Podcast · Business

Squiggly Careers

by The Squiggly Career · English · Business

New episodes: Several times a week
Typical length: 28 min
Latest: 8 Oct 2026
Language: English

Latest episode

8 Oct 2026 · 8 min

#600 Everyday actions for everyday resilience

When your week gets busy, do you find yourself dropping the things that help you feel good? It can be easy to put rest, support and time outside work on hold just when you need them most. In this Squiggly Career Shortcut, Helen shares six small actions you can build into your week to support your resilience. Pick one or two that feel useful to you and try doing them regularly, before things start to feel difficult. 🎯 In this episode, you’ll learn how to: – Find something to look forward to, even in a hard week – Work out what help you need and ask for it – Notice and celebrate your wins –…

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Earlier episodes 29 most recent

6 Oct 2026 · 43 min

#599 Friction: Why making things harder can make you better

Is something at work feeling harder than it needs to be? It could be a meeting that takes too long, a decision that goes back and forth, or a process with more steps than it needs. This week, Helen and Sarah borrow brilliance from The Friction Project by Robert Sutton and Huggy Rao. They explore how to spot the friction that slows you down, what you could subtract to make work easier, and why some friction is worth keeping. 🎯 In this episode, you’ll learn how to: – Spot where friction is showing up in your work – Ask your team what’s making their work harder – Subtract steps, meetings or…
1 Oct 2026 · 8 min

#598 How to understand and take action with your ambition

In this shortcut, Helen, talks about a matrix that can help you to understand where your ambition is right now and what is the most effective action to take to support your development. 🎯 What You'll Learn - that ambition is individual - where your ambition in today - what action to take to activate your ambition For questions about Squiggly Careers or to share feedback, please email: helenandsarah@squigglycareers.com Need some more squiggly career support? 1. Download our free career tools: https://www.amazingif.com/toolkit/ 2. Sign up for our Skills Sprints:…
29 Sep 2026 · 43 min

#597 How thinking inside the box will lead to more opportunities for your squiggly career.

Could putting more constraints on your career actually create more possibilities? In this episode, Helen and Sarah borrow brilliance from David Epstein's book (Inside the Box: How Constraints Make Us Better) to explore how choosing your own constraints can help you think differently and more creatively about your career. They experiment with constraints across six areas of career development, from learning and strengths to confidence and future possibilities. 🎯 What You'll Learn – Why constraints can help you think more creatively – How to experiment with constraints in your career – How to…
24 Sep 2026 · 8 min

#596 3 ways teams can learn when they are not together

The people you work with make a significant difference to your development. In this shortcut, Sarah shares 3 ways to learn more from the people around you. 🎯 What You'll Learn - the importance of showing how you work - why volunteering to support somone outside of your day job helps you grow - how next level noticing will support you to succeed in your team For questions about Squiggly Careers or to share feedback, please email: helenandsarah@squigglycareers.com Need some more squiggly career support? 1. Download our free career tools: https://www.amazingif.com/toolkit/ 2. Sign up for our…
22 Sep 2026 · 47 min

#595 How to Answer AI Questions in Job Interviews

Getting ready for a job interview can feel daunting, but what happens when you have to face an AI interviewer or answer tough questions about how you use artificial intelligence? In this episode, Helen puts Sarah on the spot with real AI interview questions shared by the Squiggly Careers community. Together, they explore how AI is changing the interview experience, what interviewers might be looking for in your answers, and how you can prepare to talk confidently about how you're using and learning about AI at work. 🎯 What You'll Learn– How AI is changing the interview experience– The AI…
17 Sep 2026 · 7 min

#594 How to increase your autonomy

Increasing your autonomy has a proven impact of work wellbeing and fulfilment and in this shortcut, Helen talks through 3 practical actions to help you to earn more autonomy at work. 🎯 What You'll Learn - how to build trust - why working autonomously doesn't mean going it alone - the importance of owning your outcomes For questions about Squiggly Careers or to share feedback, please email: helenandsarah@squigglycareers.com Need some more squiggly career support? 1. Download our free career tools: https://www.amazingif.com/toolkit/ 2. Sign up for our Skills Sprints:…
15 Sep 2026 · 38 min

#593 No Regret Skills: How to Get Better at Adaptability

When things change at work, how good are you at changing how you think or act in response? In the second part of our No Regret Skills mini-series, Helen and Sarah turn their attention to adaptability. Sarah breaks this skill down into eight different dimensions and puts Helen through a real-life scenario to explore where her adaptability strengths are and where she could get better. 🎯 What You'll Learn – The difference between flexibility and adaptability – The eight different dimensions of adaptability – How to spot your own adaptability strengths – Where you could get better at adapting…
10 Sep 2026 · 6 min

#592 How to look for leaders you can learn from

The leaders you surround yourself with make a significant difference to your squiggly career. In this shortcut Sarah shares 3 ways to look for leaders to learn from and what you don't need to worry about. 🎯 What You'll Learn - how to look for leaders who get stuff done - why spotting leaders who say I don't know is a good source of learning - the most curious leaders will help you to stay curious For questions about Squiggly Careers or to share feedback, please email: helenandsarah@squigglycareers.com Need some more squiggly career support? 1. Download our free career tools:…
8 Sep 2026 · 35 min

#591 No Regret Skills: How to Make Better Decisions

With so many skills competing for our attention, how do you decide which ones are worth investing in? In this episode, Helen and Sarah explore the idea of 'no regret skills' – skills that will stay useful whatever the future of work looks like. In the first of this two-part series, Helen borrows brilliance from poker player and author Annie Duke to explore decision-making and shares four practical ways to get better at it. 🎯 What You'll Learn – How confidence scoring can improve your decisions – How a truth group can challenge your thinking – How to decide which decisions deserve more of…
3 Sep 2026 · 5 min

#590 How to increase your impact in every meeting

We spend a lot of our working week in meetings, but how much impact are you having when you're in them? In this Shortcut, Helen shares three simple ways to increase your impact in every meeting: asking a question, making a suggestion and offering a reflection. Whether you tend to stay quiet or want to make your contributions more useful, these small actions can help you show your strengths, add more value and make your presence count. 🎯 What You'll Learn – How to ask better questions in meetings – How suggestions can move conversations forward – How reflections can help people think…
1 Sep 2026 · 41 min

#589 How to use the next 88 days at work wisely

With 88 working days left until the end of the year, how will you choose to spend your time? September can bring a 'new pencil case' feeling – a useful opportunity to reset and refocus on what matters most. In this episode, Helen and Sarah share eight questions to help you use the rest of your working year well and wisely. Exploring priorities, time, people and skills, they reflect on their own answers and the actions they're going to take as a result. 🎯 What You'll Learn – Identify your number one priority for the rest of the year and whether your diary reflects it – Map out the key people…
27 Aug 2026 · 6 min

#588 How to Decide Which Goals to Give Up

Setting goals is one thing. Knowing when to let go of them is another. In this Shortcut, Helen explores the idea of productive quitting and why trying to hold on to too many goals can get in the way of making progress. Drawing on research from the Goal Adjustment Scale and a New Scientist article on goal adjustment, she shares a practical way to review your goals so you can focus your time and energy where it matters most. 🎯 What you'll learn -How to use the Goal Adjustment Scale to understand your starting point -How to identify the goals that deserve your time and attention -The…
25 Aug 2026 · 32 min

#587 80,000 hours with Benjamin Todd (A Career Well Spent Series)

How can you make sure the 80,000 hours you spend at work are truly well spent? In this episode, we challenge the traditional advice to "follow your passion" and look at how to build a career that makes a meaningful difference. This episode of part 4 of 4 in the 'Career Well Spent Series' Drawing on Benjamin Todd's book, 80,000 Hours, and his research on effective altruism and career impact, they explore what it really means to find long-term career satisfaction and how to apply your skills to the world's most pressing problems. 🎯 What You'll Learn – Why "follow your passion" might lead you…
20 Aug 2026 · 6 min

#586 Questions to ask in an interview

Most of us focus on preparing for the questions we'll be asked in an interview, but what we ask at the end is just as important. It is your ultimate opportunity to take control of the conversation and leave a brilliant lasting impression. In this Squiggly Shortcut, Sarah explores how to ask powerful culture and commercial questions, and what the answers reveal about whether a company is the right fit for you. 🎯 What You'll Learn – Why the questions you ask are your best opportunity to take control of an interview – How to use culture questions to find out what it is really like to work…
18 Aug 2026 · 39 min

#585 What to make of a life with Jim Collins (A Career Well Spent Series)

Are you feeling lost in a career fog or facing a major transition? In this special episode, Sarah is joined by legendary author and researcher Jim Collins to explore what it really takes to build a fulfilling life and career. This episode of part 3 of 4 in the 'Career Well Spent Series' Drawing on Jim's new book 'What to Make of a Life', they explore what it really means to navigate life's 'cliffs' and 'fog'. 🎯 What You'll Learn – Discover 'simplex stepping' to make progress when you are lost in a career fog – Identify your unique 'encodings' and how to develop them into super strengths –…
13 Aug 2026 · 6 min

#584 How to Create Your AI Learning Plan

AI is changing quickly, which can make it hard to know where to start. If you're feeling overwhelmed by everything there is to learn, you're definitely not alone. In this Shortcut, Sarah shares how to use the Squiggly Careers Learning Navigator to turn AI into something practical and personal. Instead of trying to learn everything, you'll identify what matters most for your role, connect learning to your day-to-day work, and create a simple plan you can build on over time. 🎯 What you'll learn - How to decide what's most useful for you to learn about AI right now - How to use the Learning…
11 Aug 2026 · 35 min

#583 Big Time with Laura Vanderkam (A Career Well Spent Series)

Do you feel constantly defeated by a packed calendar and rushed for time? Reclaiming control of your schedule starts with changing how you view your 168 hours. This episode of part 2 of 4 in the 'Career Well Spent Series' Drawing on Laura’s bestselling books '168 Hours' and 'Big Time', Helen explores what it means to achieve true time abundance, and what your default response to a busy calendar reveals about you. 🎯 What You'll Learn – Understand the difference between time abundance and time scarcity – Apply the 'Would I do this tomorrow?' test to new commitments – Track your time to…
6 Aug 2026 · 7 min

#582 How to use AI as your thought partner

Outsourcing your thinking to AI erodes the value of your contribution and means you are less likely to make a distinctive difference. Using AI as a thought-partner is a skill which can help you to refine your thinking, communicate more clearly and spot gaps before you share your perspective with other people. In this shortcut, Helen talks through how you can use AI as a thought-partner for your career, your weekly work and the relationships you build to help you to be at your best. 🎯 What You'll Learn - how to use AI as a squiggly career coach - how to use AI to help you reduce overwhelm…
4 Aug 2026 · 35 min

#581 The 100 year life with Lynda Gratton (A Career Well Spent Series)

How do we design a career that lasts a lifetime without running out of energy? In this episode, Sarah talks to world-renowned expert Lynda Gratton about how to navigate a multi-stage, 100-year life. This episode of part 1 of 4 in the 'Career Well Spent Series' Drawing on Lynda Gratton's groundbreaking research and her new book 'Living the Hundred-Year Life', Sarah and Lynda discuss what it really means to design a multi-stage career, and what your balance of productivity and nurture threads reveals about your current career design. 🎯 What You'll Learn – How to manage the tension between…
30 Jul 2026 · 10 min

#580 Small actions to increase your assertiveness

Do you struggle to speak up in meetings or find yourself watering down your ideas? Assertiveness isn't about being the loudest person in the room; it is built through small, daily actions. In this episode, Helen shares simple actions to increase your assertiveness. 🎯 What You'll Learn – How to quash qualifiers like "maybe" and "just" – The power of being the person who creates clarity – How to offer alternative perspectives to stop groupthink – Making a habit of offering a question and a suggestion – How to identify and fix your default assertiveness mistakes For questions about Squiggly…
28 Jul 2026 · 32 min

#579 How to build an M-shaped career

Do you feel like you were never meant to master just one thing? It is time to move beyond the traditional career path and embrace the potential of an M-shaped career. In this episode, Helen and Sarah explore what it means to develop mastery across multiple areas. 🎯 What You'll Learn – Define the M-shaped career model and why it is a competitive advantage – Identify your existing areas of deep expertise – Learn how to connect the dots between seemingly unrelated skills – Use reflective questions to map your own M-shaped development This episode is brought to you in partnership with the…
23 Jul 2026 · 9 min

#578 How to overcome your distraction downfall

Do you find yourself constantly checking your phone or email instead of focusing on your most important work? In this squiggly shortcut, Helen shares practical ways to beat distraction and reclaim your attention. Drawing on Nir Eyal's research on becoming indistractable, they explore what it really means to develop this skill, and what your default response to it reveals about you. 🎯 What You'll Learn – Identify your personal distraction downfall – Understand why you are attracted to distractions – Learn why avoidance triggers procrastination – Audit your environment for high-attention work…
21 Jul 2026 · 28 min

#577 How to solve tame, critical and wicked work problems

Not all problems are created equal, and trying to solve them all the same way is likely to result in frustration. In this episode, Helen and Sarah explore how to identify whether you are facing a tame, critical, or wicked problem and the specific approach needed to make progress on each. Drawing on the work of Keith Grint, they explore what it means to develop this skill, and what your default response to it reveals about you. 🎯 What You'll Learn – Identify the three distinct types of problems you encounter at work – Apply the right process to clear up recurring tame problems – Manage…
16 Jul 2026 · 5 min

#576 Set yourself up to fail, so you're more likely to succeed

Want to achieve your biggest career goals this year? The answer might lie in planning exactly how you could fail first. Drawing on research from New York University on mental contrasting, Helens explore how balancing your biggest career opportunities with your realistic obstacles can significantly increase your chance of success. 🎯 What You'll Learn – What is mental contrasting and why does it build resilience? – How to identify what you want to be true in 12 months – Why optimism blindness might be holding your career back – How to honestly audit the obstacles in your way – What practical…
14 Jul 2026 · 34 min

#575 Oracy: How to improve your speaking and listening skills

Do you often feel like you are just waiting for your turn to speak, rather than truly listening and learning? In this episode, we explore the power of oracy and how it can change the way you think and work. Drawing on the work of Voice 21, Barbara Oakley, and research from More in Common, they explore what it means to develop this skill. 🎯 What You'll Learn – Define oracy as the essential skill of speaking and listening well to build better conclusions. – Discover why talking out loud helps you spot gaps in your reasoning and critical thinking. – Identify the difference between a standard…
9 Jul 2026 · 6 min

#574 How to Adapt Your Skills for Career Growth

Is your current way of working holding you back from your next career milestone? Sometimes, the very habits that helped you succeed in the past can become obstacles to your future progress. Drawing on Marshall Goldsmith’s concept of 'What Got You Here Won't Get You There', Helen explores what it means to develop this skill, and what your default response to it reveals about you. 🎯 What You'll Learn – Shift from giving all the answers to asking powerful questions – Implement the 'Now vs. Not For Now' list to prioritize effectively – Replace automatic 'niceness' with a strategic 'if-then'…
7 Jul 2026 · 48 min

#573 How to build a super team

Ever wondered what sets high-performing 'super teams' apart from those that are stalling? It's not just about talent, but a shared belief in your collective ability to learn, adapt, and succeed together. In this episode, Helen and Sarah borrow brilliance from a feeling and dive deep into one of the most relevant topics in work and careers right now. Drawing on the latest research into high-performing team dynamics and Helen and Sarah's own team-building frameworks, they explore how every team member can influence performance, and what your default response to collaboration reveals about you.…
2 Jul 2026 · 5 min

#572 The Listening Habit That Changes Every Conversation

Are you a conversational narcissist? In this Squiggly Shortcut, Sarah introduces a deceptively simple idea from Celeste Headlee that will change how you listen, and make you notice everyone else's conversations differently too. 🎯 What You'll Learn – What a shift response is, why we all do it, and why it matters more than you might think – What a support response sounds like in practice, and how it changes the dynamic of a conversation – Why assuming your experience is the same as someone else's can get in the way of really listening – How to notice your own patterns over the next week, and…
30 Jun 2026 · 41 min

#571 How to Get Better at Holding Uncertainty at Work

Uncertainty isn't going anywhere. So what if the goal wasn't to get rid of it, but to get better at holding it? In this episode, Helen and Sarah borrow brilliance from a feeling and dive deep into one of the most relevant topics in work and careers right now. Drawing on Margaret Heffernan's Embracing Uncertainty, Sam Conniff and Katherine Templar-Lewis's Uncertainty Toolkit, and a brilliant HBR article, they explore what it really means to develop the capacity to hold uncertainty, and what your default response to it reveals about you. 🎯 What You'll Learn – Why the goal isn't uncertainty to…

About Squiggly Careers

Squiggly Careers is a weekly podcast that will help you take control of your career development. Hosted by the founders of Squiggly Careers. (https://www.squigglycareers.com/), Sarah Ellis and Helen Tupper, together they cover all things work: from how to manage stress and overcome your confidence gremlins to micro-aggressions and discovering your strengths. Each episode is full of ideas, actions, hints, and tips that you can put into practice straight away. Every so often they take a break from talking to each other to interview other people who are leading the way in making work better. Past guests include entrepreneur and philanthropist Dame Stephanie Shirley, author of The Joy of Work Bruce Daisley, and neuroscience expert Amy Brann. The Squiggly Careers podcast has been recommended by Harvard Business Review, Stylist, Marie Claire and Management Today. For more ideas, tools and inspiration every week, you can also sign up to their Squiggly Careers newsletter.

Squiggly Careers is a English business podcast from The Squiggly Career. Melo plays each episode straight from the publisher's own feed — no ads added, no account needed — and remembers where you stopped, in this browser only.

Publisher: The Squiggly Career
Language: English
Category: Business
New episodes: Several times a week
Typical length: 28 min
Latest episode: 8 Oct 2026
Feed: RSS — paste into any podcast app
Apple Podcasts: podcasts.apple.com/podcast/id1202842065
Website: squigglycareers.com
Rights: 3dde6ae0-10a9-11f1-ba69-4db03cc06081

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