How I Work

Latest Episodes:

Quick Win: How Atlassian’s Dom Price makes 'difficult conversations’ easy Feb 10, 2025

Show notes

Does the idea of having a difficult conversation at work make you want to pack up and go home?

Dom Price is the resident Work Futurist at Atlassian and he has a range of tips and ideas on how to make these difficult conversations easier.

Dom shares:

- 💡 The things you can do to make difficult conversations easier.

- 🤔 What are the easiest ‘difficult conversations.’

- ✅ The one thing you should do when entering a tough conversation.

- 🚫 One thing many of us do that makes these conversations harder than they need to be.

Connect Dom via X, Linkedin, or on his website.

Listen to the full Interview with Dom here.

My latest book The Health Habit is out now. You can order a copy here: https://www.amantha.com/the-health-habit/

Connect with me on the socials: Linkedin (https://www.linkedin.com/in/amanthaimber)

Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/amanthai)

If you are looking for more tips to improve the way you work and live, I write a weekly newsletter where I share practical and simple to apply tips to improve your life. You can sign up for that at https://amantha-imber.ck.page/subscribe

Visit https://www.amantha.com/podcast for full show notes from all episodes.

Get in touch at amantha@inventium.com.au

Credits:

Host: Amantha Imber

Sound Engineer: The Podcast Butler

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Ben Shewry’s secret to ongoing creative success Feb 05, 2025

Show notes

Some of the world’s most creative people seem to have no trouble staying creative while the rest of us find it a constant challenge.

But what if there were simple things you could be doing to lift the load and make being creative fun again?

This is why I’ve asked creative powerhouse Ben Shewry to return to the podcast.

Ben Shewry is head chef and owner of multi-award winning Melbourne restaurant, Attica. Attica has been featured several times in the The World's 50 Best Restaurants and has been named the Best Restaurant in Australia. He has also won The Age Good Food Guide’s Restaurant of the year 3 times, Chef of the Year twice, has earned 3 Michelin stars, been featured on the Netflix Series Chef’s Table and so much more.

What you probably didn’t know about Ben is that he is also a brilliant writer. His latest book, Uses for Obsession, is a memoir of his experiences in the hospitality industry.

With all of this success and all these projects, Ben has definitely found more demands on his time, and yet he still manages to keep that joy and passion with his creative work.

Ben shares:

Some ways you can identify when a creative idea won’t work
How to stay passionate about your creativity, even when success brings new challenges
Why you shouldn’t get angry when people steal your creative ideas
How to use self-doubt as a tool instead of an obstacle

Key Quotes:

"I don't see self-doubt as a negative thing. I think it needs to be controlled like anxiety does."

"The more successful you become, the harder it is to do the thing that made you successful."

“Silliness is really underrated...a bit of silliness goes a long way."

Connect with Ben on Instagram or read his latest book Uses for Obsession.

My latest book The Health Habit is out now. You can order a copy here: https://www.amantha.com/the-health-habit/

Connect with me on the socials:

Linkedin (https://www.linkedin.com/in/amanthaimber)

Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/amanthai)

Visit https://www.amantha.com/podcast for full show notes from all episodes.

Get in touch at amantha@inventium.com.au

Credits:

Host: Amantha Imber

Sound Engineer: The Podcast Butler

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Quick Win: How a sense of ‘meaning’ can save you when work gets challenging with Dr Gabriella Rosen Kellerman Feb 03, 2025

Show notes

Did you know that the best way to ensure happiness and focus is to ensure you have a sense of ‘meaning’ when it comes to your work?

But what exactly is meaning and how do you create it?

Dr Gabriella Rosen Kellerman is a Harvard trained physician, co-author of the international bestseller Tomorrowmind with Martin Seligman, and Chief Innovation Officer at BetterUp.

Gabriella shares:

- 🎯 What ‘meaning’ is and why it could help you out when work gets challenging.

- ⚠️ What can happen if a manager doesn’t ensure their employees have meaning.

- 🌱 How you can create meaning for yourself with your work.

- 🔑 The vital, key part of helping create ‘meaning’ for employees.

Listen to the full interview with Gabriella here.

Find Gabriella’s book via her website or connect with her on linkedin.

My latest book The Health Habit is out now. You can order a copy here: https://www.amantha.com/the-health-habit/

Connect with me on the socials: Linkedin (https://www.linkedin.com/in/amanthaimber)

Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/amanthai)

Visit https://www.amantha.com/podcast for full show notes from all episodes.

Get in touch at amantha@inventium.com.au

Credits:

Host: Amantha Imber

Sound Engineer: The Podcast Butler

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Want to make time for the things that count? Oliver Burkeman has your time management answers Jan 29, 2025

Show notes

In an effort to make time for ourselves, many of us fall back on using To Do lists and time blocking. But often these strategies can end up with the same result: getting lost in chasing productivity. So how do we make time for the things that truly count?

Oliver Burkeman is a New York Times bestselling author of books such as ‘Four Thousand Weeks: Time Management for Mortals’ and ‘Meditations for Mortals: Four Weeks to Embrace Your Limitations and Make Time for What Counts’. Oliver is also a regular columnist for The Guardian.

If there is anyone who truly understands the philosophy and psychology of time management and happiness, it’s Oliver.

Oliver shares:

🧠 The mindset you should be using when you first approach a task if you want it to be achieved easily
⏳ How you can free up time by minimising time spent on worrying
✅ The strategy you should be utilising instead of a to-do list to actually create a sense of achievement
🌟 Why being open to distractions can actually be beneficial

Key Quotes:
"Don't start from the position that unexpected things happening must be bad."

“There is this tendency to set things up in your mind so that you can never feel like you’ve done something well enough."

Connect with Oliver via his website, or get his latest book, Meditations for Mortals, here

My latest book The Health Habit is out now. You can order a copy here: https://www.amantha.com/the-health-habit/

Connect with me on the socials:

Linkedin (https://www.linkedin.com/in/amanthaimber)

Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/amanthai)

Visit https://www.amantha.com/podcast for full show notes from all episodes.

Get in touch at amantha@inventium.com.au

Credits:

Host: Amantha Imber

Sound Engineer: The Podcast Butler

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Quick Win: What all the best meeting leaders have in common Jan 27, 2025

Show notes

Steven Rogelberg is one of the world’s leading experts on workplace meetings and he knows that one of the biggest deciding factors on whether a meeting is successful or not is the ability of the person leading the meeting.

Whether it’s making the meeting all about themselves, or failing to plan in advance, there are plenty of pitfalls that can undo a meeting for a leader.

Additionally, there are also some key traits that all successful meeting leaders have in common and Steven is an expert on them all.

Steven’s book, The Surprising Science of Meetings: How You Can Lead Your Team to Peak Performancehas been on over 25 “best of” lists including being recognized by the Washington Post as the #1 leadership book to watch for. To top it off, Adam Grant has called Steven the “world’s leading expert on how to fix meetings”.

Listen to the full interview with Steven here.

Connect with Steven via his website and linkedin.

My latest book The Health Habit is out now. You can order a copy here: https://www.amantha.com/the-health-habit/

Connect with me on the socials:

Linkedin (https://www.linkedin.com/in/amanthaimber)

Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/amanthai)

Visit https://www.amantha.com/podcast for full show notes from all episodes.

Get in touch at amantha@inventium.com.au

Credits:

Host: Amantha Imber

Sound Engineer: The Podcast Butler

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

BEST OF: Adam Grant’s advice for me on overcoming burnout – and how he made it through his own burnout experience Jan 22, 2025

Show notes

**BEST OF**
World-renowned organisational psychologist Adam Grant opens up about his personal battle with burnout – and gives me advice on my recent experience with burning out. Listen in as Adam shares:

📚 The intense journey of writing his first book and the unexpected obstacles he faced
🔥 His personal experience with burnout symptoms and how they manifested
💡 The turning point that helped him push through his lowest moments
🛠️ Practical advice on overcoming self-doubt and procrastination
🤝 The critical importance of sharing your work early and often

This episode is a must-listen for anyone looking to understand and combat burnout. Adam’s story shows that even experts can struggle, and his lessons learned provide a roadmap for turning setbacks into comebacks. Connect with Adam via his website, LinkedIn, and Instagram.

My latest book The Health Habit is out now. You can order a copy here: https://www.amantha.com/the-health-habit/

Connect with me on the socials:

Linkedin (https://www.linkedin.com/in/amanthaimber)

Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/amanthai)

Visit https://www.amantha.com/podcast for full show notes from all episodes.

Get in touch at amantha@inventium.com.au

Credits:
Host: Amantha Imber
Sound Engineer: Martin Imber
Episode Producer: Rowena Murray

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

BEST OF: Ruthless prioritization with Google’s Executive Productivity Advisor, Laura Mae Martin Jan 15, 2025

Show notes

**BEST OF**
Laura Mae Martin has my dream job – she is Google’s Executive Productivity Advisor. Her job is to advise the top folk at Google on how to be more productive. In this chat, we cover:

* Ruthless Prioritisation: the importance of saying no to good things to make room for great things.
* Sunday Planning Ritual: Laura’s ritual of planning the upcoming week every Sunday, and her exact process for doing this.
* List Funnels: a method to manage tasks by categorising and prioritising them to ensure nothing falls through the cracks.
* Downtime: the critical role of downtime in productivity, with Laura sharing her practice of “No Tech Tuesday” to disconnect and recharge.
* Generative AI in Productivity: how generative AI tools can augment productivity, automating routine tasks and freeing up time for more strategic work.
* And much, much more…

Get a copy of Laura’s new book Uptime.

My latest book The Health Habit is out now. You can order a copy here: https://www.amantha.com/the-health-habit/

Connect with me on the socials:

Linkedin (https://www.linkedin.com/in/amanthaimber)

Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/amanthai)

Visit https://www.amantha.com/podcast for full show notes from all episodes.

Get in touch at amantha@inventium.com.au

Credits:
Host: Amantha Imber
Sound Engineer: Martin Imber
Episode Producer: Rowena Murray

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

BEST OF: The Art and Science of the One-on-One with Professor Steven Rogelberg Jan 08, 2025

Show notes

**BEST OF**
Imagine walking into a one-on-one meeting with your boss and leaving feeling not just heard, but genuinely empowered. It almost sounds too good to be true, but Professor Steven Rogelberg, a renowned organisational psychologist, insists it’s not only possible but essential. In this episode of How I Work, I sit down with Steven to peel back the layers on what makes for effective one-on-one meetings that inspire and motivate.

Did you know that the right questions in these meetings can be the key to unlocking your employees’ potential? Steven takes us on a deep dive into the crucial ways to approach one-on-one conversations, from asking powerful questions to the subtle art of listening that can fuel positive change. With the shift to remote work, he also touches on how managers can adapt their strategies to maintain that crucial human connection across the digital divide.

Grab a copy of Steven’s book Glad We Met.

After immersing yourself in the art of one-on-ones with Steven, don’t forget to check out my new book, The Health Habit. It’s available now, and you can order your very own copy here.

Stay connected and join me on my quest to improve how we work and live by following me on Linkedin and Instagram.

For those hungry for weekly nuggets of wisdom, my newsletter is the go-to resource. Practical, concise, and always helpful, sign up for a dose of life-enhancing tips.

Don’t forget to visit this page for comprehensive show notes from every episode, and if you have thoughts to share or questions to ask, reach out directly at amantha@inventium.com.au.

CREDITS

This episode is brought to you by Inventium, with your host Amantha Imber, sound engineering by Martin Imber, and episode production by Liam Riordan.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

BEST OF: Mel Silva shares leadership lessons from inside Google Jan 01, 2025

Show notes

**BEST OF**
What does it take to lead one of the world’s most creative and innovative companies?

Mel Silva’s been with Google for over 16 years, and now as the Managing Director for Australia and New Zealand, she’s a pivotal part of fostering the company’s world-famous culture.

Mel unpacks the key lessons she’s learned in her many roles with the company, including the lessons she’s learned from her coach, and what she’s learned about herself and her leadership style since becoming a mentor for up-and-coming Googlers.

Mel also shares her most valuable new working practice, which she calls ‘thinking days,’ and teaches you how to make deep thinking time as effective as possible for you and your organisation.

Connect with Mel on LinkedIn

My latest book The Health Habit is out now. You can order a copy here: https://www.amantha.com/the-health-habit/

Connect with me on the socials:

Linkedin (https://www.linkedin.com/in/amanthaimber)

Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/amanthai)

Visit https://www.amantha.com/podcast for full show notes from all episodes.

Get in touch at amantha@inventium.com.au

Credits:
Produced by Inventium
Host: Amantha Imber
Sound Engineer: Martin Imber
Episode Producer: Liam Riordan

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

BEST OF: Have we got work all wrong? Modern work principles with Almanac CEO Adam Nathan Dec 25, 2024

Show notes

**BEST OF**
The way we work has never changed quite as much as it did during the pandemic. Sure, you probably knew a couple of people with home offices or flexible hours, but after lockdowns, remote work went from a rarity to the new normal. When everyone was suddenly forced to stay inside, we all realised we could get by with tools like Google Docs and Zoom.

But what if we were wrong?

Adam Nathan, the co-founder and CEO of Almanac, worries that where we work has changed, but how we work hasn’t caught up yet. We’re using tools created for a different time, he says, and simply updating the tools won’t do the trick.

Adam shares Almanac’s ‘modern work principles’, and explains why addressing our workflows and strategies is the key to keeping up with the pace of change.

Connect with Adam on LinkedIn, read more about The Modern Work Method, or try out Almanac for yourself

My latest book The Health Habit is out now. You can order a copy here: https://www.amantha.com/the-health-habit/

Connect with me on the socials:

Linkedin (https://www.linkedin.com/in/amanthaimber)

Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/amanthai)

Visit https://www.amantha.com/podcast for full show notes from all episodes.

Get in touch at amantha@inventium.com.au

Credits:
Produced by Inventium
Host: Amantha Imber
Sound Engineer: Martin Imber

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.