The Right Work

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?

Follow us on LinkedIn, Twitter and Instagram.

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?

Follow us on LinkedIn, Twitter and Instagram – and please leave us a review!

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?

Follow us on LinkedIn, Twitter and Instagram – and please leave us a review!

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?

Follow us on LinkedIn, Twitter and Instagram – and please leave us a review!

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.

Follow us on LinkedIn, Twitter and Instagram.

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?

Follow us on LinkedIn, Twitter and Instagram, and please rate and review us on Apple and Spotify as it helps others to find the show.

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.

Follow us on LinkedIn, Twitter and Instagram.

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?

Follow us on LinkedIn, Twitter and Instagram, and please rate and review us on Apple and Spotify as it helps others to find the show.

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?

Follow us on LinkedIn, Twitter and Instagram.

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!

Follow us on LinkedIn, Twitter and Instagram, and please rate and review us on Apple and Spotify as it helps others to find the show.

Anastasia de Waal is Director of I Can Be, a charity that brings 7–8 year old girls into the world of work to broaden their horizons.

She was previously a primary school teacher and Deputy Director of the think tank Civitas.

We heard Anastasia's insights on questions like:

- How can people identify their strongest interests?
- What are the obstacles to children growing up to find fulfilling work?
- How can families and society have better conversations about work?

Follow us on LinkedIn, Twitter and Instagram.

Sir David Haslam is Chair of Young Lives vs Cancer, Senior Adviser at Kaleidoscope Health and Care, and a Non-Executive Director at Dorset HealthCare University NHS Foundation Trust.

David has had a fascinating and varied career. He was a GP for 36 years, and has written a number of books on parenting, as well as presenting TV shows on the topic. He has held a number of senior posts in health and care, including Chair of the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE), and President of the British Medical Association (BMA) and the Royal College of GPs (RCGP).

We explored questions like:

- How can someone climb the career leader while staying true to their values?
- How can people carve out a niche for their creative pursuits?
- Is it better to be a generalist or a specialist in today’s job market?

Follow us on LinkedIn, Twitter and Instagram.

Ian MacRae is a workplace psychologist and author of six books, including Dark Social: Understanding the Darker Side of Work, Personality and Social Media, and High Potential.

We spoke about some fascinating questions, such as:
- How can better understanding our personalities help us make smarter career choices?
- Why is planning for promotions a possible trap that can stop us finding the right work?
- What are the best and worst ways to use social media to find fulfilment in our work?

Ian also mentioned his High Potential website and the Dark Side Personality Test.

Follow us on LinkedIn, Twitter and Instagram.

• Is happiness at work always necessary - and how do we find it?
• How can job titles stop us from finding the right work?
• Where do you start with crafting a portfolio career, and how do you manage it?

Dom Jackman is co-founder of Escape the City, a global community of over 500,000 people which helps people quit their corporate jobs and find work that matters. Dom embarked on this venture after leaving management consultancy in 2010.

Dom is an expert in finding meaningful work, so we asked him questions like: 

What does ‘meaningful work’ actually mean?
When someone’s feeling unfulfilled at work, how can they find others who are feeling the same way?
How do you overcome the mental barriers to accepting that the work you’re doing isn’t right for you?

Follow us on LinkedIn, Twitter and Instagram.

John Lees is a careers coach, strategist and author of a number of bestselling books, including How to Get a Job You Love. This episode is packed with practical tips on questions like:

• Should you sacrifice work that pays well to find fulfilment?
• How can people get support from their employers to pursue work they love?
• What’s the difference between the perfect job and the right work?

Follow us on LinkedIn, Twitter and Instagram.

Jack Parsons is CEO of The Youth Group, which provides young people with the tools they need to get ahead and grow in work. He's an award-winning entrepreneur and speaker on youth, and has interviewed figures such as Rishi Sunak (which we find out more about in the episode!)

This time, it was our turn to interview Jack. We explored his powerful personal story, and talked about questions like: 

• How do you strike the right balance between making money and living your values?
• How can young people from disadvantaged backgrounds overcome barriers to finding the right work?
• Is there such a thing as a dream job – and how would we know we’d found it?

Follow us on LinkedIn, Twitter and Instagram.

(Please note there are brief references to abuse between 14:08 and 14:18). 

Prof Grace Lordan is Author of Think Big, Associate Professor in Behavioural Science & Founder and Director of The Inclusion Initiative at the LSE.

Check out Grace's website, Twitter, Instagram and LinkedIn.

Grace used her behavioural science expertise to answer important questions, such as:

• How can someone in an established career get new skills and experiences in a different area?
• What role can inclusive leadership play in shaping the future of work?
• How can people overcome the psychological barriers like fear of failure or imposter syndrome to help them find the right work?

Follow The Right Work on Twitter, Instagram and LinkedIn.

#TheRightWork #Careers #BehaviouralScience #Inclusion #SelfBelief #ImposterSyndrome

Rich Taunt is part of Kaleidoscope Health and Care, a not-for-profit consultancy which he founded. It's a teal organisation that has worked with NHS England, government departments and major charities, and which values kindness above all else. Rich was previously a senior civil servant and think tank director.

We discussed a huge range of questions with Rich, including:

• How much should we be hedging risks to find the right work?
• Is there really a clear line between work and life in today’s world?
• How can people explore not just what doing the right work looks like, but what kind of organisation they should be doing it for?

Follow us on Twitter, Instagram and LinkedIn.

#TheRightWork #CareersWithPurpose #ReinventingOrganisations #TealOrganisations #Kindness #SelfManagement

Dr Eliza Filby is an expert writer and speaker on generations, and the impact of changing behaviours and values on society. She also hosts the It's All Relative podcast.

We explored big questions with Eliza about how generational differences are changing what the right work looks like. We asked Eliza questions like:

• How are newer generations changing the world of work, and how can older generations adapt?
• What advice did she have for people who feel like their first or even second career choices aren’t right for them? 
• How has Covid changed what the right work looks like?

Follow us on Twitter, Instagram and LinkedIn.

#TheRightWork #CareersWithPurpose #Generations #GenerationGap