Squiggly Careers Podcast Episode Summary

Episode Title: AI Skills Sprint: How to cage confidence gremlins that are getting in the way of your growth
Date: September 17, 2025
Hosts: Sarah Ellis (A), Helen Tupper (B)
Podcast: Squiggly Careers

Episode Overview

This episode is part of the AI Skills Sprint series, focusing on how to identify and manage ("cage") the confidence gremlins that hold people back from growth in their careers. Sarah and Helen introduce a new AI-powered Gremlins GPT tool designed to make the process of tackling self-doubt accessible and supportive, either individually or in teams.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Understanding Confidence Gremlins

• Definition of Confidence & Gremlins:
  • Confidence is both self-belief and the belief that others have in you.
  • Gremlins are doubts and fears that hold you back, often hidden and growing in the background.
• Impact of Gremlins:
  • "At their worst, I think gremlins start to influence our actions, our behaviors, and can even go as far as becoming our identity..." – Sarah (01:07)
  • Gremlins become especially powerful during professional challenges: restructures, new roles, difficult bosses, etc.
  • Recognizing gremlins is the first step to caging them; once caged, you're freer to pursue opportunities despite fear.

2. The AI-Powered 'Gremlins GPT' Tool

• Purpose & Development:
  • A custom ChatGPT trained on everything the hosts have written about confidence gremlins.
  • Provides a private, judgment-free way to discuss gremlins before moving to conversations with others.
  • The tool prompts users to identify their gremlins with tailored questions and suggested actions.
• How It Works:
  • Offers prompts such as, "What gremlins might be getting in your way?" or "What worries are holding you back?"
  • Users can also initiate with their own worries; the AI guides them with further questions.

3. Visualizing Your Gremlin

• Making Gremlins Less Scary:
  • The tool helps create visuals of gremlins, reducing their power:

    "Bringing them to life... makes them loads less scary." – Sarah (05:24)

  • The visual creation process involves prompts such as color and shape, making the exercise playful and disarming.
  • The experience can vary: sometimes the tool prompts for details, other times it generates the visual more simply.

4. The Gremlin Role-Play

• AI as Your Gremlin:
  • You can prompt the AI to act as your gremlin in scenarios where self-doubt spikes.
  • E.g., Sarah describes using it for her "conflict gremlin" when facing unexpected disagreements.
  • This allows users to externalize and then challenge their inner critical voices:

    "The gremlin gets quite aggressive at you, but it sounds like the inner monologue that's in your mind, that's the chatter, right? But then you start to fight back." – Sarah (08:14)

5. Team Exercise: The Confidence Gremlin Gallery

• Building Empathy & Connection:
  • Invite team members to draw their gremlins (on Post-Its or virtually) and share with the group.
  • Creates a sense of connection and normalizes having gremlins – everyone experiences them.
  • Empathy is fostered through discussion and seeing others’ gremlins visualized:

    "They are the ingredients we need so that we can all tackle our gremlins together." – Helen (09:34)

6. Results & Community

• Shared Achievement:
  • With thousands participating, there’s a collective effort to help each other cage confidence gremlins.
  • Encouragement to share your visuals with the Squiggly Careers team.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Gremlins Becoming Identity:

  "At their worst, I think gremlins start to influence our actions, our behaviors, and can even go as far as becoming our identity."
  – Sarah (01:07)

• On Visualizing Gremlins:

  "Bringing them to life... makes them loads less scary."
  – Sarah (05:24)

• On the Value of Team Sharing:

  "Because it's a little bit playful... you start to create connection and understanding and a bit of empathy."
  – Helen (09:11)

• On Universal Experience:

  "You feel really reassured that you're not alone. Yeah, everybody has gremlins."
  – Sarah (10:20)

• On Shared Progress:

  "I think 10,000 people on this sprint, 10,000 people caging their confidence gremlins. I mean, that's a win."
  – Helen (10:35)

Timestamps of Key Segments

• 00:04 – Day three introduction: focus on confidence and gremlins
• 00:44 – What gremlins are and the danger of not addressing them
• 02:59 – The new Gremlins GPT tool and how it works
• 04:59 – Sarah's impressions using the tool; visualizing gremlins
• 06:31 – Role-play prompt: AI acting as your gremlin
• 08:34 – Using the tool in teams and as part of a supportive process
• 09:11 – The "Confidence Gremlin Gallery" team activity
• 10:06 – Team examples and benefits of sharing gremlins
• 10:35 – Collective progress and the challenge to the community
• 10:42 – Teaser for next episode: building your network/community

Takeaway Actions

• Try the Gremlins GPT tool (see show notes for link)
• Draw or generate a visual of your own gremlin
• Share with your team or friends for collective empathy
• Challenge and replace unhelpful inner chatter
• Remember: Confidence gremlins are universal and manageable

This episode is warm, practical, and filled with actionable advice—perfect for anyone who wants to build confidence and address self-doubt in their career journey.