How I Work

**BEST OF**

That beautiful leather-bound journal you bought with the best intentions? The one now gathering dust under a pile of books? You're not alone.

After 40 years of failed journaling attempts, Michael Bungay Stanier finally cracked the code to sustainable reflection—and it's likely nothing like what you've tried before.

Michael is the author behind the Wall Street Journal bestseller The Coaching Habit (which Brené Brown called "a classic"), with over 1.5 million books sold worldwide. Named the #1 Thought Leader in Coaching by Thinkers50, his insights have been featured in Harvard Business Review, Forbes, and Fast Company.

In this conversation, Michael shares:

• His surprisingly simple journaling breakthrough that eliminates the most common barriers to consistency
• A powerful weekly reflection framework that drives tangible results (not just empty introspection)
• The counterintuitive boundary system he uses to prevent work overload while maximizing impact
• Why he rejects popular "word of the year" goal-setting (and what he does instead)

Whether you're a serial journal abandoner or simply seeking more intentional reflection practices, Michael's practical approach offers a refreshing alternative to traditional journaling methods that actually sticks.

Key Quotes:

“One thing that is really helpful is just to know I don’t have to say yes right away.”

“I have failed to successfully journal since I was 16. I’m now 57, so I’ve been attempting to journal for 40 years.”

“If you just start asking yourself what you want day in and day out it just starts forcing a deep clarity.”

Connect with Michael via his website, Instagram, LinkedIn, or buy the Do Something That Matters Journal.

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 this special crossover episode with my mate Shelley Johnson from This Is Work, we sat down with printed lists and compared notes on 25 things that 2025 taught us. Along the way, patterns emerged around how we show up, where our energy gets spent, and the ways our work is changing beneath us.  

Shelley and I discuss: 

• Why energy has become the most useful lens for thinking about performance, focus and resilience 

• How boundaries, rest and creating margin changed the way I worked this year 

• Why embarrassment can be an unexpected teacher and a healthy check on the ego 

• The difference between psychological safety and psychological comfort at work 

• Why connection matters more than charisma when it comes to influence 

• How AI has shifted from being a tool to something closer to a coworker 

• Why deadlines, postmortems and focusing on the problem instead of the person improve team dynamics 

• Small posture and workflow changes that made a big difference to how I felt at work 

KEY QUOTES 

“Energy is the new KPI.” 

“The wins are never as good as you think, and the losses are never as bad as you think. Keep going.” 

Connect with Shelley Johnson on Boldside HR’s Instagram, LinkedIn, and listen to her podcast This Is Work.  

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.

What if your team could feel more connected without ever mandating office days? 

In this Quick Win episode, I’m joined by Avani Prabhakar, Chief People Officer at Atlassian. With over 13,000 employees scattered around the globe, Atlassian has learned that connection doesn’t come from casual coffee chats or watercooler moments. Instead, they’ve built a framework called Intentional Togetherness – bringing teams together once a quarter with a clear purpose. It’s a practice that creates bonds lasting far beyond a handful of office days. 

Avani and I discuss: 

• Why “remote” and “distributed” work are not the same thing 

• The myth that office attendance automatically creates connection 

• How Atlassian’s “Intentional Togetherness” framework works 

• The quarterly gatherings that build bonds that last for months 

• Why purposeful collaboration beats sporadic in-office days 

Key Quotes 

“Connection wasn’t built by sporadic office attendance – it was built when you bring people intentionally together with a purpose.”  

Connect with Avani on LinkedIn. 

Listen to the full interview with Avani 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.

Looking ahead to a new year can feel exciting and overwhelming at the same time, especially when you’re not quite sure what you want the next chapter to feel like. 

In part 2 of my end-of-year reflection episode with my good friend and ABC broadcaster Lisa Leong - we explore the questions, habits, and small structural tweaks that can help shape a more intentional 2026 - the things that genuinely influence how your days unfold. 

If you’re planning out your 2026 and want a more thoughtful way to do it, this episode will give you plenty to play with. 

Lisa and I discuss: 

• The simple reframing that helps you imagine your next year as if it has already happened 

• How Lisa approaches designing an “ideal week” and why I’m thinking about a “perfect average day” 

• The role of the reticular activating system and why vision boards work for some people 

• How values shape the projects and choices you prioritise for the coming year 

• The habits we’re keeping, the ones we’re changing, and how identity influences behaviour 

• Why I’m stepping back from Instagram (again) and rethinking my relationship with email 

• How a “dumb phone” or burner phone can help create healthier digital boundaries 

• Our favourite prompts from the Year Compass, including the surprising question that reveals your “secret wish” for the year ahead 

KEY QUOTES  

“Instead of asking what would have been, I love writing it like it’s already happened — it changes how you think about the future.” 
“I want to design a perfect average day, because it’s something I can actually live up to and repeat.” 

Connect with Lisa Leong on Instagram and LinkedIn. Listen to her show This Working Life, and check out her book with Monique Ross, This Working Life  

If you want to try one of the reflection tools I mentioned in this episode, you can download the free Year Compass booklet here: https://yearcompass.com/ 

Listen to part 1 of my chat with Lisa 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.

Ever caught yourself rehearsing what to say at work - terrified one wrong phrase could spark backlash? 

In this Quick Win, I speak with Clare Stephens, former Editor-in-Chief at Mamamia, about the fear of getting it wrong, how to handle mistakes, and why the most powerful apology is often the simplest one. 

Clare learnt the hard way that over-explaining a mistake can make things worse. After facing public criticism early in her career, she reframed her approach to errors – both online and in leadership. Her advice? Keep apologies short, unreserved, and genuine. Then move on. 

Clare and I discuss: 

• Why leaders fear saying the wrong thing in today’s workplace 

• How to create a culture where mistakes are met with grace, not blame 

• The fine line between accountability and people-pleasing 

• Why long, detailed apologies rarely work 

• The simple framework for owning mistakes and moving forward 

KEY QUOTES 

“The best apology is short and unreserved. There’s no excuses. Just, ‘I’m apologising,’ and then you move on.” 

“You’re actually a worse leader if you can’t be direct.” 

Connect with Clare Stephens on Instagram, LinkedIn and check out her latest book The Worst Thing I’ve Ever Done here. 

Listen to the full conversation with Clare 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 years slip by in a blur, and others demand you stop and ask yourself why certain moments changed you more than you expected. This was one of those years for me. So in the first episode of this two-parter, I sit down with my good friend and ABC broadcaster Lisa Leong to compare the tools, questions and rituals we each used to make sense of 2025 - including the surprises neither of us saw coming. 

If you're craving a clearer, kinder way to understand what actually shaped your year, this conversation will give you plenty to explore.  

Lisa and I discuss: 

• Lisa’s favourite reflection tool: the Agile Retrospective 

• The energy audit I’m doing with my husband, including what energised us, what drained us, and the surprising things that lit us up. 

• How I use an interviewing GPT to challenge my thinking, dig deeper and unpack problems. 

• The Life Flow exercise: how mapping highs and lows reveals patterns.  

• How the people around us shaped our year - who influenced us most, and who we influenced. 

• The importance of letting go and deciding what emotional or practical baggage you don’t want to carry into the next year.  

KEY QUOTES 

“I still think with these reflection pieces, you should just go with what comes to you naturally, because it’s when we overthink things that we get away from a true reflection.”  

“Looking back on a year is never really about the events themselves, it’s about what they reveal.”  

Connect with Lisa Leong on Instagram and LinkedIn. Listen to her show This Working Life, and check out her book with Monique Ross, This Working Life  

If you want to try one of the reflection tools I mentioned in this episode, you can download the free Year Compass booklet here: https://yearcompass.com/ 

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’re on the edge of a big leap, do you spiral into everything that could go wrong? What if you asked a different question instead - one that opens the door to possibility rather than fear? 

In this Quick Win, I speak with educator and author Lael Stone about the powerful mindset shift from “How bad could it be?” to “How good could it get?” 

 It’s a simple reframe that changes how we approach risk, success, and self-sabotage - and helps us recognise when fear is keeping us small. 

Lael and I discuss: 

• Why our brains are wired to fixate on danger and protection 

• The one question that flips fear into curiosity: “How good could it get?” 

• How family patterns can quietly shape how we define success 

• The hidden guilt that makes some of us sabotage our achievements 
• A practical exercise to break free from old stories and step into growth 

KEY QUOTE 

“When you ask, ‘How good could it get?’, you open yourself up to possibilities you didn’t even know existed.” 

Connect with Lael Stone on Instagram, LinkedIn and her website, and check out her latest book Own Your Story. 

Listen to the full conversation with Lael 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.

**Record a question for Amantha’s next Ask Me Anything here: https://www.speakpipe.com/howiwork **  

I talk about AI a lot - but if you’ve ever wondered how I actually use it in my own work, not just to experiment but to genuinely save time and think better, this episode is for you. 

In this Ask Me Anything episode I’m sharing the exact ways I use AI to research faster, write smarter, and stay organised - along with the simple rituals and tech tools that help me cut through distraction and get things done with more focus and flow - plus a sneak peek into my next book, The Energy Game, coming in July 2026. 

In this episode, I share: 

• How I use AI every day for research, writing, and personal decisions 

• My favourite AI tools - and how each one helps me save time 

• Weekly and daily rituals for managing tasks and priorities 

• How to minimise context switching when juggling multiple roles 

• Building psychological safety through trust and vulnerability 

• My favourite tech tools for meetings, focus, and idea capture 

• An update on my upcoming book The Energy Game 

Amantha recommends: 

These are the AI tools I rely on every week - from research to writing and everything in between. 

• Consensus App: https://consensus.app - My go-to AI tool for sourcing and summarising academic research. 

• Perplexity: https://www.perplexity.ai - Great for quick, high-quality overviews when I’m deep in research mode. 

• Notion: https://www.notion.com - My digital home for ideas, projects, and deep work tracking. 

If you struggle to stay focused across competing roles, these tools help protect your attention. 

• Freedom app: https://freedom.to - Blocks distracting websites and apps across all devices. 

• Forest app: https://www.forestapp.cc - Keeps me off my phone while I’m doing deep work (and grows a tree while I focus). 

• OneSec app: https://one-sec.app - Prompts a mindful pause before opening apps like Instagram. 

These are the tools that make my workday smoother and help me capture ideas fast. 

• Wispr Flow: https://wisprflow.ai - Converts speech to text instantly. Perfect for emails, notes, and writing without typing. 

• Granola: https://www.granola.ai - A seamless way to capture meeting notes without awkward recording bots. 

• Snipd: https://get.snipd.com/Cx7S/howiwork - My go-to podcast app for saving and summarising the best bits from what I listen to. 

How I Work conversations that dive deeper into today’s themes: 

• Elan Lee interview: The counterintuitive brainstorming rule that made Exploding Kittens a global hit 

• Aly Solly interview (Part 1): Inside the hardest year at Inventium (Part 1) 

• Aly Solly interview (Part 2): Inside the hardest year at Inventium (Part 2) 

If you’re ready to seriously up your AI game, check out Inventium’s latest AI programs for 2026 - designed to help you use AI strategically and creatively in your work. https://www.inventium.ai/  

Have a question you want me to answer in the next AMA episode? Reach out via email ([email protected]) or socials – I’d love to hear from you! 

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 way you argue with your partner or push yourself at work isn’t actually yours - but something you absorbed decades ago? 

In this Quick Win, I’m joined by educator and author Lael Stone, who explains how the stories we inherit in childhood silently shape our beliefs about relationships, money, and success. Lael calls these “imprints” - and once you start recognising them, you can finally begin to choose your own patterns instead of replaying old ones. 

Lael and I discuss: 

• What “imprints” are and how they form through family dynamics. 

• The surprising ways childhood beliefs can dictate our career choices and relationships. 

• Why understanding our imprints helps us break unconscious habits. 

• How to recognise when fear or loyalty to family stories is keeping us stuck. 

• The freeing realisation that changing your story isn’t disloyal—it’s growth. 

KEY QUOTE 

“A lot of the imprints we have are deeply unconscious. We don’t even know they’re there.”  

Connect with Lael Stone on Instagram, LinkedIn and her website, and check out her latest book Own Your Story. 

Listen to the full conversation with Lael 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.

How do you lead a team that kills thousands of ideas - and still keep everyone excited to create again the next day? 

That’s business as usual for Elan Lee, co-creator and now CEO of Exploding Kittens. You might not know his name, but there’s a good chance you’ve played one of his games. 

Exploding Kittens became one of the most backed Kickstarter campaigns in history - raising nearly $9 million from over 200,000 backers in just 30 days - and has since sold more than 60 million games worldwide. 

In this episode, Elan and I dive into how he’s built a creative culture that thrives on iteration and honesty. He shares the psychology behind turning casual players into superfans, why creative constraints beat blue-sky brainstorming every time, and how his team’s “no, kill it” rule turned chaos into innovation. 

Elan and I discuss: 

• How Exploding Kittens became one of Kickstarter’s biggest success stories 

• The psychology behind turning casual players into superfans 

• Why creative constraints spark better ideas than “blue-sky” brainstorming 

• How Elan runs design retreats that generate thousands of ideas in days 

• The “no, kill it” rule that keeps creativity high and egos low 

• Balancing creativity with commercial success - knowing when to walk away 

• How a single question - “Do you want to play again?” - determines when a game is done 

KEY QUOTES 

“Games shouldn’t be entertaining - they should make the people playing them entertaining.” 

“Every great idea starts out terrible. You just have to give it room to evolve.” 

“We don’t use ‘yes, and…’. We use ‘no, kill it,’ because we know we can generate a thousand more ideas.” 

Explore Elan’s games at explodingkittens.com and connect with him on Instagram, X (Twitter), and LinkedIn.  

If you haven't already, listen to the bonus episode where Elan talks about how he uses AI to unlock creative ideas 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.