Welcome to How to Rewrite Your Story From The Inside-Out

This episode is the essence of ALL of the work I do – it brings it all together. If I could describe in a sentence what my business Rewrite does: it’s that – it’s rewriting stories from the inside-out.

If you feel like there is a disconnect between who you are and the work that you do, this one is for you. We’re going to close the gap between your inside stpory and your outside story to create more meaning, fulfilment and impact in work and in life.

The episode is broken down as follows:

1. Background & Context – Why bother rewriting your story AND What the research says
2. Rewriting Your Inside Story – Getting to know yourself AND Knowing what you want
3. Rewriting Your Outside Story – Connecting to others AND Creating what you need
4. Self-Coaching Questions – A framework for rewriting your own story from the inside-out

 Work with Monique:

• Join 'The Rewriters Community'. Explore here: https://www.rewriterewrite.com/becomeamember
• Speak to Monique about your next Workshop or Talk: https://www.rewriterewrite.com/workshops 
• Visit: www.rewriterewrite.com 
• For more tips, tools and stories, subscribe to The Rewrite Newsletter: https://www.rewriterewrite.com/get-the-weekly-rewrite

Get in touch with Monique Shaw:

• Web: www.rewriterewrite.com/contact
• Instagram: @the_rewriters
• LinkedIn: Monique Shaw

Resources referenced:

• ‘The Rewrite Framework’ by Monique Shaw. Explore here: https://www.rewriterewrite.com/coaching-services
• Free Career Resources by Monique Shaw. Explore here: https://www.rewriterewrite.com/free-resources 
• ‘How to Stop Being a People Pleaser’ with Monique Shaw on The Rewriters Podcast (2026). Source: https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/s3-ep-8-how-to-stop-being-a-people-pleaser-without/id1538589146?i=1000765153767
• ‘How to Befriend Your Inner Critic’ with Monique Shaw on The Rewriters Podcast (2026). Source: https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/s3-ep-4-how-to-befriend-your-inner-critic-stop-fighting/id1538589146?i=1000743388781
• ‘How to Quit Your Job’ with Monique Shaw on The Rewriters Podcast (2025). Source: https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/s3-ep-1-how-to-quit-your-job/id1538589146?i=1000724326293
• ‘Owning Your Personal Brand At Work’ with Monique Shaw on The Rewriters Podcast (Re-released 2025). Source: https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/re-release-owning-your-personal-brand-at-work/id1538589146?i=1000722494484 
• ‘How to Maximise and Conserve Your Time’ with Monique Shaw on The Rewriters Podcast (Re-released 2025). Source: https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/re-release-how-to-maximise-and-conserve-your-time/id1538589146?i=1000721478914
• ‘Authenticity’ by Lehman et al, from Academy of Management Annals (2019). Source: https://journals.aom.org/doi/10.5465/annals.2017.0047
• Amy Edmundson profile, from Harvard Business School (2026). Source: https://www.hbs.edu/faculty/Pages/profile.aspx?facId=6451
• ‘The Authenticity Paradox’ by Herminia Ibarra (2014). Source: https://herminiaibarra.com/the-authenticity-paradox/ 
• ‘Five Reasons For NOT Bringing Your Whole Self To Work’ by Tomas Chamorro-Premuzic (2025). Source: https://www.forbes.com/sites/tomaspremuzic/2025/11/17/five-reasons-for-not-bringing-your-whole-self-to-work/ 
• ‘How to Encourage Authenticity at Work’ by Cynthia S Wang (2025). Source: 
• https://insight.kellogg.northwestern.edu/article/how-to-encourage-authenticity-at-work
• ‘Brené and Adam on What They Will Never Agree On’ on ‘The Curiosity Shop’ (2026). Source: https://podcasts.apple.com/ee/podcast/bren%C3%A9-and-adam-on-what-they-will-never-agree-on/id1730985049?i=1000756103720

The Rewriters is written, produced and presented by Monique Shaw. Original music by DJ Cinnamon.

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

Welcome to How to Stop People Pleasing (Without Being A D!ck About It)

In 2016 I was a happily-pregnant work-addicted people pleaser in a job I loved with pretty much exclusively externalised self-worth.

I didn’t set out to get over my people pleasing tendencies and poor boundaries (although I was very aware they were an issue) – but I did need to deal with the logistics of my boundary-less, work-addicted life post-baby. What I set out to do then was get a handle on my time… where I ended up was letting go of my multi-decade tenure as a people pleaser and finally learning how to say NO.”

Today’s episode outlines how I did it and how you can too. Along the way I delve into the psychology of the people pleaser and share some self-coaching questions to help you interrogate (and transcend) own relationship with people pleasing.

The episode is broken down as follows:

1. The psychology of people pleasing
2. My people pleasing recovery journey 
3. How you can quit people pleasing too
4. Self-coaching questions for people pleasers

Resources & References:  

‘How To Maximise And Conserve Your Time’ with Monique Shaw on The Rewriters Pod: https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/re-release-how-to-maximise-and-conserve-your-time/id1538589146?i=1000721478914

‘Two Questions That Will Change Your Life’ with Monique Shaw on The Rewriters Pod: https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/s2-ep-8-two-questions-that-will-change-your-life/id1538589146?i=1000561748881

 ‘Make The Same Impact At Work In Half The Time’ by Monique Shaw on rewriterewrite.com: https://www.rewriterewrite.com/blog/make-the-same-impact-in-half-the-time

'Links between unmitigated communion, interpersonal behaviours and wellbeing’ by Helgeson et al on Research Gate: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/275058320_Links_between_unmitigated_communion_interpersonal_behaviors_and_well-being_A_daily_diary_approach

'Fawning as a trauma response’ by Grace Ogren on Recovery.com: https://recovery.com/resources/fawning-as-a-trauma-response/

'Breaking the cycle of people pleasing’ by Michelle Quirk on Psychology Today: https://www.psychologytoday.com/gb/blog/your-emotional-meter/202401/breaking-the-cycle-of-people-pleasing

‘The Psychology Behind People Pleasing’ by Marissa Moore on PsychCentral: 

https://psychcentral.com/health/the-need-to-please-the-psychology-of-people-pleasing

The 24-hour rule from Boundary Theory (Ashforth, 2000) – no link

Work with Monique:

• Join 'The Rewriters Community’. Explore here: https://www.rewriterewrite.com/becomeamember
• Speak to Monique about your next Workshop or Talk: https://www.rewriterewrite.com/workshops 
• Visit: www.rewriterewrite.com 
• For more tips, tools and stories subscribe to The Rewrite Newsletter: https://www.rewriterewrite.com/get-the-weekly-rewrite

Get in touch with Monique:

• Web: www.rewriterewrite.com/contact
• Instagram: @the_rewriters
• LinkedIn: Monique Shaw

The Rewriters is written, produced and presented by Monique Shaw. Original music by DJ Cinnamon.

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

Welcome to How to Present Like a Pro: Speaking with Courage & Impact.

Today’s episode will be broken down as follows:

1) WHY Present Like a Pro?

2) HOW to Present Like a Pro:

• MINDSET
• THE STORY
• DELIVERY
• THE DECK

3) Common Presentation Fears (and how to deal with them)

4) Self-Coaching Question to help you Present like a Pro

Work with Monique:

• Join 'The Rewriters Community'. Explore here: https://www.rewriterewrite.com/becomeamember
• Speak to Monique about your next Workshop or Talk: https://www.rewriterewrite.com/workshops 
• Explore ‘Rewrite Your Brand Story’: https://www.rewriterewrite.com/rewrite-your-brand-story 
• Visit: www.rewriterewrite.com 
• For more tips, tools and stories, subscribe to The Rewrite Newsletter: https://www.rewriterewrite.com/get-the-weekly-rewrite

Watch this Barack Obama presenting masterclass: https://youtu.be/y7hddyiR47k

Get in touch with Monique Shaw:

• Web: www.rewriterewrite.com/contact
• Instagram: @the_rewriters
• LinkedIn: Monique Shaw

The Rewriters is written, produced and presented by Monique Shaw. Original music by DJ Cinnamon.

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

This week is Rewrite’s 6th Birthday! To celebrate, I’m sharing what I’ve got right and what I got wrong in ‘How to Start Your Small Business’.

Today’s episode will be broken down as follows:

1. The Origin Story: The back story and what led me to starting my own business.
2. The 5 Things I Got Right (and recommend you do too if you’re starting your own thing).
3. The 5 Things I Got Wrong (so you don’t have to make the same unnecessary mistakes).
4. 5 Steps to Starting Your Own Small Business.

Work with Monique:

• Join 'The Rewriters Community'. Explore here: https://www.rewriterewrite.com/becomeamember
• Explore ‘Rewrite Your Brand Story’: https://www.rewriterewrite.com/rewrite-your-brand-story 
• Visit: www.rewriterewrite.com 
• For more tips, tools and stories, subscribe to The Rewrite Newsletter: https://www.rewriterewrite.com/get-the-weekly-rewrite

Get in touch with Monique Shaw:

• Web: www.rewriterewrite.com/contact
• Instagram: @the_rewriters
• LinkedIn: Monique Shaw

The Rewriters is written, produced and presented by Monique Shaw. Original music by DJ Cinnamon.

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

In this episode I’m talking about perfectionism and it’s very cosy bedfellow procrastination.

I work primarily with objectively successful professional women (I work with men too, but over 90% of my clients are women who hold senior positions in their company or run their own businesses – sometimes both) – and a trait that comes up time and time again for these women is perfectionism – their constant and relentless pursuit of perfection. It can be a loud and urgent pursuit, but it can also be a low and constant hum.

So many incredible, talented and ambitious women are shackled by their perfectionism because more often than not, it’s not helping them to reach greater heights, it’s holding them back. It’s keeping them smaller and more muted than their talents, passions and skills deserve to be.

So today I want to tackle it and provide some ways you can finally break free from the perfectionism/procrastination cycle.

The episode is broken down as follows:

• The Perfectionism-Procrastination Cycle explained – what perfectionism is, what procrastination is and how the two are linked.
• We’ll unpack The myths, lies, harms and excuses of perfectionism 
• We’ll get practical and explore how to move From perfectionism into action – including The Intentional Procrastination Method 
• Self-Coaching Questions for you to interrogate your own relationship with perfectionism and procrastination

Resources referenced:

• ‘How the Modern Epidemic of Perfectionism is Impacting Our Health with Will Storr’ on The Feel Better, Live More podcast by Rangan Chaterjee: https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/feel-better-live-more-with-dr-rangan-chatterjee/id1333552422?i=1000648081242
• ‘Children with ADHD Avoid Failure and Punishment More Than Others, Study Says’ by Devon Frye on AttitudeMag: https://www.additudemag.com/children-with-adhd-avoid-failure-punishment/
• ‘Why procrastination isn’t laziness – it’s rigid thinking that your brain can unlearn’ by Annemieke Apergis-Schoute on The Conversation: https://theconversation.com/why-procrastination-isnt-laziness-its-rigid-thinking-that-your-brain-can-unlearn-270838 
• 'How to Befriend Your Inner Critic' by Monique Shaw on The Rewriters podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/s3-ep-4-how-to-befriend-your-inner-critic/id1538589146?i=1000743388781

Further Reading

• Perfectionism is adaptive and maladaptive, but what is the combined effect?' by Joachim Stober, Daniel J Madigan, Lazaros Gonidis on Science Direct: https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/psychology/perfectionism 
• ‘Perfectionism’ (no author) on Psychology Today: https://www.psychologytoday.com/gb/basics/perfectionism#:~:text=Perfectionists%20set%20unrealistically%20high%20expectations,life%20for%20approval%20and%20validation.

Work with Monique:

• Join 'The Rewriters Community'. Explore here: https://www.rewriterewrite.com/becomeamember 
• Visit: www.rewriterewrite.com 
• For more tips, tools and stories, subscribe to The Rewrite Newsletter: https://www.rewriterewrite.com/get-the-weekly-rewrite

Get in touch with Monique Shaw:

• Web: www.rewriterewrite.com/contact
• Instagram: @the_rewriters
• LinkedIn: Monique Shaw

The Rewriters is written, researched, produced and presented by Monique Shaw. Original music by DJ Cinnamon.

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

In this episode, we’ll explore why the common advice to "silence" or "erase" your inner critic is destined to fail. Instead, we’ll dive into the transformative power of listening to, learning from, befriending – and ultimately transcending – that critical inner voice. Whether you're struggling with confidence, imposter syndrome or negative self-talk, this episode provides guidance and techniques to turn your harshest critic into your greatest ally.

You'll learn:

• The psychology of the inner critic: What it actually is and why it’s trying to protect you.
• Identifying limiting beliefs: How to spot the hidden assumptions holding you back.
• Actionable tools & techniques: Methods for managing the inner critic in-the-moment and longer-term.
• A deep-dive case study: A real-life look at someone’s personal experience with their inner critic.
• Self-coaching framework: Questions to help you befriend and move beyond your critic, starting today.

Stop fighting your mind and start leading it.

Resources referenced:

• ‘Decoding the inner critic’s origins and purpose’ by Dr. Nelda Andersone: https://www.psychologytoday.com/gb/blog/human-inner-dynamics/202312/decoding-the-inner-critics-origins-and-purpose
• Dr Kristin Neff’s exercise for changing your critical self-talk: https://self-compassion.org/exercises/exercise-5-changing-your-critical-self-talk/
• The Rewriters Podcast - 'Grow confidence and overcome imposter syndrome’: https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/re-release-how-to-grow-confidence-and-overcome/id1538589146?i=1000720570445

Work with Monique:

·     Join 'The Rewriters Community'. Explore here: https://www.rewriterewrite.com/becomeamember

·     Visit: www.rewriterewrite.com 

·     For more tips, tools and stories, subscribe to The Rewrite Newsletter

Get in touch with Monique Shaw:

·     Web: www.rewriterewrite.com/contact

·     Instagram: @the_rewriters

·     LinkedIn: Monique Shaw

The Rewriters is written, produced and presented by Monique Shaw. Original music by DJ Cinnamon.

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

Welcome to HOW TO SURVIVE REDUNDANCY…

Like any big career transition – redundancy may end up being the most transformative thing that has ever happened in your career.

In this episode I aim to provide clarity and support for those experiencing redundancy. I share a 4-point framework for not just surviving redundancy but thriving after it.

The episode is broken up into the 4 points of the framework:

1. FORTIFYING – What does it mean to fortify during redundancy?
2. CONTROL – Controlling the controllable
3. CONNECT –The importance of sharing the load
4. ACT – Taking some time to breath and then taking ACTION!

Resources referenced:

• In the UK, seek support and legal advice from your local Citizen’s Advice Bureau as well as ACAS: https://www.acas.org.uk/
• If you’re pregnant or post-partum in the UK, you can seek support form https://pregnantthenscrewed.com/

Work with Monique:

·     Join 'The Rewriters Community'. Explore here: https://www.rewriterewrite.com/becomeamember

·     Visit: www.rewriterewrite.com 

·     For more tips, tools and stories, subscribe to The Rewrite Newsletter

Get in touch with Monique Shaw:

·     Web: www.rewriterewrite.com/contact

·     Instagram: @the_rewriters

·     LinkedIn: Monique Shaw

The Rewriters is written, produced and presented by Monique Shaw. Original music by DJ Cinnamon.

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

Welcome to this episode – HOW TO DEAL WITH JERKS AT WORK

Key episode discussion points:

• Different Types of Jerks at Work – the 3 jerk ‘archetypes’
• Tools for Dealing with Jerks at Work
• Different Jerks Scenarios – What to do when your boss, client or colleague is a jerk

The episode also includes some self-coaching questions to help you navigate a jerk or jerky situation you might be dealing with at work.

Resources referenced:

• Monique Shaw article ~ HOW TO INFLUENCE WITH INTEGRITY
• Coaching programme ~ Rewrite Your Career Story
• Transactional Analysis ~ A brief overview

Work with Monique:

·     Join 'The Rewriters Community'. Explore here: https://www.rewriterewrite.com/becomeamember

·     Visit: www.rewriterewrite.com 

·     For more tips, tools and stories, subscribe to The Rewrite Newsletter

Get in touch with Monique Shaw:

·     Web: www.rewriterewrite.com/contact

·     Instagram: @the_rewriters

·     LinkedIn: Monique Shaw

The Rewriters is written, produced and presented by Monique Shaw. Original music by DJ Cinnamon.

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

Welcome to this brand new season of The Rewriters podcast, beginning with this episode ~ HOW TO QUIT YOUR JOB.

Key episode discussion points:

• How to know if you SHOULD quit your job?
• Is it a YOU thing or a THEM thing?
• When is it the right TIME to quit?
• If you quit, what NEXT?
• I also introduce my ‘Quit Your Job’ Quadrant ~ a framework for mapping out if and when you should quit.

Download your Quit Your Job Quadrant HERE

Resources referenced:

• The Rewrite ‘Quit Your Job’ Quadrant: Download Here
• The Rewriters Podcast ~ OWNING YOUR PERSONAL BRAND AT WORK
• The Rewriters Podcast ~ CREATING A VALUES-LED CAREER
• Coaching programme: Rewrite Your Career Story

 Work with Monique:

·     Join 'The Rewriters Community'. Explore here: https://www.rewriterewrite.com/becomeamember

·     Visit: www.rewriterewrite.com 

·     For more tips, tools and stories, subscribe to The Rewrite Newsletter

Get in touch with Monique Shaw:

·     Web: www.rewriterewrite.com/contact

·     Instagram: @the_rewriters

·     LinkedIn: Monique Shaw

The Rewriters is written, produced and presented by Monique Shaw. Original music by DJ Cinnamon.

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

Welcome to this summer 2025 re-release: How to unhook from toxic productivity

Key episode points:

• Our obsession with productivity
• The problem with productivity
• Toxic Vs Conscious productivity
• My relationship with productivity – then and NOW
• How to design your days for maximum impact, minimal depletion. 

The Rewrite Planner

During the episode, I share the system I’ve developed to help you design your time to be more consciously productive – it’s called ‘The Rewrite Planner’. It helps you to identify your unique energy cycle, categorise your tasks into 5 different activity types, and then map them to your energy cycle for maximum impact with minimal depletion.

Download here: https://www.rewriterewrite.com/rewriteplanner

Other resources referenced

• Article: When is productivity a dirty word? By Monique Shaw
• The Rewriters Podcast Episode 5 – How to maximise and conserve your time and Episode 14 – Owning your personal brand at work
• The Eisenhower Matrix – https://todoist.com/productivity-methods/eisenhower-matrix

Want to create more time wealth? 

Book a ‘Boundaries and Time Wealth’ career clinic with Monique and learn how to design a time management strategy that fits you and how you want to work.

Find out more: https://www.rewriterewrite.com/career-clinics

Work with Monique:

·     Join 'The Rewriters Community'. Explore here: https://www.rewriterewrite.com/becomeamember

·     Visit: www.rewriterewrite.com 

·     For more tips, tools and stories, subscribe to The Rewrite Newsletter

Get in touch with Monique Shaw:

·     Web: www.rewriterewrite.com/contact

·     Instagram: @the_rewriters

·     LinkedIn: Monique Shaw

The Rewriters is written, produced and presented by Monique Shaw. Original music by DJ Cinnamon.

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