How I Work

If you were anything like me as a kid, you had your fair share of idols, and the majority of them spoke to you through the covers of magazines. If you were a little girl, most of those idols were probably fashion models. Beautiful, immaculately dressed and impossibly cool, we’ve all wished at one point or another that we could be just like those models.Lise Carlaw and Sarah Wills, otherwise known as Those Two Girls, or the hosts of the Forty podcast, lived that dream. The only thing is… it wasn’t the dream they were sold. Selling your image means turning how you look into a commodity, and while it might be nice to pay the bills with some photos on a beach in Greece, it also makes it really, really hard not to value yourself solely on your appearance. The pursuit for a more holistic sense of identity kicked into overdrive for Lise and Sarah as they neared the big four-zero, and it spawned a media empire catering to women who wanted more from their fifth decade than to simply wind down and step out of the limelight. Lise and Sarah share the most transformative lessons they’ve learned through the podcast, and through writing their new book, Forty Favours the Brave.Connect with Lise on InstagramConnect with Sarah on InstagramGrab a copy of Forty Favours the Brave ***My new book Time Wise is out now. You can grab a copy here. Connect with me on the socials:LinkedinTwitterInstagram  If you’re looking for more tips to improve the way you work, I write a fortnightly newsletter that contains three cool things I have discovered that help me work better, which range from interesting research findings through to gadgets I am loving. You can sign up for that at http://howiwork.coVisit https://www.amantha.com/podcast for full show notes from all episodes.Get in touch at amantha@inventium.com.auCREDITSProduced by InventiumHost: Amantha ImberProduction Support from Deadset StudiosEpisode Producer: Liam RiordanSound Engineer: Martin ImberSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In the internet era, there’s an infinite number of opportunities, information, activities and events we could get involved with, which is great… But there’s no such thing as a free lunch, and when you say “yes” to anything, you’re also saying “no” to something else.So how do you decide what to say “no” to, and just as crucially, how do you say “no” when it’s really hard? Whether you’re a people-pleaser or you just want to do a bit of everything, turning down an opportunity - even when you know you should - can be really tough.Bestselling author, psychologist and Wharton professor Katy Milkman struggles saying “no” herself, but she doesn’t have to go it alone - she’s gathered a group of trusted peers who know what she wants from her life and her career, and they’re always on hand to offer Katy advice when she’s not sure if she should say yes or no.Connect with Katy on Twitter or LinkedInYou can find the full interview here: Fresh starts, commitment devices and collaboration - changing for the better with Katy Milkman***Connect with me on the socials:LinkedinTwitterInstagram  If you’re looking for more tips to improve the way you work, I write a fortnightly newsletter that contains three cool things I have discovered that help me work better, which range from interesting research findings through to gadgets I am loving. You can sign up for that at http://howiwork.coVisit https://www.amantha.com/podcast for full show notes from all episodes.Get in touch at amantha@inventium.com.au CREDITSProduced by InventiumHost: Amantha ImberProduction Support from Deadset StudiosSound Engineer: Martin ImberSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Three men walk into a bar, and see a huge gap in the market - while wine, whiskey and beer were all receiving the craft treatment, gin was largely being ignored. And even better, these three men lived in Australia, and knew the land down under was the perfect place to create not just great gin, but the world’s best gin. Matt Jones, one of the three co-founders of Four Pillars Gin, is also the Brand Director, and brought to the new company decades of experience in marketing and branding. Matt shares his obsessions with aesthetics and storytelling, and his goal to approach branding with the same level of meticulous craftsmanship as the distillers who make the drink itself. Connect with Matt on Twitter or on the excellent Four Pillars website***My new book Time Wise is out now. You can grab a copy here. Connect with me on the socials:LinkedinTwitterInstagram  If you’re looking for more tips to improve the way you work, I write a fortnightly newsletter that contains three cool things I have discovered that help me work better, which range from interesting research findings through to gadgets I am loving. You can sign up for that at http://howiwork.coVisit https://www.amantha.com/podcast for full show notes from all episodes.Get in touch at amantha@inventium.com.auCREDITSProduced by InventiumHost: Amantha ImberProduction Support from Deadset StudiosEpisode Producer: Liam RiordanSound Engineer: Martin ImberSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

What makes a great question? Well, it depends on what you’re trying to figure out. Are you interviewing someone for a job, or on TV? Are you asking someone on a date? Are you trying to learn something? Whatever it is, you probably have an answer, a solution or a direction in mind when you ask a question. That’s great, but it’s not always the path to the best outcome. Zoe Chance, author of Influence is Your Superpower and a professor at the Yale School of Management, prefers to ask a question that allows for answers she never could’ve imagined…Zoe tells the story of the women from a small village near Zambia who eradicated sexual slavery in their community by… building an electric fence around their corn crop? Well, if that’s what it takes…Connect with Zoe on Twitter or LinkedInYou can find the full episode here: Persuasion, not manipulation: Zoe Chance on how to influence for good***My new book Time Wise is out now. You can grab a copy here.Connect with me on the socials:LinkedinTwitterInstagram  If you’re looking for more tips to improve the way you work, I write a fortnightly newsletter that contains three cool things I have discovered that help me work better, which range from interesting research findings through to gadgets I am loving. You can sign up for that at http://howiwork.coVisit https://www.amantha.com/podcast for full show notes from all episodes.Get in touch at amantha@inventium.com.auCREDITSProduced by InventiumHost: Amantha ImberSound Engineer: Martin ImberSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

What does it take to make someone give up on their dream? Which straw breaks the camel’s back? For Hugh Van Cuylenburg, a simple but critical mistake in his calendar almost spelt the end of The Resilience Project before it’d truly begun. But it didn’t. Why not? Where did Hugh find the strength to keep pursuing his goals, even after messing up the best opportunity he’d ever had? Hugh’s a master storyteller, with no shortage of material. He shares which moments in his life turned out to be make-or-break, and what he learned from each one. He also teaches you how to quickly build rapport with new people, and how to improve your business by stepping out of its centre.  Connect with Hugh on The Resilience Project’s website or listen to The Imperfects podcast***My new book Time Wise is out now. You can grab a copy here. Connect with me on the socials:LinkedinTwitterInstagram  If you’re looking for more tips to improve the way you work, I write a fortnightly newsletter that contains three cool things I have discovered that help me work better, which range from interesting research findings through to gadgets I am loving. You can sign up for that at http://howiwork.coVisit https://www.amantha.com/podcast for full show notes from all episodes.Get in touch at amantha@inventium.com.au CREDITSProduced by InventiumHost: Amantha ImberProduction Support from Deadset StudiosEpisode Producer: Liam RiordanSound Engineer: Martin ImberSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Where do you go when you need career guidance? Maybe the right book or video or article can help, but what about when your questions are more specific? What about when you’re in a truly unique situation, and you just can’t figure out the next step - the right direction for you?Well, maybe it’s time to find a mentor! But before you go cold-emailing all the top thinkers in your industry, you might need to check some of your assumptions about mentorship… Enter Dr. Ruth Gotian, leadership expert, author, educator and mentoring master. Ruth is well-versed in the cold reachout, but she doesn’t approach it exactly how you might expect: for one thing, she never asks for anything in the beginning, and she’s careful not to call anyone her mentor - at least, not to their face. But why? And if she’s not asking for anything, what’s she actually saying in those outreach messages? Ruth teaches you all the ins and outs of seeking and securing your perfect mentor. Connect with Ruth on Twitter or LinkedInYou can find the full episode here: Ruth Gotian on studying the habits and mindsets of the world’s most successful people ***My new book Time Wise is out now. You can grab a copy here.Connect with me on the socials:LinkedinTwitterInstagram  If you’re looking for more tips to improve the way you work, I write a fortnightly newsletter that contains three cool things I have discovered that help me work better, which range from interesting research findings through to gadgets I am loving. You can sign up for that at http://howiwork.coVisit https://www.amantha.com/podcast for full show notes from all episodes.Get in touch at amantha@inventium.com.auCREDITSProduced by InventiumHost: Amantha ImberSound Engineer: Martin ImberSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Have you heard praise showered on the concept of being a “lifelong learner”? You might’ve missed it in school, but our kids’ generation are reminded everyday that learning should continue far beyond the classroom. And if you didn’t hear it in school or in parent-teacher conferences, you’ve surely heard it at work by now. But what does it actually mean, and how do you become a lifelong learner yourself? Enter Dom Price, Atlassian’s Work Futurist and a celebrated keynote speaker. Given his title, it makes sense that Dom spends a lot of time thinking about the future of work, but he’s certainly not keeping it to himself! Dom discusses how the future of work might look, but cruciually, he’s just as passionate about sparking broader conversations on the future, so that we can all design it together. He covers everything from updating our methods of communication, to designing a working world that can truly support its workers’ physical and mental health.  Connect with Dom on Twitter or Linkedin***My new book Time Wise is out now. You can grab a copy here. Connect with me on the socials:LinkedinTwitterInstagram  If you’re looking for more tips to improve the way you work, I write a fortnightly newsletter that contains three cool things I have discovered that help me work better, which range from interesting research findings through to gadgets I am loving. You can sign up for that at http://howiwork.coVisit https://www.amantha.com/podcast for full show notes from all episodes.Get in touch at amantha@inventium.com.au CREDITSProduced by InventiumHost: Amantha ImberProduction Support from Deadset StudiosEpisode Producer: Liam RiordanSound Engineer: Martin ImberSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Trying to call Jordan Calhoun, Editor in Chief at Lifehacker, isn’t easy. Trust me - I’ve tried!Jordan simply doesn’t take chances when it comes to his attention and his productivity. While it might be slightly tedious to have to pre-organise every phone call ahead of time, it’s more than worth it when it means your attention is entirely under your control. Jordan shares his step-by-step process for ensuring his phone and computer only command his attention when he wants them to, and breaks down his more intense, “nuclear” option for those who really want to drill down on their device usage. Connect with Jordan on Twitter or InstagramYou can find the full interview here: Weaponising accountability with Lifehacker editor-in-chief Jordan Calhoun***My new book Time Wise is out now. You can grab a copy here.Connect with me on the socials:LinkedinTwitterInstagram  If you’re looking for more tips to improve the way you work, I write a fortnightly newsletter that contains three cool things I have discovered that help me work better, which range from interesting research findings through to gadgets I am loving. You can sign up for that at http://howiwork.coVisit https://www.amantha.com/podcast for full show notes from all episodes.Get in touch at amantha@inventium.com.auCREDITSProduced by InventiumHost: Amantha ImberSound Engineer: Martin ImberSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Would you say no to a million dollars? Imagine if your business was minutes away from securing a huge investment boost, only for the founder to turn it down. What could possibly make her say no to such a big payday? A nose ring. Dr Catriona Wallace founded Flamingo AI, which became only the second women-led company to list on the ASX, and she takes money seriously. She explains how some investors inject “bad money” into your business, and teases out the most important lessons she’s learned about leadership across the course of her career. She also details the differences between running a public and a private company, and shares her excitement over the future of healing and wellness practices across the world. Connect with Catriona on Twitter and Linkedin***My new book Time Wise is out now. You can grab a copy here. Connect with me on the socials:LinkedinTwitterInstagram  If you’re looking for more tips to improve the way you work, I write a fortnightly newsletter that contains three cool things I have discovered that help me work better, which range from interesting research findings through to gadgets I am loving. You can sign up for that at http://howiwork.coVisit https://www.amantha.com/podcast for full show notes from all episodes.Get in touch at amantha@inventium.com.au CREDITSProduced by InventiumHost: Amantha ImberProduction Support from Deadset StudiosEpisode Producer: Liam RiordanSound Engineer: Martin ImberSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

When you get right down to it, being a leader is ultimately all about being a decision-maker. Everything from hiring a team to devising a business strategy is built on your ability to make all kinds of decisions. So if you’re a leader, and you want to be a better one, you need to learn how to make better decisions.  For Phil Libin, cofounder of Evernote and mmhmm, this process began with introspection - in particular, Phil wanted to understand what a “difficult” decision actually is, and in the process, realised that more often than not, we think a decision is difficult, when it’s actually just uncomfortable.  He was surprised to find that 90% of the time, he knows what the right answer is, but what’s holding him back is that enacting that decision feels uncomfortable. So, how do you know whether a decision is truly difficult or not, and how do you make the right decision, even when it’s uncomfortable?  Connect with Phil on Twitter or Linkedin You can find the full interview here: Evernote co-founder Phil Libin on the key to making better decisions at work ***My new book Time Wise is out now. You can grab a copy here.Connect with me on the socials:LinkedinTwitterInstagram  If you’re looking for more tips to improve the way you work, I write a fortnightly newsletter that contains three cool things I have discovered that help me work better, which range from interesting research findings through to gadgets I am loving. You can sign up for that at http://howiwork.co Visit https://www.amantha.com/podcast for full show notes from all episodes. Get in touch at amantha@inventium.com.au  CREDITSProduced by InventiumHost: Amantha ImberSound Engineer: Martin ImberSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.