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Aunty Treacle

Aunty Treacle

By: Anna Keen and Stuart Hughes
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 Feeling Stuck in Your Career or Impact Journey? Ask Aunty Treacle…





Welcome to Aunty Treacle, the go-to resource for professionals looking to make an impact in their careers. Whether you’re facing a career crossroads, navigating workplace challenges, or striving to lead with purpose, Aunty Treacle is here to help you get unstuck. By crowdsourcing advice from a diverse network of impact-driven professionals, we aim to provide you with a wealth of perspectives and ideas to help you move forward in your career and create meaningful change.

We believe there’s no single right answer. Every individual and situation is unique, and by offering multiple insights, we encourage you to explore different approaches to unlock your potential and make a difference in your work.



Copyright Anna Keen and Stuart Hughes Career Success Economics
Episodes
  • The Sticky Middle – Part 2

    The Sticky Middle – Part 2
    Aug 13 2025
    From Peer to Leader: Turning Thinking into Action

    In this follow-up to Episode 6, Anna, Stuart, and guest Oli Sanandres return to help a listener take their first steps into people leadership. If you haven’t listened to Part 1, start there as it lays the essential mindset groundwork. In Part 2, we move from thinking like a leader to acting like one. The listener asks:

    “Dear Aunty Treacle, I’ve recently accepted a promotion at work that will see me move from individual contributor to line manager. This is my first step into people management, and I’m determined for it to be successful. How do I step out of my peer group and into this leadership position without putting noses out of joint, losing friendships, and while still delivering for the organisation and the employees? Wisdom from those who’ve done this before would be appreciated.” Together, the team dive into the tools, habits, and conversations that make this transition work in real life.

    Key Topics Covered
    • Starting with connection and recontracting relationships
    • Setting expectations clearly and early
    • Giving and receiving feedback with care and clarity
    • Creating psychologically safe spaces for team input
    • Balancing kindness with accountability
    • Using routines and rituals that work for you
    • Managing up, down and across the system
    • Leading without being the hero or having all the answers
    • Holding reflection time to stay grounded and grow
    • Building a leadership identity that stays true to you
    Practical Tools & Tips
    • Time to Think (TTT) – schedule regular time to pause and plan
    • T-Up Play – Oli’s team expectations framework
    • Recontracting – reset team dynamics with intention
    • Yes, If – a reframing tool to support possibility and safety
    • Reflection Rituals – stack feedback and learning with something enjoyable
    • Coaching Mindset – support others to solve problems, don’t rescue them
    Reflection Prompts
    • What’s one thing I can let go of to lead better?
    • Am I empowering or heroing?
    • How am I showing up for my team and for myself?
    Resources Mentioned
    • Episode 6 – The Sticky Middle: Part 1
    • Episode 4 – Setting Up for Success with Gareth Evans
    • How to Lead with Purpose by Liam Black
    • Leadership principles and journaling practices
    We’d Love Your Feedback

    Just stepped into leadership? Got a sticky situation of your own?

    Email us at ask@auntytreacle.com or tag us on socials. Next Episode: Time, Energy & the Myth of ‘Enough’

    We tackle the leadership tension of limited time, endless demands and making space for what really matters.
    Show More Show Less
    50 mins
  • The Sticky Middle – Part 1

    The Sticky Middle – Part 1
    Jul 23 2025
    The Sticky Middle – Part 1

    From Peer to Leader: Shifting Your Thinking

    In this episode, Anna, Stuart, and special guest Oli Sanandres respond to a classic sticky career moment from a listener taking their first steps into people leadership:

    “Dear Aunty Treacle, I’ve recently accepted a promotion at work that will see me move from individual contributor to line manager. This is my first step into people management, and I’m determined for it to be successful. How do I step out of my peer group and into this leadership position—without putting noses out of joint, losing friendships, and while still delivering for the organisation and the employees? Wisdom from those who’ve done this before would be appreciated.”

    Oli brings thoughtful insights from a varied career across local government, aviation, Amazon, and the military, where he went from rifleman to officer. Together, the team explore what it really takes to think like a leader before you start acting like one.

    Spoiler: This isn’t about getting it all right. It’s about stepping into a new mental model, letting go of old success markers, and learning how to lead without losing yourself.

    Key Topics Covered:
    • Why leadership is about thinking, not just doing
    • The mindset shift from personal delivery to enabling others
    • How to stay authentic (and humble) as you move from peer to leader
    • Letting go of your “hero cape” and redefining what success looks like
    • The importance of time to think and why it’s not a luxury
    • The awkward art of managing former peers (without becoming a stranger)
    • What the military taught Oli about influence, optics and staying grounded
    • Leadership as a system: managing up, down, and across
    • Paying it forward and using your role to grow others
    • Sitting in discomfort and trusting others to solve problems their way

    Resources to Explore:
    • Episode 2 – Am I Enough? – for anyone struggling with imposter feelings
    • Leadership Development Tip: Audit how you spend your time - are you thinking or just doing?
    • Reframing Question: What do I need to let go of to lead well?
    • Coaching Prompt: What kind of leader do I want to be and why?

    We’d Love Your Feedback!
    Stepping into leadership? Navigating your own sticky middle?
    Email us at ask@auntytreacle.com or tag us on socials.

    We’d love to hear what resonated and what you’re still wrestling with.

    Next Episode: The Sticky Middle – Part 2
    We’ve done the mindset shift - next, we move into action. In Episode 7, we bring Oli back to explore how to lead with clarity, care, and confidence.

    How do you set expectations, have tough conversations, and take people with you?

    Join us as we turn the thinking into doing.
    Show More Show Less
    41 mins
  • Is Safety Still For Me?

    Is Safety Still For Me?
    Jul 2 2025
    🎙️ Aunty Treacle - Episode 5: Is Safety Still for Me?

    In this episode, Anna, Stuart, and guest Steph Camm respond to a deeply relatable listener challenge from someone feeling disillusioned with their career in safety:

    “Dear Aunty Treacle, I’m six years into my safety career and starting to wonder if it’s for me. I got into this work because I care about people and want to make a difference but all anyone seems to care about is compliance. I’m losing hope that I’ll ever find a role where I can do things differently. Is there a future for me in safety?”

    Steph brings honesty, warmth, and wisdom as she shares her own journey through different sectors including hotels, student accommodation, facilities, and engineering and reflects on the moments she questioned her own path. Together, the team explore what it really means to be at a career crossroads, and how to navigate through uncertainty with clarity, courage, and care. Spoiler: It’s not just about safety, it’s about rediscovering purpose, getting unstuck, and giving yourself permission to pivot.

    Key Topics Covered:
    • The compliance-care tension: how to hold both without losing your soul
    • Reframing audits, checklists and inspections as opportunities for curiosity
    • Spotting green flags in interviews and why language matters
    • Navigating gut instinct, red flags, and the emotional signals we ignore
    • Exploring the “career equation” aligning values, strengths, impact and environment
    • When to stay, when to go, and how to make bold but grounded moves
    • Career as a relationship: why your job should meet your needs too
    • Coaching, reflection, and finding clarity without waiting for permission
    • Courage as a core leadership skill—especially when saying “this isn’t right for me”
    Resources to Explore:
    • The Career Equation – The Career Equation®
    • Risk Savvy by Gerd Gigerenzer – on gut instinct and smart decision-making
    • Four Qualities of a Great Career (reverse your way in!):
      1. I’m around fascinating people
      2. I make good money
      3. I’m good at it
      4. I enjoy it
    • Reframing tip: Audit your current job for learning and experimentation, not just output
    • Interview reflection question: “How does this organisation align with who I am and what I value?”
    We’d Love Your Feedback!

    Have you hit a career crossroads? Are you feeling stuck or second-guessing your profession?
    Drop us a line at ask@auntytreacle.com or tag us on socials. Your questions help others get unstuck too.

    Next Episode: 🌟 The Sticky Middle – Part 1 & 2
    We’re doubling up for the next release as we dig into one of the most challenging transitions in any career: moving from individual contributor to people leader.
    What changes, what stays the same and how do you lead others without losing yourself?

    See you soon, Treacle fans. And yes, we still have Blazing Squad stuck in our heads too.
    Show More Show Less
    54 mins
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