🎙️ Aunty Treacle - Episode 5: Is Safety Still for Me?

In this episode, Anna, Stuart, and guest Steph Camm respond to a deeply relatable listener challenge from someone feeling disillusioned with their career in safety:

“Dear Aunty Treacle, I’m six years into my safety career and starting to wonder if it’s for me. I got into this work because I care about people and want to make a difference but all anyone seems to care about is compliance. I’m losing hope that I’ll ever find a role where I can do things differently. Is there a future for me in safety?”

Steph brings honesty, warmth, and wisdom as she shares her own journey through different sectors including hotels, student accommodation, facilities, and engineering and reflects on the moments she questioned her own path. Together, the team explore what it really means to be at a career crossroads, and how to navigate through uncertainty with clarity, courage, and care. Spoiler: It’s not just about safety, it’s about rediscovering purpose, getting unstuck, and giving yourself permission to pivot.  

Key Topics Covered:

• The compliance-care tension: how to hold both without losing your soul
• Reframing audits, checklists and inspections as opportunities for curiosity
• Spotting green flags in interviews and why language matters
• Navigating gut instinct, red flags, and the emotional signals we ignore
• Exploring the “career equation” aligning values, strengths, impact and environment
• When to stay, when to go, and how to make bold but grounded moves
• Career as a relationship: why your job should meet your needs too
• Coaching, reflection, and finding clarity without waiting for permission
• Courage as a core leadership skill—especially when saying “this isn’t right for me”

 Resources to Explore:

• The Career Equation – The Career Equation®
• Risk Savvy by Gerd Gigerenzer – on gut instinct and smart decision-making
• Four Qualities of a Great Career (reverse your way in!):
  1. I’m around fascinating people
  2. I make good money
  3. I’m good at it
  4. I enjoy it

• Reframing tip: Audit your current job for learning and experimentation, not just output
• Interview reflection question: “How does this organisation align with who I am and what I value?”

We’d Love Your Feedback!

Have you hit a career crossroads? Are you feeling stuck or second-guessing your profession?
Drop us a line at ask@auntytreacle.com or tag us on socials. Your questions help others get unstuck too.

Next Episode: 🌟 The Sticky Middle – Part 1 & 2
We’re doubling up for the next release as we dig into one of the most challenging transitions in any career: moving from individual contributor to people leader.
What changes, what stays the same and how do you lead others without losing yourself? 

See you soon, Treacle fans. And yes, we still have Blazing Squad stuck in our heads too.