Kayleigh Bateman sits down with Natalie Abu Awan, author and illustrator of How To Navigate Your Career Like A Legend, to unpack what it really takes to grow in high-pressure workplaces and still like the person you’re becoming.
Natalie brings 25 years of lived experience across City law firms, JP Morgan, and BP, including years spent working alongside commercial teams on trading floors where speed, risk, and reputation collide. We dig into the turning points that shaped her approach to work, why being the “gatekeeper” lawyer is often lazy, and how confidence is built when you understand the business, not just the rules. If you’re building a career in tech, law, finance, or energy, the lessons translate fast: stay humble, keep learning, and get comfortable with smart risk.
The conversation gets real about burnout, bias, and psychological safety at work. Natalie shares how burnout can come from unmotivating work and unhealthy team dynamics, and why supportive people inside and outside work can keep you steady when things wobble. We also explore mentoring, sponsorship, and reverse mentoring as practical DEI tools, plus a more human take on networking that doesn’t feel transactional. Natalie’s “personal boardroom” idea gives you a clear way to build a support system that evolves as you do.
If you want a career that lasts, this one leaves you with a playbook you can actually use.
