Favourite Positions

About Favourite Positions

Conversations on careers, culture and the future of work - with the people shaping it. Hosted by Alex Young.

Publisher

Alex

Category

business

Language

en

Explicit

No

First episode

25 Apr 2022

Latest episode

7 Jul 2026

Latest episodes

76 episodes in the feed.

1. 

   7 Jul 2026

   Episode 10: The Modern Career Playbook - Finale

   In this final episode of The Modern Career Playbook, Alex brings together the biggest lessons from the entire series. Across the previous nine episodes, Alex spoke to founders, researchers, coaches, creatives and business leaders about what it really takes to build a fulfilling and credible career in a world of constant change. At the end of every conversation, each guest was asked the same question: "If you could add one rule to the Modern Career Playbook, something that would help people build a more fulfilling and credible career today, what would it be?" This episode brings every answer together in one place. Alongside each guest's rule, Alex reflects on the practical lessons, the common themes that emerged across the series and how listeners can apply them in their own careers. In this episode, you'll hear from: Isabelle Panton (https://www.instagram.com/corporateagonyaunt/) Leah Meredith (https://www.instagram.com/leahmmeredith/) Dr Hayley Dawson (https://www.instagram.com/letstalkhumanskills/) Teri Thomas (https://www.instagram.com/mrs_teri_thomas/) Alice Benham (https://www.instagram.com/alice_benham/) Anne-Sophie Fluri (https://www.instagram.com/coochiebygucci/) James Pates (linkedin.com/in/jamespates/) Charlotte Davies (linkedin.com/in/charlotte-davies-14b49033/) Jemima Carr-Jone (https://www.instagram.com/blondejemima/) Key takeaways: Build a career around your own values, not someone else's timeline. The relationships you build at work matter more than you think. Doing great work isn't enough if nobody knows about it. You don't have to feel 100% ready before taking action. Trust, curiosity and resilience are becoming some of the most valuable career skills. Technology will continue to evolve, but human skills will remain your greatest advantage. The best careers are rarely planned perfectly. They're built through action, experimentation and continuous learning. Follow Favourite Positions: Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/favouritepositionspodcast) LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/in/alex-young-74431a135/) Website (https://favouritepositions.com/) About the series: The Modern Career Playbook is a series of conversations with credible leaders and specialists exploring what progression, leadership and career development actually look like today. If you've enjoyed this series, I'd love it if you could follow the podcast, leave a rating or review, and share it with someone who's building their career. And if one rule from this playbook has stayed with you, I'd love to hear which one.

2. 

   10 Jun 2026

   Episode 09: The Modern Career Playbook - James Pates

   In this episode of The Modern Career Playbook, Alex speaks with James Pates about career pivots, AI, automation and how technology can help people and businesses work more effectively. James is a software developer, automation specialist and founder of Solve Studio, where he builds internal tools, systems and automations for startups and SMEs. Before moving into tech, James worked in fashion and menswear buying, giving him a first-hand understanding of what it means to change direction, learn new skills and rebuild confidence in a completely different industry. This is a practical and honest conversation about what AI can actually do, where automation is most useful, why not everything should be automated and how people in non-technical roles can start using AI in a thoughtful and valuable way. In this episode, Alex and James discuss: James’s early career in fashion and menswear buying what it felt like to pivot from fashion into tech how James taught himself to code and used AI to learn faster the reality of starting a business after redundancy why transferable skills are not always obvious at first how James found his first clients through focused outreach the types of problems early-stage businesses often need help solving why the best automations usually start with repetitive, manual tasks what businesses should avoid automating too early the role of trust, warmth and human connection in customer communication how AI can give teams more time for higher-value work where non-technical people can start if they want to use AI more confidently why good writing and good prompting are closely connected how to use AI to improve processes, briefs, planning and decision-making what makes an AI tool genuinely useful rather than just impressive the launch of the Favourite Positions AI Career Coach why human-centred skills are becoming even more important as technology changes work Key takeaways: AI is most useful when it solves a real problem, not when it is used for novelty. The best place to start is often one repetitive task, manual process or recurring admin headache. Not every interaction should be automated, especially when trust and relationships matter. You do not need to be deeply technical to start using AI well. Strong writing, clear thinking and good questions make AI outputs much better. Technology can help people prepare, practise and build confidence, but it works best when it supports human judgement. As AI becomes more embedded in work, communication, relationships and critical thinking will matter more than ever. Connect with James: James’s website (https://www.jamespates.dev/) LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/in/jamespates/) Book an Automation Audit (https://calendly.com/jp-jamespates/30min) Mentioned in this episode: Favourite Positions AI Career Coach (https://careercoach.favouritepositions.com/) Follow Favourite Positions: Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/favouritepositionspodcast) LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/in/alex-young-74431a135/?skipRedirect=true) Website (https://favouritepositions.com/) About the series: The Modern Career Playbook is a series of conversations with credible leaders and specialists exploring what progression, leadership and career development actually look like today. If you enjoyed this episode, share it with someone who is curious about AI, thinking about a career pivot or looking for more practical ways to use technology at work.

3. 

   3 Jun 2026

   Episode 08: The Modern Career Playbook - Jemima Carr-Jones

   In this episode of The Modern Career Playbook, Alex speaks with Jemima Carr-Jones about creative careers, personal branding, social media and what it really takes to build visibility around your work. Jemima is a creative strategist, photographer and founder of Loved Studios, helping brands and people grow through content, storytelling and personal branding. Alongside her role as Head of Content at The Cirkel, she works with luxury, fashion and start-up businesses in London and globally, helping them create online identities that connect with modern audiences. This is an open and energising conversation about saying yes before you feel ready, learning by doing, building confidence through action and using social media to create opportunities that would not have existed otherwise. In this episode, Alex and Jemima discuss: how Jemima found her way into creative work why she chose not to follow a traditional marketing route how she got her first role in Steven Bartlett’s team what she learnt from working in a high-performance creative environment the difference between self-improvement and self-trust why action matters more than overthinking how Loved Studios started and why love sits at the centre of her work what brands misunderstand about social media how The Cirkel built a following through fashion news and cultural commentary why personal branding is not performance, but clarity how to start building your personal brand from where you are why social media can open unexpected personal and professional doors how to build resilience when putting yourself online why confidence sometimes means acting before you fully feel it Key takeaways: You do not need to wait until you feel ready to start. Personal branding is not about performing online, it is about getting clear on who you are and what you stand for. Social media works best when it feels human, useful and connected to culture. The most interesting careers are often built through experimentation, not perfect planning. Confidence grows when you keep putting yourself in rooms, roles and situations that stretch you. Consistency, curiosity and action can create opportunities you could never have planned for. Connect with Jemima: Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/blondejemima/) Loved Studios (https://www.instagram.com/lovedstudiosocial/) The Cirkel (https://www.instagram.com/the.cirkel/) Follow Favourite Positions: Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/favouritepositionspodcast) LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/in/alex-young-74431a135/) Website (https://www.favouritepositions.com/) About the series: The Modern Career Playbook is a series of conversations with credible leaders and specialists exploring what progression, leadership and career development actually look like today. If you enjoyed this episode, share it with someone building something creative, putting themselves out there or learning to back themselves before they feel fully ready.

Podcast Authority Score: 25 / 100

A composite of feed quality, social presence, YouTube performance and engagement. Read the methodology.

Quality

31

Social presence

94

YouTube

0

Engagement

0