Awfully Quiet

I came home from a Monday evening cycling class and immediately sat down to record this. The instructor said something during class that completely stayed with me. And the more I sat with it (or more accurately: sweat through it), the more I realized how much of career ambition, confidence, visibility, and even success seems to come back to that exact thing. Not following what looks impressive ext...

Apparently, speaking in front of people is one of the most feared things in the world. Which… checks out. Especially if you’re listening to this. This conversation made me want to use my voice more. Not in a performative, “be louder” way. More in a stop overthinking and just say the thing kind of way. This week, I’m joined by Annelise McCarthy: Speaking coach and the voice behind You’re On Mute ....

Here’s my confession: I worked five years to get to a senior level position in brand management. But whenever I introduce myself in meetings… I always drop the word "senior". Because it feels like I shouldn’t be making a fuss. Stressing this little word would feel ego driven. Like I want to make myself more important than I am. Until I realized… it’s doing myself and the people I introduce myself...

At some point, exceeding expectations stops being impressive… and starts being expected. It becomes your thing. What you’re known for. And more often than not… what quietly keeps you in place. Because your work is strong. Your standards are high. And somehow, you’re still not the one people think of when opportunities come up. We get into: Why exceeding expectations is the floor, not the ceiling W...

You’ve probably been told to “speak up more” at work.  And you try. But it never quite works the way people say it will. This episode is about why that advice doesn’t really work for quiet people. And actually…&nbsp...

It’s Monday morning. Someone asks how your weekend was. And suddenly you’re performing. Because you feel like you need to sound interesting… without saying that your weekend was actually quite quiet. In this episode of Awfully Quiet , we talk about the version of you that shows up at work. The one that’s polished, professional, reliable. And somehow… a bit hard to connect with. Not because somethi...

You don’t get seen at work just by doing great work. You get seen because people understand what you’re doing, remember it, and talk about it when you’re not in the room. Most of us were never taught how that part actually works. In this episode of Awfully Quiet , we get into the unwritten rules of who actually gets seen at work and why visibility has very little to do with extrovert-coded network...

What do you do when your mind is wired for big ideas but your energy tells a completely different story? In this solo episode, I get honest about the two sides constantly at war in my head: the quiet, introspective one that wants to slow down, and the achiever who refuses to. Building a podcast, a corporate career, digital products and more, all while wondering why I was given a visionary’s mind b...

If introduction rounds make you slightly uncomfortable… this one’s for you. We’re talking about the 30 seconds at the start of a call, and why they quietly shape how people involve you after. Most of us default to our job title. Which sounds fine… but doesn’t actually tell anyone how we think or where we add value. We’ll get into: why intro rounds feel mildly confronting the shift from “performing...

If you’ve ever thought, “If I were really confident, this wouldn’t feel so hard,” or felt pressure to sound more impressive than you actually feel, this episode might gently challenge that entire narrative. In this episode of Awfully Quiet, I sit down with Dr. Dan Rosenfeld, psychologist, comedian, and author of The Confidence Equation , to explore why trying to sound confident might be the very t...

Your ideas deserve better than your notes app. But I understand why they end up there. What feels layered and sharp on the inside rarely comes out that way on the first try. And most advice about “putting yourself out there” sounds the same: be louder, be faster, be more extroverted than you actually are. So you keep your thinking to yourself. Not because it isn’t good. But because you don’t want...

If you’re quiet, introspective, and don’t consider yourself good at “selling yourself,” this conversation will change how you think about job search. This week, I sat down with Anna Belyaeva to talk about how jobs actually happen now, especially for people who think deeply, do solid work, and don’t rely on loud self-promotion. Anna is a Stanford-certified career coach and job search strategist who...

In this episode, I walk through four concrete moves that help make your thinking visible at work, especially if you tend to be on the quieter side. Not by speaking more, pushing yourself to perform confidence, or explaining yourself all the time. But by making your judgement, direction, and intent easier for other people to follow. We look at: – why quiet thinking so often stays invisible by defau...

Quiet doesn’t get overlooked because it’s weak. It gets overlooked when other people don’t know what to make of it. In this episode, we move past why quiet gets misread at work and into the more useful question: when does quiet thinking actually start working? You’ll hear why two people can think quietly in the same room, and yet only one is read as smart, trusted, and pulled into bigger conversat...

You do solid work. People rely on you. And still, you’re easier to overlook than you should be. This episode looks at how that happens. How perception forms at work. Why some people get read as “ready” early, while others keep delivering without being pulled forward. It’s not a confidence issue. And it’s not about motivation. It’s a quieter mechanism most people never name. The quietest big dream...

Quiet people are often told the same things: Speak up more. Be more confident. Put yourself out there. But what if none of that is actually the real problem? In this episode, we look at something far more uncomfortable + far more powerful: the fact that quiet behavior creates cognitive and evolutionary discomfort in other people. Not because you’re doing anything wrong. But because the human brain...

I’ve been questioning something I always thought was non-negotiable: consistency. This week, I reflect on the pressure of releasing an episode every single week, the tension between quality and output, and the fear of stopping when consistency feels like the only thing holding momentum together. It’s a conversation about podcast growth, but also about careers, ambition, and visibility. I draw a pa...

In this episode, I reflect on my first year as a Senior Brand Manager and the quiet unlearning that came with it. From letting go of performative “senior behaviour,” to learning when not to speak, this is an honest look at what leadership starts to require as your scope grows. We talk about finding your senior voice, steering instead of telling, facilitating decisions rather than forcing them, and...

Before you disappear into the well-earned nothingness, take these eight quiet minutes to gently close the work year. A soft bridge between what you’ve just wrapped up and the rest that’s waiting on the other side. No goal-setting. No performance. Just you, taking a moment to let your system settle before the holidays take over. This short pause is an invitation to exhale the noise, remember what w...

There’s a moment when you realise the opportunity you wanted all year… might not have known where to sit if it arrived. This episode looks at the subtle difference between wanting something and actually being ready for it, and how the smallest adjustments change the way opportunity finds us. Through two simple, everyday metaphors, we explore how shifts in our environment, habits, and clarity creat...

We often assume our reputation at work is shaped by the big moments. The presentations. The milestones. The “official” opportunities. But most people form their opinion of us in the tiny, forgettable interactions — the “how was your weekend,” the quick update in the hallway, the accidental coffee machine moment with someone senior. Because these conversations feel insignificant, we wing them or do...

Today I'm speaking with Lauren Currie OBE, founder of UPFRONT, an organization on a mission to change confidence, visibility, and power for 10 million women. We explore the quiet moments behind stepping onto a stage, leading change, and taking up space in ways that actually feel like you. We talk about the unlearning that has to happen before confidence becomes real, letting go of the pressure to...

Someone on a Teams call says, “Let’s do quick introductions,” and suddenly your brain goes… blank. It’s not nerves, it’s that micro-freeze when your instinct to reflect meets a moment built for performance. In this episode, we unpack what’s really happening beneath that silence, and how to introduce yourself in a way that feels grounded, effortless, and distinctly you. No more robotic “corporate b...

Two years into Awfully Quiet , it was time for a subtle rebrand. In this behind-the-scenes episode, I take you inside my little home studio recording an episode of the podcast, reflecting on how far it has come, and sharing the story behind the rebrand. From the new photoshoot to what this next era means creatively and personally, this episode is part studio vlog, part reflection, part permission...

Quiet is getting a rebrand. For everyone who’s ever been called shy, reserved, or too quiet at work. This is where you stop waiting to be seen and start shaping how you’re seen. Seven steps. Seven quiet power moves. To shift the story about you, without changing who you are. My resource line-up: Quiet Flex Framework Subtle Scripts Pack Self-Promo Cheat Sheet Hit subscribe if you’re ready to rebran...