The Rewriters

"Your Goal Planner is a living, breathing document and your Monthly Accountability Tracker is what keeps those goals alive. This isn't about marking homework - it's about building awareness, presence and understanding what is right for you." ~ Monique Shaw Welcome to Episode 5 of Season 4! Today marks our very first live Monthly Accountability Review. Whether you’ve been following along from Episode 1 with your goals already mapped, or you're jumping in fresh today, this episode is a guided working session designed to help you pause, take inventory and look at the whole picture of your work and life. EPISODE THEMES & HIGHLIGHTS Goals as Intentions, Not Fixed Rules: Why your goal planner must remain a living, breathing document that flexes as your life changes. Beyond the To-Do List: Why tracking mood, rest and values alignment is just as critical as tracking business or career milestones. Sleep vs. Rest: Exploring why you can get eight hours of sleep and still wake up exhausted (and how the 7 types of rest help you diagnose the real issue). The Rewrite Goal Planner (Macro View): A one-pager for mapping your SMART goals. The Rewrite Monthly Accountability Tracker (Micro Live Review): Your two-page monthly review tool. RESOURCES & LINKS DOWNLOAD: Free Rewrite Goal Planner ~ https://rewrite.myflodesk.com/goalplanner DOWNLOAD: Free Rewrite Monthly Accountability Tracker ~ https://rewrite.myflodesk.com/accountability DOWNLOAD: Free Rewrite Values Exercise ~ https://rewrite.myflodesk.com/valuesexercise LISTEN: The Rewriters Podcast Season 4, Episode 3 – "The Four Tendencies: Using Your Accountability Style to Create Change" ~ https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/the-rewriters/id1538589146?i=1000792135152 LISTEN: From The Rewriters Podcast archives – "Creating a Values-Led Career" ~ https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/quick-rewrite-3-creating-a-values-led-career/id1538589146?i=1000567356525 READ: The 7 Types of Rest (Article on physical, mental, sensory, creative, emotional, social, and spiritual rest) ~ https://www.health.harvard.edu/preventive-care/the-7-types-of-rest-and-why-we-need-them-all JOIN: The Rewriters Community Membership (Explore and join the membership) ~ https://www.rewriterewrite.com/becomeamember GET INVOLVED Submit to the Rewrite Clinic: Have a specific career challenge or question you’d like covered by Monique? Email [email protected] with pod rewrite clinic in the subject line. Join the Community: Experience monthly live accountability, quarterly 1:1 Rewrite Interventions, weekly body-doubling sessions and more at https://rewriterewrite.com/becomeamember Next Episode: Listen in two weeks from today for takeaways and reflections from The Rewriters Book Club discussion on Brené Brown’s Strong Ground, our next community book reveal and another brand-new Rewrite Clinic segment. EPISODE TIMESTAMPS 00:00 – Show Intro 00:27 – Welcome to Episode 5: Our First Monthly Accountability Review 03:47 – The Two Essential Tools: 1. Goal Planner + 2. Monthly Accountability Tracker 04:36 – Tool 1: The Rewrite Goal Planner (SMART goals framework) 06:40 – Tool 2: Monthly Accountability Tracker 12:28 – Core Values Alignment Audit: Rating Your Alignment (1–5) 14:15 – Tracker Page 2: Primary Goals, Focus This Month & Celebrating Wins 17:40 – Action Checklist, Community Next Steps & Resources ABOUT YOUR HOST Monique Shaw is a certified transformational coach, qualified marketer, and founder of Rewrite. After leaving a corporate career in 2020, Monique now helps ambitious, empathetic professionals rewrite how they live and work on their own terms and at their own pace. Discover more at rewriterewrite.com. GET IN TOUCH: Email: [email protected] Book a free consult: https://www.rewriterewrite.com/book Web: www.rewriterewrite.com LinkedIn: Monique Shaw https://www.linkedin.com/in/moniquelshaw/ The Rewriters is written, produced and presented by Monique Shaw. Original music by DJ Cinnamon. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

"Don’t deny or demean your process - know it, own it and embrace it. Play to your glorious strengths and approach the areas you struggle with with lashings of self-compassion." ~ Monique Shaw Welcome to Episode 4 of Season 4. In today’s episode, we have our first Rewrite Clinic segment, answering a real listener challenge about how to take a brain full of brilliant ideas and open tabs and move into practical action. If you often find yourself stuck in ideation and analysis paralysis - especially if you have an expansive or ADHD brain that sees infinite possibilities - this episode is for you. EPISODE THEMES & HIGHLIGHTS Coaching Mindset vs. Therapy: Interrogating questions to find the real need beneath the surface ask. Rewriting How You Work vs. Rewriting Your Career: You don't always need a full career rewrite - sometimes you just need tools that work with your brain. Time-Capping the Marination Phase: Why expansive, creative brains need an intentional, manual endpoint for the research and ‘open tab’ stage. My 4-Stage Creative Process: How to switch between your expansive right-brain thinking and structured left-brain execution. Micro-Deadlines & Body Doubling: Using short, 15-to-30-minute timebursts and co-working environments to gamify moving into action. KEY EPISODE TIMESTAMPS 05:00 – Rewrite Clinic: Getting ‘Marinating, Open Tabs’ into Action 06:45 – Rewriting How You Work vs. Rewriting Your Career 07:35 – Coaching Self-Inquiry Questions (Unpacking "Doing It Better") 09:40 – Moving into Action: Looking at Your Own Track Record 10:55 – Tool 1: Gretchen Rubin’s Four Tendencies as an Action Framework 13:30 – Time-Capping the Marination & ‘Open Tabs’ Phase 15:40 – Tool 2: My 4 Stages of the Creative Process (Right vs. Left Brain) 18:30 – Lowering the Stakes & Making Tasks Bite-Sized 20:00 – Tool 3: Micro-Deadlines & Breaking the Seal on Starting 21:40 – Tool 4: Body Doubling & Accountability in Community 23:05 – "Doing Career Better" & Playing to Your Unique Strengths 24:10 – Action Checklist & Episode Recap RESOURCES & LINKS LISTEN: Season 4, Episode 3 – The Four Tendencies: Using Your Accountability Style to Create Change https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/s4-ep-3-the-four-tendencies-using-your-accountability/id1538589146?i=1000792135152 (Find your free Rewrite Accountability Tracker in the Ep. 3 show notes) LISTEN: From the Archives – How to Stop the Perfectionism-Procrastination Cycle https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/s3-ep-5-how-to-stop-the-perfectionism-procrastination-cycle/id1538589146?i=1000747549696 LISTEN: From the Archives – How to Maximise and Conserve Your Time https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/re-release-how-to-maximise-and-conserve-your-time/id1538589146?i=1000721478914 JOIN: The Rewriters Community Membership https://www.rewriterewrite.com/becomeamember Download the FULL TRANSCRIPT for this episode. GET INVOLVED Submit to the Rewrite Clinic: Have a specific career challenge or topic you want answered and explored on air? Email [email protected] with pod rewrite clinic in the subject line. Join the Community: Ready for monthly accountability, quarterly 1:1 Rewrite Interventions and weekly body-doubling co-working sessions? Visit https://rewriterewrite.com/becomeamember. Next Episode: Join us in two weeks for our October Monthly Accountability Review! ABOUT YOUR HOST Monique Shaw is a certified transformational coach, qualified marketer, and founder of Rewrite. She helps ambitious, empathetic professionals rewrite how they live and work on their own terms and at their own pace. Learn more at rewriterewrite.com. GET IN TOUCH: Email: [email protected] Book a free consult: https://www.rewriterewrite.com/book Web: www.rewriterewrite.com LinkedIn: Monique Shaw https://www.linkedin.com/in/moniquelshaw/ The Rewriters is written, produced and presented by Monique Shaw. Original music by DJ Cinnamon. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

"The point isn't to figure out how to change your tendency, it’s to figure out how to work with it. Use that self-knowledge to game your own system and do the things that you want to do." ~ Monique Shaw In this episode, we explore accountability as an essential tool for creating lasting, values-led career change. We dive deep into Gretchen Rubin’s Four Tendencies framework so you can understand how you respond to internal and external expectations. Plus, I walk you through our downloadable Rewrite Accountability Tracker, a resource The Rewriters Community members use each month to track everything from mood, energy and values alignment to wins, challenges and goal progress. EPISODE THEMES & HIGHLIGHTS: The Power of Accountability: How accountability acts as a vital tool in building momentum and facilitating meaningful change. Personal Updates & Creative Recovery: Wrapping up The Artist's Way by Julia Cameron after decades of starting and stopping, reclaiming an artist identity, closing "open loops," and embracing autumn. Values Alignment & Mental Health: Unpacking Brené Brown’s quote from Strong Ground - "Values misalignment is death by a thousand cuts" and why values alignment is central to creating a career and life that really works. Gretchen Rubin’s Four Tendencies: Understanding how Obligers, Upholders, Questioners, and Rebels handle expectations differently, and how to tailor an accountability practice to your specific style. The Rewrite Accountability Tracker Walkthrough: A step-by-step guide to using our free 2-page monthly template to capture both qualitative insights (mood, wins, challenges) and quantitative wellbeing data. RESOURCES & LINKS: DOWNLOAD: Free Rewrite Accountability Tracker QUIZ: Gretchen Rubin's Four Tendencies Quiz LISTEN: From the The Rewriters Podcast Archives – Creating a Values-Led Career DOWNLOAD: Values Identification & Assessment Tool LISTEN: From the The Rewriters Podcast Archives – How to Deal with Jerks at Work JOIN: The Rewriters Community Membership BOOK: The Artist's Way by Julia Cameron BOOK: Strong Ground by Brené Brown BOOK: Be a Free Range Human by Marianne Cantwell ARTICLE: The 7 Types of Rest Download the Full Episode Transcript GET INVOLVED This podcast is designed as a career coach and community in your pocket. Here is how you can participate: Submit to the Rewrite Clinic: Have a specific career challenge you want coached on air? Email [email protected] with pod rewrite clinic in the subject line. (Submissions can be anonymised upon request). Suggest a Deep Dive: Have a broader topic or career obstacle you want covered? Email [email protected] with pod deep dive in the subject line. Join the Community: Ready to work with Monique and professional women from around the world? Visit rewriterewrite.com and click Become A Member. Next Episode: Join us in two weeks on Tuesday, 13th October for our next episode featuring our first Rewrite Clinic segment and a Deep Dive! TIMESTAMPS: 00:00 - Welcome & Episode Intro 02:15 - Creative Recovery: Finishing 'The Artist's Way' & Brené Brown on Values 07:40 - What is Accountability & How Coaches Use It 11:10 - Gretchen Rubin’s Four Tendencies Breakdown 18:25 - Walkthrough: The Rewrite Accountability Tracker (Pages 1 & 2) 21:50 – In the Next Episode & How to Submit to the Rewrite Clinic ABOUT YOUR HOST: Monique Shaw is a certified transformational coach, qualified marketer, and founder of Rewrite. She helps ambitious, empathetic professionals rewrite how they live and work on their own terms and at their own pace. Learn more at rewriterewrite.com. GET IN TOUCH: • Email: [email protected] • Book a free consult: https://www.rewriterewrite.com/book • Web: www.rewriterewrite.com • LinkedIn: Monique Shaw https://www.linkedin.com/in/moniquelshaw/ The Rewriters is written, produced and presented by Monique Shaw. Original music by DJ Cinnamon. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Welcome to Episode 2 of Season 4! In this episode, we're goal-planning for a strong close to 2026. I also explain what I mean by Inside-Out Career Change - a holistic approach that flips the script on traditional career change, prioritising who you are and how you want to live over external titles and success markers. I touch on how goal setting activates your brain’s salience network to keep your priorities top-of-mind and walk you through an 11-question mini goal-planning session. Episode Themes & Highlights The September Reset Energy: Why September feels like a bonus new year (plus personal updates on The Artist's Way, celebrating 5 years alcohol-free and stepping back from social media). Inside-Out Career Change Explained: Flipping the traditional career change narrative. The Neuroscience of Goals: How setting SMART goals activates your brain's salience network (inspired by Dr. James Doty’s Mind Magic). Mini Goal Planning Session: 11 Questions to help you define your primary non-negotiable target for 31st December 2026 (and how to get there). The 11 Goal-Planning Prompts Grab a notebook, download your free Rewrite Goal Planner and reflect on these questions from the episode: More: What do you want more of in your career right now? Less: What do you want less of? The Destination: Where do you want to be by 31st December 2026? Primary Focus: What is your single most important goal for the next 3 months? The Why: Why is this goal deeply important to you? Success Criteria: How will you know you’ve achieved it? Obstacles: What potential barriers or derailers could get in the way? Mitigation: How will you plan for and navigate those obstacles? Support: Who or what resources do you need to support you? Milestones: What action steps will you take this week, in 2 weeks, in a month? Celebration: How will you celebrate when you achieve this goal? Resources Referenced: DOWNLOAD: Free Rewrite Goal Planner Template (https://rewrite.myflodesk.com/goalplanner) LISTEN: Season 4, Episode 1 – The September Reset and Reimagining Your Career (https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/s4-ep-1-the-september-reset-and-reimagining-your-career/id1538589146?i=1000787130059) JOIN: The Rewriters Community Membership (https://www.rewriterewrite.com/becomeamember) BOOK RECOMMENDATION: The Artist's Way by Julia Cameron (https://juliacameronlive.com/) BOOK RECOMMENDATION: Mind Magic: The Neuroscience of Manifestation and How It Changes Everything by Dr. James Doty (https://www.jamesrdotymd.com/mindmagic) PODCAST RECOMMENDATION: No Country For Old Women (https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/no-country-for-old-women/id1882453166) Get Involved & Get In Touch This podcast is designed to be a career coach and community in your pocket. Here's how to get involved and participate in future episodes: Submit to the Rewrite Clinic: Have a specific, personal career challenge you need to address? Email [email protected] with pod rewrite clinic in the subject line (Submissions can be anonymised upon request). Suggest a Deep Dive: Want a broader career topic or obstacle covered on the show? Email [email protected] with pod deep dive in the subject line. Next Episode: Mark your calendar for Tuesday, 29th September for our first audio Monthly Accountability Session and a breakdown of different accountability styles. Become a Member: Want to work with Monique and the community directly? Join other highly empathetic ambitious professional women designing their lives on their terms at their own pace here: https://www.rewriterewrite.com/becomeamember. Join monthly and cancel anytime or join annually and immediately access your 4 free 1:1 coaching interventions with Monique. Get in touch with Monique Shaw: Email: [email protected] Book a free consult: https://www.rewriterewrite.com/book Web: www.rewriterewrite.com LinkedIn: Monique Shaw https://www.linkedin.com/in/moniquelshaw/ The Rewriters is written, produced and presented by Monique Shaw. Original music by DJ Cinnamon. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hello and welcome to a brand new season of The Rewriters! This episode is filled with ‘September Reset’ energy to help you lay the foundation for a career and life built on your own terms. After wrapping up Season 3 for the Summer, I am back with a brand new format designed to be an audio experience of my private membership, ‘The Rewriters Community’. Whether you want to change jobs, rethink how you work or find more fulfilment, this season is intended to act as a career coach and community in your pocket. What to expect: This season I’m introducing several new core elements that reflect the structure of ‘The Rewriters Community’, with bi-weekly episodes running until the start of next European Summer Monthly Accountability Sessions: We are introducing a new monthly accountability segment to help you keep your goals fresh, alive, and visible. We will review where you are and where you are headed, with our first accountability segment scheduled for Tuesday 29th September 2026. Rewrite Clinics: Acting as a 1:1 coaching intervention, this segment will unpack listener’s specific career challenges. I’ll provide coaching questions, observations and insights, as well as relevant resources. From Inside The Community (Deep Dives): We will dive into key career themes and obstacles that emerge directly from within the membership, the zeitgeist, and online – and from listeners. Rewriter Spotlight: Expect special guests and stories from other people who have rewritten their stories – including actual community members. In this episode: We’re kicking things off with some Pre-Goal Planning. Before we dive into identifying some solid and tangible goals in our next episode, we are doing some essential pre-planning to help you reconnect with what you want and open your mind up to possibilities. Grab yourself a pen and some paper for these two foundational exercises... Exercise 1: Visioning & Big Picture Thinking: Take time to imagine what your ideal career and life would look like, without limitations. We explore everything from your work setup and location to your home life, social activities and creative endeavours. Exercise 2: The Sacred Circle: Draw a large circle and define your absolute top 3-5 "must-haves" inside it. Place your top 3-5 "must-not-haves" outside of the circle. Through this exercise you’ll gain clarity on what needs to be prioritised and protected in your life. Get involved: I would LOVE your active participation this season! Here is how you can get involved and get the most out of the podcast… Submit Your Challenges: Want to be featured in a Rewrite Clinic? Email your career challenges to [email protected] with 'pod rewrite clinic' in the subject line. For broader career obstacles you want covered, use 'pod deep dive' in the subject line. Support the Pod: Create your own rewrite accountability group with your friends or colleagues, share this episode and please leave a 5-star review on Apple Podcasts so other rewriters can find me. Download your resources: Keep an eye on the shownotes each episode so you don’t miss any free resources. Next episode be sure to download your free Rewrite Goal Planner and Accountability Tracker to help you prepare for our upcoming accountability segments and track your progress. Become a Member: Want to work with Monique and the membership directly? Join other highly empathetic ambitious professional women designing their lives on their terms at their own pace here: https://www.rewriterewrite.com/becomeamember. Join monthly and cancel anytime or join annually and immediately access your 4 free 1:1 coaching interventions with Monique. Get in touch with Monique Shaw: Email: [email protected] Book a free consult: https://www.rewriterewrite.com/book Web: www.rewriterewrite.com LinkedIn: Monique Shaw The Rewriters is written, produced and presented by Monique Shaw. Original music by DJ Cinnamon. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.