How I Work

Lisa Leong doesn’t do things by halves - if she’s worried she might not be getting enough sunlight in the dead of Melbourne winter, she goes out and buys an infrared desk light. If she learns cold therapy might be beneficial, she jumps into a sub-zero cryotherapy chamber. 

So when the ABC Broadcaster started feeling a disconnect between her mind and body, she didn’t just start practicing Qigong (a meditative martial arts practice similar to Tai Chi). No, she wanted to learn it from the master himself, Robert Peng. 

She thought she might be in luck, because the Chinese healer was brought to Australia by… Bob Hawke? But by the time Lisa wanted to learn, Peng had moved to New York. So naturally, Lisa flew across the world to spend ten days under his tutelage! 

Lisa shares why she felt compelled to learn Qigong, what she learned from Robert Peng, and how Bob Hawke fits into the story!

Connect with Lisa on Instagram or LinkedIn

Listen to the full interview 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 [email protected]

Credits:
Host: Amantha Imber
Sound Engineer: Martin Imber

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In our modern workplaces, is suffering from burn out now simply a matter of when, rather than if?

For a slightly different episode, I’m joined by Sabina Read to discuss my own personal experience with burn out and how you can manage it if it hits you.

Sabina is a distinguished Australian psychologist who makes regular appearances on Radio 3AW's Afternoons program, works as SEEK's Resident Psychologist and co-hosts the top-rated podcast Human Cogs.

This is a dive into the world of burnout so you can understand why it happens, what influences it and how you can survive it.

Sabina and I share:

• The signs of incoming burnout that many of us miss
• The external factors that can cause you to burn out
• Sabina’s tips on what you can do to avoid burnout
• The very specific thing that helped me recover from burnout

Key Quotes:

“This is not something you wrap in a bow and neatly take forward so you never burn out.”

“We do need to differentiate burn out from exhaustion.”

Connect with Sabina via her website, Instagram, or check out her podcast Human Cogs.

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 [email protected]

Credits:

Host: Amantha Imber

Sound Engineer: The Podcast Butler

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

There’s a popular belief today that it’s healthy and empowering to bring your 'whole self' to work. But what if we’ve taken it too far?

Shelley Johnson is a renowned leadership coach, columnist for The Age and Sydney Morning Herald and the host of top-ranking podcast This Is Work.

We sat down to discuss a potentially controversial view on ‘bringing your whole self to work’ and the impact of oversharing.

Shelley and I share:

-         What to do instead of oversharing at work to have a positive impact

-         Why "bringing your whole self to work" might not be the best idea and what you should do instead

Listen to the full interview with Shelley here.

Connect with Shelley via Linkedin, Instagram, Boldside’s Instagram or go to the website for Boldside.

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 [email protected]

Credits:

Host: Amantha Imber

Sound Engineer: The Podcast Butler

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

When you make a mistake, at work do feel ashamed and beat yourself up about it? 

It turns out that if we applied self-compassion in those moments, not only would we be kinder to ourselves, we’d also handle our work load better as well. 

Professor Kristin Neff is a pioneer in the study of self-compassion. Her early work in the field and multiple best-selling books on the topic have seen her become recognised as one of the most influential scholars in the field of psychology. 

In this episode Kristin shares: 

• 🌿 The difference between self-care and self-compassion and why knowing the difference matters 

• 🧘‍♀️ Some tricks you can use to incorporate self-compassion into your life 

• 💪 How self-compassion can help you handle failure and setbacks 

• ⏸️ The exact way you can take a “self-compassion break” 

• 🙅‍♂️ Strategies you can use to say “no” to things without feeling guilty 

Key Quotes:

“As mammals we have the compassion template...we just have to give ourselves permission to use it with ourselves.” 

“Not only do we abandon ourselves, we kick ourselves when we are down.” 

“A lot of people ask me to do stuff and I often have to say no and that's kind of a fierce self-compassion practice.” 

Connect with Kristin via her website, facebook or Instagram. 

Take the self compassion quiz or join the self compassion community. 

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 [email protected]  

Credits: 

Host: Amantha Imber 

Sound Engineer: The Podcast Butler 

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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 [email protected]

Credits:

Host: Amantha Imber

Sound Engineer: The Podcast Butler

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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)

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 [email protected]

Credits:

Host: Amantha Imber

Sound Engineer: The Podcast Butler

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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)

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 [email protected]

Credits:

Host: Amantha Imber

Sound Engineer: The Podcast Butler

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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)

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 [email protected]

Credits:

Host: Amantha Imber

Sound Engineer: The Podcast Butler

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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 Performance has 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)

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 [email protected]

Credits:

Host: Amantha Imber

Sound Engineer: The Podcast Butler

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

**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)

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 [email protected]

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

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.