Career Advice: Purpose & motivation, Imposter Syndrome & confidence
This week's episode is our first monthly career advice conversation, where Dr Luella Forbes and co-host Michelle Gander - Associate Professor and specialist in Career Development - reflect on the themes and insights from this month's guest interviews with Mehdi Langroudi and Kelly Shay.
In this episode:
- What purpose actually means at work - and why the research uses different language than the business world does
- The difference between intrinsic and extrinsic motivation - and why it matters more than a corner office
- The data behind purpose-driven work: why high intrinsic motivation is linked to lower burnout, higher engagement and greater resilience to change
- Why younger generations are demanding meaningful work - and why mid-career professionals are asking the same questions
- How leaders can connect their team members to purpose, even in highly structured or resource-constrained environments
- This month's listener question: imposter syndrome - how to back yourself when everyone else already believes in you
- The difference between imposter syndrome and a lack of confidence (they're not the same thing)
- Book recommendation: Feelgood Productivity by Ali Abdaal - how to do more of what matters to you
- A note on how to evaluate career advice: what to look for when deciding whose voice to trust
This week's book recommendation:
- Feel-Good Productivity - Ali Abdaal
All opinions are the guest's own.
New episodes on a Wednesday, with interviews with leaders or experts every week and a monthly discussion on what we've heard in the last week of the month.
We'd love to hear from you. Share your thoughts on recent episodes or questions you'd like Luella and Michelle to answer at [email protected].
Career Stories is hosted by Dr Luella Forbes, who works with organisations on leadership, change and storytelling. To find out how she can support your leaders and teams, visit luellaforbes.com/services
More about the podcast: luellaforbes.com/career-stories
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Creators and Guests
Host
Associate Professor Michelle Gander
Michelle is an Associate Professor at Murdoch University, specialising in careers.
Host
Dr Luella Forbes
Dr Luella Forbes is a consultant specialising in Organisational Change and founder of The Career Library and it's podcast, Career Stories.
