The Awfully Quiet Podcast

In this episode, I am joined by Heather Elkington, my go-to leadership speaker, coach, and writer with a remarkable career story. From starting out at Harrods to building and selling a £2 million business, Heather's journey is all about learning on the fly and growing into an inspiring, high-performing leader. Heather and I dive into what it means to step into leadership roles early in your career and how to lead authentically, especially as introverts. We're answering the big question: "Can introverts be great leaders, too?", and Heather offers a refreshing perspective with some unexpected leadership skills and career insights that introverts naturally bring to the table. With her unconventional career path and fresh take on leadership, Heather's story is sure to spark something in anyone considering a leadership role. Join us for an honest conversation, full of leadership wisdom and killer career take-aways. Heather Elkington (Guest): Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/leadershipheather/ Subscribe to Heather's Newsletter: https://www.inthemakingleadership.com/ Hannah Schmidt (Host): Awfully Quiet Podcast: https://www.instagram.com/awfullyquietpodcast/ Subtle Careers: https://www.instagram.com/subtlecareers/

If you’re tired of getting career advice that feels like a door slamming shut in front of you, this episode is for you. This week, we’re covering three pieces of typical GenX career advice that I want you to stop beating yourself up about. We delve into why GenX career advice often falls short for introverted personalities and how you can start to discern between career advice that is tough to hear, but relevant, and career advice that you should challenge. We're not here to bash GenX; instead, we offer a fresh perspective. Stick around for a surprising piece of helpful GenX advice and find out why we're integrating more GenZ insights into future episodes. Hannah Schmidt (Host): Awfully Quiet Podcast Subtle Careers

I got to chat with Ben Harris about what's holding you back from truly being seen at work. Ben is known as @thefearguy, he is a fear alchemist and intuitive guide. In this episode, we delve into the topic of fear, common misconceptions and why it is actually not recommended to "feel the fear and do it anyway". We specifically touch on the fear of being seen in the workplace and how we often fail to see what lies beneath this fear - and thus the *real* actions we need to take to overcome it. Ben provides you with powerful question prompts to lean into your fears and ultimately, the tools to move through them. Tune into this episode for a whole new perspective on overcoming fears and being seen in the workplace. Ben Harris (Guest): Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/the.fear.guy/ Work with Ben: https://calendly.com/benharris Hannah Schmidt (Host): Awfully Quiet Podcast: https://www.instagram.com/awfullyquietpodcast/ Subtle Careers: https://www.instagram.com/subtlecareers/ TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@hannahssosa

Get ready for your next job interview without the overwhelm. 3-Day Interview Prep is officially live, and for the next three days, we're offering a significant early bird bonus to celebrate the launch. Tune into this episode for an exclusive sneak peek into a sample lesson of the program, tailored especially for introverts like yourself. 3-Day Interview Prep is an introvert-friendly self-learning program to help you make a lasting impression and show up confidently in your next job interview. 3-DAY INTERVIEW PREP: https://subtlecareers.thrivecart.com/3-day-interview-prep/?coupon=EARLYBIRD3 Hannah Schmidt (Host): Awfully Quiet Podcast Subtle Careers TikTok

I got to chat with Cassandra Muscara about her story of experiencing burnout in corporate. As a Resilience Coach and former VP in Corporate, Cassandra's journey is particularly unconventional because she didn't leave her corporate job to heal from burnout; she managed to do so while still working in the corporate world. If you're keen to build more capacity for the things you love in your career and avoid burn out, this episode is for you. We delve into the topic of resilience and how there is healthy resilience, and toxic resilience. Cassandra is a badass champion for weaving spiritual practices, such as mindful breathing & yoga, into the corporate experience, and has built a whole business geared to support corporate leaders in expanding their capacity and resilience, minus the burnout. She offers a wealth of tips and fresh perspectives that challenge conventional wisdom, making her insights priceless for anyone navigating the challenges of modern work culture, daily stresses and overwhelm. Cassandra Muscara (Guest): Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thrivewithcass/ Work with Cassandra: https://stan.store/thrivewithcass Hannah Schmidt (Host): Awfully Quiet Podcast: https://www.instagram.com/awfullyquietpodcast/ Subtle Careers: https://www.instagram.com/subtlecareers/ TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@hannahssosa

Join me as I share a recent career struggle: Obsessing over Pretty Power Point Slides. From feeling guilty about investing too much effort into perfecting presentations to discovering how Power Points can be an introvert's secret weapon for standing out when presenting. Tune in for an unconventional take on Power Points and my top three tips for creating impactful, simple, and easy Power Point slides. Hannah Schmidt (Host): Awfully Quiet Podcast Subtle Careers TikTok

I bet you think you heard it all about Mindset, the power of our thoughts and the importance of reframing your limiting beliefs. But if you're anything like me, you keep stepping into the same traps and thought patterns. The ones you know are not helpful, but oh so persistent. If this is you, then this episode is a must listen. I am so thrilled I got to welcome Charlotte Grimmel on the Podcast to bring this conversation to life for you. Charlotte is a psychologist and founder of @themindfriend, where she coaches female founders on mindset, confidence and finding purpose in their online businesses. For this conversation, she agreed to shift gears a little and serve this audience of ambitious introverts in the workplace. We delve into what makes us feel stuck in our careers and why we often find ourselves in the same place we were a year ago. Charlotte talks us through ways to move through the discomfort, find stillness and adopt mindset practices to unlock the change and growth we want in our careers. She personally coaches me through a limiting belief I held quite rigorously in my corporate career and gives me a real light bulb moment to understand why reframing exercises never really worked for me. This episode is a must listen for anyone who knows it all about mindset - in theory - yet struggles to put the right actions in motion. Charlotte Grimmel (Guest): Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/themindfriend/ Website: https://www.themindfriend.net/ Hannah Schmidt (Host): Awfully Quiet Podcast: https://www.instagram.com/awfullyquietpodcast/ Subtle Careers: https://www.instagram.com/subtlecareers/ TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@hannahssosa

Join me on this candid solo episode if you’re struggling to be patient when it comes to your career dreams and the things you really really want - like yesterday. In this episode, we discuss the importance of playing the long game in your career and the five key behaviours to make that happen. I’ll take you through three common traps that you may be falling in to in finding a quick fix, an instant win or a job promotion that’s gonna make you look really good on Linkedin - but may not be what you want in the long run. Tune in for an honest take on what makes career success work & how to play the long game with ease. Hannah Schmidt (Host): Awfully Quiet Podcast Subtle Careers TikTok

In this episode, I get to chat with Nadia Gabrielle about being a Human Design Projector in the corporate world. If you're a Projector wondering if the corporate scene suits you, this episode is for you. Nadia Gabrielle, the creator of Projectors Invited, guides her clients in constructing and navigating their careers in harmony with their Human Design. We explore how Projectors can thrive in busy corporate environments, speak up authentically, and make a meaningful impact by following their unique strategy of waiting for the invitation. Drawing from her client experience, Nadia shares compelling anecdotes that resonate with Projectors across all career stages, particularly those—like myself—who find themselves operating more like Generators. Nadia Gabrielle (Guest): Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/_nadiagabrielle/ https://www.instagram.com/projectorsinvited/ Website: https://www.projectorsinvited.com/ Hannah Schmidt (Host): Awfully Quiet Podcast: https://www.instagram.com/awfullyquietpodcast/ Subtle Careers: https://www.instagram.com/subtlecareers/ TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@hannahssosa

In this solo episode, I am sharing how I pivoted from HR to Sales to Marketing and landed my dream role as a Brand Marketer working for a CPG corporation. I’ll walk you through 10 pivotal career lessons that have helped set myself up for success, guiding you on how to adopt a mindset conducive to taking the right actions and mastering self-talk at times you feel overlooked, underestimated and rejected for jobs you really wanted. Tune in to this episode if you are eager to initiate a career shift this year but feel uncertain about where to begin, how to cultivate the right mindset, and seek support from your superiors and network. Hannah Schmidt (Host): Awfully Quiet Podcast Subtle Careers TikTok

Do you ever meet someone new, and - once you learn their age - instantly start to measure up? Compare yourself? Assess your own progress & achievements against theirs? In this episode, we dive into a topic I know many of you wrestle with: Comparisonitis. Comparing yourself to others. You’ve heard the advice that tells you to steer clear of comparisons, but I'm here to offer a different take. Instead of desperately trying to avoid comparing where you are in your career vs. others, let's explore a fresh perspective—one that empowers you to leverage comparison as a pathway to your career goals. Join me for an open and insightful conversation about navigating Comparisonitis. Hannah Schmidt (Host): Awfully Quiet Podcast Subtle Careers TikTok

This episode is for you if you've been struggling with how to show up on LinkedIn, naturally draw Hiring Managers and Recruiters to your profile and get noticed for your unique expertise. In this episode, you’ll be hearing from LinkedIn Personal Brand Coach Abbey Naylor. We talk about how to build connection on the platform and put yourself out there in a way that highlights your expertise - without coming across awkward or salesy. Abbey takes you through her step-by-step approach on how to get started on LinkedIn, with easily applicable routines that build the muscle of tapping into your inner knowing, introspection and figuring out what it is you want to be known for. Abbey Naylor (Guest): Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/_boldmood/ Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/abbey-naylor-088546186/?originalSubdomain=au Website: https://www.boldmood.com.au/ Hannah Schmidt (Host): Awfully Quiet Podcast: https://www.instagram.com/awfullyquietpodcast/ Subtle Careers: https://www.instagram.com/subtlecareers/ TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@hannahssosa

Ever find yourself in meetings where it feels like the extroverts are dominating the conversation and you can't get a single word in? In this episode, I take you in on the behind-the-scenes of what happened to me on a meeting-heavy Friday - as if these weren't bad enough. This experience sparked an impromptu episode on "How to get a word-in, in a room full of extroverts". Alongside the emotions that go into dealing with meeting like this, I share five tips on how introverts can show presence and share their perspective in such situations. Join me on this short but spicy episode of the Awfully Quiet Podcast. Hannah Schmidt (Host): Awfully Quiet Podcast Subtle Careers TikTok

I got to sit down with Kristen Zavo: Career Coach, Keynote Speaker, and the Best-Selling author of Job Joy, where she writes about Success, Meaning, and Happiness in Your Career. Before launching her coaching practice, Kristen spent nearly two decades in traditional corporate jobs, including investment banking, financial consulting and marketing. In this episode, Kristen takes us into the behind-the-scenes of her client work, she gives actionable advice on how you *truly find* what you’re looking for in a career and teaches us the step-by-step framework and tools how to make it happen. We talk about different seasons of life and how we can give ourselves permission to change and adapt to who we are and how we show up at each stage. Kristen Zavo (Guest): Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kristenzavo Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kristenzavo/ Website: https://findyourjobjoy.com/ Hannah Schmidt (Host): Awfully Quiet Podcast: https://www.instagram.com/awfullyquietpodcast/ Subtle Careers: https://www.instagram.com/subtlecareers/ TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@hannahssosa

In this episode, we touch on a career subject that tends to get a bad rep - for good reasons: Job Interviews. I know you struggle with them. They make you feel anything but like yourself and are generally designed to take you off guard. But now it's time for you to start seeing the silver lining of going through dreadful job interview processes. This episode focuses on emphasizing the relevance of job interviews and why they are an important tool and skill-set that should not be underestimated. I assure you, by the end of this episode, you'll find yourself at least a tad enthused about job interviews, if not eager to tackle one head-on soon. Hannah Schmidt (Host): Awfully Quiet Podcast Subtle Careers TikTok

In this episode, we delve into the topic of hustle culture and the delicate balance between tirelessly putting in hard work vs. working smarter. We touch on how setting stricter boundaries, saying “no” and cultivating mindfulness in the pursuit of success is now what everybody seems to talk about, but at the end of the day, corporate still puts those on a pedestal who manage a high workload and “do it all”. You’ll hear me share my personal opinion on the debate of “to hustle” or “not to hustle” and offer advice on assessing your current career situation and navigating transitions with practical advice. Discover how shifting from working harder to working smarter can profoundly reshape how others perceive your leadership capabilities. Hannah Schmidt (Host): Awfully Quiet Podcast Subtle Careers TikTok

If you have dreaded setting your goals for the year so far, then this episode is for you. Join me on this short but spicy episode, as we dive into a crucial success factor that is often overlooked when goal setting. In this episode, we cover why it is important to set goals, how goals are making a difference in your career & what makes them work. This is not about tools to goal setting (for this, I do recommend you listen to this episode of the Mel Robbins Podcast). This episode is about a crucial blind spot you tend to miss when setting goals. Stay with me as I introduce a little surprise at the end, which will help you set goals that are *finally* going to work for you. Hannah Schmidt (Host): Awfully Quiet Podcast: https://www.instagram.com/awfullyquietpodcast/ Subtle Careers: https://www.instagram.com/subtlecareers/ Website: https://subtlecareers.com TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@hannahssosa

Today's episode is with someone I truly admire on many levels. With over 20 years of expertise in Marketing Strategy & Branding, Anneli Hansson, a Swedish award-winning Brand strategist & online educator, has a unique ability to effortlessly connect with her audience. I'm personally fascinated by how she turns strangers into genuine friends and business partners. Anneli's approach to helping creatives get paid for their ideas resonates deeply with my introverted side. In this episode, we explore the strengths of introverts in meeting & workshop facilitation and share tips on avoiding the "awfully quiet" stereotype. Anneli's insights into thinking, connecting, and curiosity make this episode a must-listen – and a genuine treasure for creatives in the world of Marketing & Brand Strategy. Anneli Hansson (Guest): Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theannelihansson/ Coaching, Courses & Community: https://zaap.bio/theannelihansson Hannah Schmidt (Host): Awfully Quiet Podcast: https://www.instagram.com/awfullyquietpodcast/ Subtle Careers: https://www.instagram.com/subtlecareers/ TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@hannahssosa

In this episode, I'm laying out your 2024 development plan, focusing on three inherent introverted strengths that are often underestimated. This isn't about fixing weaknesses - it's about taking your natural abilities to the next level. Elevate these qualities, and you'll make a significant impact on your career in 2024. These strengths, often overlooked, become your secret weapons when wielded intentionally. Join me in this episode to discover how to turn "boring soft skills" like listening and going inward into powerful career advantages - they won’t know what hit them! Hannah Schmidt (Host): Awfully Quiet Podcast: https://www.instagram.com/awfullyquietpodcast/ Subtle Careers: https://www.instagram.com/subtlecareers/ Website: https://subtlecareers.com TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@hannahssosa

In this candid and warm conversation, Kaisa Kapanen and I dive into the importance of having introverts in leadership positions and the powerful impact of becoming the role models and advisors we seek in our professional lives. Kaisa shares how her personal view on career progression has changed - from feeling like she didn't belong in the corporate landscape as an introvert to confidently stepping into her first leadership role. One of the highlights of our discussion is Kaisa's courageous career decision earlier this year. She brings to life the challenges and rewards of building a career that truly aligns with your authentic self and what you truly want in your life. Join us for a conversation that feels more like a catch-up among friends, as we reflect on the nuances of career, courage, and the willingness to speak our truths, even when it feels risky. Kaisa Kapanen (Guest): Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/passionkickstarter/ Hannah Schmidt (Host): Awfully Quiet Podcast: https://www.instagram.com/awfullyquietpodcast/ Subtle Careers: https://www.instagram.com/subtlecareers/ Website: https://subtlecareers.com TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@hannahssosa