Assess how feeling career stuck is impacting you across ten areas of life - in 30 minutes. Then, decide what you want to do about it.

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We're drowning in a sea of doing. Waging unwinnable battles to pack more and more work into less and less time. At what cost? For what purpose? It's a direct path to overwhelm and burnout.

 In our conversation today, Louise Miller offers a radically different, deeply human definition of productivity than I haven’t seen anywhere in the world. We discussed shifting how you think about productivity and how you can be productive in a way that reduces stress, allows us to focus on what truly matters, and lets us do our best work calmly.

If you are someone who loves achieving great things but feels like you sometimes sacrifice too much along the way, this episode is tailor-made for you.

[00:26] Meet Louise Miller: A New Perspective on Productivity

[01:28] Redefining Productivity: Doing What Matters

[05:46] The Treehouse Analogy

[08:42] The Neuroscience Behind Productivity

[10:03] Practical Steps to Boost Productivity

[12:11] Conclusion: Embrace a New Way of Working

Get more details in the show notes on our website.

Assess how feeling career stuck is impacting you across ten areas of life - in 30 minutes. Then, decide what you want to do about it.

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At some point in time, I can almost guarantee you that someone will ask you this small talk question - “How’s work?”

 This is one of my least favorite small-talk conversation openers. I just don't understand why people ask it. Maybe it's out of genuine curiosity, or perhaps an attempt to show that they care.

But let's be honest, “How's work?”, its a lazy question. You don't need to remember the details of someone's job, their role, their company, or even actually care about the answer. And most people know this, which is why they usually respond with something short and unremarkable before steering the conversation elsewhere.

The result? Missed opportunities for real human connection. If you truly care about the person you're talking to or want to create a meaningful, memorable moment, it's time to retire this question and instead, try something that sparks genuine interest and reflection.

Instead, why not ask: “ What was the very best part of your career that you used to really enjoy doing?”

Learn more about this Joy At Work Experiment on our website

Assess how feeling career stuck is impacting you across ten areas of life - in 30 minutes. Then, decide what you want to do about it.

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We are delving into the common mistakes mid-career professionals make on LinkedIn profiles and how you can avoid them.

Jo Watson, a talented copywriter, shares her expertise in crafting authentic, engaging profiles that make great first impressions. We discuss the dangers of trying too hard and the importance of genuine interaction over superficial efforts. Jo also provides practical questions to ensure your profile stands out for the right reasons.

[00:10] Meet Jo Watson: The Copywriting Expert

[00:58] Common LinkedIn Profile Mistakes

[01:31] The Problem with Trying Too Hard on Linkedin

[03:39] The Importance of Authenticity on Linkedin

[07:02] Practical Tips for LinkedIn Success

Assess how feeling career stuck is impacting you across ten areas of life - in 30 minutes. Then, decide what you want to do about it.

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Sometimes work feels like a never-ending loop of things we just have to do, doesn't it?

Endless meetings, looming deadlines for tasks we've procrastinated on until they become have-tos. Work events that we'd swap in a millisecond for an evening snuggled up with one of our favourite box sets.

But today, let's hit pause on the have-tos and shift our focus to something new.

Over the last eight years of helping clients design more joy into their work, I've noticed something magical. It's subtle, easy to miss if you're not paying attention. It often slips out as an afterthought, almost shyly. And yet every time I catch it, I know I've stumbled upon something extraordinary. It begins with these four simple words.

“I've always wanted to…”

When someone says this, it's like a window into their soul opens. It offers a glimpse of their dreams, unfulfilled desires, and untapped joy. But here's the thing. We often push these dreams aside. We label them, Someday goals, too frivolous for today's practical demands, and we bury them under the avalanche of our to-do lists.

And in doing so, we quietly quash a spark of our potential joy.

This week, let's change that.

If you think imposter syndrome is only relevant to a very small part of the population, think again.

In our conversation, Clare Josa shares the difference between the very natural self doubt that we feel when we step out of our comfort zone and the debilitating joyless imposter syndrome. She shows us how to recognize it in ourselves and our colleagues and offers us a tiny practical first step on the journey towards feeling good enough at our core.

[00:00] Introduction to Imposter Syndrome

[00:07] Meet Clare Josa: Expert on Imposter Syndrome

[01:05] Understanding Self-Doubt vs. Imposter Syndrome

[02:05] The Impact of Imposter Syndrome in the Workplace

[04:15] Recognizing Imposter Syndrome in Yourself and Others

[06:22] The Link Between Imposter Syndrome and Burnout

[08:17] Steps to Overcome Imposter Syndrome

Next Steps:

If you enjoyed this, you might also enjoy my Life Satisfaction Assessment. It's a 30-minute program where I guide you through a deep dive into 10 areas of your life to assess what's bringing you joy and what's bringing you down. I call it Derailed and it's a fabulous place to begin a joy-at-work redesign.

Appreciation is one of the simplest, most cost-effective ways to improve workplace dynamics, as far as joy is concerned. When done genuinely and often, It's a win-win investment of a few seconds.

If appreciation is so clearly a win-win, why don't we do it more?

Appreciation doesn't need to be a grand, splashy, time-consuming gesture. And in todays Joy At Work experiment, I’m going to show you two easy ways that you can start showing appreciation for those around you today.

[00:30] The Power of Appreciation

[00:58] Personal Story: The Smile That Changed Everything

[02:08] Appreciation in the Workplace

[04:27] A Joy At Work Experiment: Show Some Appreciation

[06:04] A Joy At Work Experiment: Smile More

[07:09] The Impact of Genuine Appreciation

Get all of the details for this experiment on our website

Assess how feeling career stuck is impacting you across ten areas of life - in 30mins. Then, decide what you want to do about it.

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We have been fed a lie about boundary setting, which is that there are only two ways to communicate them.

Either being assertive and bolshie and all up in someone's grill and laying down the law and demanding what we need. Or backing down and staying well-liked, but never quite actually saying what we need.

This is such a load of rubbish. We see it play out culturally a lot, but it's just not true. There is a beautiful middle ground. Louisa Clarke shares with us her three-step formula for setting boundaries and communicating them in a way that is forward-moving, respectful, and productive.

Let’s dive in.

[00:00] The Power of Asking for What You Need

[00:37] The Importance of Having Clear Boundaries

[01:57] The Three-Step Formula For Setting Boundaries

[02:01] Step 1: Firm Up Your Decision

[03:03] Step 2: Acknowledge, Validate, Permit (AVP)

[04:56] Step 3: Use I Perspective Language

[08:31] Are we getting better at boundary setting?

Assess how feeling career stuck is impacting you across ten areas of life - in 30mins. Then, decide what you want to do about it.

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Let's be honest, most of us, myself included, have no problem telling anyone with a pair of ears just how busy we are, right?

In fact, I've never met a midlife professional who isn't swamped with work. Earlier this year, I conducted a survey on joy at work, asking 400 professionals in their 40s, 50s and 60s, what their biggest joy at work challenge was. And across the board, the top answer was the same. Time pressure and an overwhelming workload.

So yes, we're all busy.

But lately, I've noticed something else creeping into the conversation. I'm going to call this busy bragging. And it's at an all-time high.

Today, I want to break down why we do this, what's really going on from a psychological perspective, and share a little experiment that you can try this week to dial up your joy at work (and dial down the busy bragging).

[00:30] The Reality of Being Busy

[01:28] Understanding Busy Bragging

[02:05] Psychological Insights into Busy Bragging

[02:37] Four Reasons We Busy Brag

[05:48] Experiment: Shifting from Busy to Joyful