This week’s episode is our first ever monthly career advice conversation, where Dr Luella Forbes and co‑host Michelle reflect on the themes and insights from this month’s guests — Mehdi Langroudi and Kelly Shay, as well as answering a listener question about confidence, career transitions and imposter syndrome. You don't have to have listened to the previous episodes to find this useful, but you can find them in your feed if you want to hear what we're talking about.

Across the conversation, Luella and Michelle explore how purpose and meaningful work show up in real careers, what motivates us, and why understanding your values can help shape better work decisions at every stage of life. They also unpack academic research on purpose, intrinsic motivation and pro‑social behaviour — and what it means for leaders trying to support teams.

For access to the sources discussed in this episode please refer to the blog here.

The big topic: Purpose & meaningful work

• Why “purpose” isn’t well‑defined in academic research — and what researchers look at instead
• How purpose shows up in organisations (and why the language can get confusing)
• Why younger generations seek meaning at work — and why mid‑career professionals do too
• Practical tools for identifying your purpose or values
• How leaders can use purpose to improve engagement, satisfaction and commitment
• Research insights:
  • People with high intrinsic motivation are less likely to burn out
  • They have higher job satisfaction, engagement and proactivity
  • They show lower absenteeism and lower resistance to change
• Why purpose isn’t a magic fix — and when over‑commitment can lead to risk

Listener question: “I’ve stepped into my first big leadership role… but now I feel like an imposter. Help?”

• The difference between imposter syndrome and simply feeling inexperienced
• Why stretching into new roles feels uncomfortable (and why that’s normal)
• How to identify your strengths and notice where confidence is missing
• Why asking for help is a strength, not a weakness
• How to build a network of peers, mentors and “informal departments” around you
• Why no one hires you hoping you’ll fail — and how to remind yourself you belong
• Advice for new leaders in small organisations

This week's book recommendation:

• Feel-Good Productivity — Ali Abdaal

This is a evidence‑based, with lots of practical ideas for doing more of what matter. A great starting point if you’re feeling overwhelmed or stuck

• 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 would like Luella and Michelle to answer to stories@the-career-library.com.
• Support this podcast by becoming a member and get access to bonus episodes containing work related advice from Luella, Michelle and expert guests as well as a monthly newsletter with access to tools and guidance from this week's advice episode.

Help other people find this podcast by subscribing in your podcast app and leaving a review.
Career Stories is brought to you by The Career Library.

This week’s guest is Kelly Shay, Retirement and Retention Leader at Mercer Australia — someone who has spent her career working to improve outcomes for people who can’t always speak for themselves, both here and overseas.

From student politics, to union organising across Australia, the US and Canada, to leadership roles in some of the country’s largest superannuation funds, Kelly’s career is anything but traditional. Grounded, values‑driven and full of insight, Kelly shares how purpose has steered her path — and why impact matters more than job titles.

In this episode, Kelly shares:

• What a retirement & retention leader actually does
• Why women retire with less — and what needs to change
• Her role in transforming pay and conditions for disability support workers
• How she moved from unions into super — and why the skills transfer
• The philosophy she leads with: commercial with a heart
• How purpose and perspective shape her approach to work
• The career advice she lives by - "clear is kind"

Resources mentioned:

• Brené Brown’s work, including Dare to Lead
• “Man in the Arena” — Theodore Roosevelt (referenced by Brené Brown)

All opinions are the guest’s own.

New episodes every Wednesday, with interviews with leaders or experts each week, plus a monthly discussion on what we’ve learned.

We’d love to hear from you. Share your thoughts on recent episodes, or send questions you'd like Luella and Michelle to answer, at stories@the-career-library.com.

Support this podcast by becoming a member and get access to bonus episodes with work‑related advice from Luella, Michelle and our expert guests, plus a monthly newsletter with tools and guidance from the advice episode.

Help others discover the show by subscribing in your podcast app and leaving a review. Career Stories is brought to you by The Career Library.

This week's guest is Mehdi Langroudi, Executive Director of Network Operations, for Main Roads Western Australia, or in his son's words "the guy who fixes traffic"!

With a global career spanning Scotland, London, Dubai, Qatar and now Perth, Mehdi shares how he accidentally fell into traffic engineering, what he's learned about leadership, and why career choices don't need to be over-engineered.

In this episode:

• What a traffic operations leader actually does
• How his team have used gaming skills to win awards for their approach
• The differences between working in the UK, Middle East and Australia
• How to know when it's time to move countries - or jobs
• The importance of communication
• His thoughts on work life balance, wellbeing and career fulfilment

Resources mentioned:

• Feel Better, Live More — the wellbeing podcast hosted by Dr Rangan Chatterjee

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 would like Luella and Michelle to answer to stories@the-career-library.com.
• Support this podcast by becoming a member and get access to bonus episodes containing work related advice from Luella, Michelle and expert guests as well as a monthly newsletter with access to tools and guidance from this week's advice episode.

Help other people find this podcast by subscribing in your podcast app and leaving a review.
Career Stories is brought to you by The Career Library.