The Aligned Achiever with Siobhan Barnes

In a world that glorifies hustle, pausing can feel wrong.

How do you slow down when there’s a never-ending to-do list at work—and home?

Yet, here’s the paradox: making space to pause is often the very thing that creates clarity, energy, and momentum for what truly matters.

This is something I’ve seen transform the careers and lives of so many women I’ve worked with (myself included!) And something 40+ women experienced live with Elaine and I during last week’s webinar training on How To Figure Out Your Next Career Step where we paused together to reassess our priorities. 

Pausing doesn’t have to mean a week-long retreat or a luxury spa day completely switched off from work (though of course that’s great if you can swing it!) 

In this week's episode of The Aligned Achiever Podcast I’m talking all about the power of finding room to pause even in your busiest seasons and how the power of pausing can lead you towards career clarity, as well as some tips for how you can find room in your busy schedule to create this much needed spaciousness.

For all the show notes come on over to: https://siobhanbarnes.com/120

What does it take to transition out of corporate and into being a purposeful entrepreneur?

It’s no small feat to take the leap out of a stable, corporate role with career progression and move into entrepreneurship to find location and financial freedom, as well as your professional calling.

It takes determination, perseverance and a lot of commitment, so to answer this very important question, I sat down with Elaine Champion on this week’s podcast.

Elaine is an ex corporate girl turned entrepreneur. She's an accredited coach, facilitator, mom and mentor who specialises in helping professional women who are feeling stuck get unstuck. She's a seasoned corporate leader and has 25 years of experience spanning across communications, training, leadership, organisation development, DEI and before she exited the corporate world, she was at Cathay Pacific airways, as their head of leadership and organisational development, and also looked after their global DEI strategy. 

In this week's episode of The Aligned Achiever Podcast with Elaine Champion, we sit down to discuss her journey from corporate to entrepreneurship including transitioning out of full-time work, overcoming her fears and financial concerns, and the fulfilment that Elaine has found in following her purpose.

For all the show notes come on over to: https://siobhanbarnes.com/119

Do you feel like you're bumping into challenge after challenge at work?

Perhaps you’re in a toxic workplace, working with people that you really don’t want to collaborate with?

Do you feel stuck and like you want to throw in the towel, but that’s just not an option for you right now?

Sometimes the answer to difficult situations is drastic change. A new job, a whole new career, a completely new environment. Other times it’s an opportunity to learn and grow in that difficult spot or it’s just not an option for you to make a drastic change.

It may feel like a difficult and uncomfortable place to be in and that everything is out of your control, but there are still things you can do to navigate this period.

In this week's episode of The Aligned Achiever Podcast I’m sharing 5 steps to help you when you feel like you want to quit, but that’s not an option for you right now.

For all the show notes come on over to: https://siobhanbarnes.com/118

What’s the biggest challenge going on for you in your career right now?

A theme that I see come up time and time again for my clients is letting past setbacks determine what we are capable of now. 

Most of us have had negative, hard or difficult experiences in our careers. 

Now this in itself is completely normal, but what can happen is that we can make meaning from those past experiences that can either hinder us or support us.

When you experience something “negative” it’s easy to tell yourself a story about who you are and what you are and aren’t capable of. We can take those narratives with us even if we try to change our circumstances in new positions, new companies, even entirely new careers. 

In this week's episode of The Aligned Achiever Podcast I’m sharing how you can redefine a set back and turn the obstacles you perceive from it into opportunities that support your growth.

For all the show notes come on over to: https://siobhanbarnes.com/117

What does your nervous system have to do with your performance? 

With your well-being?

With your ability to be resilient?

In short, everything.

We live in a very cognitive, cerebral, strategic world, which is an important part of your career strategy, but if you’re not feeling motivated, confident or in alignment, then it’s simply not enough to get the outcome that you desire.

This is where your nervous system comes in so that you can leverage the power of your thoughts and feelings to be able to perform and create change in your life and your work.

In this week's episode of The Aligned Achiever Podcast I want to help you to begin building that relationship with your body and your nervous system by getting to know your arousal levels using the Yerkes-Dodson Curve.

For all the show notes come on over to: https://siobhanbarnes.com/116

The busy season is almost upon us and in this episode I want to help set you up to get the most out of the remainder of 2024 whilst feeling present and spacious.

Regardless of whether you’re in the northern hemisphere, like I am in Hong Kong or in the southern hemisphere, the final few months of the year can bring about some extra time management challenges.

There’s often increased social gatherings, tight deadlines and projects to finish up before holidays, and all the fun festive activities that happen towards the end of the year.

We’re already in September, so now is the time to get on top of your calendar and start setting yourself up for a spacious and present end to the year.

In this week's episode of The Aligned Achiever Podcast I’m sharing how you can plan for a busy Q4 this year through identifying the season of life you’re in, setting goals and getting strategic about how you’re going to balance your work and life in Q4.

For all the show notes come on over to: https://siobhanbarnes.com/115

Olympians are driven by an unyielding ambition.

They pursue excellence and have high standards.

You may not be looking to achieve gold at the next olympics, but my guess is that you too are in pursuit of excellence and have gold medal standards in the work you do.

This requires that you embrace your drive to succeed, beginning with defining your goals with clarity.

In this week's episode of The Aligned Achiever Podcast I’m talking about how you can achieve the gold medal standard that you strive for in your career through ambition, hard work, resilience, and a commitment to continuous growth…just like the Olympians that we’ve all been watching.

For all the show notes come on over to: https://siobhanbarnes.com/114

Change is the only constant in life.

Recently, I’ve been having a number of conversations with people who are in a period of transition or change.

The reasons for change vary greatly. From organisation restructuring, promotions or redundancy, or a change in a personal situation.

This means that navigating change is a crucial skill that can make or break your success and happiness.

In this week's episode of The Aligned Achiever Podcast I’m sharing with you why change can be disorienting and stressful and some strategies that you can use as you navigate change to come out the other side stronger.

These strategies can be applied as you navigate transition now, or you can begin to foster them now so that you are prepared as change happens in your life.

For all the show notes come on over to: https://siobhanbarnes.com/113

Do you find yourself feeling stuck?

Perhaps you find yourself procrastinating or you’re not clear on what you want to do. Maybe your self-critic is getting a little bit too loud these days and holding you back from taking action.

Coaches are trained professionals who help you navigate your own path, overcome obstacles that are unique to you and achieve the goals that you desire.

The important thing to know here is that coaches aren’t consultants in that they don’t just provide you with a solution and you go on your way, coaches empower you to find and implement your own solutions so that you develop the tools to do this again and again throughout your life.

In this week's episode of The Aligned Achiever Podcast I’m sharing with you, your guide to why, when and how to work with a coach so that you can get the most out of your coaching experience and walk away feeling empowered and in charge of your own life and goals.

For all the show notes come on over to: https://siobhanbarnes.com/112

Have you ever found yourself struggling in a work environment, wondering if you’re meant to be there?

Maybe you’re unsure if your kindness and empathy belongs in the workplace that you’re in? Or if kindness belongs in leadership and successful companies at all?

Dr Bonnie Hayden Cheng is an Organisational Psychologist, Associate Professor of Management and MBA programme director at the Hong Kong University Business school.

Bonnie is super passionate about corporate wellness and holds a unique position designing and implementing cutting edge, research backed solutions to help companies deliver impact on real world challenges to create awesome corporate cultures where people thrive.

Her research is dedicated to helping employees achieve and maintain wellbeing in the workplace. This includes understanding how and when workplace anxiety can enhance performance, recovering from daily job demands and maintaining proactivity in the workplace. 

Bonnie's body of work is really about bringing humanity back into the workplace. And so if you find that you can't bring your humaneness to work, and you struggle with your mental health, your leadership style, and you're not sure how to best show up at work, then this episode is for you. 

In this week's episode of The Aligned Achiever Podcast with Bonnie Cheng, Bonnie shares more about the return of kindness, why kindness matters, her journey to becoming an Organisational Psychologist, and focussing on a core purpose and passion to navigate your career journey.

For all the show notes come on over to: https://siobhanbarnes.com/111