Squiggly Careers Podcast

Episode: Squiggly Shortcut: 3 Self-Awareness Habits That Increase Your Career Growth

Host: Helen Tupper
Date: February 19, 2026

Episode Overview

This Squiggly Shortcut episode, hosted by Helen Tupper, delves into the vital topic of self-awareness and its undeniable impact on career growth. Helen introduces listeners to three practical self-awareness habits that professionals can implement immediately to unlock more learning, development, and fulfillment in their "Squiggly Careers." The episode is concise, actionable, and filled with relatable examples and personal insights drawn from Helen's and co-host Sarah Ellis's experiences.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. What and Why of Self-Awareness

• Definition:
  Helen clarifies that self-awareness is not just about self-reflection; it's equally about understanding how others perceive you.
  • “It is not just you knowing you, it is also you knowing how other people see you too.” (02:30)
• Importance:
  She cites Tasha Eurich, who calls self-awareness “the meta skill of the 21st century,” and agrees it’s essential for continuous learning, development, and growth at work.
  • “Otherwise we are operating at work without the insight of our impact or information about how we could improve.” (03:15)

2. Self-Awareness Habit #1: At My Best / At My Worst

• How It Works:
  • Reflect and write down when you are at your best and worst at work.
  • Then, ask trusted colleagues when THEY see you at your best and worst.
  • Compare feedback with your self-reflection to identify alignment or blind spots.
• Purpose:
  • To increase insight into both strengths and development areas.
  • Reveals possible blind spots and highlights differences between self-perception and others’ views.
• Tips:
  • “If these thoughts about when am I at my worst run riot in your head, it can sometimes trigger confidence gremlins. So we don't want to do that. We're trying to be really constructive here.” (04:40)

3. Self-Awareness Habit #2: Mapping Energy Flows

• How It Works:
  • At the end of each day, write down everyone you’ve interacted with.
  • Indicate with arrows whether each interaction gave you energy, took energy, or was balanced.
• Insight Sought:
  • Assess the give-and-take of your daily interactions—are you in energy equilibrium or depleted/overloaded?
• Example:
  • Helen humorously describes tracking her early-morning interactions: husband, children, YouTube personalities, colleagues, and more—before even reaching mid-morning! (07:00)
• Takeaway:
  • “You need the self-awareness to see where your energy is going. Really useful exercise.” (08:10)

4. Self-Awareness Habit #3: Say the Nice Thing / Say the Hard Thing

• How It Works:
  • Write down something positive about yourself ("the nice thing"—strengths, things you’re proud of).
  • Write down something challenging ("the hard thing"—areas for improvement).
  • Reflect on which voice is louder in your day-to-day thinking.
• Why It Matters:
  • Ensures self-critical thoughts don’t dominate, possibly stifling confidence and growth.
• Helen’s Ratio:
  • “Personally, I think maybe like 60% say the nice thing, 40% say the hard thing is the right ratio for me.” (10:56)
• Customizing Your Ratio:
  • The right balance depends on your circumstances—sometimes you need more self-kindness, especially in tough times.
• Key Point:
  • “If [the hard thing voice] is too loud, it's demotivating, I think.” (10:30)

5. Encouragement & Next Steps

• Helen encourages listeners not to be overwhelmed—just pick one habit to get started, rather than all three at once.
• Deeper dive available: episode 459 discusses self-awareness strategies in more detail.

Notable Quotes & Moments

• On self-awareness:
  “I do agree that self-awareness is very important because otherwise we are operating without the insight of our impact or information about how we could improve.” (03:10)
• Confrontation with self-reflection:
  “I appreciate that is confronting. My recommendation there is to write this down. … We're trying to be really constructive here.” (04:40)
• On energy tracking:
  “You need energy at work to sustain our impact and you need the self-awareness to see where your energy is going.” (08:20)
• On the self-critical voice:
  “If that's the loudest voice, day after day, week after week, it's likely to be getting in the way of your growth.” (10:34)

Timestamps for Key Segments

• 02:30 — What is self-awareness?
• 03:10 — Why does self-awareness matter?
• 04:30 — Habit #1: At My Best / At My Worst explained
• 07:00 — Habit #2: Mapping energy flows with examples
• 09:40 — Habit #3: Saying the nice thing / Saying the hard thing
• 10:56 — Personalizing your internal feedback ratio
• 12:20 — Wrap-up and encouragement to start with just one habit

Episode Summary & Tone

Helen’s delivery is practical, warm, and empathetic, offering listeners realistic actions and personal anecdotes. The episode’s tone is encouraging and non-judgmental, with an emphasis on improvement through self-knowledge and feedback, echoing the Squiggly Careers' ethos of taking ownership of your career journey.

Actionable Highlights

• Pick a self-awareness habit (At My Best/Worst, Energy Mapping, or the Nice/Hard Thing reflection) and try it this week.
• Don’t be afraid to ask for feedback—it’s a critical part of the self-awareness equation.
• Be mindful of your inner dialogue and adjust the "volume" of self-critique as needed for healthy growth.
• For deeper learning, check out episode 459 of the Squiggly Careers podcast.

For questions or feedback, Helen and Sarah are contactable at sarah@squigglycareers.com.