Squiggly Careers

#163 How to build your brand with Bianca Miller-Cole

18 Aug 2020

Contributed by Lukas

This is episode number 2 in the Setting Yourself Up for Success series. In this episode, Helen talks to entreprenuer and personal branding expert Bian...

#162 Understanding Your Strengths with Marcus Buckingham

17 Aug 2020

Contributed by Lukas

This is the first episode in the Squiggly Careers - Setting Yourself Up For Success series. This five part series covers topics including personal bra...

#161 Job crafting - how to redesign your role

10 Aug 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Job crafting is a proven activity to increase our engagement, performance and wellbeing at work and in this week's Squiggly Careers podcast, Sarah and...

#160 Conversations about race at work

04 Aug 2020

Contributed by Lukas

This week Helen talks to 3 different guests about how everyone can engage more openly, actively and positively in conversations about race at work. Sh...

#159 How to find your flow at work

28 Jul 2020

Contributed by Lukas

This week Helen and Sarah are talking about 'flow'. They discuss what it means to be flow at work and why it matters. They talk through Miahly Csikzen...

#158 Why we need humour at work and how we can create more space to smile

21 Jul 2020

Contributed by Lukas

In this episode Helen and Sarah talk about the importance of levity, humour and laughter at work with Naomi Bagdonas and Jennifer Aaker, the authors o...

#157 How to prevent pessimism and practice optimism at work

14 Jul 2020

Contributed by Lukas

In this weeks episode Helen and Sarah discuss why optimistics do better at work (and in life) and the difference between expectant and explainer optim...

#156 How to be an ally at work

07 Jul 2020

Contributed by Lukas

This week Sarah talks to Leyya Sattar and Roshni Goyate, the co-founders of The Other Box, about what it means to be an ally, what gets in the way and...

#155 Procrastination at work (and how to prevent it)

30 Jun 2020

Contributed by Lukas

In this weeks episode Helen and Sarah discuss why we procrastinate and 5 ideas and actions to help prevent procrastination, including monk mode, the p...

#154 Happiness at work with Lord Mark Price

23 Jun 2020

Contributed by Lukas

This week, Helen talks to Lord Mark Price about the 6 steps to happier workplaces. Mark is the former Managing Director of Waitrose and Deputy Chairma...

#153: Ask The Expert: Adaptability with Steven Bartlett

18 Jun 2020

Contributed by Lukas

In the final episode of our six-part Ask the Expert series, Helen talks to CEO and founder of Social Chain, Steven Bartlett, about the importance of a...

#152 How to find meaning at work

16 Jun 2020

Contributed by Lukas

This week Sarah and Helen discuss how to find more meaning and fulfilment from the work that you do. Together they reflect on what makes work meaningf...

#151 Ask The Expert: Psychological Safety with Amy Edmondson

11 Jun 2020

Contributed by Lukas

In the fifth of our six-part Ask the Expert series, Sarah interviews Amy Edmondson, the Novartis Professor of Leadership and Management at the Harvard...

#150 How to cope with career change and uncertainty

09 Jun 2020

Contributed by Lukas

This week Helen and Sarah talk about how to navigate the change and uncertainty that we're all facing in our careers right now. Together they discuss ...

#149 Ask the Expert: Creativity with Holly Tucker

04 Jun 2020

Contributed by Lukas

In the fourth of our six-part 'Ask the Expert' series, Helen interviews Holly Tucker, co-founder of Not On The High Street and founder of Holly&...

#148 How to use emotional intelligence at work

03 Jun 2020

Contributed by Lukas

This week Helen and Sarah talk about emotional intelligence (EQ) at work. They take the 12 characteristics of EQ and share ideas for putting each one ...

#147 Ask the Expert: Purpose with Simon Sinek, author and speaker

28 May 2020

Contributed by Lukas

In the third of our six-part Squiggly Careers – Ask the Expert series, Helen interviews Simon Sinek, best-selling author and speaker, about the role...

#146 Disagreeing from a distance and dealing with conflict

26 May 2020

Contributed by Lukas

In this weeks episode Helen and Sarah share why working remotely can make disagreeing difficult and top tips on how to challenge constructively. In th...

#145: Ask the Expert: Mindfulness with Rich Pierson, co-founder Headspace

21 May 2020

Contributed by Lukas

In the second of our six-part Squiggly Careers – Ask the Expert series Sarah interviews Rich Pierson, co-founder of Headspace about&n...

BONUS: Stories from the front line – managing my mental health

20 May 2020

Contributed by Lukas

In this inspiring episode Helen and Sarah interview people working on the front-line during lock-down to get a window in the world of t...

#144 Wellbeing at work

19 May 2020

Contributed by Lukas

In our first episode supporting mental health awareness week Sarah and Helen chat to Dr. Paula Franklin - Chief Medical Officer Bupa,&n...

#143 Ask the Expert: Resilience with Martha Lane-Fox CBE

14 May 2020

Contributed by Lukas

In the first of our new six part Squiggly Careers - Ask the Expert series Sarah interviews Martha Lane- Fox (CBE) co-founder of lastminute.com and fou...

#142 Belonging in a virtual world of work

12 May 2020

Contributed by Lukas

This week, Helen and Sarah reflect on how our current working environment is affecting people's need for belonging and how to respond to it. They talk...

#141 How to be creative at work with Creative Rebels

05 May 2020

Contributed by Lukas

In this week's episode Helen and Sarah are joined by David Speed and Adam Brazier, co-hosts of the Creative Rebels Podcast and co-founders of Graffiti...

#140 How to develop your adaptability

28 Apr 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Adaptability and Squiggly Careers go hand in hand! We're all working with more change and ambiguity and our ability to find a way through it is crucia...

#139 Diverse Thinking and Rebel Ideas with Matthew Syed

21 Apr 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Helen talks to Matthew Syed about the power of diverse thinking in this week's Squiggly Careers podcast.They tackle topics including growth mindset, c...

#138 How to stay resilient

14 Apr 2020

Contributed by Lukas

In this episode Helen and Sarah give you the skills to develop strong resilience. They cover how to assess your steady state of resilience, how to thi...

#137 The human skills we need in an unpredictable world with Margaret Heffernan

07 Apr 2020

Contributed by Lukas

For a special episode Sarah talks to Dr. Margaret Heffernan - author of 'Uncharted: How to Map the Future Together'. They talk about the differen...

#136 Comfort vs. Courage zones and why they both matter

31 Mar 2020

Contributed by Lukas

This week Sarah and Helen discuss the difference between your comfort and courage learning zones and why they both matter. Together they discuss ideas...

#135 How to be kind at work

24 Mar 2020

Contributed by Lukas

As our working lives go through a significant period of change, it's never been more important to show kindness to others. Everyone is going through t...

#134 How to be a brilliant listener

17 Mar 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Listening plays a big part in our working lives, but often it's something we struggle to do well. Distractions, our own agendas, thoughts and feelings...

#133 IWD: Women who are changing the world

10 Mar 2020

Contributed by Lukas

In the final episode Sarah interviews two women leading the charge to make our world a better place. Kajal Odedre, director of change.org and author o...

#132 IWD: Female entrepreneurship

09 Mar 2020

Contributed by Lukas

In this special episode for International Women's Day, Helen talks to 3 guests about the topic of female entrepreneurship. With Sarah King and Claire ...

#131 IWD: Engaging men in gender equality

08 Mar 2020

Contributed by Lukas

In this special episode for International Women's Day, Helen and Sarah talk to two men who champion women in the workplace. First, Helen talks to Josh...

#130 IWD: Creating a gender balanced workplace - Part 2 w/Ann Francke

07 Mar 2020

Contributed by Lukas

In part 2 of this special episode for International Women's Day, Helen talks to Ann Francke, CEO of the Chartered Management Institute about the comme...

#129 IWD: Creating a gender balanced workplace - Part 1 w/Kathryn Jacob OBE and Sue Unerman

07 Mar 2020

Contributed by Lukas

In part 1 of 2 of this special episode for International Women's Day, Helen and Sarah talk to different guests to get their perspective on how women c...

#128 IWD: Life at the top, the reality of being a female CEO

06 Mar 2020

Contributed by Lukas

In this episode Sarah talks to three CEOs who happen to be women. Sarah interviews Cilla Snowball, Eithne O'Leary and Kate Stephens about the reality ...

#127 IWD: Gender portrayal in the media with Ella Dolphin

05 Mar 2020

Contributed by Lukas

In this episode of our special series, Sarah interviews Ella Dolphin, CEO of The Stylist Group. Together they discuss how gender is portrayed in the m...

#126 IWD: Taking on taboos – it’s about bloody time with Emma Barnett

04 Mar 2020

Contributed by Lukas

In this special epsiode to support International Women's Day, Helen interviews broadcaster, journalist and author Emma Barnett. Together, they discuss...

#125 How to avoid the comparison trap

03 Mar 2020

Contributed by Lukas

It's easier than ever to think the grass is always greener, we see perfect lives and curated workplaces on social media and can feel left out. In this...

#124 Work and Wellbeing - Live at Life Lessons

25 Feb 2020

Contributed by Lukas

This week's Squiggly Careers episode was recorded Live at the Sunday Times Life Lessons festival where Helen and Sarah were joined by Tom Chapman, Pip...

Bonus: Squiggly Career Story with David Pearl

20 Feb 2020

Contributed by Lukas

For a special bonus edition of the show Sarah takes to the streets to talk to David Pearl, founder of Street Wisdom and author of 'Wanderful'. They di...

#122 How to make your strengths show up and stand out

18 Feb 2020

Contributed by Lukas

It's not enough to just know what you're great at. In order to do your best work you need to spend time making sure your strengths show up and stand o...

#121 How to manage your boundaries

11 Feb 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Boundaries have never been harder to manage at work. Technology, pace and the volume of work we're all dealing with are causing us to blur our work an...

#120 Should you be a specialist or a generalist at work?

04 Feb 2020

Contributed by Lukas

In this week's Squiggly Careers podcast Helen and Sarah discuss the value of hard vs soft skills and being a specialist vs. a generalist in your caree...

#119 Squiggly Career Stories Live

28 Jan 2020

Contributed by Lukas

This week Helen and Sarah take Squiggly Careers Live. Listen as they are joined in London by founder of social enterprise Year Here, Jack Graham, entr...

#118 Squiggly Career Stories with Dr Caroline Casey and Polly McMaster

21 Jan 2020

Contributed by Lukas

In this week's Squiggly Careers podcast, Helen and Sarah talk to two inspirational women about their fascinating and very squiggly career journeys.Sar...

#117 Squiggly Career Stories featuring Viv Groskop, Roland Harwood and Roma Agrawal

14 Jan 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Helen and Sarah are back with week 2 of their special series of squiggly career stories.This week they are talking to journalist, writer and comedian ...

#116 Squiggly Career Stories featuring Emma Gannon & Levi Roots

07 Jan 2020

Contributed by Lukas

To celebrate the launch of Helen and Sarah’s book The Squiggly Career, January’s Squiggly Careers podcast will feature lots of special guests shar...

#115 20 Career Questions for 2020 (part 2)

31 Dec 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Helen and Sarah are back for part 2 of their ‘20 Questions for 2020 episode’ where they help you to set yourself up for success in the year ahead....

#114 20 Career Questions for 2020 (part 1)

24 Dec 2019

Contributed by Lukas

In this episode, Helen and Sarah talk about 10 questions to help you reflect on 2019 and be your best in 2020. They share their own answers and insigh...

#113 How to respond when work goes wrong

17 Dec 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Squiggly Careers are great, but they are not always easy and they are definitely not straight-forward. Things go wrong just as much as they go right a...

#112 How to use storytelling at work

10 Dec 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Storytelling is a skill which can help you to connect with others and to share your ideas in a compelling way.It's a valuable skill to develop for you...

#111 Christmas Party Podcast

03 Dec 2019

Contributed by Lukas

How better to end another year of Squiggly Careers podcasts than by bringing some extraordinary people into the Squiggly Careers studio to celebrate!T...

#110 How to ask for help

26 Nov 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Many of us struggle to ask for the help we need to succeed at work.Often we fear what asking for help might say about us and our competence or assume ...

#109 How to have a career conversation

19 Nov 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Did you know that 8/10 of us would be more engaged in our work if we were having regular careers conversations but only 16% of us actually are?There i...

#108 How couples can thrive in love and work with Jennifer Petriglieri

12 Nov 2019

Contributed by Lukas

This week Sarah interviews Jennifer Petriglieri, an Associate Professor at INSEAD and author of 'Couples that Work – how dual-career couples can thr...

#107 How to grow your self-esteem

05 Nov 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Self-esteem has been linked to higher levels of happiness, satisfaction and quality of relationships.The day to day challenges of demanding work, tric...

#106 How to say no (and when to say yes)

29 Oct 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Squiggly Careers are full of choice and opportunity which can sometimes mean we are faced with more decisions than we can handle.In absence of a clear...

#105 How to Own the Room with Viv Groskop

22 Oct 2019

Contributed by Lukas

This week Sarah interviews Viv Groskop, author of How to Own the Room (and host of the brilliant podcast with the same name). Together they discuss th...

#104 How to manage redundancy and restructures

15 Oct 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Our squiggly careers are full of change and uncertainty. At times, that can take the form of organisational restructures and even job redundancies. Th...

#103 How to figure out your future with Marie Forleo

08 Oct 2019

Contributed by Lukas

In this episode of the Squiggly Careers podcast, Helen talks to Marie Forleo about her new book 'Everything is Figureoutable' and what insights we can...

#102 How to teach yourself with Scott Morrison

01 Oct 2019

Contributed by Lukas

In this weeks episode Sarah interviews Scott Morrison one of the authors of Creative Superpowers and founder of bringer of the BOOM!Scott shares with ...

#101 How to master meetings

24 Sep 2019

Contributed by Lukas

All of the data points to meetings being an increasingly ineffective way of us getting work done. In this week’s podcast, Helen and Sarah explore wh...

#100 Squiggly Careers Live - How to make work better for everyone

17 Sep 2019

Contributed by Lukas

In celebration of 100 episodes of the Squiggly Careers podcast, hosts Helen and Sarah bring together 4 people that are making work better for everyone...

#99 Secrets to success with Dame Stephanie Shirley

10 Sep 2019

Contributed by Lukas

This week Sarah interviews special guest Dame Stephanie Shirley; tech pioneer, entrepreneur and philanthropist. In this episode we talk about what it ...

#98 How to have courageous conversations

03 Sep 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Do you ever struggle to speak up or feel frustrated in your ability to share your views and opinions at work? If so, don't worry, in this week's Squig...

#97 How to use your emotions at work with Mollie West Duffy

27 Aug 2019

Contributed by Lukas

This week Sarah is joined by special guest and co-author of the book, No Hard Feelings, Mollie West Duffy. Mollie shares her insights and ideas about ...

#96 How to use LinkedIn to boost your career

20 Aug 2019

Contributed by Lukas

This week, Helen talks to Rachael Glynne from LinkedIn to help you make the most of the platform. Whether you are an active user or you’ve let your ...

#95 How to prioritise your work

13 Aug 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Emails. Projects. Meetings. The long list of things you want to do and things you think you should do! Our work can sometimes feel overwhelming and di...

#94 How to manage your future and your finances with Heather McGregor

06 Aug 2019

Contributed by Lukas

If you haven't heard of Heather McGregor, you need to listen to this week's Squiggly Careers podcast! Heather is one of the most squiggly and brillian...

#93 How to have a career as a freelancer

30 Jul 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Squiggly Careers allow people to try many different modes of work and one that comes up a lot for our community is freelancing. If you’re curious ab...

#92 How to negotiate with impact

23 Jul 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Negotiation can feel like one of those skills we know we could be better at, but we're not sure how to go about improving. It's in the moments when we...

#91 How to manage for the first time

16 Jul 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Managing for the first time can feel like a daunting experience that triggers all kinds of Confidence Gremlins. What if I get found out? How do I help...

#90 In conversation with the UK's First Minister for Loneliness

09 Jul 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Loneliness is a growing issue in the workplace and one that we can all take action on to support people. In this week's podcast, Helen interviews Trac...

#89 How to increase your social impact

02 Jul 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Our careers are longer than ever and more and more people are looking not only to do a great job, but also to make a difference. In this week's Squigg...

#88 Responding to microaggressions at work

25 Jun 2019

Contributed by Lukas

How aware and affected are you of microaggressions at work? Perhaps it’s something you’ve not heard of before or maybe you think you may have unin...

#87 How to succeed at work

18 Jun 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Success is often defined by what we see others doing and achieving or external signals like salary and status. This search for external success can le...

#86 Neuroscience at work with Amy Brann

11 Jun 2019

Contributed by Lukas

This week's Squiggly Careers podcast episode features neuroscience expert Amy Brann, sharing her wisdom about how we can use our knowledge of the brai...

#85 How to manage politics at work

04 Jun 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Politics at work is something everyone experiences and no one we've spoken to yet actually enjoys! It seems like a 'fact of work' that politics is jus...

#84 How to coach yourself

28 May 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Coaching is a fantastic tool for your career and personal development, however it’s often expensive and out of reach for many people who would benef...

#83 How to build your confidence support system

21 May 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Squiggly Careers might be full of opportunity, but they are also full of challenge! Challenge can feel hard and at times it can affect our confidence....

#82 Mental health at work with Michelle Morgan

14 May 2019

Contributed by Lukas

In this week's episode Sarah interviews special guest Michelle Morgan. Michelle is a social entrepreneur, with a number of awards to he...

#81 Making your language work for you

07 May 2019

Contributed by Lukas

We all know the old rules about your impact being 7% what you say and the rest how you say it. This week, Sarah and Helen take on the importance of la...

#80 How to be happy at work

30 Apr 2019

Contributed by Lukas

What does it really mean to be happy at work and are we setting ourselves up to fail if we expect to be happy every day? We spend 90,000 hours of our ...

#79 Coping with conflict at work

23 Apr 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Does conflict at work fill you with dread? For many people, conflict is something to avoid at all costs and results in them stepping back and disengag...

#78 How to have children and a career (for future and existing parents!)

16 Apr 2019

Contributed by Lukas

This week Sarah talks to special guest Christine Armstrong author of The Mother of All Jobs. Christine shares how work has changed whilst the needs of...

#77 Switching Off & Slowing Down

09 Apr 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Did you know that we are sleeping 1-2 hours less than we did 60 years ago, that over 2/3s of us work outside of our contracted working hours and that ...

#76 How to Get Inspired at Work

02 Apr 2019

Contributed by Lukas

This week Helen and Sarah tackle the subject of inspiration. Where it comes from, why it's so important for our work and how we can cultivate it. They...

#75 Building Empathy at Work

26 Mar 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Empathy is a skill which underpins relationships. Often, it happens intuitively, but there is much that can be done to cultivate more empathic workpla...

#74 How to be a Productivity Ninja

19 Mar 2019

Contributed by Lukas

This week we're joined by productivity expert Graham Allcott, founder of Think Productive, speaker and author of numerous books on the subject of prod...

#73 How to stop perfectionsim holding you back

12 Mar 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Perfectionism at work is responsible for increased stress and anxiety and it's a common challenge people struggle with. It can be routed in a fear of ...

#72 Goals Setting That Works

05 Mar 2019

Contributed by Lukas

With so many competing priorities at work, setting effective goals and staying motivated to achieve them has never been more important, though it’s ...

#71 How to work with micromanagement

26 Feb 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Micromanagement is a big frustration for many of us at work. We all don't like it, but so many of us have to work with it. In this week's podcast, Sar...

#70 Career Possibilities & The Radical Sabbatical

19 Feb 2019

Contributed by Lukas

This week, the Squiggly Careers podcast welcomes a special guest! Emma Rosen, author of The Radical Sabbatical, talks to Helen about what we can learn...

#69 DIY Career Development

12 Feb 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Taking control of your career development is easier than ever if you've got the motivation and you know where to look! This week, Helen and Sarah are ...

#68 How to be Influential

05 Feb 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Cutting through the noise of work, so people hear you and your perspectives, has never been more challenging. It's the people who have influencing ski...

#67 Managing Emotions at Work

29 Jan 2019

Contributed by Lukas

We all experience emotion at work. Sometimes it helps us and sometimes it hinders us. This week, Sarah and Helen talk about the positive and negative ...

#66 The Joy of Work with Bruce Daisley

22 Jan 2019

Contributed by Lukas

In this weeks special episode Sarah interviews guest Bruce Daisley, author of The Joy of Work, 30 ways to fix your work culture and fall in love with ...

#65 Getting to Grips with Motivation

15 Jan 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Not every day at work is a happy day. Sometimes it feels like our motivation to be our best and do our best at work, has got lost somewhere between ho...