The Career Coven, with Bec & Annie

In this week's episode Bec and Annie talk through self development, and how they've both approached building their careers. Whilst Bec has taken a very structured and deliberate approach to building her career, Annie's career moves have been more opportunistic and often led by passion and gut instinct. Bec has a 3 year life plan, that helps her focus in on her progression and goals. They discuss the merits of both different approaches. Listen to this episode to hear more about: * Resources we recommend to think about career progression and structure * The roles we've both learned the most in * How coaching has supported us both at different times * The difference between coaching and mentoring * Top 5 tips for career building Enjoying this content? Please rate and subscribe on your preferred platform, and let us know what you think! hello@careercoven.com Recommendations from this episode: * Designing Your Life [https://www.amazon.co.uk/Designing-Your-Life-Perfect-Career/dp/1784701173/], Burnett and Evans

This weeks episode is all about coaching. Both Annie and Bec have benefitted from coaching at different points in their career. They've also spoken about coaching at various points across season 1 and 2 of the Career Coven. In this weeks episode Bec speaks to Annie's former coach - Seb Agertoft. This episode is for people who are either thinking about getting a coach or are interested in becoming a coach. By the way - Annie highly recommends working with Seb (the best coach she's worked with in terms of outcomes). This episode covers: * Seb's personal journey to coaching * What coaching is * How there are different styles of coaching * The difference between coaching and mentoring Enjoying this content? Please rate and subscribe on your preferred platform, and let us know what you think! hello@careercoven.com https://www.sebagertoft.com/

In this week's episode of the Career Coven Bec and Annie answer a series of questions from the listeners. They cover: * Is there a dream job for everyone? * How to balance finding your 'dream job' with working where you are now? * Should we all be purpose driven in our jobs? * How can you change culture in a highly political organisation? * What to do when you're managing engineers that don't like to change their behaviour… And much more…. Enjoying this content? Please rate and subscribe on your preferred platform, and let us know what you think! hello@careercoven.com Recommendations from this episode: * Designing Your Life [https://www.amazon.co.uk/Designing-Your-Life-Perfect-Career/dp/1784701173/], Burnett and Evans * Sir Wobbles [https://www.instagram.com/sirwobbles/?hl=en] wombat rescue Instagram account * 5 Dysfunctions of a team [https://www.amazon.co.uk/Overcoming-Five-Dysfunctions-Team-Facilitators/dp/B079X8ZBR4/ref=sr_1_1?adgrpid=164156882394&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.YpZeR3nWpqf6lo6YoDz4TUnltlKewgUJIw1eotb-nYwX30TAsTNSFa-k-rO1VNtO9ohkprziMBjoFn_7T2FmePnFabVPK9kK4ivxJkweof7RUQIABEs5pJSonno6LJOkE6vVpS0i7fRhIQMVK_eoDX2_8OnfhKpNLHMMyu0OH3_Sh5APKaneELxAmEiwADKonf_ha2pTfvUEz6PBYGIqyOLtrQ463v5FgaeZyXN9rbU.xyru2qxO_MYPpl5yCkThRmWPzusayWHzrBoD11--tQw&dib_tag=se&gad_source=1&hvadid=696769354718&hvdev=c&hvexpln=69&hvlocphy=9045894&hvnetw=g&hvocijid=4887579906989738938--&hvqmt=e&hvrand=4887579906989738938&hvtargid=kwd-433598645&hydadcr=24431_2302447&keywords=5+dysfunctions+of+a+team&qid=1725813126&sr=8-1], Lencioni and Leffert

In this week's episode, Annie speaks to Lizzi Amartey. Lizzi is the Head of People at the UK non-profit Founders Pledge. Lizzi has worked across the globe in HR, and is passion about how to build diversity into teams. Annie and Bec decided that given Lizzi's incredible background, we should focus the chat on how to build diverse and high performing teams. Listen in to hear a discussion about: * Is there a 'right' construction of a team? * What most often goes wrong when trying to build a team * How to remove 'bad apples' from the team * How to hold an organisation to account for diverse hiring * Tips for hiring diversely * How to ask about diversity in a job interview process Enjoying this content? Please rate and subscribe on your preferred platform, and let us know what you think! hello@careercoven.com Recommendations from this episode: * Hire slow, fire fast [https://hbr.org/2014/03/hire-slow-fire-fast] * CultureAmp - Empower Diverse Teams [https://www.cultureamp.com/blog/empower-diverse-teams] * BambooHR- How to recruit a diverse team [https://www.bamboohr.com/blog/how-to-recruit-a-diverse-workforce] * CIPD - inclusive employers [https://www.cipd.org/en/knowledge/guides/inclusive-employers/]

This week on the Career Coven, we talk about the process of being interviewed for a new job. It covers how to make a good first impression, how to develop a narrative around your own skills and whether or not to have notes in front of you during an interview. Bec shares her best and worst of interviews, and how she finds it easier to interview for jobs where your own experience is directly relevant. Annie share how candidates should also leave an interview with some value - it shouldn't just feel like a one sided interrogation. Our interviewing tips include: * Trying to say something interesting in the first interview, not just perfectly articulating your CV * Make sure the role is clear, or push for clarity on it * Keeping things quite conversational can help it to feel less nerve-racking * Trying to have more than one example of your key strengths, so you're not just talking about the same examples over and over when interviewing (boring for you) * Dress appropriately - even if it's online * Listen actively to the interviewer, and don't just try to fit 'your examples' into the questions being asked Enjoying this content? Please rate and subscribe on your preferred platform, and let us know what you think! hello@careercoven.com

In this week's episode of the Career Coven, Bec interviews Alice Pelton who is the founder and CEO of the Lowdown. The Lowdown is a health platform - where women can research their health choices (used by over 2 million women per year). Alice and Bec have an honest conversation about what it's really like being pregnant at work, and being a leader. Bec felt that there were lots of parts of becoming pregnant which were not explained to her at all, and both Bec and Annie feel that pregnancy at work is something that is not openly discussed. We want to give a voice to some of what people go through whilst pregnant. Quote of the episode — "Women are fucking amazing actually." A trigger warning for this episode - we do cover the topic of miscarriage and ectopic pregnancy. We know that some people will find this content upsetting, so we wanted to be up front about that. But as so many women will experience pregnancy loss on the journey to parenthood, we wanted to keep this information in. This episode covers: * Getting pregnant whilst working * The misinformation women are told about pregnancy * Coping with the nausea * How your hormones change in pregnancy, and  their impact on you * The pressure to perform at your best, whilst pregnant * The importance of naps * How and when to tell people * When you should go on mat leave * Returning to work (don't come back first week of Jan) * How you prioritise better when you're a parent * Childcare once you're coming back to work And most importantly - how amazingly worth it the journey to being pregnant is. Alice provides a lot of tips about what she would do differently next time she was pregnant. Gold-dust! Enjoying this content? Please rate and subscribe on your preferred platform, and let us know what you think! hello@careercoven.com Content & recommendations from this episode: * Matrescence: On the Metamorphosis of Pregnancy, Childbirth and Motherhood [https://www.amazon.co.uk/Matrescence-Metamorphosis-Pregnancy-Childbirth-Motherhood/dp/1802061304/ref=asc_df_1802061304/]- Lucy Jones * The Lowdown [https://thelowdown.com/] * Alice's Substack [https://alicepelton.substack.com/] * Bubble [https://joinbubble.com/] - an app for booking nannies and childcare

On the first episode of their second season, Annie and Bec talk how to quit your job. They discuss when to quit, how to quit, and whether it's ever a good idea to go out in a blaze of glory. Like most people, Annie and Bec debate whether it's always best to have your next job lined up when you quit, or just to go. Listen to this episode to hear more about: * How to think about job tenure * Job scenarios when you may want to quit * Job scenarios when you don't want to quit * How to quit well * How not to quit * What to do in a notice period * What not to do when you quit Enjoying this content? Please rate and subscribe on your preferred platform, and let us know what you think! hello@careercoven.com There's a few life updates in this one - which shape some of the content of the second season. So don't miss out! If you like our content you can follow us both on our personal platforms: * Bec's Linkedin [https://www.linkedin.com/in/rebeccaellul/] & Substack [https://becsbriefing.substack.com/] * Annie's Linkedin [https://www.linkedin.com/in/annie-coleridge-57b39067/] & Substack [https://anniecoleridge.substack.com/]

In this last episode of season one, Annie shares her deep love of feedback, and some techniques to help make giving feedback less painful. As usual, Bec holds Annie to account on giving clear examples of these tools things actually work in practice. Whilst we both agree giving feedback is important, and that it should be specific and not vague but Bec is possibly less obsessed with feedback than Annie overall. Listen into this episode to hear us answer listener questions on: * Is all feedback worth listening to? * When I get feedback I don't want to hear, I can tend to discredit the person who gave me the feedback. Is this normal? * WTF is up with radical candour? Is this the same as just giving feedback? Enjoying this content. Please give us lots of stars and subscribe on your preferred platform. Let us know what you think! hello@careercoven.com Recommendations * The BIFF feedback model [https://andiroberts.com/feedback-models-hub/] * The SBI(R) model of giving feedback [https://www.mindtools.com/ay86376/the-situation-behavior-impact-feedback-tool] * Three ways to give feedback better than a third grader [https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbescoachescouncil/2022/10/12/three-ways-to-give-feedback-as-well-if-not-better-than-a-first-grader/]

In this episode we talk about the importance of trust in making hybrid working work! Bec is a huge fan of hybrid working, whilst Annie can see more benefits of working in the office for some of the week. Listen into this episode to get tips on: * How to get your team to come back into the office (carrot vs stick) * The social importance of working in the office * How employers have a responsibility to make the office environment productive * Which work is best done in an office vs at home * How hybrid working has positively impacted caregivers - and  that you can't have one rule for some and one for other Content recs, references & extra reading * Deep work, Cal Newport [https://calnewport.com/deep-work-rules-for-focused-success-in-a-distracted-world/] (Annie) * Big Tech returns to the office [https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/2024/05/12/rto-microsoft-apple-spacex] Are you a fan? Please consider popping us a few stars and subscribing on your preferred platform, and let us know what you think! hello@careercoven.com

We all need resilience - in work, and in life. Recovering from setbacks is part of everyones journey. In this episode, Bec and Annie cover times when we've not felt resilient, our own 'watch out' signs that our resilience may be low, and what we both do to maintain our resilience now. They talk about the importance of having a longer term mindset, and spending time on self care can be critical to increasing your resilience and recovering from burnout. Listen to find out answers to: * Do you have be optimistic to be resilient? * Can you find resilience on your own? Or do you need other people? * What are 5 things everyone could do to increase their resilience? Content recs and little extras from this episode: * Sara Pascoe at the Hay Festival [https://www.tiktok.com/@hayfestival/video/7375139870273998113] on how experience makes things easier to process * The Body Keeps the Score [https://www.besselvanderkolk.com/resources/the-body-keeps-the-score] - Dr Bessel van der Kolk * Why We Sleep [https://www.penguin.co.uk/books/295665/why-we-sleep-by-walker-matthew/9780141983769] - Matthew Walker * The stress bucket exercise [https://mentalhealth-uk.org/blog/the-stress-bucket/%20https://www.mind.org.uk/information-support/types-of-mental-health-problems/stress/managing-stress-and-building-resilience/] * NHS mental health services [https://www.nhs.uk/nhs-services/mental-health-services/] - if you need a bit of help from a professional * If anyone you know is struggling with mental health - the Samaritans are always available [https://www.samaritans.org/how-we-can-help/contact-samaritan/] when you need. Enjoying this content? Please give us stars and follows on your preferred platform, and let us know what you think! hello@careercoven.com

Annie takes the lead in this episode, having strong feelings about how she likes her team to manage upwards to her. We discuss the importance of preparing for your line management meetings, knowing and communicating exactly what you need from your line manager, and establishing your boundaries early. Annie shares how one of the most common things people forget when managing upwards is that often, you are a small part of your managers whole job and responsibilities. Sometimes, this can lead to people feeling overlooked or unimportant - when really it's about the time people have to invest across all their different priorities. Having empathy with your line manager, as well as expecting that they will show you empathy and support, is important for a relationship to be both successful and realistic. We examine the often given advice that it's important to be 'easy to manage' and we answer some listener questions on: * How to deal with a manager who doesn't like you * How to deal with a manager blocking your progression * How to manage up if you don't trust your line manager Content recs, references & extra reading * Dealing with your incompetent boss [https://hbr.org/2011/06/dealing-with-your-incompetent?registration=success], Amy Gallo, HBR * Setting the Record Straight on Managing Your Boss [https://hbr.org/2014/12/setting-the-record-straight-on-managing-your-boss], Amy Gallo, HBR  * Guide to managing up: What it means and why it's important, [https://www.cultureamp.com/blog/managing-up-importance] CultureAmp  Are you a fan? Please like and subscribe on your preferred platform, and let us know what you think! hello@careercoven.com P.S. This was our last planned episode for series 1. Let us know what extra topics you'd like us to cover next.

In this episode, Bec and Annie discuss the importance of being assertive but how it takes energy and is not always needed. Bec finds being assertive very easy - but this means she sometimes has to watch her tone and hold her breath. Whilst Annie is perceived as very assertive or direct, but doesn't actually think she is assertive for much of the week. You'll hear about how being assertive is related to confidence, but not exactly the same thing. We agree that assertiveness is generally important for progression, but it's a tool that's part of influencing and it should be used with care. There were a large number of listener questions for this episode about how to be assertive, without being perceived as 'bossy' or 'harsh'. We try to address these questions with practical tips for the listeners but we don't necessarily see some of these 'bad' connotations as bad. Watch out for a little rant at the end by Annie, who doesn't want our listeners to aspire to being 'soft' in the workplace. Content recs, references & extra reading * The Authority Gap: Why women are still taken less seriously than men, and what we can do about it [https://www.maryannsieghart.com/the-authority-gap/], Mary Ann Sieghart * Navigating high conflict personalities [https://open.spotify.com/episode/011wepRNuk61akIswcWc44?si=36570da843304c2b&nd=1&dlsi=c938f106eb6445b6], Reboot podcast Are you a fan? Please subscribe on your preferred platform, and let us know what you think! hello@careercoven.com P.S. Hope you enjoy higher sound quality for this episode. Let us know if it's better for you!

In the third episode of the Career Coven, Bec and Annie discuss leadership. We discuss the best and worst leadership characteristics we've seen our respective careers. You'll hear about how leaders can't be everything to the people they lead; and how expectations differ on female and male leaders. We both agree on the importance of a 'well done'. You'll hear about our own personal leadership styles and values, and some of the mistakes we've made in leadership. You'll also hear us unpack some great questions from women on: * Why are there so many people in leadership positions without any leadership skills? (eek) * The reality of c-suite leadership - what happens when you get to the top of an organisation? * What are the biggest leadership mistakes we've both made Content recs, references & extra reading * Leaders Eat Last [https://simonsinek.com/books/leaders-eat-last/], Simon Sinek * Let My People Go Surfing [https://www.goodreads.com/en/book/show/22155], Yvon Chouinard * Please Yourself, [https://emmareedturrell.com/please-yourself.html] Emma Reed Turrell Are you a fan? Please like and subscribe on your preferred platform to help others find us too, and let us know what you think! hello@careercoven.com P.S. Thanks for bearing with the audio gremlins, we are working on improving this for future recordings!

Our second ep of the Career Coven is on boundaries - the things that keep you sane, and can also drive you insane. In this episode we hear from Bec who has spent a lot of time thinking about boundaries, and Annie who is in her boundary 'discovery' era. We talk about types of boundaries, experimentation, the opportunity cost of saying 'yes' to everything, professional boundaries, the role of communication, powering through the awkwardness and guilt, and why is it that senior leaders all have weird niche hobbies? Because they have boundaries. You'll also hear us unpack some great questions from women on: * What can managers do to ensure their teams achieve healthy work/life balance and encouraging high performance? Can you have both? * Boundaries with self - how do you balance going that extra mile, upskilling, and challenging yourself, whilst maintaining perspective that there is more to life than work? * As a people pleaser, sometimes I feel when I set boundaries I have to essentially apologise or make up for it later. How do I work on showing up authentically and standing my ground when setting deadlines and boundaries? Content recs, references & extra reading * A phenomenal podcast episode referenced throughout - Best Friend Therapy podcast, S01E01 [https://open.spotify.com/episode/3mIiYg04LDshddZJ4LmC9V?si=2f202b0806aa4b55], Emma Reed Turrell & Elizabeth Day * Designing Your Life [https://designingyour.life/books-designing-life-original-book/], Bill Burnett & David Evans * Personal Strategy by Kit Jackson [https://personalstrategybykit.com/] * The perils of getting sh*t done (and the need for boundaries) [https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/perils-getting-sht-done-need-boundaries-roger-taylor-l3o4c/], Roger Taylor * How to say no [https://www.starterstory.com/how-to-say-no] - templates to help you say no in any situation Are you a fan? Please like and subscribe on your preferred platform, and let us know what you think hello@careercoven.com P.S. Thanks for bearing with the audio gremlins, we are working on improving this for future recordings!

In this week's episode we cover values in the workplace, what they are, and why they matter. Bec this week goes completely off the cuff on this as she's a values pro, and Annie did a bit of soul searching to reflect on what her values in the workplace are. We cover: * How values and ethics are related * How your values can be supported in work, or not * Our own personal values and how we live them * How values are different in different aspects of life e.g. work, self, friendships * How values change over time, including in life transition stages like pregnancy * Navigating values misalignment * What we think of workplace values and how they are used We also cover important topics such as to "wed-shred" or to "wed-dread", and Bec ponders a potential correlation between how much you get paid, and how harmful the work you do it. Enjoying this content? Please rate and subscribe on your preferred platform, and let us know what you think! Recommendations from this episode: * Brene Brown - Daring Greatly [https://brenebrown.com/book/daring-greatly/] * Simon Sinek - Start with Why [https://www.penguin.co.uk/books/183786/start-with-why-by-sinek-simon/9781405977593] * Rutger Bregman - Moral Ambition [https://www.abc.net.au/listen/programs/latenightlive/rutger-bregman-moral-ambition/105268882], Utopia for Realists [https://www.amazon.co.uk/Utopia-Realists-How-Can-There/dp/1408890267]