Confident Conversations

Being trustee for a charity pays dividends for your career because it demonstrates integrity, responsibility and self-motivation. Karen Hall is going one step further and is in the running for NCT President.

In this interview, Karen explains why she thinks it is really important for there to be a second candidate in the presidential elections so that the membership has a choice. Even though putting herself forward feels scary and vulnerable!

We discuss the responsibilities of trustees and how this differs from the management board of a commercial organisation. Karen encourages you to put yourself forward - stick your head up above the parapet and stand up for what you believe in, so that you too inspire other women to feel the fear and do it anyway!

Finally Karen reveals how she's going to pull rank over a bag of lego when she's elected NCT President!

• Karen's NCT President campaign page
• Karen on Twitter @MotherWorldlyUK
• Sprogcast show
• Publisher Pinter & Martin
• Third Sector article on the value to you of becoming a charity trustee
• NCT's Hidden Half campaign on perinatal mental health issues

GUEST: Karen Hall, NCT President nominee HOST: Sherry Bevan, Founder of The Confident Mother

• Comment on the show notes
• Tweet me @SherryRB using #ConfidentConversations
• Get in touch with me directly here
• Subscribe, rate and review in iTunes >

• On Twitter @SherryRB
• On LinkedIn
• Like The Confident Mother Facebook page
• Sign up to The Confidence Guide produced weekly and packed with tips and ideas on career, confidence and leadership

Would you recognise the scary signs of career burnout? Would you know what to do or say to a colleague?

Discover the 5 scary signs of career burnout that you might recognise in yourself, your partner or a colleague. Learn from my experience and check whether you are experiencing one or more of these and other signs of sliding into burnout.

• The Confident Mother book
• Listen to Episode 2 of On The Tipping Point when Sherry learned to worry "Am I working hard enough?"
• Book your complimentary burnout reality check call with Sherry

HOST: Sherry Bevan, Founder of The Confident Mother

• Comment on the show notes
• Tweet me @SherryRB using #ConfidentConversations
• Get in touch with me directly here
• Subscribe, rate and review in iTunes >

• On Twitter @SherryRB
• On LinkedIn
• Like The Confident Mother Facebook page
• Sign up to The Confidence Guide produced weekly packed with tips and ideas on career, confidence and leadership

Only the other day I heard myself downplaying what's involved in writing a book. Downplaying my achievements. So many women do this all time time. 'Bigging yourself up' is a key part of your career strategy to boost your confidence and attract the right career opportunities.

In this episode, I share 5 simple things you can do today to boost your career without fear of coming across as cocky or arrogant:

• Quantify your achievements
• Ask for recommendations
• Talk it through
• Record your achievements
• Save the praise

• The Confident Mother book
• The 10 Day LinkedIn Challenge (we start again on 18 September!)
• Book your complimentary career boost call with Sherry

HOST: Sherry Bevan, Founder of The Confident Mother

• Comment on the show notes
• Tweet me @SherryRB using #ConfidentConversations
• Get in touch with me directly here
• Subscribe, rate and review in iTunes >

• On Twitter @SherryRB
• On LinkedIn
• Like The Confident Mother Facebook page
• Sign up to The Confidence Guide produced weekly packed with tips and ideas on career, confidence and leadership

Listen to one lawyer mum's story of how she struggled and survived her first year back in the law firm environment.

Discover the lessons that Caroline Flanagan learned on how to beat overwhelm and conquer guilt to triumph as a working parent. Caroline shares the successful skills and strategies that work for her and work for her clients.

To beat overwhelm, Caroline encourages you to:

• Make mornings matter
• Exercise (reminding me that Wellness is one of the key elements in The Confident Mother philosophy)
• Start with No

To conquer guilt, it's about:

• Getting clear on your values
• Not beating yourself up about mistakes
• Challenging assumptions

• The Discover Your Core Values handout
• Caroline's website Baby Proof Your Life
• Caroline on Twitter @BabyProof_Coach
• Caroline's book Baby Proof Your Career
• Episode 019 with lawyer Terrence Donovan who worked part-time for 20 years
• Book your complimentary career clarity call with Sherry

GUEST: Caroline Flanagan, Baby Proof Coach HOST: Sherry Bevan, Founder of The Confident Mother

• Comment on the show notes
• Tweet me @SherryRB using #ConfidentConversations
• Get in touch with me directly here
• Subscribe, rate and review in iTunes >

• On Twitter @SherryRB
• On LinkedIn
• Like The Confident Mother Facebook page
• Sign up to The Confidence Guide produced weekly packed with tips and ideas on career, confidence and leadership

Discover the 6 simple steps that I share with all my one-to-one and group coaching clients on how to go back to work with confidence after a career break, no matter your reasons for going back or how long you have been out of the workplace.

In this episode, you will discover the importance of:

• Evaluating your skills, strengths and values
• Creating your career story
• Understanding your mindset
• Identifying gaps
• Building action plan with goals and milestones
• Getting support, encouragement and accountability

I have been coaching and working with ambitious women in technology and professional services since 2012. Most women initially approach me because they want to go back to work after a career break and we follow the 6 simple steps discussed in the show.

• The 10 Day LinkedIn Challenge (a great way to try me out and it's free!)
• Episode 019 with lawyer Terrence Donovan who worked part-time for 20 years
• Episode 023 with Stephanie Morgan exploring the long-term career strategy
• Book your complimentary career clarity call with Sherry

• Comment on the show notes
• Tweet me @SherryRB using #ConfidentConversations
• Get in touch with me directly here
• Subscribe, rate and review in iTunes >

• On Twitter @SherryRB
• On LinkedIn
• Like The Confident Mother Facebook page
• Sign up to The Confidence Guide produced weekly packed with tips and ideas on career, confidence and leadership

Discover how Helen Bennett inspires our future generation of leaders by bringing together deserving teenagers and business leaders in Bennett's Business Bash.

Helen is the founder of Human Reality, a training & human resources consultancy. When Helen got involved with a local school to conduct mock interviews, she realised that for some, their lack of confidence could be attributed to a lack of social skills and aspiration.

Determined to change this, Helen organised the first Bennett's Business Bash for a small group of disadvantaged teenagers to sit down for dinner with senior business and organisational leaders in a first class venue.

In this show Helen shares the challenges, the lessons, and insights gained.

• How one teenager banged on the door to be let in.
• When she realised she needed to do a crash course in handshaking.
• What nearly caused a riot.
• Why one teenager said "it's the first time I've been made to feel really special"

• Human Reality website
• Human Reality Insights
• Connect with Helen Bennett on LinkedIn
• Email Helen [email protected]
• The article on LinkedIn that sparked Sherry's interest

GUEST: Helen Bennett

HOST: Sherry Bevan, Founder of The Confident Mother

• Comment on the show notes
• Tweet me @SherryRB using #ConfidentConversations
• Get in touch with me directly here
• Subscribe, rate and review in iTunes >

• On Twitter @SherryRB
• Like The Confident Mother Facebook page
• Sign up to The Confidence Guide produced weekly packed with tips and ideas on career, confidence and leadership

It's a curious question - which comes first for career success, competence or confidence? In today's show Natalie Benamou shares top tips which are so easy to put into practice to boost your career confidence.

Natalie is Division Vice President at Exhibitus. She is also a speaker on confidence and hosts a podcast, Rock Your Trade Show.

Natalie has a passion for energising women to be empowered. Her personal approach to life is summed up in this quote from Maya Angelou: "I've learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel."

• Natalie on LinkedIn
• Natalie's Rock Your Trade Show website
• What She Said collection of powerful quotes by women
• Chalene Johnson's Courageous Confidence Club
• Amy Cuddy's talk on body language

GUEST: Natalie Benamou HOST: Sherry Bevan, Founder of The Confident Mother

• Comment on the show notes
• Tweet me @SherryRB using #ConfidentConversations
• Get in touch with me directly here
• Subscribe, rate and review in iTunes >

• On Twitter @SherryRB
• Like The Confident Mother Facebook page
• Sign up to The Confidence Guide produced weekly packed with tips and ideas on career, confidence and leadership

Caroline Arnold reminds us that what scares you today won't scare you tomorrow. We discuss how expanding your comfort zone boosts your confidence so that you get the career that you really want. She also lets us in on the secret of why being a member of a band is such a clever career strategy.

Work is an inevitable part of life. However, you do have a choice: you can passively allow your career to consume you OR take responsibility for your own happiness by investing in a more meaningful, satisfying work life. When you express yourself more confidently, overcome those work-related fears and strive towards practical goals, you will gain lasting career fulfilment.

Caroline's top tips to boost your career:

• explore the power of networking
• use positive affirmations
• get a coach
• find a mentor
• be honest with HR and your boss about your ambitions

• The Hotel on the Roof of the World by Alec Le Sueur
• 5 Minute Journal app
• Visit Caroline's website here
• Buy Caroline's book Get Confident and Accelerate Your Career HERE
• And a shoutout to Digital Mums who are doing their bit to help mums get back their career confidence
• Twitter @carnoldcoaching
• Facebook: Caroline Arnold Coaching

GUEST: Caroline Arnold, Executive Coach and Author HOST: Sherry Bevan, Founder of The Confident Mother

• Comment on the show notes
• Tweet me @SherryRB using #ConfidentConversations
• Get in touch with me directly here
• Subscribe, rate and review in iTunes >

• On Twitter @SherryRB
• Like The Confident Mother Facebook page
• Sign up to The Confidence Guide produced weekly packed with tips and ideas on career, confidence and leadership

So many women that I work with find themselves in the situation where they take any job to cover the mortgage. Because so much of our self-worth and self-image comes from current work, it can be hard to recognise and identify your strengths.

Jesu Martin has a passion for talent and successful careers. She runs The Confident Job Hunter and she recommends that you:

• base your confidence on facts
• take an inclusive approach and look at the feedback from others
• identify the things that people come to you for

Jesu herself has changed industries four times in her career and shares the benefits of cross-pollinating experience and best practices from one career to another.

If you want to change industry, here's what to do:

• identify the problems you solve
• identify the skills you have
• engage with the people in the industry
• get familiar with the industry 'jargon'
• tailor your CV and LinkedIn profile accordingly

• Download your free copy of Five insider tips to avoid the most common mistakes in jobhunting
• Connect with Jesu on Facebook here
• Register for the next LinkedIn Challenge here

GUEST: Jesu Martin, The Confident Job Hunter

HOST: Sherry Bevan, Founder of The Confident Mother

• Comment on the show notes
• Tweet me @SherryRB using #ConfidentConversations
• Get in touch with me directly here
• Subscribe, rate and review in iTunes >

• On Twitter @SherryRB
• Like The Confident Mother Facebook page
• Sign up to The Confidence Guide produced weekly packed with tips and ideas on career, confidence and leadership

Discover the 3 key things you need to think about to attract the right people and the right opportunities to your LinkedIn profile.

First you have to get the basics right in your profile. The show starts with a brief overview of the 7 essentials (explored in more detail in episode 013) i.e. your photo, your headline, your summary, your experience, recommendations, groups and connections.

Once you have created a powerful LinkedIn profile, you need to focus on 3 key things:

• Strategy
• Consistency
• Authenticity

Discover what you need to consider to create an effective strategy, what is important about consistency in terms of brand and showing up, and finally how authenticity doesn't give you licence to share everything. Authencity is raising your awareness and being more mindful that what you share says something about you.

• Networking with confidence, episode 017 with Heather White
• Read about the 7 essentials for your LinkedIn profile in my blog post
• Listen to episode 13 on the essentials for your LinkedIn profile
• Find out more about Sherry's new LinkedIn Confidence online course

HOST: Sherry Bevan, Founder of The Confident Mother

• Comment on the show notes
• Tweet me @SherryRB using #ConfidentConversations
• Get in touch with me directly here
• Subscribe, rate and review in iTunes >

• On Twitter @SherryRB
• Connect on LinkedIn remembering to include a personal note
• Join the discussions in The Confident Mother Facebook group
• Sign up to The Confidence Guide produced weekly packed with tips and ideas on career, confidence and leadership