S3 Ep 5. Lessons on how to rebuild a career with Sarah Southern (Comedian, businesswoman and former Conservative Party staffer)

Dr Kathryn Mannix is a retired palliative care consultant who also trained as a therapist, setting up the UK’s first cognitive behavioural therapy service for people at the end of life.

Kathryn is the author of two books, With the End in Mind and Listen, and a media speaker and campaigner for better public understanding of dying.

We got a really unique perspective on the right work from Kathryn, discussing questions like:

• What perspective can we gain from how dying people look back at their careers?
• What did Kathryn learn from her own career about how to identify the right work?
• And how can people with busy jobs and lives carve out space to move into a career that’s more right for them?

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Sir Michael Marmot is Professor of Epidemiology and Public Health and Director of the Institute of Health Equity, at University College London. He's a world renowned expert on health and inequalities, and the author Status Syndrome, The Health Gap, and a number of major reviews into health inequalities.

We picked Prof Marmot's brains on questions like:

• How do the choices we make about our work impact our mental and physical wellbeing?
• How do inequalities in work relate to wellbeing?
• Why should we rethink the status of our work?

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Elizabeth Oldfield is a people-focused consultant, chair, facilitator and presenter.

Elizabeth is the former director of the think tank Theos, and is host of The Sacred podcast, where she has delved into the fundamental values of guests including Richard Ayoade, Prue Leith and Omid Djalili.

Elizabeth had such a wise, reflective and authentic conversation with us. We explored questions like:
- How can we connect with our most fundamental interests and values?
- Is it ever ok to do work that doesn’t align with your values?
- What kind of person should become a leader?

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Sarah Southern spent a number of years working in politics, including for the Conservative Party. However, she had to reevaluate and start again after her career suffered a devastating blow.

Nowadays Sarah is a stand-up comedian, businesswoman and career coach.

We learnt so much from Sarah's rollercoaster of a journey, exploring questions like:
- What are the more subtle signs to look out for that you’re in the wrong job?
- What are her best tips for entering the world of politics?
- How do you tackle doubts about career decisions you’ve made?

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In our second 6 minutes episode, Arjun and Andy speak to Dougal Shaw, creator of the BBC's CEO Secrets video series, and author of the recently published CEO Secrets book.

Hear Dougal's reflections on the right work based on his conversations with over 350 CEOs, from startup founders to household names like Sir James Dyson and Steven Bartlett.

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Josie Cox is a journalist, editor, and broadcaster with a particular interest in business, workplace culture and equality. She trained at Reuters, and has been published in major outlets including the BBC, Forbes and the New Statesman.

We explored some really important questions with Josie, like:
- Why is now an ideal time to reevaluate what work really means for us?
- What questions should we ask ourselves to understand whether we’re doing the right work?
- How has the pandemic exposed and worsened gender inequality in work, and how can we tackle that?

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Welcome to 6 minutes – our brand new segment of The Right Work!

In the time it takes you to get dressed or drink your morning coffee, you can hear insights, tools and advice from leading thinkers on how to find the right work.

In our first 6 minutes episode, Arjun speaks to Oliver Burkeman, author of Four Thousand Weeks: Time Management for Mortals. Hear Oliver's insights on what the right work looks like and how to find it.

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Tom Watson is the former Deputy Leader of the UK's Labour Party. He was a Member of Parliament for almost 20 years, serving in senior roles in both government and opposition, and is being appointed to the House of Lords.

We explore his career after leaving politics, including his roles as Chair of UK Music, author of Lose Weight 4 Life and other books, and founder of Downsizing Media.

We picked Tom’s brains about this fascinating trajectory, and discussed questions like:
- How did he adjust to leaving such a high-profile career, which for many people is so closely linked to their status and identity?
- How can policymakers, employers and individuals best respond to changes in technology and society, and the impact these will have on the world of work?
- How can people practically make space for, and find work in, their multiple passions and interests?

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Dr Tracy Brower is a sociologist studying work life fulfilment and happiness. She’s Vice President of Workplace Insight at Steelcase, and the author of The Secrets to Happiness at Work and Bring Work to Life by Bringing Life to Work, as well as a number of articles.

Tracy gave us some fascinating and evidence-based insights on questions like:
- What are the ingredients for feeling a sense of purpose in your work?
- What’s the evidence that empathy actually makes a difference at work? And how do we identify a genuinely empathetic culture?
- Is happiness at work too idealistic? And if not, how do we create the conditions for it?

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Welcome to season 3! We're kicking off with none other than Matt Forde – stand-up comedian, television impressionist and satirist. He's the voice of Donald Trump, Keir Starmer and Boris Johnson on Spitting Image, and has interviewed senior politicians and former Prime Ministers on his podcast, The Political Party. He's also the author of widely acclaimed book Politically Homeless. Before creating a full-time career in comedy and media, he was an organiser for the Labour Party.

We were excited to delve into Matt's career and explore questions like:
- What can we learn from how Matt created his own niche of comedy, politics and football?
- What do you do when the reality of your dream job doesn’t live up to expectations?
- How can people who don’t have family or friend connections get into industries like politics or the arts?

Note: We recorded this episode long before Boris Johnson's resignation – hence some of the references in the show!

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