://bit.ly/4pTWOFl Listen on Apple Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/breaking-the-timeline-by-shana-francis/id1861951218 Listen on Substack: https://newslettershanafrancis.substack.com/podcast ⸻ ⏱️ CHAPTERS & TIME STAMPS 00:00 Challenging the productivity obsession and its impact on mental health 06:45 The importance of taking genuine breaks and stepping outside for fresh air and sunlight 13:00 Incorporating personal interests and self-care into your routine 16:00 Balancing learning on the job and formal education for career growth 22:00 Final thoughts on embracing adaptable, individualized productivity routines ⸻ 🔗 LINKS My Services + Products: https://shanafrancis.komi.io/ My Microphone: https://amzn.to/4a2Jz0z My Microphone boom arm: https://amzn.to/4a2Jz0z My Camera: https://amzn.to/4qZlihu ⸻ 📌 FOLLOW US Instagram → https://www.instagram.com/shanafrancisofficial TikTok → http://tiktok.com/@shanafrancisofficial

    The Productivity Trap Nobody Talks About In Your First Job

  6. May 8

    Your Body Is Ruining Your Career & You Don't Even Know It

    You are working hard. You are showing up. You are doing everything right on paper. So why does it still feel like you are running at 60%? In this episode of Breaking the Timeline, we are getting into the conversation that nobody is having in professional spaces: the direct link between your physical state and your career performance. Not as a wellness topic. As a performance one. ⸻ Get my exact Claude thinking partner and CoWork system: Full Character Claude OS; your complete AI setup built around your whole life, not just your work. Career, movement, mindset, lifestyle. All of it, running at once. 👉 https://fullcharacteros.netlify.app ⸻ ✨ IF THIS LANDED ✨ 📰 Subscribe to the Breaking the Timeline Newsletter and receive a free guide: How to Stop Feeling Stuck in Your Career: https://newslettershanafrancis.substack.com/subscribe ⸻ 🎧 LISTEN ON THE PODCAST Listen on Spotify: https://bit.ly/4pTWOFl Listen on Apple Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/breaking-the-timeline-by-shana-francis/id1861951218 Listen on Substack: https://newslettershanafrancis.substack.com/podcast ⸻ ⏱️ CHAPTERS & TIME STAMPS 00:00 Understanding AI Usage Across Generations 03:01 The Mindset Shift 06:05 The Importance of Intentionality in AI Adoption 08:51 Task Outsourcing vs. Thinking Partnership 11:57 Women Leveraging AI for Career Growth 14:56 Strategic Thinking: The Future of Work with AI 17:57 Practical Shifts: Enhancing Your AI Relationship 21:00 Building a Long-Term Partnership with AI ⸻ 🔗 LINKS Land your dream career: https://shanafrancis.com/the-career-strategy-for-ambitious-young-professional-women Support my content by buying me a coffee: http://buymeacoffee.com/shanafrancis Work with me: https://www.passionfroot.me/shanafrancis My Services + Products: https://shanafrancis.komi.io/ My Microphone: https://amzn.to/4a2Jz0z My Microphone boom arm: https://amzn.to/4a2Jz0z My Camera: https://amzn.to/4qZlihu ⸻ 📌 FOLLOW US Instagram → https://www.instagram.com/shanafrancisofficial TikTok → http://tiktok.com/@shanafrancisofficial

    Your Body Is Ruining Your Career & You Don't Even Know It

  7. May 1

    Everyone Is Using AI. Almost Nobody Is Using It Right, And It Is Quietly Costing Your Career

    Get my exact Claude thinking partner and CoWork system: Full Character Claude OS; your complete AI setup built around your whole life, not just your work. Career, movement, mindset, lifestyle. All of it, running at once. 👉 https://fullcharacteros.netlify.app This episode explores how different generations and career stages relate to AI, emphasising the importance of adopting a mindset that leverages AI as a thinking partner rather than just a task machine. It provides practical shifts to transform your relationship with AI and accelerate your professional growth. ⸻ ✨ IF THIS LANDED ✨ 📰 Subscribe to the Breaking the Timeline Newsletter and receive a free guide: How to Stop Feeling Stuck in Your Career: https://newslettershanafrancis.substack.com/subscribe ⸻ 🎧 LISTEN ON THE PODCAST Listen on Spotify: https://bit.ly/4pTWOFl Listen on Apple Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/breaking-the-timeline-by-shana-francis/id1861951218 Listen on Substack: https://newslettershanafrancis.substack.com/podcast ⸻ ⏱️ CHAPTERS & TIME STAMPS 00:00 Understanding AI Usage Across Generations 03:01 The Mindset Shift 06:05 The Importance of Intentionality in AI Adoption 08:51 Task Outsourcing vs. Thinking Partnership 11:57 Women Leveraging AI for Career Growth 14:56 Strategic Thinking: The Future of Work with AI 17:57 Practical Shifts: Enhancing Your AI Relationship 21:00 Building a Long-Term Partnership with AI ⸻ 🔗 LINKS Land your dream career: https://shanafrancis.com/the-career-strategy-for-ambitious-young-professional-women Support my content by buying me a coffee: http://buymeacoffee.com/shanafrancis Work with me: https://www.passionfroot.me/shanafrancis My Services + Products: https://shanafrancis.komi.io/ My Microphone: https://amzn.to/4a2Jz0z My Microphone boom arm: https://amzn.to/4a2Jz0z My Camera: https://amzn.to/4qZlihu ⸻ 📌 FOLLOW US Instagram → https://www.instagram.com/shanafrancisofficial TikTok → http://tiktok.com/@shanafrancisofficial

    Everyone Is Using AI. Almost Nobody Is Using It Right, And It Is Quietly Costing Your Career

  8. Apr 24

    You're Qualified. So Why Aren't You Getting Hired? | A Michaela Coel Career Diagnostic

    The conversation delves into the strategic career pathways of the last decade, focusing on Michaela Coel's trajectory. It emphasises the importance of being hireable, building proof of capability, embracing one's unique perspective, evaluating opportunities, and articulating one's thinking as essential elements of a successful career. ⸻ ✨ IF THIS LANDED ✨ 💼 Ready to stop managing your life in separate boxes? Kaurah is my 90-day 1:1 coaching programme built around your career, movement, mindset and energy, all as one system. Only 5 founding spots available. Apply here → https://kaurah.com/ 📰 Subscribe to the Breaking the Timeline Newsletter and receive a free guide: How to Stop Feeling Stuck in Your Career: https://newslettershanafrancis.substack.com/subscribe ⸻ 🎧 LISTEN ON THE PODCAST Listen on Spotify: https://bit.ly/4pTWOFl Listen on Apple Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/breaking-the-timeline-by-shana-francis/id1861951218 Listen on Substack: https://newslettershanafrancis.substack.com/podcast ⸻ ⏱️ CHAPTERS & TIME STAMPS 00:00 Introduction 00:26 Episode Overview 00:48 Career Pathway Breakdown 01:06 Session Goals 01:21 Career in Focus Introduction 3:04 Michaela Cole's Background 9:24 Principle 1: Building Proof 13:39 Principle 2: Embracing Differences 18:14 Principle 3: Choosing Opportunities 22:15 Principle 4: Articulating Authority 26:19 Conclusion and Action Steps ⸻ 🔗 LINKS Land your dream career: https://shanafrancis.com/the-career-strategy-for-ambitious-young-professional-women Support my content by buying me a coffee: buymeacoffee.com/shanafrancis Work with me: https://www.passionfroot.me/shanafrancis My Services + Products: https://shanafrancis.komi.io/ My Microphone: https://amzn.to/4a2Jz0z My Microphone boom arm: https://amzn.to/4a2Jz0z My Camera: https://amzn.to/4qZlihu ⸻ 📌 FOLLOW US Instagram → https://www.instagram.com/shanafrancisofficial TikTok → http://tiktok.com/@shanafrancisofficial 🛍️ Shop templates, merch & more: https://shanafrancis.com/resources/

    You're Qualified. So Why Aren't You Getting Hired? | A Michaela Coel Career Diagnostic
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About

Breaking the Timeline is for the women who are building careers, chasing ambitions, and refusing to wait for permission, all at the same time. Hosted by Shana Francis, Senior Lecturer, leadership coach, and the woman doing exactly what she's talking about. Every episode covers one idea properly: career growth, self-development, and what it actually looks like to live a full life without picking a lane. No hustle culture. No fluff. Just honest conversations that make you feel understood and leave you with something to do today. newslettershanafrancis.substack.com

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