I bet you’ve been in one of these situations recently. Stuck on a terrible commute with only a crumpled Metro newspaper for distraction. Facing (and dreading) a morning of household chores. Or maybe you’re working on a project that doesn’t require 100% creative brain power and is a little...snore.

It’s times like these a great podcast can be your saviour. I know I’m a little late to the wonders of the audio world but wow, what an amazing and entertaining (free!) resource. But, podcasts can offer more than simple boredom relief. There’s a wealth of valuable insight, advice and inspiration at your fingertips. As a career coach, I know how important it is for clients to have a motivated, engaged and curious mind set for achieving career goals and creative success.

So, in no particular order I wanted to share with you five podcasts that I think are great for those working in the creative world!

1. Vulnerability as a Creative with Brené Brown

Brené Brown is a highly regarded research professor specialising in vulnerability, courage, authenticity, and shame. She's also just great to listen to - upbeat and full of great ideas. in this podcast she talks about how creatives experience vulnerability, rejection, perfectionism, and discomfort, and offers insight into how to only listen to the opinions of those who matter. She also shares some great tools for staying resilient when your  work doesn’t quite get the desired attention or reaction.

(56 mins)

2. Seth Godin on Creativity, Writer’s Block, and What It Sounds Like When You Change Your Mind
   

Seth Godin is an author and entrepreneur who is genuinely excited about marketing, respect and the way ideas spread. Here he talks to Brian Koppelman about the concept of “certainty”, whether writer’s block really exists and why Seth used to ask the question “How many gas stations are there in the United States?” when interviewing potential employees. The two also reflect on different artists, how they approach their work and why fear is a usually a good indication that you're doing something right.

(58 mins)

3. How To Grow Your Business & Find Time For The Creative Work, Too

In this dinky podcast Marie Forleo addresses how as a creative, you have to market and grow your business. But how do you do that and still have enough time to create? Here’s your answer!

(9 mins)

4. Noah Kagan: Stop Fighting What You Are Good At

Noah Kagan was sacked from Facebook. He was their 30^th employee. “I think they made the right decision to fire me, “ he said. “One of the big realisations I’ve had in the past years is that people need to stop fighting their natural skill. My sweet spot is getting things going. That was the lesson learned. What I was strong at was not what Facebook needed anymore.” In this podcast James Altucher (he's also had an extremely interesting career, having run several companies, lost everything and gained it back) talks to Noah about finding work that uses your natural strengths - something I believe is the key to real success!

(120 mins)

5. TED Radio Hour

Don’t have the time to watch all those TEDx talks your friends keep sending you? Listen to them instead with the Ted Radio Hour. There were too many to select just one so have a look around for topics that float your boat. Recent episodes include exploring how Big Data will reshape the world and why we lie. Awesome.

(Various!)

Have you ever felt like a big old fake at work? That you don’t deserve success and could be exposed as not having a clue what you’re doing? If so, you’ve probably been experiencing a psychological phenomenon called ‘Imposter Syndrome’.  It’s an awful mix of fear, underconfidence and self doubt that’s surprisingly experienced by lots of people. It’s believed that 70% of us suffer from imposter syndrome during their working life – and it’s doing no of us any favours, especially professionally.

With imposter syndrome, no one is immune. It’s not just those new to a role or at the start of their career that it strikes. People who are really thriving at work and considered successful are equally susceptible, in fact, the better you are doing the more opportunity imposter syndrome has to rear its ugly head and smack you in the face.

I read Maya Angelou, a successful novelist saying; “I have written 11 books but each time I think 'Uh-oh, they're going to find out now. I've run a game on everybody and they're going to find me out’”.

Ok, some context. Angelou is at the top of her field and is publically recognised as hugely successful. She’s been nominated for the Pulitzer Prize, won five Grammys and is an acclaimed author - yet imposter syndrome has still wiggled it's way it. If you’re a sufferer, be comforted that imposter syndrome rarely reflects reality – it’s an emotional hotpot of all the irrational beliefs and fears we have about ourselves.

It was the 1970’s when psychologists first identified imposter syndrome, but it’s still around today, perhaps thanks to our economically unstable, highly competitive labour market. As a career coach I’ve had numerous clients bring their imposter into the coaching room.

I’ve coached a marketing CEO who told me she once left midway through a meeting to read a copy of “Marketing for Dummies” she keeps in her car. A management consultant who believed at any moment a colleague could suddenly say, “What the hell are you doing here? You can’t do this job, let someone who knows what they’re doing take over” before escorting her from the building.

This particular ‘being exposed’ scenario is a common one for those with imposter syndrome fear and play out mentally. Artist and musician Amanda Palmer described a similar fear of having someone knock at her door and finding her out - "I call these fictional people the ‘Fraud Police’ and they're just going to tell you: 'We figured it out, and we're taking it all away.'"

These are quite shocking examples but I’ve also seen imposter syndrome manifest more subtly, in ways that might also be holding you back from achieving career happiness.

I meet experienced professionals totally tongue tied when asked to identify skills and strengths they use every day successfully at work. Or when they are able to identify them, very quickly attribute them to external forces. I’ve seen CVs brimming with evidence of ability and accomplishment but described as being down to luck, or timing, the input of others or result of good blagging. This mind set won’t help us perform well at interviews or in networking situations, when succinctly and confidently being able to tell someone what we have to offer can open doors to new opportunity.

The bad news is, if you’re a sufferer it’s not likely you’ll ever be able to fully rid yourself of imposter syndrome. But the good news - there are ways to beat it!

Tina Fey shared her approach to tackling imposter syndrome saying; “you just try to ride the egomania when it comes and enjoy it, and then slide through the idea of fraud.” Here are my thoughts on how to banish the imposter and embrace your worth.

1. Acknowledge it – being able to recognise what it is when it arises is half the battle. Read up and then talk to others when you feel its grip. Seeing the response from others about your fears or hearing their own can be all you need to squash your imposter.
2. Challenge it – record evidence of your successes and achievements to refer to. This could be a simple list on your phone to read through or a symbol of your achievements such as an award or certificate. Presenting yourself with some kind of hard evidence should help to dissipate the feeling.
3. Embrace it – If you sufferer you’re likely to be successful at work and humble to boot. Take comfort that it’s very unlikely you’re a narcissist or psychopath if you have imposter syndrome 😉
4. Shift it – is there a particular event that triggers your imposter? Can you acquire more skill or knowledge to help combat it? Turn your fear into curiosity and use it to grow and learn.

Perfectionism is imposter syndrome's perfect partner, accept that sometimes good enough is, well, good enough. Being kinder and more accepting of ourselves could be the first step needed to banish imposter syndrome and allow us to really flourish professionally.

Some pressure at work can be motivating, but there are times when we can feel too stressed for too long. A bad day, a difficult conversation or a project that’s going south can soon trigger waves of anxiety and stress that just won’t go away. Doing nothing and not taking control of the situation will only make the problem worse. We know we need to eat healthily, take holidays, sleep well and exercise to achieve long term Zen, but that’s not much use at the times when you feel like your head is about to explode! Here are five stress busting ideas to try in the moment.

Vent
Sharing what’s stressing you out can be an emotional release and help bring you back to neutral. Get it out of your head and off your chest. But being too vocal about everything that’s going badly for you can also be disruptive and annoying for the rest of your team. Emailing some thoughts to yourself rather than blabbing them all over the office will engage your body physically and mentally and allow your brain to slow down. And it makes for a friendlier office. In the long term, try and create a strong support network outside of work; a friend you trust, a family member or seek professional support that will allow you to vent without risk to your work reputation.

Walk
If a creative block or tricky problem is stressing you out, leave your desk and go for a walk. The fluid nature of walking encourages the mind to flow freely and feel at ease with new ideas. Research suggests that ‘creative output’ can increase by 60% after a short walk. Countless generations of poets, writers, philosophers and artists have known this, and often walked for inspiration. Walking also encourages clarity of mind and purpose, which is why Steve Jobs hiked in the hills above San Francisco with his designers and board members before making important decisions. And he wasn’t alone – Aristotle, Einstein and President Obama all walked to clarify their ideas.
Say no
Another email hits your inbox asking you to quickly just amend a file. Having the confidence to say ‘no’ can be a total game changer in these frequently stressful work situations. When you’re sure it’s the right decision, take control and be clear with others why right now, it has to be ‘no’. In the long run, your ability to say ‘no’ will be one of your most valuable attributes. Understanding when to put the brakes on at work can benefit not just your well being and quality of work but your wider teams.
Breathe
It might seem simple but when was the last time you actually stopped and took a big deep conscious breath? Sometimes that’s all it takes to reduce stress and instantly feel better. Mindfulness is a really popular tool for combating stress. Adding just one short mindfulness exercise into your daily routine can help reduce your stress levels in the long term. And as they are breath or body focused, you can do them at your desk or on the bus to work and no one will even notice. Here are some nice, simple ones.

Laugh

A good giggle has fantastic short-term effects. When you start to laugh, it doesn't just lighten your load mentally; it actually induces physical changes in your body. You take in more oxygen-rich air and this stimulates your organs and releases those fabulous endorphins. Laughing kicks off and then cools down your stress response and also gets your heart racing. The result? A good, relaxed feeling that soothes tension ahhhh. Find something online that never fails to crack you up and keep it close. BBC News supplied a beauty last week that also might help put your own level of work stress in perspective.

Have a stress free week 🙂