Squiggly Careers

Welcome to Shell-Shedding Moments, a series where CEOs share the vulnerable moments, the challenges, mistakes, and personal revelations that most people never see. Today's episode is with CEO Zaid Al-Qassab who opens up about his experiences with depression, the challenges of leading while managing mental health, and the power of vulnerability in the workplace. Zaid shares how embracing these moments can strengthen resilience, deepen connections, and create healthier work environments.

🦞 Pre-order Learn Like A Lobster:
🇺🇸PRH US - https://bit.ly/3KxTeBn
🇬🇧 Amazon UK - https://amzn.to/3KcRZaR

For questions about Squiggly Careers or to share feedback, please email [email protected]

More ways to learn about Squiggly Careers:
📩 Download our free career tools: https://www.amazingif.com/toolkit/
🦞 Join the Learn Like a Lobster Sprint: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLNQl9gsac8BXnWe2qoGuHkLKwsygjP_Ma&si=l7kODG3JpopH0Irz
📮 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.

In this Squiggly Shortcut episode, Helen shares a practical, step-by-step framework for asking for help at work in a way that feels confident, clear, and effective.

Many of us struggle to ask for help because we fear looking incompetent, don’t want to burden others, or try to push through on our own. Helen breaks down how to neutralize that anxiety, identify what kind of help you need - support, solutions, or a sounding board- figure out who can give it, and frame your ask so it’s actionable and easy to respond to.

If you’ve ever felt stuck or overwhelmed at work, this episode will give you a simple, Post-It-note-sized system to get the support you need and move your squiggly career forward.

Episode 527

🦞 Pre-order Learn Like A Lobster:
🇺🇸PRH US - https://bit.ly/3KxTeBn
🇬🇧 Amazon UK - https://amzn.to/3KcRZaR

For questions about Squiggly Careers or to share feedback, please email [email protected]

More ways to learn about Squiggly Careers:
📩 Download our free career tools: https://www.amazingif.com/toolkit/
🦞 Join the Learn Like a Lobster Sprint: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLNQl9gsac8BXnWe2qoGuHkLKwsygjP_Ma&si=l7kODG3JpopH0Irz
📮 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.

How do you introduce yourself in a way that turns a polite “nice to meet you” into a genuine “tell me more”? In this episode, Helen and Sarah are Borrowing brilliance from Rebecca Okamoto’s TED Talk How to Introduce Yourself and Get Hired. They unpack five simple formulas you can use to make high-impact introductions — whether you’re meeting someone new, speaking at an event, or kicking off a meeting. This episode is all about short, practical introductions that help you be heard, remembered, and taken seriously.

Episode 526

🦞 Pre-order Learn Like A Lobster

🇺🇸 PRH US - https://bit.ly/3KxTeBn
🇬🇧 Amazon UK - https://amzn.to/3KcRZaR

🎯 What You’ll Learn

- How to introduce yourself clearly and confidently
- Five practical formulas you can adapt for different situations
- Why “tell me more” is the goal of a great introduction
- How to make introductions feel natural, not scripted
- How to use questions to build connection quickly

📚 Resources Mentioned

How to Introduce Yourself and Get Hired — Rebecca Okamoto (TED Talk) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f_N3PGvnVKg
Impactful Introductions GPT - https://bit.ly/Impactful_Introductions

🔔S𝐮𝐛𝐬𝐜𝐫𝐢𝐛𝐞 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐦𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐮𝐩𝐝𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐬:https://www.youtube.com/@SquigglyCareers?sub_confirmation=1

If you enjoyed this episode, you may also like:
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▶️ https://youtu.be/c4Bm6IDGOKM
▶️ https://youtu.be/jdhXZrrc6nY

For questions about Squiggly Careers or to share feedback, please email [email protected]

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.

In this fifth and final episode of the Learn Like a Lobster skill sprint, Helen and Sarah introduce "Helpful How-Tos" - a simple, fun way to share knowledge that helps you learn faster and helps your team too. You'll discover why sharing makes learning stick, how to overcome confidence gremlins, and a practical (and fun) format you can use immediately with your team to keep learning and growing.

🦞 Join our Learn Like a Lobster Sprint: https://bit.ly/4oZzJ3F

🦞 Pre-order Learn Like A Lobster:
🇺🇸PRH US - https://bit.ly/3KxTeBn
🇬🇧 Amazon UK - https://amzn.to/3KcRZaR

⏱️ Timestamps

(00:00) Thank you & Well done! 00:25 How lobsters guarantee their growth
(01:00) The double win of sharing learning
(01:40) Why organisations don’t sharing learning well
(02:20) Rubber duck debugging explained
(03:30) Overcoming the "expert" barrier
(04:02) Introducing helpful how-tos
(06:51) Helpful how-to: going to events (extrovert version)
(08:06) Helpful how-to: going to events (introvert version)
(09:19) Inspiration & 24hr action

🎯 What You’ll Learn

Why "rubber duck debugging" works
Ways to make knowledge sharing fun and low-pressure in teams
How introverts and extroverts can share differently

Learn Like a Lobster Profiler – https://www.learnlikealobsterprofiler.com/

For questions about Squiggly Careers or to share feedback, please email [email protected]

More ways to learn about Squiggly Careers:
📩 Download our free career tools: https://www.amazingif.com/toolkit/
🦞 Join our Learn Like a Lobster Sprint: https://bit.ly/4oZzJ3F
📮 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.

When it comes to learning at work, it’s easy to wait for permission - from managers, organisations, or “the right moment.” In this episode, Helen and Sarah explore how to lead your own learning, even when time, money, or support feel limited. This is Day 4 of the Learn Like A Lobster skill sprint, and the focus is on adaptability — the skill that helps you keep learning when things don’t go to plan. Helen and Sarah explain why relying on perfect conditions can stall your development, and how adapting your approach helps you stay resilient and relevant at work.

🦞 Join our Learn Like a Lobster Sprint: https://bit.ly/4oZzJ3F

🦞 Pre-order Learn Like A Lobster:
🇺🇸PRH US - https://bit.ly/3KxTeBn
🇬🇧 Amazon UK - https://amzn.to/3KcRZaR

⏱️ Timestamps

(00:00) Lobsters, old shells, and self-sustaining growth
(01:04) Waiting for permission stalls learning
(02:01) Why adaptability matters at work
(03:23) Flexibility vs adaptability: the toolbox analogy
(05:08) Using AI to adapt in advance
(06:48) Live example: Learning goals & scenario planning
(09:48) Inspiration & 24hr action

🎯 What You’ll Learn

The difference between being flexible and being adaptable
How to anticipate barriers and adapt your learning approach
How AI can help you plan for obstacles and take action now

AI Prompt:

Act as a squiggly career coach. My role is: [your role]. I work in: [describe your organisation and context]. My learning goal for the next 3 months is: [what you want to learn]. Identify realistic barriers that might get in the way of this learning. For each barrier, suggest adaptive responses I could use to keep learning anyway. Present the output in a simple table.

Learn Like a Lobster Profiler – https://www.learnlikealobsterprofiler.com/

For questions about Squiggly Careers or to share feedback, please email [email protected]

More ways to learn about Squiggly Careers:
📩 Download our free career tools: https://www.amazingif.com/toolkit/
🦞 Join our Learn Like a Lobster Sprint: https://bit.ly/4oZzJ3F
📮 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.