Squiggly Careers

This is Day 3 of the Learn Like a Lobster skill sprint, and today Helen and Sarah share a simple way of reflecting on hard moments at work so you can learn faster, avoid recency bias, and take control in tough situations.

Because when work feels messy, reflection is often the first thing we skip - or overdo. In this episode, you’ll learn practical tools, including the 5:1 formula and the WWW/EBI framework, to help you regain perspective, stay in control, and turn difficult moments into learning.

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⏱️ Timestamps

(00:00) Lobsters grow in hard moments

(00:35) The lobster profile

(00:58) Why reflecting in hard moments needs more focus

(02:33) Thinkers vs doers: how we avoid learning

(03:45) WWW/EBI

(04:31) The 5:1 formula explained

(06:36) Fixing problems in teams

(07:39) Taking control in long haul hard moments

(09:35) Inspiration & 24hr action

🎯 What You’ll Learn

Learn Like a Lobster Profiler – https://www.learnlikealobsterprofiler.com/

Download our template for 5:1 reflection: https://bit.ly/llal_5to1_reflectiontemplate

For questions about Squiggly Careers or to share feedback, please email [email protected]

More ways to learn about Squiggly Careers:

📩 Download our free career tools: https://www.amazingif.com/toolkit/

🦞 Join our Learn Like a Lobster Sprint: https://bit.ly/4oZzJ3F

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📚 Read our books: The Squiggly Career and You Coach You: https://www.amazingif.com/books/

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This is Day 2 of the Learn Like a Lobster skill sprint, and today Helen and Sarah focus on one of the hardest - and most important - career skills: how to give and receive tough feedback. Learning doesn’t just happen after the difficult moment has passed - some of the most powerful development happens while things feel uncomfortable. In this episode, Helen and Sarah explore how to learn in the hard moments — particularly when feedback feels awkward, emotional, or risky.

🦞 Join our Learn Like a Lobster Sprint: https://bit.ly/4oZzJ3F

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⏱️ Timestamps

(00:00) Lobsters grow in hard moments

(02:00) The fear of asking, giving & receiving feedback

(08:15) The “say the hard thing” framework

(05:55) Organisational silence

(06:54) A real feedback conversation

(09:12) Inspiration & 24hr action

🎯 What You’ll Learn

📚 Resources Mentioned

For questions about Squiggly Careers or to share feedback, please email [email protected]

More ways to learn about Squiggly Careers:

📩 Download our free career tools: https://www.amazingif.com/toolkit/

🦞 Join our Learn Like a Lobster Sprint: https://bit.ly/4oZzJ3F

📮 Get Squiggly Careers in Action in your inbox: https://bit.ly/SquigglyCareersInAction

📚 Read our books: The Squiggly Career and You Coach You: https://www.amazingif.com/books/

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Today, Helen and Sarah are kicking off the Learn Like A Lobster skill sprint with Day 1: Learn As You Go.

In this episode, Helen and Sarah explore how you can keep learning as part of your everyday, without having to find more time. They share practical ways to collect data for your growth - including understanding your strengths, tracking your listen-talk ratio, and optimising your productivity - to gain clarity, confidence, and actionable insights.

By combining self-reflection with simple data-gathering techniques, you’ll discover how small adjustments in what you already do can accelerate your career and help you be known for the impact you actually want to make.

🦞 Join our Learn Like a Lobster Sprint: https://bit.ly/4oZzJ3F

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⏱️ Timestamps

(00:00) Welcome

(00:57) Lobsters never stop growing

(02:02) Learn as you go: how to collect data

(03:07) What do you want to be know for?

(06:26) Your listen-talk ratio

(08:49) Knowing your notifications

(10:30) Inspiration & 24hr action

🎯 What You’ll Learn

📚 Resources Mentioned

For questions about Squiggly Careers or to share feedback, please email [email protected]

More ways to learn about Squiggly Careers:

📩 Download our free career tools: https://www.amazingif.com/toolkit/

🦞 Join our Learn Like a Lobster Sprint: https://bit.ly/4oZzJ3F

📮 Get Squiggly Careers in Action in your inbox: https://bit.ly/SquigglyCareersInAction

📚 Read our books: The Squiggly Career and You Coach You: https://www.amazingif.com/books/

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January is always a good moment to pause, think about the big picture and zoom out when we're thinking about the future and direction of our career. In today's shortcut, Sarah shares 5 questions to help you have useful career conversations whether that's with your manager, a friend or with yourself.

Episode 525

🦞 Join our Learn Like a Lobster Sprint: https://bit.ly/4oZzJ3F

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For questions about Squiggly Careers or to share feedback, please email [email protected]

More ways to learn about Squiggly Careers:

📩 Download our free career tools: https://www.amazingif.com/toolkit/

🏃‍♀️ Join the Skills x AI Sprint: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLNQl9gsac8BXnWe2qoGuHkLKwsygjP_Ma&si=l7kODG3JpopH0Irz

📮 Get Squiggly Careers in Action in your inbox: https://bit.ly/SquigglyCareersInAction

📚 Read our books: The Squiggly Career and You Coach You: https://www.amazingif.com/books/

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🦞 Join our Learn Like a Lobster Sprint: https://bit.ly/4oZzJ3F

In this episode, Helen and Sarah explore the idea of spaciousness at work — a powerful alternative to constant busyness that’s less about managing time and more about managing attention. Borrowing brilliance from Megan Reitz and her research on spaciousness, they unpack why doing more isn’t always the answer, and how creating space can help you think better, feel calmer, and work more meaningfully.

Episode 524

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⏱️ Timestamps

00:00 What is spaciousness (and what it’s not)

03:40 Why spaciousness is about attention, not time

06:37 The four dimensions of spaciousness

08:35 From “doing mode” to spacious ways of working

13:08 How tech, meetings and metrics keep us busy

18:47 Why we self-sabotage spaciousness

19:30 The 45-minute focus experiment

21:00 Interconnection and mapping your work system

24:05 Letting go of “shoulds” at work

27:06 What you want to feel proud of this year

29:05 Staying curious and open (even when you’re sceptical)

31:13 Measuring learning instead of just outcomes

🎯 What You’ll Learn

- What spaciousness really means at work

- Why being busy can block curiosity and insight

- The four dimensions of spaciousness and how they show up

- Practical experiments to create more focus and clarity

📚 Resources Mentioned

Megan Reitz’s research on Spaciousness: https://www.meganreitz.com/spaciousness

#165 Setting Yourself Up For Success – How to speak up at work with Megan Reitz: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ozgO1R1IL3w

AI tools for summarising reports (Claude)

Episode on noticing: https://youtu.be/rid3L_XdePQ

For questions about Squiggly Careers or to share feedback, please email [email protected]

More ways to learn about Squiggly Careers:

📩 Download our free career tools: https://www.amazingif.com/toolkit/

🏃‍♀️ Join the Skills x AI Sprint: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLNQl9gsac8BXnWe2qoGuHkLKwsygjP_Ma&si=l7kODG3JpopH0Irz

📮 Get Squiggly Careers in Action in your inbox: https://bit.ly/SquigglyCareersInAction

📚 Read our books: The Squiggly Career and You Coach You: https://www.amazingif.com/books/

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Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

🦞 Join our Learn Like a Lobster Sprint: https://bit.ly/4oZzJ3F

I In this episode, Helen and Sarah explore how to reset your team so you can achieve more together. Borrowing brilliance from Colin Fisher and his book Collective Edge, they unpack what really makes teams outperform, and why having lots of smart people isn’t enough on its own.

This episode is all about practical resets you can do with the team you’re in right now. From building task-based trust, to putting structure before coaching, to making the implicit explicit, Helen and Sarah share simple actions, real examples, and questions you can use to help your team work better — whether you’re a team of two or twenty-two.

Episode 523

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⏱️ Timestamps

00:00 What does “collective edge” really mean?

01:44 Why smart individuals don’t always make great teams

03:10 From radical team redesign to regular team resets

06:19 Reset #1: From relationship trust to task-based trust

07:52 Why structure matters more than coaching

10:49 Reset #2: From assumed to agreed ways of working

14:49 A practical tool to create clarity in your team

18:13 Collaboration overload and communication resets

22:06 Making the implicit explicit at work

26:14 Creating shared “we’re on the same page” statements

31:13 How often teams should reset

🎯 What You’ll Learn

- What “collective edge” teams do differently

- Why task-based trust matters more than you might think

- How better structure can improve team performance

- Simple ways to reset communication and collaboration

📚 Resources Mentioned

The Collective Edge by Colin Fisher — https://www.amazon.co.uk/Collective-Edge-Unlocking-Secret-Groups/dp/1398533459

The Fresh Start Effect Katy Milkman — https://www.katymilkman.com/journal-articles/the-fresh-start-effect-temporal-landmarks-motivate-aspirational-behavior

McKinsey Article — https://www.mckinsey.com/featured-insights/mckinsey-on-books/author-talks-getting-group-dynamics-right

Colin Fisher on Eat Sleep Work Repeat — https://eatsleepworkrepeat.com/what-gives-a-team-the-collective-edge/

For questions about Squiggly Careers or to share feedback, please email [email protected]

More ways to learn about Squiggly Careers:

📩 Download our free career tools: https://www.amazingif.com/toolkit/

🏃‍♀️ Join the Skills x AI Sprint: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLNQl9gsac8BXnWe2qoGuHkLKwsygjP_Ma&si=l7kODG3JpopH0Irz

📮 Get Squiggly Careers in Action in your inbox: https://bit.ly/SquigglyCareersInAction

📚 Read our books: The Squiggly Career and You Coach You: https://www.amazingif.com/books/

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🦞 Join our Learn Like a Lobster Sprint: https://bit.ly/4oZzJ3F

In this episode, Helen and Sarah share part two of their career trends and themes for 2026, focusing on what’s most likely to shape how you work, grow, and stay resilient in the year ahead. This conversation tackles some of the tougher (but very real) topics at work — from restructures and redundancies, to the tension between autonomy and accountability, and why learning needs to be recognised as real career progression.

This episode is all about practical, proactive actions you can take now — so you feel more prepared, more confident, and more in control of your career, whatever 2026 brings. Whether you’re an individual contributor, a manager, or a leader, Helen and Sarah share questions, tools, and real examples to help you future-proof your career and your team.

Episode 522

🦞 Pre-order Learn Like A Lobster

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⏱️ Timestamps

00:00 Why career uncertainty is rising in 2026

05:16 Trend #4: Restructures and redundancies

08:10 What to do now so your future self thanks you

11:14 Staying resilient when things feel out of your control

13:01 Trend #5: Autonomy vs accountability at work

15:36 Why clarity matters more than control

16:34 A practical tool to improve accountability in teams

19:49 How to assess autonomy and accountability in your role

21:41 Trend #6: Learning that gets recognised and rewarded

23:05 Why learning should count as progression

26:14 Learning loudly and leading by example

28:30 Making learning visible in 2026

🎯 What You’ll Learn

- How to prepare for restructures and redundancies without panicking

- Why autonomy and accountability don’t have to be in conflict

- How clarity creates better performance in teams

- Why learning should be recognised as progression — not just promotion

📚 Resources Mentioned

Free Redundancy Reset Toolkit: https://www.amazingif.com/redundancy-reset-2/

For questions about Squiggly Careers or to share feedback, please email [email protected]

More ways to learn about Squiggly Careers:

📩 Download our free career tools: https://www.amazingif.com/toolkit/

🏃‍♀️ Join the Skills x AI Sprint: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLNQl9gsac8BXnWe2qoGuHkLKwsygjP_Ma&si=l7kODG3JpopH0Irz

📮 Get Squiggly Careers in Action in your inbox: https://bit.ly/SquigglyCareersInAction

📚 Read our books: The Squiggly Career and You Coach You: https://www.amazingif.com/books/

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🦞 Join our Learn Like a Lobster Sprint: https://bit.ly/4oZzJ3F

In this episode, Helen and Sarah kick off a two-part series exploring six Squiggly Career trends for 2026 — not as distant predictions, but as realistic changes that are already shaping how we work and build our careers.

Rather than watching trends happen to you, this conversation is about anticipating what’s coming and choosing how to respond. Helen and Sarah explore three themes that are likely to affect everyone, whatever your role or industry: the rise of AI agents at work, the tension between connection and disconnection, and the growing influence of employees as visible advocates for their organisations.

As always, you'll hear honest reflections (including mixed feelings about AI), and simple actions you can experiment with now — so you feel more intentional, confident, and in control as 2026 approaches.

Episode 521

🦞 Pre-order Learn Like A Lobster

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⏱️ Timestamps

00:00 Why we’re talking about career trends for 2026

01:11 How to respond to trends with intention (not fear)

03:31 Theme #1: AI agents at work

05:11 Practical examples of AI agents you could use

08:32 Different reactions to AI — and why that’s okay

10:06 How AI can accelerate career development

11:26 Theme #2: Connection and disconnection at work

12:48 Why being back in the office isn’t the answer

14:28 Practical ways to create meaningful connection

18:13 Theme #3: The rise of the employee influencer

20:30 Risks, inclusion, and finding your own voice

24:41 What’s coming in Part 2

🎯 What You’ll Learn

- What AI agents are — and how they could support your work

- How to experiment with AI without feeling overwhelmed

- Why loneliness at work is rising (and what actually helps)

- Simple ways to build connection in hybrid working

- What “employee influence” means for careers and organisations

📚 Resources Mentioned

Microsoft Copilot and AI agent tool: https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/microsoft-copilot/copilot-101/copilot-ai-agents

For questions about Squiggly Careers or to share feedback, please email [email protected]

More ways to learn about Squiggly Careers:

📩 Download our free career tools: https://www.amazingif.com/toolkit/

🏃‍♀️ Join the Skills x AI Sprint: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLNQl9gsac8BXnWe2qoGuHkLKwsygjP_Ma&si=l7kODG3JpopH0Irz

📮 Get Squiggly Careers in Action in your inbox: https://bit.ly/SquigglyCareersInAction

📚 Read our books: The Squiggly Career and You Coach You: https://www.amazingif.com/books/

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🦞 Join our Learn Like a Lobster Sprint: https://bit.ly/4oZzJ3F

In this episode, Helen and Sarah do something they’ve made a tradition at Squiggly Careers: a year in review. This year they're sharing honest reflections using a simple but powerful framework: high–low learning. This chatty, behind-the-scenes episode is designed to help you reflect too. Whether you do this solo, with a learning buddy or as a team, the questions Helen and Sarah use can help you turn reflection into insight — and insight into action.

Episode 520

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⏱️ Timestamps

00:00 End of Year Review

02:51 High–low learning explained

03:59 Best day vs the worst day of the year

14:03 Experiments that worked (and didn’t)

28:06 Life outside of work: highs & lows

38:43 Highs you're anticipating & lows to avoid in 2026

46:20 Reflection questions you can use too

🎯 What You’ll Learn

- How to use high–low learning to reflect on your year

- Why experimentation matters (even when it doesn’t work)

- How to spot recurring frustrations — and do something about them

- Questions to help you close the year with clarity and intention

For questions about Squiggly Careers or to share feedback, please email [email protected]

More ways to learn about Squiggly Careers:

📩 Download our free career tools: https://www.amazingif.com/toolkit/

🏃‍♀️ Join the Skills x AI Sprint: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLNQl9gsac8BXnWe2qoGuHkLKwsygjP_Ma&si=l7kODG3JpopH0Irz

📮 Get Squiggly Careers in Action in your inbox: https://bit.ly/SquigglyCareersInAction

📚 Read our books: The Squiggly Career and You Coach You: https://www.amazingif.com/books/

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices