Squiggly Careers is a weekly podcast that will help you take control of your career development. Hosted by the founders of Amazing If (https://www.amazingif.com/), Sarah Ellis and Helen Tupper, together they cover all things work: from how to manage stress and overcome your confidence gremlins to micro-aggressions and discovering your strengths. Each episode is full of ideas, actions, hints, and tips that you can put into practice straight away.
Every so often they take a break from talking to each other to interview other people who are leading the way in making work better. Past guests include entrepreneur and philanthropist Dame Stephanie Shirley, author of The Joy of Work Bruce Daisley, and neuroscience expert Amy Brann.
The Squiggly Careers podcast has been recommended by Harvard Business Review, Stylist, Marie Claire and Management Today.
For more ideas, tools and inspiration every week, you can also sign up to their newsletter Squiggly Careers in Action.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Squiggly Careers is a weekly podcast that will help you take control of your career development. Hosted by the founders of Amazing If (https://www.amazingif.com/), Sarah Ellis and Helen Tupper, together they cover all things work: from how to manage stress and overcome your confidence gremlins to micro-aggressions and discovering your strengths. Each episode is full of ideas, actions, hints, and tips that you can put into practice straight away.
Every so often they take a break from talking to each other to interview other people who are leading the way in making work better. Past guests include entrepreneur and philanthropist Dame Stephanie Shirley, author of The Joy of Work Bruce Daisley, and neuroscience expert Amy Brann.
The Squiggly Careers podcast has been recommended by Harvard Business Review, Stylist, Marie Claire and Management Today.
For more ideas, tools and inspiration every week, you can also sign up to their newsletter Squiggly Careers in Action.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Is “just be yourself at work” really the best advice? In this 500th episode of the Squiggly Careers podcast, Helen and Sarah explore the tricky topic of authenticity — and why being 100% yourself at work might not always help you succeed.
Borrowing brilliance from Dr. Tomas Chamorro-Premuzic, they discuss the difference between effective vs. ineffective authenticity, why trust often matters more than “being real,” and how to adapt without feeling fake. You’ll learn three practical actions to help you show up authentically and intentionally in ways that work for you, your team, and your career.
Episode 500
🦞 Pre-order Learn Like A Lobster:
PRH US - https://bit.ly/3KxTeBn
Amazon UK - https://amzn.to/3KcRZaR
⏱️ Timestamps
00:00 Introduction & Announcement
02:19 Celebrating 500 episodes 🎉
06:32 What is “effective authenticity”?
09:05 Why trust may be more important than authenticity
11:40 Action 1
17:55 Action 2
21:16 Action 3
23:35 Questions to help you apply this week’s shortcut
25:41 What’s next: Borrowing brilliance from maps
🎯 What You’ll Learn
- The difference between helpful and unhelpful authenticity
- Why trust and emotional intelligence matter more than “bringing your whole self”
- How to balance being true to yourself with adapting to your team
- 3 actions you can take to use authenticity for career success
📚 Resources Mentioned
Don't Be Yourself: Why Authenticity Is Overrated (and What to Do Instead) by Tomas Chamorro-Premuzic https://www.amazon.co.uk/Dont-Be-Yourself-Authenticity-Overrated/dp/1647829836
HBR Article: https://hbr.org/2025/08/do-you-have-an-emotionally-intelligent-team
The Values Institute https://values.institute/
AI Skills Sprint - https://youtu.be/5swOYWW6l7M?feature=shared
For questions about Squiggly Careers or to share feedback, please email helenandsarah@squigglycareers.com
More ways to learn about Squiggly Careers:
📩 Download our free career tools: https://www.amazingif.com/toolkit/
📮 Get Squiggly Careers in Action in your inbox: https://bit.ly/SquigglyCareersInAction
📚 Read our books: The Squiggly Career and You Coach You: https://www.amazingif.com/books/
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.