The Solo Collective

MONEY: What is financial well-being?

For many of us, looking after our money - as adults, as well as solo workers - feels like one of the most complicated things we have to do. And yet, as Clare Seal points out, most of us lack any kind of financial education and are just muddling along as best we can. Combine that with the fact that for many solo workers, our income is inextricably tied to how we view both our business success and our sense of self worth, and you've got a fairly toxic combination. Clare Seal (no relation to Rebecca!) knows all this only too well: in her 20s, she got into debt and saw it impact not just her finances but also her mental health. As she worked to dig herself out of debt over the past three years, she documented her experiences on instagram, via a then-anonymous account, @myfrugalyear, which gained thousands of followers before she outed herself. Today, she writes about financial well being and helps other people navigate the practicalities and emotions of money. Her latest book is Five Steps to Financial Wellbeing, a brilliant guide to getting to grips with how you feel about money, filled with practical advice - just like this conversation with her is. The Solo Collective is sponsored by Tide business banking: banking made easy for sole traders and small businesses. We are also sponsored by Pension Bee, which has a flexible pension product specifically for self employed people.Clare's recommendations:SnoopQuickbooks accounting softwareMoney Saving Expert websiteIllumoni borrowing companion appMore from Clare Seal:Find her on Instagram: @myfrugalyearMore from Rebecca Seal:Instagram: @bexseal ; @the_solo_collectiveTwitter: @RebeccaSealWebsite: How To Work AloneThis series is produced by Hester Cant Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

ROUTINES: There's no such thing as a perfect day

Welcome back to a new season of the Solo Collective, with Rebecca Seal. We are delighted to have you with us. This episode is a fascinating conversation with Madeleine Dore, founder of the website Extraordinary Routines, which started off as a way for Madeleine to try to find herself an optimum routine by interviewing other people about theirs, but quickly turned into an exploration of the myths around productivity and the complex ways in which our personal productivity becomes enmeshed with our ideas of self worth. Madeleine has just written a fantastic book, I Didn't Do The Thing Today which is about letting go of productivity guilt (and much, much more). She is also host of the Routines and Ruts podcast. Madeleine is based in Australia. The Solo Collective is sponsored by Tide business banking: banking made easy for sole traders and small businesses. We are also sponsored by Pension Bee, which has a flexible pension product specifically for self employed people. More from Madeleine Dore:Find her on Instagram: @extraordinary_routinesHer website: https://extraordinaryroutines.com/More from Rebecca Seal:Instagram: @bexseal ; @the_solo_collectiveTwitter: @RebeccaSealWebsite: How To Work AloneThis series is produced by Hester Cant Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

TRAILER: Season 3

Welcome back to the Solo Collective, with me, Rebecca Seal. Season 3 is coming very soon: we will be covering money and how not to get in a mess with it, productivity myths and how to break free from them, time and how to use it, flexible working and much, much more. We are glad to have you with us. Subscribe now, so that you get the first new episode as soon as it's released. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

RESILIENCE: The Misdirection of Resilience

Bruce Daisley is one of Europe’s most influential voices when it comes to fixing the workplace. His Sunday Times Bestseller, Joy of Work, distilled years of academic research into practical advice while his celebrated business podcast, Eat Work Sleep Repeat, championed bringing joy to our jobs agains. Recently he’s turned his attention to breaking down the concept of resilience in the workplace - a buzzword that has been thrown around for the last few years but what does it really mean? In this final episode of series two of The Solo Collective, Bruce joins Rebecca to discuss the roots of resilience from the US Army to Simone Biles’ Olympic gold medals and what overcoming adversity really means for the rest of us. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

FRIENDSHIPS: Who's Giving and Who's Taking?

As humans, we all have a deep need for belonging and community. It's not surprising then that when we move into the professional world, we often turn to colleagues for friendship. This week Amy Gallo, author of the forthcoming book Getting Along: How to Work with Anyone (Even Difficult People) and Contributing Editor at Harvard Biz, joins Rebecca to discuss the benefits of work and professional relationships. She explains the importance of setting boundaries but also argues that retaining a level of openness could lead to more meaningful relationships. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.