ARTICLES

Understanding how to say no effectively is a critical career and communication skill. Use this bridging technique to help you.

Positive role models, representation and good mentors are vital in life and for career success. Think about how, as a mentor, you can have a powerful, useful and inspiring impact. Build your legacy and give back in a meaningful way.

Strengths are the fuel that makes work feel energising rather than draining. When you take your strengths from good to great, and then from great to extraordinary, you not only stand out in your career, you also feel more confident, motivated and fulfilled.

A lack of confidence can be a very real barrier to career success and being fulfilled at work. It might stop you from putting yourself forward for opportunities, voicing your ideas or pulling back when faced with a new or challenging situation. It can also hinder how well you ‘sell’ yourself in interviews. For those who lack confidence and experience low self-esteem, there are things you can do to help you feel more confident. Here are the five steps I recommend.

Can you talk about why your brand is so strong or great? Do you even have a personal brand? And why is it so important? Find out more...

Are you overlooking or downplaying the skills, strengths, knowledge and experience that make you good at your job? Do you take for granted that people know what you are good at? If you’re struggling to understand what you’re good at or find it hard to articulate your strengths, then a session of Career Therapy will help you.

Working isn’t just ‘doing’. Working is allowing your brain to process information and generate fresh thinking.

Successfully asking for a pay rise isn’t about money. Of course, it is about money, but there’s far more to it than the figure itself. Use this simple, structured approach that is proven to work.

Over-apologising, saying sorry excessively, can be damaging, undermining a woman’s confidence, authority and credibility.

Taking time to time is vital to work (and live) well-being. It allows us to generate fresh ideas and use our time strategically.

Confidence isn’t fixed — it’s flexible and shaped by context, experience, and mindset. If it can be lost, it can be rebuilt. Confidence grows through action, self-awareness, and reframing fear. It’s not who you are, it’s how you choose to show up. And it’s always reclaimable.

Our confidence understandably grows when we perceive we have control over what is happening. Conversely, that confidence shrinks when we feel like things are happening beyond our control and, even worse, get ‘out of control’. We feel more confident when we are in control because we know what we are doing and what is expected. We know we have the knowledge/skills/resources required by the situation.

Do you warm up before you run? Stretch as you start a yoga session? Ever thought of doing that before an interview? If not, why not? It could give you the edge. Even with the most diligent preparations for content, about 80% of the time, clients hit their stride after 20-30 minutes, which is too late on the day to make a good impression. Warm up and be ready to GO with my top tips and practical actions.

Personal branding is essential for career growth, but many struggle to express their value and keep their CV and LinkedIn profiles current. But doing so is key to career success.

How do you know if you really want to leave your job? How deeply have you thought about this - and the practicalities? To truly understand what is fuelling your desire to leave and to stand a chance of making the right decision, there are steps you can take to put yourself in the best possible position - before you take the leap!

You don't have to be an expert. You can be a highly successful generalist. And it's perfectly normal to be interested in - and good at - lots of different things.

Make networking easier by knowing how to ask great questions and make someone feel interested in what you have to say.

How many of us are good at faking active listening whilst our brains rush to devise solutions we can offer as advice? Two hard but vital lessons for me in my career have been to stop my brain racing and listen and think about the best solution, not the first solution.

There is a powerful correlation between mindfulness and building confidence, especially so in an ever-busier world where change is hitting us with terminal velocity and being heard is increasingly difficult. Slowing down and being more aware of your brain and emotions boosts your confidence.

How do you feed your concentration? We have different ways of working and there is more than one way to achieve a result. Understand how your brain works and work with, not against it.