How I Work

Looking ahead to a new year can feel exciting and overwhelming at the same time, especially when you’re not quite sure what you want the next chapter to feel like. 

In part 2 of my end-of-year reflection episode with my good friend and ABC broadcaster Lisa Leong - we explore the questions, habits, and small structural tweaks that can help shape a more intentional 2026 - the things that genuinely influence how your days unfold. 

If you’re planning out your 2026 and want a more thoughtful way to do it, this episode will give you plenty to play with. 

Lisa and I discuss: 

• The simple reframing that helps you imagine your next year as if it has already happened 

• How Lisa approaches designing an “ideal week” and why I’m thinking about a “perfect average day” 

• The role of the reticular activating system and why vision boards work for some people 

• How values shape the projects and choices you prioritise for the coming year 

• The habits we’re keeping, the ones we’re changing, and how identity influences behaviour 

• Why I’m stepping back from Instagram (again) and rethinking my relationship with email 

• How a “dumb phone” or burner phone can help create healthier digital boundaries 

• Our favourite prompts from the Year Compass, including the surprising question that reveals your “secret wish” for the year ahead 

KEY QUOTES  

“Instead of asking what would have been, I love writing it like it’s already happened — it changes how you think about the future.” 
“I want to design a perfect average day, because it’s something I can actually live up to and repeat.” 

Ever caught yourself rehearsing what to say at work - terrified one wrong phrase could spark backlash? 

In this Quick Win, I speak with Clare Stephens, former Editor-in-Chief at Mamamia, about the fear of getting it wrong, how to handle mistakes, and why the most powerful apology is often the simplest one. 

Clare learnt the hard way that over-explaining a mistake can make things worse. After facing public criticism early in her career, she reframed her approach to errors – both online and in leadership. Her advice? Keep apologies short, unreserved, and genuine. Then move on. 

Clare and I discuss: 

• Why leaders fear saying the wrong thing in today’s workplace 

• How to create a culture where mistakes are met with grace, not blame 

• The fine line between accountability and people-pleasing 

• Why long, detailed apologies rarely work 

• The simple framework for owning mistakes and moving forward 

KEY QUOTES 

“The best apology is short and unreserved. There’s no excuses. Just, ‘I’m apologising,’ and then you move on.” 

“You’re actually a worse leader if you can’t be direct.” 

Some years slip by in a blur, and others demand you stop and ask yourself why certain moments changed you more than you expected. This was one of those years for me. So in the first episode of this two-parter, I sit down with my good friend and ABC broadcaster Lisa Leong to compare the tools, questions and rituals we each used to make sense of 2025 - including the surprises neither of us saw coming. 

If you're craving a clearer, kinder way to understand what actually shaped your year, this conversation will give you plenty to explore.  

Lisa and I discuss: 

• Lisa’s favourite reflection tool: the Agile Retrospective 

• The energy audit I’m doing with my husband, including what energised us, what drained us, and the surprising things that lit us up. 

• How I use an interviewing GPT to challenge my thinking, dig deeper and unpack problems. 

• The Life Flow exercise: how mapping highs and lows reveals patterns.  

• How the people around us shaped our year - who influenced us most, and who we influenced. 

• The importance of letting go and deciding what emotional or practical baggage you don’t want to carry into the next year.  

KEY QUOTES 

“I still think with these reflection pieces, you should just go with what comes to you naturally, because it’s when we overthink things that we get away from a true reflection.”  

“Looking back on a year is never really about the events themselves, it’s about what they reveal.”  

When you’re on the edge of a big leap, do you spiral into everything that could go wrong? What if you asked a different question instead - one that opens the door to possibility rather than fear? 

In this Quick Win, I speak with educator and author Lael Stone about the powerful mindset shift from “How bad could it be?” to “How good could it get?” 

 It’s a simple reframe that changes how we approach risk, success, and self-sabotage - and helps us recognise when fear is keeping us small. 

Lael and I discuss: 

• Why our brains are wired to fixate on danger and protection 

• The one question that flips fear into curiosity: “How good could it get?” 

• How family patterns can quietly shape how we define success 

• The hidden guilt that makes some of us sabotage our achievements 
• A practical exercise to break free from old stories and step into growth 

KEY QUOTE 

“When you ask, ‘How good could it get?’, you open yourself up to possibilities you didn’t even know existed.” 

**Record a question for Amantha’s next Ask Me Anything here: https://www.speakpipe.com/howiwork **  

I talk about AI a lot - but if you’ve ever wondered how I actually use it in my own work, not just to experiment but to genuinely save time and think better, this episode is for you. 

In this Ask Me Anything episode I’m sharing the exact ways I use AI to research faster, write smarter, and stay organised - along with the simple rituals and tech tools that help me cut through distraction and get things done with more focus and flow - plus a sneak peek into my next book, The Energy Game, coming in July 2026. 

In this episode, I share: 

• How I use AI every day for research, writing, and personal decisions 

• My favourite AI tools - and how each one helps me save time 

• Weekly and daily rituals for managing tasks and priorities 

• How to minimise context switching when juggling multiple roles 

• Building psychological safety through trust and vulnerability 

• My favourite tech tools for meetings, focus, and idea capture 

• An update on my upcoming book The Energy Game 

Amantha recommends: 

These are the AI tools I rely on every week - from research to writing and everything in between.