How I Work

Visualising success feels productive. Vision boards, manifesting, picturing the finish line. It gives the sense that you’re moving closer to the goal. 

But according to the research, that mental shortcut might actually be working against you. 

In Part 2 of this two-parter (listen to Part 1 here), I continue my conversation with behavioural scientist and author Nir Eyal to unpack why. Nir spent six years researching how beliefs shape what we see, feel, and do, and why the stories we tell ourselves can dramatically change our behaviour. 

We talk about the surprising power of “failure goals”, why lucky people often manufacture their own luck, and how leaders shape behaviour through the invisible simulations they create at work. Nir also explains why framing matters more than many leaders realise, and why the way you interpret discomfort can completely change how you perform. 

And when it comes to visualisation, Nir shares a key insight from elite sport. High-performing athletes aren’t picturing themselves standing on the podium. They’re visualising the moment things get hard, and exactly what they’ll do next. 

Nir and I discuss: 

• Why setting a failure goal can actually increase your chances of success 

• The study that shows why some people experience themselves as “lucky” 

• How beliefs shape what we see, feel, and do in everyday life 

• Why leaders are effectively designing simulations through workplace culture 

• The powerful role of framing when introducing ideas to teams 

• The “believe, anticipate, feel, confirm” loop that shapes our experiences 

• How expectations influence the way we experience products and brands 

• Why visualising the finish line can reduce motivation 

• What high-performing athletes actually visualise when preparing to succeed 

Key quotes 

“Failure without learning is a different story. But as long as you are failing and learning, that is progress.”  

“Athletes aren’t visualising the trophy. They’re visualising the obstacles in their way.”  

Connect with Nir Eyal on Instagram, X (Twitter), and LinkedIn and his website and check out his latest book Beyond Belief. 

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 your to-do list feels endless and everything seems equally urgent, it’s hard to know where to start. The overwhelm doesn’t usually come from one big task. It comes from trying to hold meetings, emails, projects and life admin in your head all at once. 

In this How I AI episode, Neo and I walk through practical ways to use AI to help you prioritise when your week feels out of control. Not by magically deleting tasks, but by giving you a clearer structure for deciding what actually matters today. 

We share two different approaches – one if your AI isn’t connected to your calendar, and one if it is. 

Neo and I cover: 

• How to use AI for a structured brain dump so everything on your plate is visible in one place 

• Getting AI to interview you to separate urgent from important, and clarify what really needs attention 

• Asking AI to estimate how long tasks will take so you can time box more realistically 

• Using AI to identify the single task that’s causing the most stress – and tackling that first 

• Why context matters – and how tools like Claude Projects or Copilot Notebooks can help AI understand your work 

• Using AI to prepare for meetings, cross-reference tasks, and spot work that hasn’t been scheduled 

Connect with Neo Aplin on LinkedIn and via inventium.ai, where he leads Inventium’s AI training and upskilling work with organisations and teams. 

How I AI with Dr Amantha Imber and Neo Aplin explores how high performers are using AI at work to boost productivity, make better decisions and reduce overwhelm.

Want more practical ways to put AI to work? You can now follow How I AI separately on Spotify or Apple Podcasts so you never miss an episode.

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.

What if the biggest obstacle standing between you and the things you want in life isn’t your effort, your discipline, or even your circumstances? What if it’s the beliefs you didn’t realise you were holding. 

In Part 1 of a two-part conversation, I sit down with behavioural scientist and bestselling author Nir Eyal to unpack how our hidden beliefs shape what we see, how we feel, and what we do. Nir spent six years researching his latest book Beyond Belief, exploring the science behind how beliefs influence our behaviour and how we can change the ones that are quietly limiting us. 

We dive into why rumination feels productive but actually keeps us stuck, why venting about people can reinforce the very stories that make us miserable, and a practical tool called a reality log that helps you see situations more clearly. Nir also shares a powerful technique for questioning beliefs that are causing suffering, using a surprisingly relatable story about a birthday gift for his mum that didn’t go quite as planned.  

Nir and I discuss: 

• The difference between facts, faith, and beliefs and why beliefs are open to change 

• Why many of our most important life decisions come down to beliefs rather than facts 

• How rumination feels like problem solving but often reinforces limiting beliefs 

• The surprisingly effective technique of scheduling “worry time” 

• How our beliefs shape what we literally perceive in the world 

• Why venting about people can strengthen negative assumptions rather than resolve them 

• How a reality log can help you challenge distorted perceptions 

• A four question technique to examine beliefs that are causing suffering 

• How collecting a “portfolio of perspectives” can help you reduce emotional reactivity 

Key quotes 

“Beliefs are tools, not truths.” 

“We don’t see the world as it is. We see a simulation of the world shaped by what we already believe.” 

Connect with Nir Eyal on Instagram, X (Twitter), and LinkedIn and his website and check out his latest book Beyond Belief. 

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.

Rolling out Copilot or ChatGPT and hoping productivity magically improves rarely works. In fact, for many leaders, it creates more confusion, more noise and, in some cases, more work. 

In this How I AI episode, Neo and I unpack the single most important question leaders should be asking about AI adoption: how can I help my people be ready for AI? Because bringing AI into your organisation isn’t primarily a technology decision. It’s a people one. 

We talk through why simply handing out paid licenses without building capability often backfires, how poor AI use can actually reduce productivity, and the practical steps leaders need to get right from day one. 

Neo and I cover: 

• Why AI adoption fails when leaders treat it as a software rollout instead of a change process 

• How to clearly articulate the why so people don’t assume AI equals job replacement 

• Using AI to reduce administrivia and free people up for more meaningful work 

• Why “it’s intuitive” is a dangerous assumption when it comes to capability building 

• How untrained use can create AI slop, longer emails and organisational “Chinese whispers” 

• How searchable knowledge can unlock real productivity gains, and how poor permissions can create real risk 

• Why training change leads or team leads is critical to embedding AI into real workflows 

Connect with Neo Aplin on LinkedIn and via inventium.ai, where he leads Inventium’s AI training and upskilling work with organisations and teams. 

How I AI with Dr Amantha Imber and Neo Aplin explores how high performers are using AI at work to boost productivity, make better decisions and reduce overwhelm.

Want more practical ways to put AI to work? You can now follow How I AI separately on Spotify or Apple Podcasts so you never miss an episode.

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.

We all have stories worth telling. Yet most of us decide ours aren’t interesting enough, important enough, or universal enough to share. 

In this episode, I’m joined by Daniel Coyle to explore why that instinct is usually wrong. Daniel is the bestselling author of The Talent Code, The Culture Code, and his latest book Flourish. Together, we unpack how Daniel finds and constructs stories that truly pull people in, including the ingredients that make a story compelling and the simple techniques anyone can use to tell better stories. 

We also dive into the small, powerful questions that move conversations beyond surface-level small talk, how to build genuine local community through what Daniel calls “yellow doors”, what leaders can learn from a makeshift building at MIT that became an innovation hotspot, and why change so often feels slow before it suddenly blooms. 

If you care about deeper connection, stronger culture, and asking better questions, this conversation will give you plenty to think about.  

Daniel and I discuss: 

• The simple structure behind every compelling story 

• Why great stories begin with a question and how to construct tension and mystery 

• How to “sandpaper” your stories by removing everything that isn’t essential 

• The reflective practice Daniel uses to zoom out and see the shape of his life 

• The specific questions that deepen connection 

• How to build local community through small habits, daily encounters, and noticing “yellow doors” 

• Why annoyance is the price of community 

• The difference between complicated and complex systems, and why that matters for navigating change 

• What leaders can learn from Building 20 at MIT about agency and the “rule of the beautiful mess” 

• Why change often happens slowly, then in a surprising bloom 

• A simple 30-second “council” exercise to reconnect with meaning 

Key quotes 

“Annoyance is the price of community.” 

“Life is not a productivity contest. It’s a moments thing.” 

Connect with Daniel Coyle on X (Twitter), and LinkedIn and his website, and check out his latest book Flourish. 

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.

Download Inventium.ai’s custom GPT instructions to create your own Personal AI Reviewer Buddy here: https://amantha-imber.kit.com/51dd2a9719  

Producing high volumes of work isn’t the hard part anymore. Producing high quality is.  

In this How I AI episode, Neo and I walk through how to use AI as a rigorous reviewer of your work – not to replace your judgment, but to sharpen it. We go beyond a basic “please review this” prompt and share a structured way to pressure test emails, documents, slide decks and analysis before they leave your desk. 

Neo shares the exact system he uses, which he’s nicknamed Charles – a GPT designed to critique work properly, diagnose weaknesses and suggest stronger alternatives. And yes, we’re giving you Charles (via the link above!). 

Neo and I cover: 

• How to write a simple but powerful critique prompt that goes beyond surface-level polishing 

• What to ask AI to check for, including inaccuracies, weak support, bias, gaps, impracticality and verbosity 

• How to customise your review criteria for specific roles, policies or stakeholders 

• The quality gates Neo uses, including factual accuracy, logical soundness, completeness, relevance, clarity, structure, safety and practicality 

• How AI can improve its own output if you’ve used it to draft something in the first place 

• Why you should never treat a first AI response as gospel 

Connect with Neo Aplin on LinkedIn and via inventium.ai, where he leads Inventium’s AI training and upskilling work with organisations and teams. 

And if you’re ready to move beyond basic prompts and start using AI as a genuine thinking partner, check out inventium.ai. We help individuals, teams and organisations turn GenAI into a real work superpower – saving 10+ hours a week and staying future ready. 

How I AI with Dr Amantha Imber and Neo Aplin explores how high performers are using AI at work to boost productivity, make better decisions and reduce overwhelm.

Want more practical ways to put AI to work? You can now follow How I AI separately on Spotify or Apple Podcasts so you never miss an episode.

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.

If you’re aiming for a promotion this year, here’s a slightly awkward thought: the skills that got you here might not be the ones that get you there. 

Work is shifting fast. Not incrementally. Fundamentally. And according to LinkedIn data, around 70% of the skills we’ll need over the next five years are about to change. 

In this episode, I sit down with bestselling author of Work Backwards, Tim Duggan, to unpack the five skills that are becoming disproportionately valuable right now. 

Tim has identified five capabilities that are becoming increasingly valuable: judgment, storytelling, collaborative intelligence, unlearning, and conflict management. 

We explore what each of these really looks like in practice, why they matter more than ever in the age of AI, and how to start building at least one of them straight away. 

Tim and I discuss: 

• Why judgment is becoming a critical skill as AI produces more work for us 

• How to strengthen your judgment muscle, even without decades of experience 

• Practical tools I use, like pre-mortems and avoiding “whether or not” decisions 

• Why storytelling roles are on the rise and how to make your ideas stick 

• A simple framework for better stories 

• What collaborative intelligence really means and how to work with AI without outsourcing your brain 

• How Tim uses AI as a research partner 

• The true cost of workplace conflict and why avoiding it is not a strategy 

• The one tiny word that can completely change how you handle conflict 

Key quotes 

“This is a skill that would not have existed two years ago.” 

“Pick one skill, try one small shift.” 

Connect with Tim Duggan on Instagram, X (Twitter), and LinkedIn and his website, read his column at The Sydney Morning Herald, and check out his latest book Work Backwards. 

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.

Job hunting can feel like a full-time job in itself. Scrolling listings, second-guessing roles, and trying to stand out in a sea of applications. In this How I AI episode, we walk through how AI can quietly take some of that invisible work off your plate without doing the thinking for you. 

We talk through how AI can support you at each stage of the job search. From spotting roles that never make it onto LinkedIn or Seek, to getting a clearer picture of what a company is really like, and making sense of job ads that feel fuzzy or overcomplicated.  

We also cover how to use AI to strengthen your cover letter and CV without losing your own voice, and how it can help you prepare for interviews by practicing questions and refining your answers. 

Neo and I discuss 

• How scheduled AI searches can monitor company job pages and surface hidden roles 

• Using AI to research companies through annual reports, industry context, and social chatter 

• What AI can and cannot realistically find on platforms like Reddit and Glassdoor 

• How to use AI to decode job ads and understand what the role actually looks like day to day 

• Why the strongest cover letters still start with your own words 

• Using AI to critique and tailor your CV without rewriting your experience 

• How AI can help you prepare for interviews by generating questions and giving feedback 

• Practising interview answers using voice or dictation mode for extra confidence 

Download the Job Application Pro GPT:  https://amantha-imber.kit.com/09db426fdd 

Connect with Neo Aplin on LinkedIn and via inventium.ai, where he leads Inventium’s AI training and upskilling work with organisations and teams. 

How I AI with Dr Amantha Imber and Neo Aplin explores how high performers are using AI at work to boost productivity, make better decisions and reduce overwhelm.

Want more practical ways to put AI to work? You can now follow How I AI separately on Spotify or Apple Podcasts so you never miss an episode.

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.

Every week there’s a new study telling us what not to eat. 

Coffee is bad. Eggs are dangerous. Spinach blocks nutrients. Or so we’re told. 

Add in cholesterol numbers, preventative scans, detox trends and a constant stream of “toxic” food warnings online, and it’s easy to start second-guessing what’s on your plate. 

Eating was never meant to feel this stressful. So I sat down with Dr Joanna McMillan - nutrition scientist, dietitian, author of The Fibre Factor, and one of Australia’s most trusted voices in evidence-based nutrition to cut through the noise. 

Joanna has spent decades translating complex research into practical advice, and she brings much-needed sanity to the way we think about food and health. 

If you’ve ever panicked over a blood test result, felt unsure about whether to book another scan, or wondered who to trust when it comes to nutrition advice, this conversation will steady you. 

Joanna and I discuss: 

• The risk of becoming part of the “worried well” and over-testing your health 

• The big ticket preventative checks Joanna prioritises at milestone ages 

• What a coronary calcium score is and when it might be useful 

• Why full body MRI scans may not be the smartest health investment 

• The biggest nutrition myths circulating online, including anti-plant rhetoric 

• Joanna’s core eating philosophy as a plant-rich omnivore 

• Why diversity of fibre matters more than just soluble vs insoluble 

• What actually happens in your gut when you suddenly double your fibre intake 

• The supplements Joanna personally takes and how to assess supplement quality 

• Why joy at mealtimes might be one of the most underrated health habits 

Key quotes 

“There is a risk of overdoing it. We talk about the worried well, and sometimes you can become so worried about your health, you forget about celebrating the things that are good.” 

“Your body, given the right tools, does detox beautifully all by itself.” 

Connect with Dr Joanna McMillan on Instagram, LinkedIn, and her website, and check out her latest book The Fibre Factor. 

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.

Doctor and specialist appointments are expensive, time-limited, and often overwhelming. It’s easy to walk in underprepared and walk out wishing you’d asked better questions or understood more of what was said. 

We talk through how we use AI to prepare for doctor and specialist appointments so the time is spent on diagnosis and solutions, not rambling explanations or missed details. We cover how to use AI to get your medical story clear and concise, make sense of test results before an appointment, and walk in with smarter questions. 

We also talk about privacy considerations and the tools we use to record and transcribe appointments so nothing important gets lost. 

Neo and I discuss 

• How to use AI to turn a rambling health story into a short, clear summary for your doctor 

• Using voice and dictation tools to “talk it out” with AI before an appointment 

• Asking AI to interview you and identify gaps in your medical story 

• Making sense of blood test results and medical terms before you see the doctor 

• Why AI should help you understand results, not diagnose you 

• Using AI to prepare better, more targeted questions for your appointment 

• Privacy tips for using AI with medical information, including de-identifying data 

• Recording appointments so you don’t miss critical information 

• Tools we use to record, transcribe, and review doctor consultations 

Connect with Neo Aplin on LinkedIn and via inventium.ai, where he leads Inventium’s AI training and upskilling work with organisations and teams. 

How I AI with Dr Amantha Imber and Neo Aplin explores how high performers are using AI at work to boost productivity, make better decisions and reduce overwhelm.

Want more practical ways to put AI to work? You can now follow How I AI separately on Spotify or Apple Podcasts so you never miss an episode.

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.