Squiggly Careers Podcast

Episode: AI Skills Sprint: How To Discover Your Strengths Using AI (in 10 Minutes)
Hosts: Sarah Ellis & Helen Tupper
Date: September 15, 2025

Episode Overview

The first episode of the Squiggly Career Skills Sprint series dives into discovering and developing your strengths using AI tools—all in just ten minutes. Sarah and Helen share practical prompts, personal experiences, and step-by-step ideas for how AI can accelerate your self-awareness and help shape your career identity. The episode blends expert tips with their signature friendly banter, making actionable insights accessible for everyone wanting to play to their strengths at work.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

Why Strengths Matter

• Defining Strengths:
  Strengths are the things that give us energy at work and what we want to be known for.

  "When your strengths stand out, it's actually a way that you can pull possibilities towards you... and you get to do more of the work that you enjoy." (Helen, 00:51)

• Impact on Wellbeing:
  Using your strengths leads to 36% less stress at work.
• Team Benefits:
  High-performing teams utilize everyone's strengths (reference to Amy Edmondson’s research).

The Myth of Having “Done” Strengths

• Strengths are Dynamic:
  "We're never done with strengths. Roles keep changing; what we want to be known for changes too." (Helen, 01:48)
• Importance of Continuous Reflection:
  Regularly revisiting strengths ensures they stay relevant as roles evolve.

Using AI to Discover Strengths — The 10-Minute Sprint

Choosing & Experimenting with Tools

• Try different AI platforms (Sarah recommends Claude, Helen uses ChatGPT, and both mention Canva).
  • "I do like Claude... I feel like I have actually connected. It probably was my favorite overall." (Sarah, 02:47)
• Use the free versions to start and compare outputs—see which feels helpful for you.

Crafting Effective AI Prompts

• Assign the AI a role: Act as a Squiggly Career Coach; be high care and high challenge in your approach.

  • This customizes the style ("less exclamation marks!") and the sort of feedback you get.

• Main Prompt Structure:

  1. Ask AI to pose 10 questions, one at a time, to explore your strengths.
  2. Respond honestly; the richer your input, the better the output.
  3. At the end, request a summary of your top strengths.

• Caveat:
  "An AI does not know you better than you know yourself, but it can very quickly give you some clues, some data, some insights to work with—even if it's some data to disagree with." (Sarah, 03:45)

Sample AI-Generated Questions & Personal Reflections

• E.g., “Think about a time someone came to you with a problem. What was your instinct—give advice, ask questions, brainstorm?”
  • Sarah’s honest answer:

    "I want to give everyone ideas, obviously." (Sarah, 04:57)

Visualizing & Refining Your Results

• AI can synthesize your answers into a “strength constellation”—a core superpower and a list of strengths (Sarah got 8, which she planned to refine).

  • Example: “Problem-centered innovation. You don’t just create for fun. Your innovations have purpose.” (Sarah, 06:01-06:35)

• "It distilled a core superpower. Mine came up as the idea catalyst: You spark possibilities that others bring to life." (Sarah, 06:01)

• Try visuals in Canva for a different output.

• All tools need some personal critical thinking and editing:

  "Everyone needed a bit of editing. It gets you a bit more aware, but you need to tailor." (Helen, 07:03)

Using AI Insights for Career Development

• Some AI tools spontaneously add practical next steps and motivational quotes ("so what now?").
  • "You're not just someone who has ideas, you're someone who creates the conditions for breakthrough thinking." (AI to Sarah, 07:31)
• If you want, use these insights to strengthen your LinkedIn profile:
  • Copy your strengths and ask AI to rewrite or improve your profile with those strengths in mind.
  • Both hosts found it easier and significantly better than writing from scratch, though some manual edits are still needed.

    "I put effort into writing it in the first place... [but] it's so much easier." (Sarah, 08:45-08:58)

Team Applications

• Suggestions for bringing strengths discussions into your team:
  • Share a strength that connected with you.
  • Offer your strength to someone who could benefit.
  • Ask for ideas from others on how to use that strength more.
  • "If we have those strengths conversations, they will really start to stick and everybody will be stretching their strengths at work." (Helen, 09:57)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On AI Personas & Feedback Styles:

  "As soon as I put 'high care, high challenge,' the exclamation marks reduced quite dramatically." (Sarah, 03:45)

• On Personal Strengths Realizations:

  "I want to give everyone ideas, obviously." (Sarah, 04:57)

• AI's Motivational Finish:

  "You're not just someone who has ideas, you're someone who creates the conditions for breakthrough thinking." (AI to Sarah, 07:31)

• On Collaborative Learning:

  "The more you put in, the more you'll get out." (Sarah, 05:01)

• On LinkedIn AI Magic:

  "It wrote something quite a lot better... and it got me to 8 out of 10." (Helen & Sarah, 08:45-09:19)

• Encouraging Experimentation:

  "Don't put any pressure on yourself... just having a play gets easier and easier." (Sarah, 09:57)

Important Timestamps

• 00:51 – Defining strengths and their impact
• 01:30 – Strengths in high-performing teams
• 01:48 – The myth of being “done” with strengths
• 02:13 – Getting started with AI prompts and tools
• 03:45 – Customizing the AI's role & feedback
• 04:55 – Personal example of a strengths question
• 05:24 – Different AI tools and response quality
• 06:01 – AI-generated “strength constellation”
• 07:03 – Editing and refining AI responses
• 07:31 – AI-generated career advice and quotes
• 08:45 – Using AI to improve your LinkedIn profile
• 09:19 – Taking strengths conversations into your team
• 09:57 – Final thoughts and encouragement

Overall Tone

Warm, playful, and supportive—Sarah and Helen encourage listeners to experiment with AI, reflect honestly, and continuously stretch and share their strengths. The practical, action-focused approach feels achievable and motivating.

Next Episode Preview

Tomorrow’s sprint will focus on values—what motivates and drives you—and how AI can help you accelerate both your awareness and your actions related to those values.