The Career Confidence Podcast
79 episodes - English - Latest episode: 7 days ago -The average person spends 90,000 hours at work over the course of their lifetime. How you feel about work has a big impact on your overall happiness.
In this podcast, we explore how you can build your career with confidence and improve your workplace happiness.
We will cover topics such as creating a career vision, managing uncertainty, dealing with stress, overcoming self-doubt and building healthy boundaries so that you can excel at work and still have a life.
I’m your host Nicola Semple, a Certified Mindset Coach and creator of the You Are Enough Coaching Cards. I help people to build their career confidence and achieve their career goals.
You can book a free no-obligation chat about how I can support you to achieve your career goals: https://nicolasemple.com/chat
Connect with me on Linked In to carry on the conversation: https://linkedin.com/in/iamnicolasemple
I will be releasing a new episode of The Career Confidence Podcast every second Friday so make sure that you hit the subscribe button and you will be the first to know when a new episode goes live.
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Episodes
How to Stay Visible When Working From Home
April 19, 2024 05:00 - 12 minutes - 10.4 MB38% of Brits, or 20 million people, work from home at least some of the time. For many, it has provided the ability to improve productivity and achieve a better work/life balance. However, one topic that rears it’s head time and time again with my clients is making sure that people that are out of sight are not out of mind. They are concerned about the impact working from home will have on their promotion prospects, payrises and the opportunity to get involved in interesting projects. ...
How to Manage Your Fear of Failure
April 05, 2024 05:00 - 9 minutes - 8.2 MBHands up who likes to fail at things? I know I can’t see you, but I’d like to wager there’s not many of you with your hands up. I used to hate to fail. To be honest, I’m still not overly keen on it but I’m a lot better at it than I used to be. Today I want to share with you how you can keep your fear of failure under control so that it doesn’t hold you back and stop you from making the most of opportunities to do new and exciting things in your career. About Nicola Semple I help peopl...
How to Build Your Career Support Network
March 22, 2024 05:14 - 11 minutes - 9.81 MBIn this episode of The Career Confidence Podcast, I'm talking about how to build your career support network. In this episode I share: How your career support network is different to but just as important as your professional network. Who you need in your career support network and why they are a vital part of your career success. What you can do to get the support you need in place (and how to think creatively to make it happen) About Nicola Semple I help people to build their caree...
How to Get Senior People to Recognise the Value You Bring
March 08, 2024 05:20 - 11 minutes - 9.88 MBDo you ever feel like you are doing a great job but your manager doesn't recognise and appreciate the value that you bring? It’s the responsibility of the managers and the leaders in a team to recognise the contribution each person makes. But the reality is that when people are busy, they can often forget to take the time to recognise and celebrate the efforts of others. In today's episode of The Career Confidence Podcast I share tips on how you can get senior people to notice you and re...
How to Overcome Imposter Syndrome
February 23, 2024 05:21 - 14 minutes - 12.1 MBDoes any of this sound familiar? You believe that others have an inflated view of your skills and that you’ve got where you are by fooling other people. You have an intense fear of being found out and that people will realise that you're not as good at your job as they think you are. Attributing success to factors outside of your own talents and say things like “we were lucky things went so smoothly” or “it was good timing”. If so, you need to listen to this week's episode of The Caree...
How to be the CEO of You: Taking Charge of Your Professional Journey
February 09, 2024 05:05 - 13 minutes - 11.6 MBYou can have mentors to guide you, line managers to champion you, and team members to help you deliver your objectives, but at the end of the day, the future direction of your career is YOUR responsibility. And yet so many people don’t take that responsibility. In this episode of The Career Confidence Podcast, I share insights into how you can take charge of your professional journey. Specifically: Building your self-awareness so that you know yourself, your strengths and your values ...
Resenteeism Recovery: Reclaiming Happiness and Fulfillment in Your Career
January 26, 2024 05:50 - 15 minutes - 12.7 MBResenteeism - it's the new career buzzword in town! it describes when an employee stays in a job they don't enjoy because they are worried about economic uncertainty or there is a lack of better options. This leads to resentment and feeling disengaged and unhappy at work. It might be a new word but it's not a new concept. Have you ever felt that way? In this episode I share: Why resenteeism is prevalent in the current job market. How you know it's time to cut your losses and leave an ...
How to Set (the right!) Career Goals for 2024
January 12, 2024 05:17 - 22 minutes - 19.3 MBWhen it comes to setting career goals, most people start in the wrong place. They sit down with a blank piece of paper and try to squeeze out a list of things they think they 'should' be doing over the next year. The result is that the goals remain some words on a bit of paper that have no real meaning and you certainly don't take any action towards achieving them. In this episode of The Career Confidence Podcast, I share a different approach to gaol setting. I talk about: The power of...
Resources to Help You Build Career Confidence in 2024
December 29, 2023 05:00 - 11 minutes - 9.59 MBNew Year often means a renewed focus on career goals and aspirations. In today's episode I share a roundup of resources that you can use to get career confident in 2024. About Nicola Semple I help people to build their career confidence and achieve their career goals. You can book a free no-obligation chat about how I can support you to achieve your career goals: https://nicolasemple.com/chat You can get my free guide "Back Yourself: Your 7 Step Plan to Build Confidence and Achieve ...
Self Belief Sessions: How to Deal With Criticism
December 15, 2023 05:04 - 12 minutes - 10.9 MBIn this episode of The Career Confidence Podcast I share constructive strategies to help you deal with criticism. Nobody likes receiving criticism, when handled properly it can be a powerful tool to fuel your growth and development. I share my strategies for handling criticism in a calm and measured fashion to ensure it is a positive experience. About Nicola Semple I help people to build their career confidence and achieve their career goals. You can book a free no-obligation ch...
Self Belief Sessions: How to Silence Your Inner Critic
December 01, 2023 06:45 - 14 minutes - 11.2 MBYour inner critic is that sneaky little voice in your head full of criticism, frustration or disaproval about your actions. It likes to make itself heard when you are feeling vulnerable and as questions like 'why didn't you do X?' 'why on earth did you do Y?' 'what is wrong with you'. In today's episode I share how you can 'silence' your inner critic but taking control of it and turning it into your best career ally. About Nicola Semple I help people to build their career confiden...
Self Belief Sessions: How to Stop Overthinking From Killing Your Confidence
November 17, 2023 09:04 - 13 minutes - 4.26 MBWe all experience overthinking at one time or another. For some people, it's a daily occurrence and it's often over things that aren't important. They are constantly second-guessing and doubting themselves. This leads them to question their abilities and chip away at their self-belief. In today's episode of The Career Confidence podcast, I share techniques that you can use to stop yourself from falling into the overthinking trap and build your self-belief. About Nicola Semple I...
Self Belief Sessions: Stop Seeking Validation and Own Your Value
October 20, 2023 04:18 - 12 minutes - 10.6 MBThis episode of The Career Confidence Podcast is the second in a series of six episodes called The Self Belief Sessions where I will share tips, tools and strategies that you can use to build your self-belief so that you can flourish in your career. In today's episode, I share how you can stop seeking validation from other people and learn to own your value. Specifically, I talk about: How you can get a free 1 hour coaching session with me Embracing your strengths Taking control of ne...
Self Belief Sessions: How to Conquer Comparisonitis
October 06, 2023 04:04 - 13 minutes - 11 MBThis episode of The Career Confidence Podcast is the first in a series of six episodes called The Self Belief Sessions where I will share tips, tools and strategies that you can use to build your self-belief so that you can flourish in your career. In today's episode, I share how you can stop comparing yourself to other people. Specifically, I talk about: How you can get a free 1 hour coaching session with me How to acknowledge when you are falling into the comparisonitis trap What yo...
How to Get What You Want at Work
September 22, 2023 04:48 - 12 minutes - 8.76 MBHow often do you get what you want at work? More importantly, do you actually know what you want at work? In today's episode, I share the advice that I give to clients to help them ensure their needs are met at work. In this episode I also touch on perfectionism, if this is a topic of interest for you, I would recommend that you also listen to Episode 51: How to Overcome Perfectionism About Nicola Semple I help people to build their career confidence and achieve their career goals....
How to Learn to Trust Yourself
September 08, 2023 04:03 - 12 minutes - 8.88 MBIn today’s episode, I am talking about how to learn to trust yourself. It’s a big topic and it’s an important one. What I am noticing is that for a lot of my clients, there is a huge amount of pushing, on their part, to come up with the "right" answer about what should come next for their career. Often we lose that ability to trust in ourselves. Maybe we have made a mistake or a project or piece of work hasn’t gone as well as we wanted it to. Maybe we’ve made a career move in the past tha...
A Story of Authenticity and Being Brave
August 25, 2023 04:40 - 35 minutes - 27.1 MBThis August I am resharing my most popular interivews from my Career Confidence Conversations series. Today I’m delighted to introduce you to the incredible Blu Reynolds. Blu is a Senior Consultant at Moorhouse, following an attempted career in Law and working in a range of roles within healthcare and the NHS. I came across Blu when he published a blog post titled “Are You Gay Son?” where he reflects on his journey or self acceptance and living effectively, both inside and outside the wo...
A Story of Career Reinvention After Burnout
August 11, 2023 04:23 - 40 minutes - 30 MBThis August I am resharing my most popular interviews from my Career Confidence Conversations series. The first of those is with Ben Jones. Ben is a psychotherapist and counsellor. Ben had a career in strategy consulting until his breakdown at the end of 2014, after his recovery he committed himself to raising awareness of mental health in the workplace, exploring and developing ideas related to work-life balance, workplace culture and how teams and organisations can help their colleague...
5 Career Books to Read in 2023
July 28, 2023 04:12 - 11 minutes - 8.59 MBIf you are planning on taking some time off this summer, you might take the opportunity to indulge in some hoilday reading. In today's episode of The Career Confidence Podcast I share my top five career books for you to read this summer. About Nicola Semple I help people to build their career confidence and achieve their career goals. You can book a free no-obligation chat about how I can support you to achieve your career goals: https://nicolasemple.com/chat You can get my free...
How to Switch Off From Work When You Are On Holiday
July 14, 2023 04:08 - 11 minutes - 8.37 MBTaking time off from work is good for us. It gives us an opportunity to reset and we return more creative and productive. However, according to a study by Tots 4 Travel, it takes people, on average 46 hours and 42 minutes to feel relaxed on holiday. If you’ve taken a week off work that means it’s taking you more than 25% of your time to unwind and feel relaxed. Today I am going to share with you 5 tips to help you to reduce that timeframe so that you can unwind, slip into relaxation mode...
5 Steps to Stop Procrastinating and Take Control of Your Career
June 23, 2023 04:30 - 15 minutes - 10.9 MBHands up who procrastinates and puts off making decisions about their career? If you could see me now, you would see that I have both hands in the air. They say that you teach what you most need to learn and I know that there are times that I procrastinate rather than taking control of my career. I am a lot better than I used to be but it does still happen. In fact, I decided to focus on this topic because over the last few weeks I have noticed myself slipping into procrastination mode...
Why You Don’t Need to Leave Your Current Job to Have a Great Career (and How to do it)
June 09, 2023 04:12 - 13 minutes - 9.39 MBWhen I talk to potential clients, they often assume that my focus will be on encouarging them to find another job. This is not always the case. I often find that when people evaluate what they want from their career, with a few tweaks and mindset shifts, they can often get their career needs met from their current organisation and often from their current role. In this episode of The Career Confidence Podcast I talk about creating your 'Stay Plan' to help you make the most of a proacti...
A Framework to Develop Your Career Confidence
May 26, 2023 04:02 - 14 minutes - 10.8 MBOver the last few years, I have worked with well over 100 professionals to help them develop their career confidence. Often my clients have a general feeling of ‘meh’ about their career and they struggle to identify what is going to make the biggest difference to help them feel confident and happy at work. In today's episode of The Career Confidence Podcast, I share the specific Career Confidence framework that I use with my clients so that you can use it to help you build your own care...
How to Use Your Intuition to Make Career Decisions
May 12, 2023 04:02 - 16 minutes - 12 MBHow do you make decisions about your career? Are you a rational thinker that spends hours researching organisations and opportunities, writing lists of pros and cons and analysing opportunities in forensic detail? Or do you trust your intuition and go with your gut? I believe that when it comes to making decisions about our career (or anything for that matter) then we need to use a combination of rational thinking and intuition. I find that lots of my clients spend so much time goin...
How to Get Out of a Career Rut
April 28, 2023 04:23 - 10 minutes - 8.11 MBThe vast majority of clients that I work with are in what they would refer to themselves as a career rut. There is something about their current career that is not working for them. They might be getting bored with their role or their industry but don’t know what they would do instead. They might be frustrated by their current work environment and need support to feel brave enough to make a move. They might be having a confidence wobble and therefore aren’t challenging themselves and...
How to Overcome Perfectionism
April 14, 2023 04:18 - 13 minutes - 9.98 MBWe all want to do a good job but perfectionists can often find themselves stuck in a cycle of deliberation and procrastination, unable to move forward because they are so intent on making their work perfect. They are gripped by fear. Fear that they are not good enough. Fear that they will make a mistake. Fear that other people will not think they are doing a good job. Today I want to share 5 tips with you that will help you to start letting go of those perfectionist tendencies so that y...
Frustrated by lack of career development? Listen to this
March 31, 2023 04:14 - 12 minutes - 9.34 MBA few weeks ago, I shared a post on Linked In which got a lot of traction. The post read: This might ruffle some feathers but.... You've got to take responsibility for your own career. I speak to people (at all levels!) who feel miffed because their line manager hasn't booked their performance review. Yet when I ask, they have made no proactive attempt to get that meeting in the diary. I speak to people (at all levels!) who feel that they are overlooked at work and are never the f...
7 Tips to Help You Believe In Yourself
March 17, 2023 04:01 - 14 minutes - 10.7 MB"You just need to believe in yourself more" is possibly the most unhelpful bit of feedback you will ever receive. If it were that easy, you would already be doing it! In this episode I share 7 practical tips that give you tangible things that you can do to help you build your self belief. About Nicola Semple I help people to build their career confidence and achieve their career goals. You can book a free no-obligation chat about how I can support you to achieve your career goals: h...
Self Belief Sessions: How to Stop Overthinking From Killing Your Confidence
March 11, 2023 04:11 - 13 minutes - 4.26 MBIn today's episode of The Career Confidence Podcast, we discuss overthinking and how to stop overthinking from eroding your self-belief. I share specific tools and techniques that you can use to take control of overthinking. About Nicola Semple I help people to build their career confidence and achieve their career goals. You can book a free no-obligation chat about how I can support you to achieve your career goals: https://nicolasemple.com/chat You can get my free guide "Back Yo...
New Job? How to Make the Most of the First 90 Days
March 03, 2023 05:02 - 15 minutes - 11.1 MBIn this episode of The Career Confidence Podcast I share how you can make the most of the first few months in your new role so that you can: Get up to speed as quickly as possible Make a positive impression on your colleagues and stakeholders Avoid feeling overwhelmed About Nicola Semple I help people to build their career confidence and achieve their career goals. You can book a free no-obligation chat about how I can support you to achieve your career goals: https://nicolase...
How to Develop Gravitas at Work
February 17, 2023 05:29 - 11 minutes - 8.95 MBDo you want to be taken more seriously at work? Do you want to exude trust and professionalism and garner the respect of your colleagues? In this episode of The Career Confidence Podcast, I share practical steps that you can take to build your gravitas in the workplace. Links to Episodes Mentioned: “How to stop seeking external validation and trust yourself” “How a lack of self confidence impacts your career and what to do about it” About Nicola Semple I help people to build th...
5 Ways to Build Career Confidence
February 03, 2023 05:19 - 10 minutes - 7.86 MBThe Career Confidence Podcast is designed to help you gain confidence in your career. I know that sometimes it can be difficult to know where to start. In this episode, I share 5 things that you can do today to build your career confidence. You might choose to do all five or you might choose just one. Start small if you have to. The important thing is that you start and let the momentum gather. About Nicola Semple I help people to build their career confidence and achieve their care...
How to Ace Your Performance Review
January 20, 2023 05:30 - 16 minutes - 12.7 MBLove them or hate them.... there's no avoiding your performance review. In this episode, I share my top tips to help you use your performance review as a powerful tool to enable others to recognise your achievements. I also share advice on how to set goals for the coming year that are meaningful for not just your organisation but for you as well. About Nicola Semple I help people to build their career confidence and achieve their career goals. You can book a free no-obligation chat ...
Back to Work Blues or Time for a New Job?
January 05, 2023 14:25 - 13 minutes - 9.64 MBThe return to work after the Christmas break can be tricky. It's cold, it's dark and it's bleak. But how do you know when you have a case of the back to work blues or whether it's time for you to make some big decisions and start looking for a new job? In this episode, I share the steps you can take to uncover whether you have a bad case of January Blues or whether it's time to make changes to your career. About Nicola Semple I help people to build their career confidence and achieve ...
How to Set Healthy Boundaries
December 16, 2022 05:40 - 15 minutes - 11.4 MBIn today’s episode I’m talking about how to set boundaries so that work doesn’t take over your life. Without boundaries you can feel like you are the beck and call of everyone else and that you have little to no control over your own time. I know that for some people, setting boundaries is easier said than done. I share the three different types of boundaries that you can put in place and things to keep in mind when you set boundaries. About Nicola Semple I help people to build thei...
A Powerful Tool To Help You Feel More Confident
December 02, 2022 05:51 - 12 minutes - 9.21 MBIn this episode, I share a simple tool that you can use to help you feel more confident at work. It's quick, it's easy and it works (I share proof of how I used this tool with fabulous results!). I mention a previous episode on How to Appear Confidence Even When You Don’t Feel Confident. which may also be of interest to you. About Nicola Semple I help people to build their career confidence and achieve their career goals. You can book a free no-obligation chat about how I can ...
How to Thrive at Work as an Introvert
November 18, 2022 04:47 - 14 minutes - 11 MBIf you identify as an introvert — drawing energy from being alone, disliking interruptions and unexpected requests, and tending to be reserved in meetings — then you are not alone! Sometimes it can feel like promotions and success in the workplace are reserved solely for charismatic, quick-on-their-feet extroverts. In this episode, I share how you can not just survive but thrive at work as an introvert. About Nicola Semple I help people to build their career confide...
How to Get Better at Managing Failure
November 04, 2022 04:42 - 13 minutes - 9.79 MBWe are constantly being encouraged to get comfortable with failure. We need to take risks, fail fast and fail often. It's the best way to learn and grow. But let's face it, the feeling of failure sucks! Learning how to recover and establish effective ways of coping with failure is a vital building block for your career confidence. In this episode, I share some tips to help you bounce back from failure at work. About Nicola Semple I help people to build their career confidence and ...
How to Change Your Perspective and Not Your Job
October 21, 2022 05:17 - 11 minutes - 8.57 MBI often work with clients who are unhappy at work but for a variety of reasons it's just not the right time for them to change jobs. In these situations, we focus on maximising the opportunity they have with their current employer and shifting their perspective on their current role. In this episode, I share my top tips to help you change your perspective and not your job. About Nicola Semple I help people to build their career confidence and achieve their career goals. You can b...
How to Manage Imposter Syndrome
October 07, 2022 05:27 - 14 minutes - 10.9 MBThe vast majority (if not everybody) has experienced imposter syndrome, that creeping feeling of dread that you are going to be ‘found out’. In fact, research by Clare Josa found that “62% of people are struggling with Imposter Syndrome daily or regularly – enough for it to have a measurable impact on their performance and their health.” In this episode I share tools that you can use to manage that feeling of being an imposter. About Nicola Semple I help people to build their career...
How to Stop Caring So Much About Work
July 29, 2022 05:52 - 10 minutes - 8.19 MBKey Themes: Perspective, Work/Life Balance What happens when work takes over and impinges on all aspects of your life? When: You can't switch off at the end of the day You prioritise work at the expense of family, social life and even your health. You constantly think about work and worry about whether you should be doing better, more or differently. Your sense of self-worth is directly related to the feedback that you get in the workplace. These are all common scenarios that my cl...
Career Confidence Conversation: Leanne Chalmers and Rebecca Candy
July 22, 2022 05:39 - 33 minutes - 25.3 MBKey Themes: Parenthood, Juggling Work and Family Leanne Chalmers and Rebecca Candy are the co-leads of the John Lewis Working Parents Network. In this episode, we discuss how the challenges for working parents in the workplace, the move towards equal parenting leave, and how to be a confident parent in the workplace. This episode is for parents of children of any age who constantly juggle the responsibility of work and home life. About Nicola Semple I help people to build their ...
Career Confidence Conversation: Dan Reed
July 15, 2022 05:31 - 35 minutes - 27.3 MBKey Themes: Personal Branding, Working Dad, A Career Move That Doesn't Work Out What happens when your dream job doesn't live up to expectations? Dan Reed is Head of Digital Servicing for Small Business at Barclaycard Payments, the founder of the Career Dad, and an avid Peloton fan. In this episode, we talk about the power of personal branding and how Dan has very successfully and very authentically built his own personal brand. Dan also shares his experience of making a career move...
Career Confidence Conversation: Anna Meller
July 08, 2022 05:20 - 31 minutes - 23.5 MBKey Themes: Flexible Working, Working Parents, Work Life Balance Anna Mellor is a flexible working expert. She started her career as an HR manager and then shifted her focus in the mid-1990s to campaigning for better access to flexible work. By that time she had seen firsthand the challenges that working mothers faced trying to combine work and family; and how this was holding women back from applying for senior roles. Anna has spent the past 30 years supporting employers to introduce...
Career Confidence Conversation: Chichi Eruchalu
July 01, 2022 05:27 - 31 minutes - 24.4 MBKey Themes: Being a good manager, Working for a startup Chichi Eruchalu is the Head of Leadership Development at Multiverse, having previously run her own business along with a 10 year stint at HSBC in both commercial and project management roles. Chichi shares with us what it’s like working in a startup. When she first started at Multiverse, she was employee number 56, now 3 years later the organisation has 600 employees and is disrupting the early careers market in the UK and US. We ...
Career Confidence Conversation: Ben Jones
June 24, 2022 04:37 - 39 minutes - 29.8 MBKey Themes: Burnout, Big 4, Management Consulting Today I’m delighted to share with you a Career Confidence Conversation that I had with Ben Jones. Ben spent the early part of his career rapidly rising through the ranks at Accenture, KPMG and PWC along with a stint in a Leadership position at the General Medical Council. As a new father he was on the Partner Track at PWC when he found himself in the midst of a breakdown that would lead him to change every aspect of his life. Ben has ...
Career Confidence Conversation: Blu Reynolds
June 17, 2022 04:34 - 35 minutes - 27.1 MBKey Themes: Coming Out At Work, Diversity and Inclusion, Living Authentically Today I’m delighted to share with you a Career Confidence Conversation that I had with the incredible Blu Reynolds. Blu is a Senior Consultant at Moorhouse, following an attempted career in Law and working in a range of roles within healthcare and the NHS. I came across Blu when he published a blog post titled “Are You Gay Son?” where he reflects on his journey of self-acceptance and living authentically, bot...
Career Confidence Conversation: Amanda Newman
June 10, 2022 04:27 - 33 minutes - 24.4 MBKey Themes: Returning to Work After Illness, Management Consulting I’m delighted to share with you a Career Confidence Conversation that I had with the brilliant Amanda Newman. Amanda is a Senior Manager at Accenture, she is a We Are The City Top 100 Winner, Northern Power Woman Shortlist, founder of The Career Mum Community and an all round fabulous woman. In this episode we talk about her career to date, her commitment to supporting and mentoring other women and the journey she has bee...
How to Cultivate Your Career Village
June 03, 2022 04:33 - 17 minutes - 13.6 MBKey Themes: Career Network, Relationships at Work According to an African proverb "it takes a village to raise a child". I believe that in a similar fashion “it takes a village to cultivate a fulfilling career”. We need a community of people to interact with us so that we can evolve and fashion a career that fulfills and satisfies us. In today's episode, I share how you can cultivate your career village. About Nicola Semple I help people to build their career confidence and achieve...
How to Appear Confident (Even if You Don't Feel It)
May 27, 2022 04:24 - 16 minutes - 12.7 MBKey Themes: Outer Confidence, Believe In Yourself One of the most valuable things that you can do to benefit your career is to develop your inner confidence. However, there will come a time when you would benefit from appearing confident even if you are not feeling confident. In this episode, I provide you with some tools that you can use to develop an outward display of confidence. About Nicola Semple I help people to build their career confidence and achieve their career goals. Y...