Squiggly Careers Podcast

Episode: Squiggly Shortcut: Discover Hidden Career Opportunities in 5 Minutes a Day
Host: Helen Tupper (Amazing If)
Date: November 27, 2025

Episode Overview

In this Squiggly Shortcut, Helen Tupper delivers a rapid-fire, actionable guide to uncovering and maximizing career opportunities, even when time is short. With the episode's focus on micro-actions — five minutes a day — Helen shares five practical ideas to build habits that drive career development, improve resilience, and create a sense of control and progress. The episode is energetic and pragmatic, designed to help listeners build momentum regardless of how busy they are.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Reflect on Your Very Small Successes

(Starts at 01:10)

• Insight: Daily reflection on minor wins helps counteract the inner critic and builds self-belief over time.

• Purpose: Noticing and appreciating small achievements can become a foundational habit that fosters bigger developmental leaps.

• Tip: Schedule a reminder to make it a consistent, mindful practice.

  "Your very small successes are those little things that you do well that we often miss because we're so busy and we're always moving on to the next thing."
  —Helen Tupper [01:25]

2. End Your Week with an 'Even Better If...' Check-In

(Starts at 02:10)

• Insight: At week’s end, take a few minutes to identify what could have made the week better — small tweaks that add up over time.

• Purpose: Avoids autopilot mode, surfaces opportunities for incremental improvement.

• Tip: Focus on low-lift, actionable adjustments for compound benefits week over week.

  "If every week you're identifying one, maybe two small things that could make a difference next week, you start to get this compound benefit of your weeks."
  —Helen Tupper [02:55]

3. Create Team Learning Goals

(Starts at 03:40)

• Insight: Team learning fosters accountability and embeds development into existing routines.

• Purpose: Committing as a group (e.g., to a monthly theme like AI tools or industry trends) increases follow-through.

• Practicality: Keep the commitment time-limited (e.g., for a month) and connected to moments the team is already together, such as meetings.

  "What that leads to is accountability for your learning. It also means the learning is more likely to be added into moments that your team is already together."
  —Helen Tupper [04:09]

  • Additional Resource:

    "Don't forget as well that we have lots of squiggly sprints... all on our website, amazingif.com, and you can sign up, sprint, and learn together too."
    —Helen Tupper [04:45]

4. Ask for Fast Feedback on Your Strengths

(Starts at 05:00)

• Insight: Directly asking colleagues, “When do you see me at my best?” provides immediate, specific insight into your strengths — often revealing hidden talents or patterns.

• Purpose: Helps eliminate blind spots and proactively shapes your work reputation.

  "They act as sort of strength spotters for you. They help you to tell you the situations... where they really see your strengths standing out."
  —Helen Tupper [05:20]

5. Add in Active Rest

(Starts at 06:05)

• Insight: Rest is vital for resilience and long-term learning, but it must be intentional.

• Examples: Exercise, music, creative pursuits — whatever “switches off” your work brain.

• Tip: If you don’t schedule it, it won’t happen; even 5-10 minutes can make a difference.

  "If you are not adding active rest in your week, you are going to be a lot less resilient. And our squiggly careers are pretty long and we've got a lot of learning to do."
  —Helen Tupper [06:55]

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On the Power of Small Daily Actions:

  "You don't need to find hours every day to invest in your career development. You just need to find five minutes and a little bit of curiosity and you can make a lot of progress."
  —Helen Tupper [00:52]

• On Incremental Change:

  "It’s that belief that helps us do bigger and better things."
  —Helen Tupper [01:45]

Timestamps of Important Segments

• 00:52 – Introduction to the five-minute approach
• 01:10 – Reflecting on small daily successes
• 02:10 – ‘Even better if’ weekly reflection
• 03:40 – Creating team learning goals
• 05:00 – Asking for fast feedback on strengths
• 06:05 – The importance of scheduling active rest
• 07:10 – Encouragement to put an idea into action

Call to Action

Helen encourages listeners to try at least one of these micro-habits, and to share their experiences or feedback with her and Sarah at helenandsarah@squigglycareers.com.

Overall Tone:
Upbeat, motivational, and highly practical — Helen’s focus is on what’s realistic and instantly actionable for anyone feeling time-poor but eager to grow.

For more resources:
Check out Squiggly Sprints and other tools at amazingif.com, or sign up to the Squiggly Careers newsletter for weekly career development tips.