The Art of Asking for Help (Part 3/3): How Strategic Requests Can Accelerate Your Career

Final Episode of Season 1!

Episode Summary:
Welcome to the Season 1 finale of Career Curious! 🎉
In this powerful closing episode, we dive into how to ask for help.  The smart way. So you can stop feeling stuck and start accelerating your career growth.

You’re doing the work. You’re delivering the results. But if you’re still feeling invisible? It's not about working harder. It's about making your value visible.

Today, you'll learn:
✨ Why working in silence keeps you stuck
✨ How asking for help strategically builds influence, credibility, and momentum
✨ The 5 key mindset shifts to master asking for help
✨ A simple SMART framework to make better requests
✨ How to create your own bubble of psychological safety (even in tough environments)

Asking for help isn’t weakness.
It’s leadership.
It’s leverage.
It’s your next level.

Thank you for joining me this season. This is just the beginning. 🚀

What You’ll Learn in This Episode:
✅ How to shift your mindset from ego to outcome
✅ Why your brain exaggerates the risk of asking (and the real stats you need to know)
✅ How to build trust and influence through small, strategic asks
✅ The SMART framework: Specific, Meaningful, Action-Oriented, Realistic, and Time-Bound requests
✅ How small, consistent asks rewire your brain and build momentum

Links & Resources Mentioned:
🔹 Join the Career Curious newsletter
🔹 Catch up on past episodes

Love Career Curious?
✨ Share this episode with a friend or colleague who’s ready to grow their career with courage and curiosity.
✨ Subscribe and/or leave a review. it helps more high-achievers find their next step!

Connect with Lisette:
🔗 Follow me on LinkedIn
🌎 Follow me on Instagram

Thank you for being part of Season 1.
Stay curious. Stay courageous.
You were never meant to do this alone. 💛

We all do it. Say yes to every meeting, every task, every request, until there’s no room left for ourselves. In the second episode of our 3-part series on asking for help, we’re talking about the real cost of trying to do it all alone.

From bottlenecking your team’s potential to silently stalling your company’s growth, this episode dives deep into how high-achievers sabotage themselves by refusing to ask for support. We explore the impact on your time, energy, and leadership and share what real leadership looks like when you choose vulnerability over perfection.

You’ll hear personal stories, powerful studies, and practical tools to shift the narrative and stop leaving opportunities on the table.

Why refusing to ask for help isn’t dedication, it’s self-sabotage

The difference between good leaders and great ones

How psychological safety drives innovation

The hidden financial and emotional costs of being “the fixer”

Tools to ask for help strategically (without guilt or fear)

The 10-Minute Rule: When you’re stuck, give yourself 10 minutes. Then ask.

The Magic Phrase: “You’re better at this than I am—can you take the lead?”

💬 DM Lisette on LinkedIn to share your thoughts or questions

📰 Get weekly career insights in your inbox: Subscribe to the Newsletter

🎯 Book a free Curiosity Call if you're ready for strategic support (2 spots open for Spring coaching)

This is Part 2 of a 3-part series:

Why High-Achievers Struggle to Ask for Help

This Episode: The Real Cost of Never Asking for Help

Coming Soon: How to Ask for Help the Right Way (Finale of the Season)

Ever feel like asking for help is a sign of weakness? You’re not alone. In this three-part series, we’re diving into why high achievers struggle to ask for help and how shifting this mindset can unlock major career growth.

In today’s episode, we explore:

✔️ The psychological barriers that make it hard to ask for help
✔️ How childhood conditioning, perfectionism, and cognitive biases hold you back
✔️ Why not asking for help is stalling your success more than you realize
✔️ A small mindset shift that can change everything

Your challenge this week

Identify one thing you’re struggling with and ask someone for help. Start small. Maybe it’s feedback on a project, an introduction, or a quick decision check-in. Notice what happens when you let people support you.

Next week

The real cost of not asking for help. How staying silent could be costing you opportunities, promotions, and even thousands of euros in lost income. Don’t miss it.

Let’s Connect!

If this episode resonated with you, I’d love to hear from you! Send me a message on LinkedIn or share your thoughts in a review. And if you know someone who needs to hear this message today, pass it along.

📩 Subscribe & Review: If you enjoy Career Curious, make sure to hit subscribe so you never miss an episode. Your reviews and shares help me reach more listeners and continue creating meaningful content.

🔗 Connect with Me on LinkedIn: @LisetteLeuftink
🔗 Subscribe to My Newsletter for More Career & Life Insights: Lisetteleuftink.com/Newsletter

Let’s make asking for help a power move.

Until next time—stay curious!

In honor of International Women’s Day, I’m getting personal. Today, I’m sharing a story I’ve never fully discussed before: why I never wanted kids. More importantly, I’m using this story to explore a bigger question: What does it mean to live authentically?

As women, we’re often expected to conform to societal norms, whether that’s having kids, choosing a ‘stable’ career, or following a predetermined path. But what happens when you don’t fit the mold?

In this episode, I challenge these expectations and share:
✔️ The pressures society places on women to have children.
✔️ How I navigated my own decision to remain child-free.
✔️ The importance of making choices that align with who you are, not what’s expected of you.
✔️ The difference between staying in your Zone of Competence vs. stepping into your Zone of Genius.

If you’ve ever felt pressured to follow a path that doesn’t feel right for you—whether it’s about family, career, or life in general—this episode is for you.

✅ Why choosing NOT to do something often requires more explanation than choosing to do it.
✅ The power of self-awareness in designing a fulfilling life and career.
✅ How to break free from expectations and build a life that energizes you.
✅ The role of small steps in transitioning toward a more aligned and authentic life.

🔗 Book Recommendation: The Big Leap by Gay Hendricks (on the Zone of Genius).
🔗 Connect with Me on LinkedIn: @LisetteLeuftink
🔗 Subscribe to My Newsletter for More Career & Life Insights: Lisetteleuftink.com/Newsletter

If this episode resonated with you, I’d love to hear from you! Send me a message on LinkedIn or share your thoughts in a review. And if you know someone who needs to hear this message today, pass it along.

📩 Subscribe & Review: If you enjoy Career Curious, make sure to hit subscribe so you never miss an episode. Your reviews and shares help me reach more listeners and continue creating meaningful content.

🌟 Final Thought: The best way to celebrate International Women’s Day? Live authentically. Your life, your choices.

Until next time—stay curious!

Episode Summary:
Many leaders, whether new or experienced, struggle with tough conversations. We’re taught to be nice, polite, and keep the peace. But avoiding hard conversations doesn’t make you a strong leader. It makes you an ineffective one. In this episode, Lisette shares why being kind is more powerful than being nice, and how this one mindset shift can change the way you lead.

If you’ve ever felt uncomfortable giving feedback, struggled to set boundaries, or hesitated to address underperformance, this episode is for you.

What You’ll Learn in This Episode:
✔️ Why “nice” leaders struggle and how it affects their teams.
✔️ How to be kind while still making tough decisions.
✔️ The difference between vague feedback and real leadership (and why clear communication boosts team performance by 33%).
✔️ How to move past the fear of not being liked and step into real leadership.
✔️ A real-world leadership story about handling difficult decisions and why 77% of employees who quit could have been retained with the right conversation.

Resources & Next Steps:
✅ Your Leadership Challenge: Before you close this episode, pause for 30 seconds and write down one conversation you’ve been avoiding. Schedule it for this week. Clear is kind.

📩 Let’s Connect:
💬 Follow me on Linkedin or Instagram
🔗 Join my newsletter for more career insights
🎧 Subscribe & Review: If you found this episode valuable, share it with a friend and leave a review. It helps more professionals like you step into confident leadership.

👉 What's Your Next Step Workshop – February 11th: Register Here
This is your chance to create a clear, actionable plan for your career. Together, we’ll uncover your strengths, find hidden opportunities, and help you move forward with confidence!

Episode Summary:
In this episode of Career Curious, we shift gears to explore what's holding you back from making that next move in your career. You might already know where you want to go, but something —fear, doubt, or even comfort — is keeping you stuck. I’ll share real stories from my clients and my own journey, while introducing you to a powerful concept called the Upper Limit Problem, based on Gay Hendricks’ The Big Leap.

You’ll learn how your own mind can sabotage success and, more importantly, how to break through those self-imposed limits. We’ll also reflect on fears like failure, financial instability, and comfort zones, while brainstorming practical steps you can take today to move forward.

Get ready to discover that you're capable of far more than you think and that the time to take action is now!

What You'll Learn:

Resources Mentioned:

Join the Workshop:
Don’t wait! Register for What's Your Next Step Workshop on February 11th to uncover your strengths and build a career plan tailored to your goals.

Connect with Me:

Subscribe & Share:
If you enjoyed this episode, please share it with a friend or colleague who might benefit from it. Don’t forget to subscribe and leave a review—it helps the show reach more people and support their career journeys too!

Until next time, stay curious, stay courageous, and keep growing. You’ve got this!

Episode Summary:
Applying for jobs the old-fashioned way is like playing career Tinder—swipe, send, and hope for the best. But here’s the truth: Resumes alone won’t get you noticed.

In this episode, I’ll break down why the job market has changed, why relationships, and not resumes, are your key to success, and how to build connections even in a remote work era. Whether you’re tired of getting ghosted by hiring managers or wondering how to stand out, this episode is packed with actionable advice to uncover hidden opportunities.

🎧 Tune in to learn:

🔥 Ready to take action?
Join me on February 11th for my live workshop, What’s Your Next Step?. We’ll:

📅 Sign up here: What's Your Next Step?

Let’s connect!
📸 Instagram: @Career.Curious.With.Lisette
💼 LinkedIn: @LisetteLeuftink

Episode Summary:
What makes you stand out in a crowded job market? Hint: It’s not just your skills. Your strengths, the unique qualities that energize and differentiate you, are your secret weapon.

In this episode, I’ll guide you through how to identify your unique strengths, craft a personal brand that stands out, and uncover what makes you unforgettable to employers. We’ll explore reflection questions, share relatable stories, and give you practical tips to take control of your career.

🎧 Tune in to learn:

🔥 Don’t miss out!
My upcoming workshop, What’s Your Next Step?, is happening on February 11th. In this hands-on session, we’ll:

📅 Save your spot now: What's Your Next Step?

Let’s connect!
📸 Instagram: @Career.Curious.with.Lisette
💼 LinkedIn: @LisetteLeuftink

Episode 4: Before You Look Outward, Look Inward: The First Step to Career Change

Welcome to Career Curious! In this episode, we’re diving into a crucial first step in designing a career you truly love: understanding your values.

Before you start updating your résumé or scrolling job boards, it’s time to look inward.

When your values align with your work and life, everything flows.
But when they don’t? That’s when frustration, burnout, and misaligned decisions creep in. What You’ll Learn in This Episode: Why values are the foundation of meaningful career change. How to uncover what’s truly important to you through a simple, powerful exercise: designing your dream day. The three types of values—personal, workplace, and lifestyle—and how they’re all connected.

Join the Workshop:
Ready to go deeper? Join Lisette on February 11th for Your Career Alignment Workshop: Find Direction and Take Action. In this 60-minute workshop, you’ll uncover your core values, align them with your career goals, and take actionable steps toward a life that feels true to you.

Sign up will open next week, so follow Lisette on Linkedin and make sure you grab that spot before it fills up!

Let’s Connect!
If you loved this episode, share it with a friend, subscribe to the podcast, and leave a review. Your support helps more people find the show and take charge of their careers!

Follow Lisette for more tips and insights: 
Instagram: @Career.curious.with.Lisette
LinkedIn: @LisetteLeuftink

Until next time—stay curious, stay aligned, and go live your values!

Episode Summary: Have you ever felt like your career isn’t a true reflection of your potential? Maybe your creativity is on ice, or you’re navigating a role that doesn’t feel quite right. In this episode of Career Curious, we explore the powerful concept of generalists versus specialists—and how understanding where you thrive can unlock the career you were meant to have.

Join your host, Lisette, as we dive into:

By the end of this episode, you’ll have the clarity and tools to create a career that excites you, challenges you, and aligns with who you truly are.

What You’ll Learn in This Episode:

Links and Resources:

If this episode resonated with you, be sure to: Share it with a friend who might need a career breakthrough. Leave a review on [Podcast Platform] to help others find this content. Subscribe so you never miss an episode! Thank you for tuning in—let’s create the career you’re meant to have together.