Squiggly Careers

Latest Episodes:

#561 How to Spend More Time in Your Zone of Genius at Work May 19, 2026

Show notes

How much of your working week are you spending on things you're genuinely great at, and how much is quietly draining you?

In this episode, Helen and Sarah borrow brilliance from Gay Hendricks' Zone of Genius framework, sparked by Emma Grede's book Start With Yourself, and turn it into one of the most practically useful exercises they've tried in a while.

They work through all 4 zones live, competence, incompetence, excellence, and genius, sharing their own honest examples (including payroll, passive meetings, and branding). Then Helen shares a surprisingly simple way to use AI to analyse your diary and find out exactly how your time is really being spent.

This episode is brought to you in partnership with Post-it® Brand. If today's episode sparked an idea, stick it down. Find out where to buy Post-it® products at go.3M.com/squiggly

🎯 What You'll Learn

– What the four zones actually mean, and why spending too much time in your zone of excellence can be just as much of a trap as your zone of incompetence

– How to map your own work across the four zones using Post-it® Notes

– A simple diary audit method and how to use AI to turn your ticks into percentages (and real insight)

– Why this is one of the best team exercises Helen and Sarah have come across for making strengths visible and actionable

📚 Resources Mentioned

Start With Yourself — Emma Grede

Zone of Genius — Gay Hendricks

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: https://www.amazingif.com/squigglysprints/

3. Sign up for our Squiggly Careers Newsletter, a weekly summary of the latest squiggly career tools: https://bit.ly/squigglynewsletter_pod

4. Order our new book Learn Like a Lobster: https://www.amazingif.com/books/

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#560 4 Ways to Stop Self-Sabotage at Work May 14, 2026

Show notes

Does your inner critic get loudest exactly when you need it to be quiet? In this Squiggly Shortcut, Helen unpacks what self-sabotage actually looks and feels like at work, and shares four simple things you can do to start turning the volume down. 🎯 What You'll Learn – Why self-sabotage tends to show up hardest in the moments that matter most (and what that costs you over time) – How to spot the specific situations where your inner critic is having the biggest impact – Why "name it to tame it" is one of the most useful things you can do with a worry – One simple language swap, from "I can't" to "I don't", that shifts you from feeling stuck to feeling in control 📚 Resources Mentioned Episode 283 - How to stop self-sabotage: https://www.amazingif.com/listen/how-to-stop-self-sabotage/ 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: https://www.amazingif.com/squigglysprints/ 3. Sign up for our Squiggly Careers Newsletter, a weekly summary of the latest squiggly career tools: https://bit.ly/squigglynewsletter_pod 4. Order our new book Learn Like a Lobster: https://www.amazingif.com/books/

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#559 What to Do When Your Work Feels Pointless May 12, 2026

Show notes

Have you ever finished a week at work and wondered what you actually did that mattered? In this episode, Helen and Sarah borrow brilliance from David Graeber's book Bulls*it Jobs...and find it uncomfortably relatable. Helen and Sarah explore what pointless work actually looks like, why it's more common than most of us admit, and, crucially, what you can do if you find yourself in it. 🎯 What You'll Learn – What makes a job "pointless" according to Graeber's definition (and why it's more about your own assessment than anyone else's) – Why high-paid pointless jobs are often more draining than they sound – Five practical strategies for surviving and escaping a job that doesn't feel real (from scanning sideways to pitching yourself a new role) – Why treating your career as a series of experiences rather than an identity makes these moments easier to navigate – When to leave (and why calling it fast is increasingly the right move) 📚 Resources Mentioned Bullsh*it Jobs — David Graeber I Don't Want a Job (Not a Real Job) — Amy McNeese, The Pony Project 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: https://www.amazingif.com/squigglysprints/ 3. Sign up for our Squiggly Careers Newsletter, a weekly summary of the latest squiggly career tools: https://bit.ly/squigglynewsletter_pod 4. Order our new book Learn Like a Lobster: https://www.amazingif.com/books/

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#558 Where to Start When You Feel Overwhelmed at Work May 06, 2026

Show notes

Feeling overwhelmed at work? In this Squiggly Shortcut, Sarah shares three strategies that got her through a particularly full-on week, starting with something most of us don't do nearly enough. 🎯 What You'll Learn – Why signalling early to the people around you is one of the most useful things you can do when you're overwhelmed (and how to tell them what kind of help you actually need) – Why emptying your head onto paper (without worrying about making it make sense) creates more space than any prioritisation system – How to make an honest list of where good enough is fine this week — and where you genuinely need to be great 📚 Resources Mentioned Episode 199: How to cope with overwhelm at work https://www.amazingif.com/listen/how-to-cope-with-overwhelm-at-work/ 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: https://www.amazingif.com/squigglysprints/ 3. Sign up for our Squiggly Careers Newsletter, a weekly summary of the latest squiggly career tools: https://bit.ly/squigglynewsletter_pod 4. Order our new book Learn Like a Lobster: https://www.amazingif.com/books/

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3 Frameworks That Could Change How You Work (And How to Use Them) May 04, 2026

Show notes

Could a framework change the way you think about your time, your strengths, or your team? In this episode, Helen and Sarah borrow brilliance from three tried-and-tested strategic models, and put them to the test with AI prompts, Post-it® Big Notes, and a live coaching conversation to see how useful they actually are. From a classic time management matrix to a strengths development tool to a team effectiveness framework that's been around since the 70s, this episode is brought to you in partnership with Post-it® Brand. If today's episode sparked an idea, stick it down, find out where to buy Post-it® products at go.3M.com/squiggly 🎯 What You'll Learn – How to use the Eisenhower Matrix to see where your time is really going (and what to do if it doesn't give you new answers) – How to adapt the Ansoff Matrix to grow your strengths into new contexts and with new people – How the McKinsey 7S framework can reveal surprising gaps in how your team works together – Which frameworks are best done alone, in a pair, or with your whole team – How AI can help you get more from a model that feels too simple on its own 📚 Resources Mentioned Podsheet with AI prompts and framework diagrams: amazingif.com 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 2. Sign up for our Skills Sprints 3. Sign up for our Squiggly Careers Newsletter, a weekly summary of the latest squiggly career tools 4. Order our new book Learn Like a Lobster

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Should You Stay or Should You Go? A Simple Matrix to Help You Decide Apr 29, 2026

Show notes

Should you stay or should you go? In this Squiggly Shortcut, Helen shares a simple matrix to help you think more clearly about one of the most common career questions she gets asked, and move beyond gut feeling alone.

🎯 What You'll Learn– How to use a two-by-two matrix to work out where you are right now in your career– What to do if you love where you work but aren't learning (and why this isn't a reason to leave)– How to make the most of a role where you're growing but not happy– Why "not learning, don't love it" is the one quadrant that calls for action, and how to make a considered move rather than a leap– What to do when you've got the dream scenario, because doing nothing would be a missed opportunity

📚 Resources MentionedEpisode 282: How to know whether to switch or stay in your role: https://www.amazingif.com/listen/how-to-know-whether-to-switch-or-stay-in-your-role/For questions about Squiggly Careers or to share feedback, please email: helenandsarah@squigglycareers.comNeed some more squiggly career support?

1. Download our free career tools

2. Sign up for our Skills Sprints

3. Sign up for our Squiggly Careers Newsletter, a weekly summary of the latest squiggly career tools

4. Order our new book Learn Like a Lobster

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Could Gamifying Your Work Week Make You Better at What You Do? Apr 27, 2026

Show notes

Are you a "track everything" person or a "just do the thing" person? In this episode, Helen and Sarah borrow brilliance from the world of gamification — and have a genuinely fun debate about whether it actually works for your career.

Helen comes in as a convert (she gamifies her sleep, her deep sleep, her exercise, her steps, and possibly her vegetables). Sarah comes in as a sceptic. What unfolds is an honest, practical exploration of when gamification helps, when it doesn't, and how to design a game that works for you — not one that makes you feel judged by an app.

🎯 What You'll Learn

– What gamification actually is and why it taps into some very human motivations

– Four games you could play at work right now — from your to-do list to your energy, relationships and learning

– Why the question to ask of any game is: does this make me feel more capable, or just more compliant?

– How teams can play together without it turning into an uncomfortable competition

– The rules of the game: how to design your own two-week experiment

📚 Resources Mentioned

The Big Think

Tim Harford's newsletter

Squiggly Careers Skills Sprints

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

2. Sign up for our Skills Sprints

3. Sign up for our Squiggly Careers Newsletter, a weekly summary of the latest squiggly career tools

4. Order our new book Learn Like a Lobster

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Mentor with Your Talents, Not Your Title Apr 22, 2026

Show notes

What if mentoring had nothing to do with seniority — and everything to do with strengths? In this Squiggly Shortcut, Sarah makes the case for a more inclusive, more accessible approach to mentoring that every team can make happen straight away.

🎯 What You'll Learn

– Why strengths-based mentoring is more useful than traditional senior-to-junior mentoring

– Three ways to make it work: one way, two way (strengths swapping), and one to many

– How to make your ask for mentoring specific, easy to say yes to, and genuinely flattering to receive

– Why building a spreadsheet of team strengths could be one of the most useful things your team does this year

📚 Resources Mentioned

Episode 122 — How to make your strengths show up and stand out

For questions about Squiggly Careers or to share feedback, please email: helenandsarah@squigglycareers.com

Need some more squiggly career support?

Download our free career tools

Sign up for our Skills Sprints
Sign up for our Squiggly Careers Newsletter, a weekly summary of the latest squiggly career tools
Order our new book Learn Like a Lobster

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Draw Your Way to a Better Workday Apr 20, 2026

Show notes

When did you last draw something at work? In this episode, Helen and Sarah borrow brilliance from the science of drawing — and make a surprisingly strong case for why picking up a pen (or a Post-it® Note) could be one of the most useful things you do this week.

From boosting your mood to supercharging your memory, drawing does things for your brain that writing simply can't. Helen and Sarah put this to the test live, working through four drawing exercises — some just for you, some brilliant for teams — including how you're feeling about work this week, a strength you want to make stronger, your confidence gremlins, and your dream work day.Want to see Helen and Sarah's drawings for yourself? Make sure you're signed up to the Squiggly Careers Newsletter — we'll be sharing them there.This episode is brought to you in partnership with Post-it® Brand. If today's episode sparked an idea, stick it down — find out where to buy Post-it® products at go.3M.com/squiggly

🎯 What You'll Learn

– Why drawing beats writing for memory and mood — and the research behind it– Four drawing exercises to try by yourself or with your team– Why "I'm not a good drawer" is the one thing that should never hold you back– How drawing someone else's dream day can tell you more about their values than almost any other team exercise

📚 Resources Mentioned

Squiggly Careers on YouTube (watch the drawings in action)Squiggly Careers on SpotifyFor questions about Squiggly Careers or to share feedback, please email: helenandsarah@squigglycareers.com

Need some more squiggly career support?

Download our free career tools

1. Sign up for our Skills Sprints

2. Sign up for our Squiggly Careers Newsletter, a weekly summary of the latest squiggly career tools

3. Order our new book Learn Like a Lobster

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

3 Ways to Be More Persuasive at Work Apr 15, 2026

Show notes

How do you get people to actually listen — and say yes — more often? In this Squiggly Shortcut, Helen shares three simple, research-backed ways to become more influential at work. Whether you're trying to get an idea across, shift an outcome, or build stronger working relationships, this episode will give you practical things you can do both in the moment and over time.

🎯 What You'll Learn

Why mirroring language (not just body language) is a subtle but powerful way to build connection– How likability works as a persuasion tool — and why it's less about being smiley and more about genuinely listening– Why reciprocity is a long game, and how to think about what you have to give

📚 Resources Mentioned

Influence with Robert CialdiniFor 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

2. Sign up for our Skills Sprints

3. Sign up for our Squiggly Careers Newsletter, a weekly summary of the latest squiggly career tools

4. Order our new book Learn Like a Lobster

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices