If you’re quiet, introspective, and don’t consider yourself good at “selling yourself,” this conversation will change how you think about job search.

This week, I sat down with Anna Belyaeva to talk about how jobs actually happen now, especially for people who think deeply, do solid work, and don’t rely on loud self-promotion.

Anna is a Stanford-certified career coach and job search strategist who works with ambitious professionals to help them land high-paying roles they genuinely enjoy.

In this conversation, we get into:

1. the career skills that matter most, but often get overlooked
2. why getting hired in 2026 isn’t about uploading a PDF anymore
3. how to gather interview intel that helps you stand out without performing
4. how senior roles often come together without a formal application
5. the quiet truth about “selling yourself”, and why introverts are often better positioned to network than they think

Anna is someone whose work I’ve admired for years for her fresh, unconventional take and her honest perspective on the amount of practice, rigour, and effort that actually goes into landing a role that fits, not just pays.

🔗 Learn more about Anna’s work @careerdiet or listen to her Podcast (she recommends Episode 40 in this conversation).

If this episode resonated, follow the show and leave a ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ rating.

It genuinely makes my day & and it helps the right people find these conversations.

Follow the podcast:

AWFULLY QUIET (bts + reflections): @awfullyquietpodcast

SUBTLE (tips + tools): @subtleseries

In this episode, I walk through four concrete moves that help make your thinking visible at work, especially if you tend to be on the quieter side.

Not by speaking more, pushing yourself to perform confidence, or explaining yourself all the time.

But by making your judgement, direction, and intent easier for other people to follow.

We look at:

– why quiet thinking so often stays invisible by default

– what people actually look for when they’re trying to gauge competence

– how to anchor your thinking to judgement, direction, and consistency

– four practical moves that help turn quiet into something others rely on

00:00 — When Quiet Becomes Competence

02:30 — Why Being Quiet Gets Misread

03:28 — Move 1: Letting People See Your Thinking

04:15 — Move 2: Making Your Judgement Visible

05:22 — Move 3: Giving Your Thinking Direction

06:20 — Move 4: Becoming Known for How You Think

07:20 — When Quiet Turns Into Authority

Follow along

If an episode ever resonates, follow the show and leave a ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ rating.

And if you comment or write a review, know that it genuinely makes my day.

AWFULLY QUIET (bts + reflections): @awfullyquietpodcast

SUBTLE (tips + tools): @subtleseries

Quiet doesn’t get overlooked because it’s weak.

It gets overlooked when other people don’t know what to make of it.

In this episode, we move past why quiet gets misread at work and into the more useful question: when does quiet thinking actually start working?

You’ll hear why two people can think quietly in the same room, and yet only one is read as smart, trusted, and pulled into bigger conversations.

This episode is for you if you’ve ever felt:

– capable, but underestimated

– trusted to deliver, but not to lead

– included, but not invited into what comes next

You’ll leave with a clearer understanding of what your quiet is signaling at work, and how to shift how it’s read, without becoming louder or less yourself.

📌 Follow along:

If an episode ever resonates, follow the show and leave a ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ rating.

And if you comment or write a review, know that it genuinely makes my day. 🤍

AWFULLY QUIET (bts + reflections): @awfullyquietpodcast

SUBTLE (tips + tools): @subtleseries

You do solid work. People rely on you. And still, you’re easier to overlook than you should be.

This episode looks at how that happens.

How perception forms at work. Why some people get read as “ready” early, while others keep delivering without being pulled forward.

It’s not a confidence issue. And it’s not about motivation.

It’s a quieter mechanism most people never name.

The quietest big dream behind this show is to change how quiet is read and understood at work.

That only happens if this work reaches the people it’s meant for.

So if an episode ever resonates, follow the show and leave a ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ rating.

And if you comment or write a review, know that it genuinely makes my day 🤍

Follow along for more:

Instagram (behind the scenes + reflections): @awfullyquietpodcast

Subtle career tools & frameworks: @subtleseries

Quiet people are often told the same things: Speak up more. Be more confident. Put yourself out there.

But what if none of that is actually the real problem?

In this episode, we look at something far more uncomfortable + far more powerful: the fact that quiet behavior creates cognitive and evolutionary discomfort in other people.

Not because you’re doing anything wrong. But because the human brain is wired to distrust what it can’t read.

This episode isn’t about fixing yourself. It’s about understanding the invisible forces shaping how you’re interpreted and why loudness so often wins before skill ever enters the room.

If you’ve ever felt boxed, underestimated, or quietly overlooked despite being capable, this episode will give you a completely new way of seeing what’s actually happening.

Chapters

00:00 — Quiet Isn’t As Innocent As You Think

01:53 — The Evolutionary Wiring Behind Being “Hard to Read”

02:48 — Why Loud Feels Safe

03:20 — The Signal Gap

04:28 — From Assumption to Reputation

05:32 — Quiet Creates Tension Before It Creates Respect

If this episode resonated

If something in this made you feel seen (or slightly exposed) that’s a good sign.

It means you’ve just found the real tension this show is here to work with.

Follow the show, rate it, or pass it on to someone who is quietly capable and constantly underestimated.

That’s how this work travels.

Quietly.

I’ve been questioning something I always thought was non-negotiable: consistency.

This week, I reflect on the pressure of releasing an episode every single week, the tension between quality and output, and the fear of stopping when consistency feels like the only thing holding momentum together. It’s a conversation about podcast growth, but also about careers, ambition, and visibility.

I draw a parallel to my early corporate career, where I learned that doing excellent work wasn’t enough if no one beyond my immediate team could see it. Quiet people are often told to “be more visible,” without anyone explaining how to do that in a way that actually fits who they are.

At its core, this episode reconnects to the mission of Awfully Quiet: Being quiet isn’t the problem. Being misunderstood is.

Quiet people often have powerful ideas, questions, and perspectives, but because they’re not self-explanatory, they get overlooked. This show is about changing that. About making your work, thinking, and ambition travel, without relying on loud tactics or performative visibility.

If this resonates, I’d love to hear from you. What would you want this podcast to explore in 2026?

In this episode, I reflect on my first year as a Senior Brand Manager and the quiet unlearning that came with it. From letting go of performative “senior behaviour,” to learning when not to speak, this is an honest look at what leadership starts to require as your scope grows.

We talk about finding your senior voice, steering instead of telling, facilitating decisions rather than forcing them, and why quiet, observational people often come into their power later, but more sustainably.

If you’re ambitious, capable, and stepping into more responsibility without wanting to change who you are, this episode is for you.

✨ If this resonates, pass it on. I’m trying to change how your quiet is understood at work. Five stars help too. Quietly. Obviously.

Before you disappear into the well-earned nothingness, take these eight quiet minutes to gently close the work year. A soft bridge between what you’ve just wrapped up and the rest that’s waiting on the other side.

No goal-setting. No performance. Just you, taking a moment to let your system settle before the holidays take over. This short pause is an invitation to exhale the noise, remember what worked, release what didn’t, and return to yourself so you can actually enjoy the break you’ve earned.

And if you know someone who’s crawling toward Christmas with half a battery left… send this their way.

They might need this small landing too.

There’s a moment when you realise the opportunity you wanted all year… might not have known where to sit if it arrived. This episode looks at the subtle difference between wanting something and actually being ready for it, and how the smallest adjustments change the way opportunity finds us.

Through two simple, everyday metaphors, we explore how shifts in our environment, habits, and clarity create the kind of space where what you want would actually feel at home. Not through force or hustle, but through intention.

A gentle, precise reflection on readiness, desire, and the quiet work that happens long before the moment arrives, and a question that may reframe how you think about the year ahead.

If this episode resonated, please take a second to rate the show ★★★★★ and share it with a friend who might need it too.

We often assume our reputation at work is shaped by the big moments. The presentations. The milestones. The “official” opportunities.

But most people form their opinion of us in the tiny, forgettable interactions — the “how was your weekend,” the quick update in the hallway, the accidental coffee machine moment with someone senior.

Because these conversations feel insignificant, we wing them or downplay them.

But this is where presence is actually built.

These micro-moments become small stages, not for performance, but for clarity. And when you use them with intention, something shifts: people hear you differently, your work gains context, and your ambition becomes legible without you having to make it loud.

In this episode, we’ll explore why small talk isn’t actually small, how to use these moments without sounding corporate or rehearsed, and how a single sentence can quietly reshape the way people see you.

🤎 If you enjoyed this episode, please share it with a friend and leave a five-star rating on Spotify it truly helps the show grow.