Career Glow-Up: Build Your Power Circle
Featuring Nick Bellinger, “The Career Glow-Up Coach” | Learning & Development Expert | Podcast Host | AI Career Planning Advocate
Your roadmap to building influence, accelerating growth, and creating a career you own.
“You won’t be remembered as the person who hit your targets… you’ll be remembered as the person who helped others grow.”
“Career success today isn’t just about doing your job well… it’s about being intentional.”
“The orange jar… that’s the one that gets you promoted.”
That’s the kind of wisdom Nick Bellinger brought to Career Glow-Up: Build Your Power Circle… a 29k Club Masterclass designed to help ambitious professionals build influence, accelerate growth, and create a career they truly own.
This wasn’t your typical webinar. It was equal parts strategy, laughter, and honesty… a session that felt more like a coffee-shop conversation than a corporate class. Cameras were on, chat was alive, and finger-wave reactions filled the screen.
As Nick called it, “coffee-shop energy”… relaxed enough to be honest, focused enough to grow.
Masterclass focus: From “Doing your job” to designing your career
Theme: Practical strategies to build your career entourage… mentors, sponsors, and allies, and design a personal Individual Development Plan (IDP) using AI tools to stand out, stay ahead, and lead your career journey.
Nick’s message was clear:
“If you want to have a career, you need this… otherwise sit back and watch the people who did attend lap you in the race!”
It was an invitation to stop waiting for permission and start leading your own momentum.
From fear to fulfilment: Nick’s human take on growth
Nick opened with honesty: once upon a time, he dreaded sales so much he’d blast Do Your Thing by Basement Jaxx in his Ford Fiesta to find courage.
That vulnerability set the tone… career growth isn’t about perfection; it’s about persistence.
After 20 years in sales and learning & development, Nick has helped hundreds of professionals unlock their next chapter. His strength lies in translating big career theories into small, practical actions.
“You can’t wait for doors to open… sometimes you’ve got to build your own.”
Why hard work alone isn’t enough
We’ve been conditioned to believe that if you work hard and stay humble, success will follow.
But Nick reminded us:
“At school, you get rewarded for working hard and not showing your workings. In corporate life, that gets you overlooked.”
Quiet excellence might make you dependable, but it won’t make you visible.
And visibility isn’t vanity… it’s strategy.
Nick introduced the PIE model, a simple but confronting truth about career progression:
Performance (10%) – Doing your job well is the baseline.
Image (30%) – How others perceive you matters more than you think.
Exposure (60%) – Who knows you and what they know you for determines how far you go.
“You can be the best-kept secret in the building… but secrets don’t get promoted.”
For many under represented professionals, this is the invisible barrier.
You do the work, but your image and exposure haven’t been built with the same intention.
That’s where personal branding comes in… not as self-promotion, but as storytelling with integrity.
Nick challenged us to think:
“What do people say about you when you leave the room? And does that align with the story you want told?”
He encouraged participants to take control of that narrative by showing up consistently… in meetings, in how they contribute, and in how they help others grow.
“If you’re not curating your brand, someone else is doing it for you.”
For under represented professionals especially, that truth can feel unfair… but it’s also empowering.
When you own your story, you don’t just build a career; you build credibility.
That’s why The Black Sherpa 29k Club exists… to help people decode the unwritten curriculum of career progression through community, clarity, and confidence.
One participant summed it up perfectly in the chat:
“Believe in yourself. Don’t ask for permission… ask for forgiveness.”
That mix of boldness and belief became a running theme of the session.
Build your power circle
Nick’s career entourage (power circle)
The heart of the conversation centred on building your “career entourage”, or as Nick calls it, your Power Circle.
“Your Power Circle is the ecosystem that fuels your career. It’s how you build influence, visibility, and momentum.”
Here’s who belongs in it:
Mentor – Someone you admire who’s mastered what you’re learning next.
Coach – The one who helps you think differently by asking the right questions.
Sponsor – A senior advocate who champions your name when you’re not in the room.
Reverse Mentor – A voice from a different generation, culture, or background who challenges your lens.
Work Bestie – A trusted peer who offers honesty, humour, and perspective.
Each relationship plays a unique role in your development. Together, they form a network of growth that helps you see further, move faster, and stay grounded.
“A mentor is chosen by a process. The best mentors are chosen by you.”
Lucy, one of the participants, shared how freeing it felt to “stop trying to be someone I’m not.” As someone with ADHD, she described the exhaustion of “masking” at work… and how choosing authenticity over performance became her glow-up.
That’s what this session was really about: building circles where you can be seen as much as you are supported.
The Marmalade Jar: Your secret to standing out
Career Glow-Up in two jars: the work you do vs. the difference you make.
One of Nick’s most memorable metaphors came from a story about his old manager:
“You’ve filled your red jar… that’s your job. But your orange jar? That’s empty.”
The red jar is what you’re paid for… hitting targets, delivering results.
The orange jar is what you choose to contribute… mentoring, volunteering, creating new ideas, building culture.
“You won’t be remembered for your KPIs. You’ll be remembered for what you did beyond your job description.”
That orange jar is your legacy. It’s how you grow influence, earn trust, and shape culture… the kind of leadership that isn’t on any performance form.
Yam, founder of The Black Sherpa, added:
“Be strategic with your extras. Choose opportunities that show where you’re headed next, not just what you’ve already mastered.”
Using AI to supercharge your career planning
Nick also shared how AI can make career planning smarter, faster, and more accessible.
He encouraged participants to experiment with AI tools to:
Draft personalised IDPs in minutes
Generate reflective prompts for self-awareness
Discover future skills in their industries
Simulate coaching conversations or interviews
“AI won’t build your career for you… but it will make planning faster, smarter, and more strategic.”
It was a reminder that the future of career development isn’t replacing human connection… it’s amplifying it.
The “Less Of / More Of” career journal
Nick’s simplest exercise packed the biggest punch.
Grab a notebook. Label one page Less Of and the opposite More Of. Each week, jot down what drains you and what energises you.
Over time, those notes become a mirror. They reveal who you’re becoming and what to prioritise next.
“That notebook becomes your compass. It tells you who you’re becoming.”
The 6-box career IDP framework
Nick introduced his 6-box Individual Development Plan (IDP)… a practical blueprint for building clarity and confidence.
Who am I? – Strengths, values, and what makes you unique
Where am I now? – Current skills, projects, and energy levels
What’s changing? – Industry trends, leadership shifts, personal evolution
Where do I want to go? – Your “More Of” list in action
What’s expected? – From your role, organisation, and yourself
How will I get there? – The actions, allies, and stretch experiences that will move you forward
“Anyone who tells you an IDP is more complicated than that is just trying to bamboozle you.”
This framework… paired with AI and a community like the 29k Club… turns reflection into strategy.
The 70-20-10 rule of career growth
Nick reminded us that real growth rarely happens in training sessions:
70% comes from lived experiences
20% from relationships and feedback
10% from formal learning
That’s why the 29k Club blends real conversations, shared experiences, and expert frameworks… because transformation happens in community, not classrooms.
Leading yourself through change
As industries shift and restructures become routine, Nick and Yam discussed the importance of self-leadership in uncertain times.
“In an era of disruption and AI, you can’t outsource your growth to HR. You have to lead yourself through change… not wait to be led.”
It was a grounded, human reminder that the glow-up isn’t about chasing promotion… it’s about staying relevant, confident, and connected through transition.
Key takeaways from Career Glow-Up
By the end of the session, participants walked away with practical clarity:
✅ A defined Power Circle: the mentors, sponsors, and allies who will help them rise
✅ A 6-Box IDP framework: a clear, practical roadmap to guide career strategy
✅ Smart use of AI: tools to make reflection, planning, and self-development faster and sharper
✅ The PIE advantage: understanding that success comes from Performance, Image, and Exposure
✅ A stronger personal brand: confidence to shape the story others tell about your impact
✅ A mindset of intentionality: less luck, more strategy
✅ Permission to be visible, human, and bold: because authenticity isn’t a risk… it’s your edge
“This session gives you the network, the roadmap, and the tools to lead your career, not just follow it.” – Nick Bellinger
Why this conversation matters
Ignoring career planning doesn’t just stall people… it drains confidence and creativity.
When organisations fail to talk about real growth, talented people disengage quietly.
But when you make space for honesty, laughter, and self-reflection… the kind we saw in this masterclass… something powerful happens: confidence compounds.
That’s the mission of The Black Sherpa 29k Club: to help under represented professionals navigate the unwritten curriculum of career success through clarity, confidence, and community.
Every masterclass is part of that promise… and as Yam says:
“Writing about these sessions lets the lessons live on beyond our growing community.”
Your leadership challenge
Who’s in your Power Circle… and who’s missing?
What’s sitting in your orange jar right now?
What’s one thing you want less of and one thing you want more of this month?
Career success isn’t luck… it’s built on clarity, connection, and courage.
Climb steady.
I’m Yam – Founder of The Black Sherpa
Founder | Strategist | Speaker | Host of The Black Sherpa Podcast
I founded The Black Sherpa to create a world where talent rises on merit and no one’s potential is held back by bias or barriers.
Through bold strategy, storytelling, and our flagship community, The 29k Club - I help professionals grow with confidence and support leaders to build cultures that truly live their values.
Let’s connect and build a future where inclusion powers performance, and leadership reflects the world we serve.