Sharon Singh Sidhu

Sharon Singh Sidhu
  • 5.0 (2)
  • Entrepreneurship
  • Updated Weekly

Career and Financial Resilience with Sharon Singh Sidhu. This podcast is for working women who want more security than one salary can give. I'm Sharon Singh Sidhu. I've spent 30 years in HR, sitting in the rooms where decisions about talent, pay and careers get made. Each episode shares the HR insider view on how to grow your value at work, how to know your numbers, and how to build something of your own outside your job, at a pace that fits your life. Real talk from a HR practitioner about a better design for your career and your money. sharonsinghsidhu.substack.com

  1. Oct 3

    Stop Putting Your Money on a Diet

    I flew home from the UK just in time for my daughter’s graduation. While I was there, I bumped into a teacher who had made big changes to his health over the past year. When we asked what worked, his answer was simple. It wasn’t a diet. It was a lifestyle. I could relate with that. I grew up overweight and spent years trying every diet and exercise plan out there. I lost weight, put it back on, and started again. Looking back, my relationship with food has always mirrored my relationship with money. In this episode, I share the two lessons that changed my relationship with food and money. In this episode: * The simple input vs output maths behind both weight and wealth * Why lasting change is a lifestyle choice, and why that starts with identity, not habits * What “leverage” really means when it comes to money and food * Why I prefer the “make more” principle over endless cutting back * Why investing alone can feel too slow when you need options now * How employers decide who to pay more that most employees still don’t get * The recurring patterns that still show up in my life, and what I do about it Mentioned in this episode: * Atomic Habits by James Clear Get the weekly newsletter:Prefer to read? The newsletter is the written version of each episode. Subscribe to receive it in your inbox weekly. You have the option to get the free or paid version: Disclaimer: I’m not a certified financial advisor. Everything I share comes from my own experience and results. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit sharonsinghsidhu.substack.com/subscribe

    Stop Putting Your Money on a Diet

  2. Sep 27

    I Was Already Living It (Recorded From a Hotel Bathroom)

    This week’s episode comes to you from a hotel bathroom in the UK. It was the only quiet room while I’m here sending my son off to university. Before we got to the city, we stayed in a cottage on a farm by the coast. One morning, over coffee and my journal, I took a photo out the window. A few days later I realised it was the exact scene I used to picture years ago, back when I had one salary and a lot of worry about money. In this short episode, I share: * The moment I realised I was already living what I’d set out to build * Why going straight from one goal to the next can make you feel like you’re never there * How having to earn outside my salary changed how I see my career: as an asset I own, not a job someone gives me * The old-fashioned way I think about work, which is to find a problem someone will pay to solve * Why not every paid problem is worth your limited time and energy * Why I’d rather adapt to how work works now than wait for it to change Mentioned: The Order of Time by Carlo Rovelli Get the podcast and newsletter every week: When you subscribe, reply to my email and tell me what you’re building. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit sharonsinghsidhu.substack.com/subscribe

    I Was Already Living It (Recorded From a Hotel Bathroom)

  3. Sep 20

    198: How I Went From Financial Panic to Funding Two Overseas Degrees

    Four months ago, I had no idea how my husband and I would fund university in the UK for both our kids. Today I’m recording this from the UK, seeing my son off at his new university. In this episode, I share the idea that if you want to reach a bigger financial goal, you have to be able to handle the bigger level of money that comes with it. That means the spending, the pressure, and the uncertainty, not just the math. In this episode * Why $30,000 in debt and $30,000 in income feel so different in your body * Why “live within your means” is only half the advice * The choice: raise your income, or lower your spending * How losing a business, losing a job, and becoming the sole provider taught me to handle money * Why every new income level brought a new financial test * How I stay curious instead of panicked when I don’t have the answers yet Key takeaways * The math is the easy part. Handling the pressure of a bigger number is the harder part. * If you want to spend more, you have to earn more. If you don’t want to earn more, you have to spend less. Both are valid choices, but be honest about which one you’re making. * Panic skews your thinking. Curiosity opens up options. * Financial pressure can be a training ground for your financial skills. Mentioned in this episode * Dr. Maria Nemeth, The Energy of Money * My LinkedIn post about funding my kids’ university * Subscribe to my podcast and newsletter Let’s connectDid this episode resonate? Send me a DM on LinkedIn or reply to any newsletter email. Subscribe to the podcast and the weekly newsletter here: https://sharonsinghsidhu.com/subscribe This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit sharonsinghsidhu.substack.com/subscribe

    198: How I Went From Financial Panic to Funding Two Overseas Degrees

  4. Sep 13

    197: The Skill That Got Me Through a Rough Week

    This week didn’t go as planned. A late-night call from a police investigator, an abrupt change to home help, and leadership changes at work all happening at the same time. That’s why last week’s episode and newsletter was skipped. In this episode, I share what helps me get back on track when things don’t go as planned. It’s the same skill I’ve used for almost 30 years in HR dealing with performance issues. I also explain why relying on one salary for your financial security isn’t workable anymore and what you can do instead. In this episode: * What happened this week that knocked my schedule off track * The one skill from 30 years in HR that gets me back on track fast * Why “a good job” is the wrong way to think about it and what to do instead * The real math behind why one salary is one point of failure * How to find the sellable skill sitting inside your current job title Mentioned in this episode:Free Corporate Job Title Translator to find your sellable skill. Get it here: sharonsinghsidhu.com/translator This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit sharonsinghsidhu.substack.com/subscribe

    197: The Skill That Got Me Through a Rough Week

  5. Aug 30

    196: What Sitting in PIP Meetings Taught Me About Your Financial Freedom

    What happens when you apply corporate performance logic to your own personal freedom? In almost 3 decades in HR and Performance Management, I have sat through many Performance Improvement Plan (PIP) meetings. A PIP is a brutal, hyper-focused 90-day execution roadmap. It strips away distractions and uncovers a hard truth. Either you hit the goals with certainty, or you realize the role is no longer a fit and it’s time to design an exit. As we head into the final Q4 rush in 2026, let me ask you a question. Why are you running a flawless PIP at work, but leaving your own financial milestones unmanaged? In today’s episode, I share my insights filtered through my HR and performance management lens on how to build a supportive 90-day execution blueprint to build income beyond your job, even if you only have 1 hour a day. In this episode, you will discover: * The PIP Analogy: How to strip away personal goal-setting clutter and focus on what moves the needle. * The Q4 Trap: Why waiting until January to build security outside your salary is a major financial risk and the impact of putting your plan in place now. * The Workable Plan: What your plan should look like so it brings relief instead of becoming another exhausting to-do list. Ready to design your own 90-day roadmap? Don’t wait until January. The waitlist for my Live October 90-Day Financial Freedom Planning Session is officially open. Secure your seat on the waitlist here: sharonsinghsidhu.com/90dp This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit sharonsinghsidhu.substack.com/subscribe

    196: What Sitting in PIP Meetings Taught Me About Your Financial Freedom

  6. Aug 23

    195. Reckless vs. Resilient: 2 Ways to Build Financial Security

    A conversation with someone who’d just watched a wave of redundancies hit her workplace overnight got me thinking about two very different ways people respond to financial fear. 1. Go all in, or 2. Build slowly. In this episode, I share my own experience of both. Years ago, my husband and I quit our jobs, took out a loan, and opened a café. A home and business combined into one big, capital-intensive bet. It didn’t work out. It left me with six-figure debt, and I went back to corporate to repay it. Not long after, the company and I parted ways while I was the sole financial provider for my family. That experience changed how I think about security. Not “go all in and hope”, but something more stable. Now, I use a 90-day plan to take small, consistent daily action toward my goals. It’s long enough to see real movement and short enough to course-correct along the way if you need to. What you’ll hear: * Why “I’ve got nothing to lose” isn’t the same as a strategy * What it actually looked like to lose a business and rebuild * Why I treat my job as an investor in my business, not competition for my time * How the 90-day planning cycle works, quarter by quarter * Where you can use this, e.g., asking for a raise, negotiating a schedule, and more Mentioned in this episode: Join the waitlist for my live training on building your own 90-day plan, happening early October 2026. Click here to join the waitlist: 90-Day Plan Live Training This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit sharonsinghsidhu.substack.com/subscribe

    195. Reckless vs. Resilient: 2 Ways to Build Financial Security

  7. Aug 15

    194. Why Your Financial Plan Isn't the Problem

    I did everything right. Model employee. Said yes to everything. Made sure everyone was happy with me. I still got let go. That’s when I realized a job doesn’t give me financial security. If I can’t control whether I keep my job, what can I actually control? This episode is the answer I’ve been building for almost 10 years. I walk through the exact 8 steps I use with myself, and with the women I coach to go from financially dependent to financially secure. Most of it you already know how to do. Making the plan isn’t the hard part. It’s step 5 most people get stuck on and I’ll tell you exactly why. You’ll also hear how I went from depending on one salary to becoming the primary earner, repaying a six-figure business debt, and building a business on the side without the “just don’t get emotional about money” personal finance advice that never worked for me. Listen if: * You’ve made a financial plan before and still didn’t follow through * You’re tired of advice that tells you to just “be logical” about money * You want to know what actually happens after step 4 Ready to build this for yourself? If depending on one salary isn’t where you want to stay, CLICK HERE to book a call with me. You’ll tell me why you want to build financial independence, what you’ve done so far, and what’s getting in your way. I’ll share what I’d do or not do if I were you. You decide if you want to work together to help you reach your goals faster. CLICK HERE to book your call. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit sharonsinghsidhu.substack.com/subscribe

    194. Why Your Financial Plan Isn't the Problem

  8. Aug 8

    193. Where Will You Be in 5 Years If Nothing Changes?

    In this episode, I talk about a pattern I keep seeing. Women looking for financial security know they must have incomes outside their job. But knowing isn’t doing. Most are still waiting for the “right time.” I share why the time to start doesn’t mean you must take a big, dramatic leap. You don’t need dedicated blocks of time available before you can start. And why starting now is about laying a foundation rather than becoming an overnight success. I share how I started 20 years ago, when my kids were little, I was the primary earner with a mortgage and bills to pay. Each decade was a different season of life that required different priorities. Now, in my 50s, with my kids heading off to university, I’m finally in ramp-up mode. And I’m glad I started decades before I needed to. What we cover: * The real reason “knowing” doesn’t turn into “doing” * Why you don’t need huge chunks of time to start building income outside your job * My decade-by-decade approach which involved exploring in my 30s, shaping in my 40s, ramping up in my 50s * The pockets-of-time system I use to fit business building into a full life * The one question to ask yourself when “now” doesn’t feel like the right time * Why starting now is about laying groundwork, not chasing instant results Building income outside your job is like networking. You want to start before you desperately need it. Ready to talk about what this could look like for you? CLICK HERE to book a call. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit sharonsinghsidhu.substack.com/subscribe

    193. Where Will You Be in 5 Years If Nothing Changes?
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Ratings & Reviews

5
out of 5
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About

Career and Financial Resilience with Sharon Singh Sidhu. This podcast is for working women who want more security than one salary can give. I'm Sharon Singh Sidhu. I've spent 30 years in HR, sitting in the rooms where decisions about talent, pay and careers get made. Each episode shares the HR insider view on how to grow your value at work, how to know your numbers, and how to build something of your own outside your job, at a pace that fits your life. Real talk from a HR practitioner about a better design for your career and your money. sharonsinghsidhu.substack.com

Information

  • Creator
    Sharon Singh Sidhu
  • Years Active
    2020 - 2026
  • Episodes
    181
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © Sharon Singh Sidhu
  • Show Website
    Sharon Singh Sidhu