In this special LinkedIn Live edition, hosts Al Elliott and Leanne Elliott are joined by three world-class experts to tackle one of the most pressing questions of the modern era: If machines are increasingly doing the thinking for us, what happens to our own ability to think?

🔥 Discussion Highlights

1. The Irony of Automation We dive into the "irony of automation," a theory from the 1980s stating that as we automate complex tasks, humans shift from "operators" to "supervisors." Over time, the critical skills needed to intervene or judge quality begin to weaken. We explore how this is playing out in today’s knowledge work.

2. Writing as a Thinking Tool Charli Nordone explains why writing isn’t just communication—it’s how we process and structure our thoughts. When we outsource the first draft to AI, are we accidentally outsourcing the very thinking that makes our work valuable?

3. The Case for Human Authenticity Gabrielle Dolan highlights the "AI vs. AI" loop, where machines write resumes and machines screen them. She argues that in a world of machine-generated content, authentic, personal storytelling is the only way to build genuine trust and connection.

4. Leadership & Curiosity Paul Spiers discusses why leaders must move beyond seeing AI as a "productivity plug-in" and instead treat it as a foundational change. He shares how to foster "curiosity with context" to ensure employees feel empowered rather than replaced.

📬 Connect with Al & Leanne

– LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/truthlieswork – Al Elliott: https://www.linkedin.com/in/thisisalelliott – Leanne Elliott: https://www.linkedin.com/in/meetleanne – Email: hello@truthliesandwork.com – Book a call: https://savvycal.com/meetleanne/chat

🎙️ Connect with our Guests

Charli Nordone

• Website: www.thebetterwritingstore.com

• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/charlinordone/

• Instagram: www.instagram.com/betterwritingstore

Gabrielle Dolan

• Website: gabrielledolan.com

• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gabrielledolan/

• Instagram: @gabrielledolan.1

Paul Spiers

• Website: paulspiers.com | principlesandleadership.com

• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/paulspiers/

🆘 Mental Health Support

UK & ROI — Samaritans Call 116 123 or visit samaritans.org

UK — Mind Call 0300 123 3393 or visit mind.org.uk

US — Suicide & Crisis Lifeline Call or text 988 or visit 988lifeline.org

Australia — Lifeline Call 13 11 14 or visit lifeline.org.au

Global helplines: findahelpline.com

If you’re a founder who has built something brilliant but finds the idea of 'selling' it a little bit icky, this episode is for you. Today, we’re joined by Thomas Waites, a fractional Chief Revenue Officer and startup advisor who has scaled multiple companies from seed stage to successful acquisition.

Thomas takes a refreshingly contrarian view of sales. He argues that the very traits many founders think disqualify them from sales—honesty, empathy, and a hatred for pushiness—are actually their greatest competitive advantages.

🔥 What we cover in this episode:

• The "Rainmaker" Reimagined: Why a Chief Revenue Officer (CRO) is about more than just closing deals—it’s about owning the entire customer revenue journey.

• The Tattoo Bet: The incredible story of how a team culture of "tattoo bets" led Thomas to ink a bull on his shoulder after closing a massive deal with 40,000 Warner Brothers employees.

• Sales for STEM Founders: How highly analytical, introverted founders can become world-class at sales by treating it like an engineering problem.

• The 75/25 Rule: Why the best salespeople speak only 25% of the time and how "negative reverse selling" can turn a 'no' into a 'yes' by simply respecting the prospect's boundaries.

• Building Your Sales Team: Why your first hire should NOT be a VP of Sales or a CRO, and the specific progression founders should follow to scale their revenue.

🧠 Key Takeaways

1. Honesty is a Competitive Advantage: Most prospects expect to be lied to. When you are transparent about what your product can’t do, you build instant, unshakeable trust.

2. Sell to Emotions, Not Just Logic: While logic supports a purchase, emotions drive it. Avoid "information overload" and focus on the pain you are solving.

3. Hire Junior First: Start with a Business Development Representative (BDR) to fill the pipeline while you, the founder, continue to close. Only bring in a senior sales leader once the process is proven.

🔗 Connect with Thomas Waites – Website: https://twsales.com – Live Call-In Show: https://twsales.com/live-call-in-show/ – LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/thomaswaites/

📬 Connect with Al & Leanne – LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/truthlieswork – Al Elliott: https://www.linkedin.com/in/thisisalelliott – Leanne Elliott: https://www.linkedin.com/in/meetleanne – Email: hello@truthliesandwork.com – Book a call: https://savvycal.com/meetleanne/chat

Mental health support UK & ROI — Samaritans Call 116 123 or visit https://www.samaritans.org UK — Mind Call 0300 123 3393 or visit https://www.mind.org.uk US — Suicide & Crisis Lifeline Call or text 988 or visit https://988lifeline.org Australia — Lifeline Call 13 11 14 or visit https://www.lifeline.org.au Global helplines https://findahelpline.com

This week, we explore Microsoft’s new retirement strategy, NVIDIA’s radical management secrets, and the one wellbeing investment most businesses are overlooking. Plus, we debunk a legendary psychological model and answer your burning questions about toxic top performers and small business culture.

🔥 Stories Covered

1. Is Microsoft Quietly

Microsoft has launched a first-of-its-kind voluntary retirement program for U.S. employees whose age plus years of service equals 70 or more.

• The Targeted Group: Open to staff at senior director level and below.

• The Strategic Shift: While framed as giving employees choice, it comes as Microsoft pivots heavily toward AI infrastructure, potentially reshaping its traditional software workforce.

• Reward Changes: The company is also decoupling stock awards from cash bonuses to give managers more flexibility in rewarding high performers. Source: https://www.cnbc.com/2026/04/23/microsoft-plans-first-voluntary-retirement-program-for-us-employees.html

2. The $5 Trillion CEO: Jensen Huang’s Radical Rules

NVIDIA recently crossed the $5 trillion mark, and CEO Jensen Huang did it by breaking every rule in the management handbook.

• Flat Structure: Huang has 55 direct reports—nearly 10x the corporate average.

• Equal Pay: He pays all 55 top executives the exact same cash bonus, removing internal "status games."

• No 1:1s: Information is shared with everyone at once to eliminate power asymmetry and speed up decision-making. Source: https://x.com/i/web/status/2048559374499778778

3. The Wellbeing Investment You’re Overlooking

While most companies spend on gym memberships and apps, the data suggests that employee development is the real driver of wellbeing.

• The Progress Problem: Research suggests low engagement is often a "progress problem," not a "perks problem."

• Retention Secret: 73% of employees would stay longer if their company invested more in learning and development.

• Science-Backed: Competence is a core human need in Self-Determination Theory, directly linked to lower burnout. Source: https://wellbeingmagazine.com/why-employee-development-is-the-wellbeing-investment-most-businesses-overlook/

🧠 Truth or Lie: The Kübler-Ross Change Curve

We’ve all seen the "Stages of Grief" applied to corporate change. Business Psychologist Matt Furness joins us to reveal whether research actually supports using a model designed for terminally ill patients as a roadmap for office restructuring.

Connect with Matt: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/matthewfurness/?lipi=urn%3Ali%3Apage%3Ad_flagship3_profile_view_base%3BpQVxZf%2FySxyM5bnSu94bNQ%3D%3D Click Culture: https://www.clickculture.co.uk/

💬 Workplace Surgery

This week, we tackle three tough listener dilemmas:

• The "Checked Out" Employee: Is "quiet quitting" the inevitable result of mandated return-to-office policies?

• The Toxic High Performer: Can you ever justify keeping a salesperson who hits their targets but destroys your culture?

• Culture vs. Cash: At what point does a "small business family" culture lose out to a £15k pay rise elsewhere?

📬 Connect with Al & Leanne – LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/truthlieswork – Al Elliott: https://www.linkedin.com/in/thisisalelliott – Leanne Elliott: https://www.linkedin.com/in/meetleanne – Email: hello@truthliesandwork.com – Book a call: https://savvycal.com/meetleanne/chat

Mental health support UK & ROI — Samaritans Call 116 123 or visit https://www.samaritans.org UK — Mind Call 0300 123 3393 or visit https://www.mind.org.uk US — Suicide & Crisis Lifeline Call or text 988 or visit https://988lifeline.org Australia — Lifeline Call 13 11 14 or visit https://www.lifeline.org.au Global helplines https://findahelpline.com

In 2021, Aedan Fida’s company, Blade Air, was on top of the world. They had a $20 million school board contract, 25,000 square feet of manufacturing space, and revenue hitting $30 million. Then, the pandemic ended, and revenue dropped off a cliff—falling to just $2 million by 2024.

In this episode, Aedan (a Forbes 30 Under 30 honoree and EY Entrepreneur of the Year) gives one of the most candid accounts of founder life we’ve ever hosted. From sleeping in cars to build prototypes to the brutal reality of a 93% revenue drop, Aedan shares the "deep learning" that comes when you stop chasing goalposts and start leading with purpose.

🔥 What we cover in this episode:

• The Pivot that Paid Off (and then didn't): How Aedan went from building carbon filters for cannabis growers in a Toronto basement to massive government contracts.

• The "Deep Learning" Period: The truth about managing a $30M company with a management structure that wasn't ready for it.

• Slow Down to Speed Up: Why the instinct to "go harder" during a collapse is often wrong, and how coaching, therapy, and systems actually turned the tide.

• The "Right" Team: The remarkable story of Aedan’s brother, Kieran, who recognized he was becoming a bottleneck and went out to find his own replacement.

• Purpose Balance over Work-Life Balance: The heart-wrenching lesson Aedan learned after losing his father about being present for the life you’re already living.

👤 About Aedan Fida Aedan is the CEO of Blade Air, a Canadian clean air technology company. He is focused on the "triple bottom line" of people, planet, and profit, driving energy efficiency in HVAC systems through disruptive technology.

Connect with Aedan: – LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/aedanfidastriplebottomline/ – Website: https://www.bladeair.com/

📬 Connect with Al & Leanne – LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/truthlieswork – Al Elliott: https://www.linkedin.com/in/thisisalelliott – Leanne Elliott: https://www.linkedin.com/in/meetleanne – Email: hello@truthliesandwork.com – Book a call: https://savvycal.com/meetleanne/chat

Mental health support UK & ROI — Samaritans Call 116 123 or visit https://www.samaritans.org UK — Mind Call 0300 123 3393 or visit https://www.mind.org.uk US — Suicide & Crisis Lifeline Call or text 988 or visit https://988lifeline.org Australia — Lifeline Call 13 11 14 or visit https://www.lifeline.org.au Global helplines https://findahelpline.com

🔥 Stories Covered

1. 5 Skills LinkedIn Says Will AI-Proof Your Career LinkedIn’s CEO Ryan Roslansky argues that while AI will reshape work, it won’t replace it—if you lean into the "5 Cs". Leanne breaks down why curiosity, courage, creativity, compassion, and communication are the traits hardest to automate. We also compare these to the evidence-based "Great Eight" model to see if these skills are truly new or just "repackaged" for the AI era. https://www.inc.com/amaya-nichole/5-skills-linkedin-says-will-ai-proof-your-career-in-2026/91325413

2. The Digital Mark Zuckerberg: Efficiency or Madness? Meta is reportedly training an AI clone of its CEO on his mannerisms and tone so employees can query him directly—essentially a digital boss on demand. While Zuckerberg uses a "CEO agent" to flatten the organisation, Meta is simultaneously navigating massive legal penalties. Is this a genius move for scale or a jarring corporate misstep? https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2026/apr/13/meta-ai-mark-zuckerberg-staff-talk-to-the-boss

3. Why the DoorDash CEO Reads 2,000-Word Complaint Emails Tony Xu reveals why he hunts for "gold" in long, detailed messages from customers and Dashers. While many leaders shy away from negative feedback, Xu personally "debugs" system failures by tracking orders in the backend to understand where the app fails the real world. https://www.businessinsider.com/doordash-ceo-tony-xu-2000-word-emails-customers-dashers-2026-3

🧠 Truth or Lie: Extroverts Make More Effective Leaders

We often celebrate magnetic, commanding figures as the gold standard for leadership. But Leanne dives into the research to distinguish between leader emergence (who looks the part) and leader effectiveness (who actually delivers results).

The Verdict: It’s a Lie—or at least a dangerous half-truth. While extroversion accounts for about 10% of who gets promoted, it doesn't guarantee results. In fact, research shows that quieter leaders often outperform extroverts when managing proactive, high-performing teams.

💬 Workplace Surgery

This week, we answer three listener dilemmas:

• Should I Bother with Engagement Surveys? Are you just measuring problems or actually fixing them?

• Managing Generational Friction: Is the tension between Gen Z’s boundaries and "earned authority" something a manager should fix? Leanne explains why this is a clash of unspoken norms, not age.

• New Job Red Flags: What are the signs in your first few weeks that you’ve joined a genuinely healthy workplace versus an intentional disaster?

  
  

  Resources Mentioned

• Who is Al Elliott? Hear our co-host’s story from bankruptcy to award-winning business owner: https://truthliesandwork.com/episodes/16-who-is-al-elliott-award-winning-business-owner-to-bankruptcy-and-back-our-co-host-s-story

  
  

  📬 Connect with Al & Leanne

– LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/truthlieswork – Al Elliott: https://www.linkedin.com/in/thisisalelliott – Leanne Elliott: https://www.linkedin.com/in/meetleanne – Email: hello@truthliesandwork.com – Book a call: https://savvycal.com/meetleanne/chat

Mental Health Support

UK & ROI — Samaritans Call 116 123 or visit https://www.samaritans.org UK — Mind Call 0300 123 3393 or visit https://www.mind.org.uk US — Suicide & Crisis Lifeline Call or text 988 or visit https://988lifeline.org Australia — Lifeline Call 13 11 14 or visit https://www.lifeline.org.au Global helplines: https://findahelpline.com

🎧 Truth, Lies & Work is part of the HubSpot Podcast Network, the audio destination for business professionals.

This week, Al and Leanne are joined by Danni Mohammed, founder of the creative and innovation practice Gentle Forces. Danni has spent her career at some of the world’s most iconic agencies—including Saatchi & Saatchi and WPP—but she’s now doing something genuinely radical: running a global innovation firm with just two job titles.

Danni explores why traditional hierarchies might be holding your team back, how to balance the "chaos" of creativity with the "order" of delivery, and why her team describes their workplace as "calm" despite tackling some of the biggest brand challenges on the planet.

🔥 Inside the Episode

1. The "Two Title" Experiment Danni explains her hatred for traditional job titles, arguing they limit potential and feed egos rather than focusing on the work. At Gentle Forces, you are either a Practice Lead or a Practitioner. We dive into how this structure provides clarity without the restrictive walls of a traditional corporate ladder.

2. Balancing Chaos and Order In the creative world, comfort is the enemy of freshness. Danni discusses her philosophy of "getting comfortable with the uncomfortable" and how she uses a "diverge and converge" process to ensure that big, chaotic ideas eventually turn into tangible, high-scale deliverables for clients.

3. "Night Vision" and Innovation Described by peers as having "night vision"—the ability to see possibilities where others see darkness—Danni shares her experience founding WPP Black Ops. She reveals how this "speedboat" model allowed her to drive massive innovation for brands like SK-II and the Tokyo Olympics by ignoring traditional setups.

4. A Culture of Calm Perhaps the most surprising takeaway is that despite a process built on friction and interrogation, her team consistently describes the culture as "calm." Danni explains how removing unnecessary politics and "ego-feeding" titles creates a safe, open environment where people are proud to build something different.

🧠 Key Lessons for Leaders

• Structure for Output: Don't inherit your industry's habits. Ask if your current titles are defining roles or just defining limits.

• Embrace Interdisciplinary Thinking: Move beyond simple collaboration to a space where different disciplines work together to create something entirely new.

• Practice Over Agency: Why viewing your work as a "practice" encourages continuous learning and keeps the "ceiling" off your team's growth.

📬 Connect with Al & Leanne

– LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/truthlieswork – Al Elliott: https://www.linkedin.com/in/thisisalelliott – Leanne Elliott: https://www.linkedin.com/in/meetleanne – Email: hello@truthliesandwork.com – Book a call: https://savvycal.com/meetleanne/chat

Connect with Danni Mohammed: – LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dannimohammed – Website: https://gentleforces.com

Mental health support

UK & ROI — Samaritans Call 116 123 or visit https://www.samaritans.org UK — Mind Call 0300 123 3393 or visit https://www.mind.org.uk US — Suicide & Crisis Lifeline Call or text 988 or visit https://988lifeline.org Australia — Lifeline Call 13 11 14 or visit https://www.lifeline.org.au Global helplines https://findahelpline.com

Truth, Lies & Work is part of the HubSpot Podcast Network, the audio destination for business professionals.

🔥 Stories Covered

1. The "Sh*tcut": When Speed Kills Quality Leanne introduces a new term from James Hardie: the sh*tcut. While a shortcut is a disciplined way to save time while protecting quality, a shtcut* is moving faster by skipping the essential thinking and checks. We discuss why businesses fall into this trap and how to use the C Method (Clarity, Checks, and Consequences) plus Courage to avoid it.

Read more here: https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/really-shortcut-shtcut-james-hardie-rouye/?trackingId=aTyABh%2F%2BTgCbctmdoTx97w%3D%3D

2. The 4:30 PM Empty Office Sally shares a viral story of an Indian tech professional in Sweden who was stunned to find her office completely vacant by 4:30 PM. In Sweden, the emphasis is on quality of work over "warming a chair." We dive into why the "always-on" badge of honor is a recipe for burnout and why recovery must be treated as a professional norm.

Watch the video: https://www.google.com/search?q=viral+video+of+swedish+office&oq=viral+video+of+swedish+office&gs_lcrp=EgZjaHJvbWUyBggAEEUYOTIHCAEQIRigATIHCAIQIRigATIHCAMQIRigATIHCAQQIRiPAtIBCDQzNDlqMGo5qAIAsAIB&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8#fpstate=ive&vld=cid:d0449930,vid:iMc8VrcsfQs,st:0

Read the story: https://www.ndtv.com/feature/empty-office-at-4-30-pm-indian-techie-highlights-swedens-work-culture-11275625

3. Token Anxiety: The New AI Stress Al reveals a bizarre new workplace stress: Token Anxiety. Whether it's watching your daily AI allowance creep up or feeling guilty that your AI isn't "working" while you sleep, it's a very modern FOMO. Interestingly, research shows that even AI models start to produce "sloppy code" and cut corners when they near their context limits—just like an overworked human on a Friday afternoon.

🧠 Truth or Lie: Does Vulnerability Make You a Better Leader?

Alexis puts the "vulnerability" gospel to the test. While popular, the research shows it’s a double-edged sword.

• The Truth: Sharing critical feedback about your own performance builds psychological safety.

• The Lie: "Willy-nilly" oversharing without strategy signals incompetence.

• The Verdict: Leadership vulnerability only works when paired with discernment, humble self-assessment, and a clear plan for growth.

💬 Workplace Surgery

Our panel of four experts answers your burning questions:

• Leading through your own burnout: How do you support a team when you’re running on empty? Sally suggests seeking outside help pronto and putting on your own oxygen mask first.

• Leading culture "uphill": What to do when the organization rewards speed but you want to protect your team? Lex discusses creating a "micro-culture" and using the language of business to defend boundaries.

• The "Hiring Like Me" Trap: Why hiring for "culture fit" often leads to groupthink and how to move toward "culture add."

📬 Connect with Al & Leanne

– LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/truthlieswork – Al Elliott: https://www.linkedin.com/in/thisisalelliott – Leanne Elliott: https://www.linkedin.com/in/meetleanne – Email: hello@truthliesandwork.com – Book a call: https://savvycal.com/meetleanne/chat

Connect with our Guests – Alexis Zahner: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alexiszahner/ – Sally Clarke: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sallyclarkeevolve/ – Website: https://liveandworkmorehuman.com/

Mental health support

UK & ROI — Samaritans Call 116 123 or visit https://www.samaritans.org UK — Mind Call 0300 123 3393 or visit https://www.mind.org.uk US — Suicide & Crisis Lifeline Call or text 988 or visit https://988lifeline.org Australia — Lifeline Call 13 11 14 or visit https://www.lifeline.org.au Global helplines: https://findahelpline.com

Truth, Lies & Work is part of the HubSpot Podcast Network, the audio destination for business professionals.

Ken Blanchard was told in college he couldn't write. His graduate professors said he lacked academic ability. When he finished The One Minute Manager, his colleagues warned him it would embarrass him professionally. It went on to sell 15 million copies and become one of the most influential business books ever written.

In this episode, we sit down with Martha Lawrence — editor, novelist, and the woman who spent 22 years working directly alongside Ken Blanchard. Martha recently wrote his biography, Catch People Doing Things Right, and she's here to share what she learned about the man, the philosophy, and why his ideas matter more than ever in today's leadership landscape.

📖 What We Discuss with Martha Lawrence

1. The Book That Broke the Rules In 1982, business books were dense, academic, and hundreds of pages long. Ken Blanchard wrote a 100-page parable — and invented an entirely new category. Martha explains how a chance meeting at a cocktail party led to one of the most counterintuitive publishing decisions in history, and why Ken's colleagues thought it would ruin his reputation.

2. Leading With Love — What It Actually Means "Leading with love" sounds soft. It isn't. Martha unpacks what Ken really meant: getting yourself out of the way so other people can be magnificent. She explains why this philosophy is harder to execute than command-and-control leadership — and why it produces better results.

3. EGO = Edging Good Out In a world of loud, aggressive, title-obsessed leaders, Ken had a different definition of ego. Martha shares how his father's advice on the day he became seventh grade class president shaped his entire leadership philosophy — and why people follow leaders they trust, not leaders with impressive job titles.

4. What He Did With a Tape Recorder Two stories from Martha's biography that stop you in your tracks: what Ken did when an employee's widow visited the office, and what he did the night his own father was dying. Both reveal the difference between someone who talks about values and someone who actually lives them.

5. The 9/11 Test After 9/11, the Blanchard organisation was losing millions. The leadership team discussed layoffs for the first time in company history. What Ken did next is one of the most striking examples of transparent, human leadership you'll hear — and it ended with the whole company in Maui.

🔗 Connect with Martha Lawrence

• Website: https://www.marthalawrence.com
• Ken Blanchard's books: https://www.kenblanchardbooks.com
• Blanchard organisation: https://www.blanchard.com

📬 Connect with Al & Leanne

• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/truthlieswork
• Al Elliott: https://www.linkedin.com/in/thisisalelliott
• Leanne Elliott: https://www.linkedin.com/in/meetleanne
• Email: hello@truthliesandwork.com
• Book a call: https://savvycal.com/meetleanne/chat

Truth, Lies & Work is part of the HubSpot Podcast Network, the audio destination for business professionals.

In this episode, we explore the surprising power of "Londonmaxxing," why hustle culture might be a young person's game, and whether money is actually the best way to get your team to perform.

🔥 Stories Covered

1. Is "Londonmaxxing" the Secret to Rapid Growth? Some UK entrepreneurs are moving back into the office—but not for the reason you think. "Londonmaxxing" is the practice of being in close physical proximity to other ambitious, high-growth businesses to accelerate your own success. We look at an office block in Southwark where 13 companies are collectively turning over £150 million simply by sharing a kitchen and a vibe.

2. Is Hustle Culture Just a Young Person's Game? We’ve all heard the "rise and grind" mantras, but research suggests that after 40, your "capacity" hasn't changed—your stakes have. We discuss why mid-life professionals often trade intensity for sustainability and why "running out of juice" is actually just a sophisticated risk assessment by your brain.

🧠 Truth or Lie: Is Money the Best Motivator?

Dr. Jake Tuber leads us through a deep dive into the psychology of compensation. While performance-based pay can drive results, it isn't always the "best" way to inspire your team.

• The Pro: Money increases perceptions of fairness and works well for simple tasks with a clear line of sight.

• The Con: For knowledge work and creative tasks, performance-based pay can actually lower motivation if it feels controlling or manipulative.

• The Verdict: It's a "hygiene factor." You need enough to mitigate dissatisfaction, but true flourishing comes from autonomy, meaning, and recognition.

💬 Workplace Surgery

This week, Al, Leanne, and Dr. Jake tackle three tough listener questions:

1. AI Skills vs. Experience: Should you follow Reddit’s lead and hire graduates because they are "AI-native," or is judgment still king?

2. Disappearing Values: What do you do when your company’s EDI commitments quietly vanish from the website and the lead role isn't replaced?

3. The "Accidental Manager" Trap: Why do 82% of managers get promoted without any training, and how do you navigate performance issues and conflict when you've been left to figure it out alone?

   
   

   🤝 Connect with Dr. Jake Tuber

• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jaketuber/

• Website: www.ticonadvisory.com

• Podcast (Forces at Work): https://forcesatwork.transistor.fm/

  
  

  Special Offer: Dr. Jake is offering our listeners six months of free access to his Substack, Workwise. Use this link to claim: https://workwise.substack.com/1e481d0b

📬 Connect with Al & Leanne – LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/truthlieswork – Al Elliott: https://www.linkedin.com/in/thisisalelliott – Leanne Elliott: https://www.linkedin.com/in/meetleanne – Email: hello@truthliesandwork.com – Book a call: https://savvycal.com/meetleanne/chat

Mental health supportUK & ROI — Samaritans Call 116 123 or visit https://www.samaritans.orgUK — Mind Call 0300 123 3393 or visit https://www.mind.org.ukUS — Suicide & Crisis Lifeline Call or text 988 or visit https://988lifeline.orgAustralia — Lifeline Call 13 11 14 or visit https://www.lifeline.org.auGlobal helplineshttps://findahelpline.com

Truth, Lies & Work is part of the HubSpot Podcast Network, the audio destination for business professionals.

In this panel discussion, hosts Leanne Elliott (Chartered Occupational Psychologist) and Al Elliott (Business Owner) are joined by two industry titans to discuss the "doom and gloom" currently permeating the global workforce.

Joining the conversation are:

• Christian Turner: CEO of TK Talent Group, HR veteran with over 100,000 hires under his belt, and Harvard-educated organizational psychologist.

• Jeffrey Fermin: Employee engagement expert, founding member of Officevibe, and current lead at All Voices.

🔥 Topics Covered

1. The "Job Hugging" Phenomenon Low turnover doesn't always equal high engagement. We explore why employees are "hugging" their current roles out of fear rather than loyalty. Christian explains why disengaged employees might give high survey scores just to "not rock the boat" while secretly planning their exit.

2. Redefining Engagement Metrics Is your expensive employee survey actually telling you anything? The panel discusses why leaders should focus on two "acid test" metrics:

• Hiring Metrics: If you can’t attract talent easily, your organization may no longer be attractive.

• Glassdoor: Why ignoring your "TripAdvisor for work" is a fatal mistake for HR teams.

3. The Commercial Case for Culture Investing in people is a commercial necessity. Research shows organizations in the top 25% of engagement scores enjoy 22% higher profitability and 21% higher productivity during economic recoveries compared to those at the bottom.

4. AI: Amplifier or Replacer? We tackle AI anxiety head-on. Jeffrey argues that AI should be a tool to automate manual tasks so humans can get back to "human skills" like empathy and critical thinking. Christian warns that in a world of "AI gobbledygook," your "super skill" is what keeps you relevant.

🧠 Key Takeaways for Leaders

• The "Canceller" Habit: One of the fastest ways to trigger "quiet quitting" is for managers to consistently cancel weekly one-on-ones.

• HR is Marketing: Your employees are an extension of your consumer brand. If your internal culture is toxic, your external product will eventually suffer.

• Open the Gags: 90% of companies over 50,000 people lack an employee advocacy program. Trusting your people to use their own voice on LinkedIn pays dividends.

🎙️ Guest Connections

Christian Turner – Website: https://tktalentgroup.com/ – LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kristienturner/

Jeffrey Fermin – Website: https://www.allvoices.co – Socials: @fermintalkswork (IG, TikTok, YouTube) – LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/in/jfermin

🤝 Credits

A special thanks to our Associate Producer, Georgia Hodkinson. – Connect with Georgia: https://www.linkedin.com/in/georgia-hodkinson-gmbpss/

📬 Connect with Al & Leanne – LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/truthlieswork – Al Elliott: https://www.linkedin.com/in/thisisalelliott – Leanne Elliott: https://www.linkedin.com/in/meetleanne – Email: hello@truthliesandwork.com

– Find out how we can support you: https://oblonghq.com/ – Book a call: https://savvycal.com/meetleanne/chat

Mental health support UK & ROI — Samaritans Call 116 123 or visit https://www.samaritans.org UK — Mind Call 0300 123 3393 or visit https://www.mind.org.uk US — Suicide & Crisis Lifeline Call or text 988 or visit https://988lifeline.org Australia — Lifeline Call 13 11 14 or visit https://www.lifeline.org.au Global helplines https://findahelpline.com

In this episode, we sit down with Dr. Laura Dean, a chartered occupational psychologist, President-Elect of the British Psychological Society, and a leading expert on neurodiversity. Laura explains why building a workplace that works for autistic employees isn't just about "being nice"—it’s about high-performance system design that makes work better for everyone.

🧠 What We Discuss with Dr. Laura Dean

1. The "Canary in the Coal Mine" Laura introduces a powerful framing: autistic employees are the "canaries" of the workplace. The environmental stressors that cause burnout in autistic people—such as ambiguous instructions or rigid social rules—impact the efficiency of your entire workforce; they just impact neurodivergent individuals first.

2. Moving Beyond the "Superpower" Narrative While it’s often intended as a compliment, framing autism as a "superpower" can be damaging. It reduces people to their "usefulness" to capitalism rather than seeing them as whole human beings. Laura explains why we should value people for who they are, not just for their pattern recognition or logical skills.

3. The Myth of the Empathy Deficit One of the biggest lies about autism is that autistic people lack empathy. Laura breaks down the difference between Cognitive Empathy and Affective Empathy, explaining why autistic people often have a heightened sense of justice and care.

4. System Design vs. Special Treatment Inclusion shouldn't be hidden behind a diagnosis. Laura argues for Universal Design: clear written instructions, flexible hours to avoid "sensory hell," and quiet spaces for decompression. These aren't "special favors"—they are the hallmarks of a well-run business.

🚀 Three Takeaways for Leaders

• Stop Gatekeeping Support: Don't wait for a formal disclosure to help your team. Ask everyone what they need to do their best work.

• Fix the Environment, Not the Person: Predictability and sensory-friendly spaces make your whole team more effective and less likely to burn out.

• Drop the Superpower Label: Framing autism as a superpower reduces people to their utility. Focus on creating environments where they can simply be themselves.

🔗 Connect with Dr. Laura Dean

• LinkedIn: ⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/lauradean1/⁠

📬 Connect with Al & Leanne – LinkedIn: ⁠https://www.linkedin.com/company/truthlieswork⁠ – Al Elliott: ⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/thisisalelliott⁠ – Leanne Elliott: ⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/meetleanne⁠ – Email: hello@truthliesandwork.com – Book a call: ⁠https://savvycal.com/meetleanne/chat⁠

Mental health support UK & ROI — Samaritans Call 116 123 or visit ⁠https://www.samaritans.org⁠ UK — Mind Call 0300 123 3393 or visit ⁠https://www.mind.org.uk⁠ US — Suicide & Crisis Lifeline Call or text 988 or visit ⁠https://988lifeline.org⁠ Australia — Lifeline Call 13 11 14 or visit ⁠https://www.lifeline.org.au⁠ Global helplines: ⁠https://findahelpline.com⁠

Truth, Lies & Work is part of the HubSpot Podcast Network, the audio destination for business professionals.

🔥 Stories Covered

1. Reclaiming Your "Psychological Sovereignty" Feeling overwhelmed by the 2026 news cycle and the breakneck speed of life? Leanne introduces the concept of Psychological Sovereignty, based on the work of Dr. Emma Seppälä. It’s about regaining control over your attention and agency rather than being pulled by external chaos.

• The Big Mistake: Believing you just have to "push through".

• The Dos: Quiet your nervous system twice a day, move your body, hydrate, and protect your sleep.

• The Don’ts: Don’t run on empty, overschedule, or stay glued to negative news 24/7.

• Source: Emma Seppälä, PhD (https://www.linkedin.com/in/emmaseppala/) | Psychology Today (https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/feeling-it/202603/5-foolproof-ways-to-protect-your-sanity-in-a-crazy-world)

2. NotebookLM: Your Personal AI "Mike Ross" Al shares his "love letter" to NotebookLM, a free tool by Google that acts as a personal assistant that never hallucinates. By grounding the AI only in your uploaded documents, you can synthesize months of notes in minutes, create study guides, or even generate a podcast "Audio Overview" of your reports.

3. Inclusion or Insult? The Pink Ice Cream Maker Fiasco A law firm’s International Women’s Day gift of pink ice cream makers has sparked a debate on "performative inclusion". DEI expert Catherine Garrod weighs in on why gimmicks fail and how to move toward real impact—like parental leave and fair progression—instead of branded kitchen appliances.

• Source: Catherine Garrod on LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/in/catherinegarrod/)

🧠 Truth or Lie: The Glass Cliff

Is it true that when women finally break the glass ceiling, they are handed leadership roles that are already failing?

• The Evidence: Research from the University of Exeter suggests that companies are more likely to appoint women to boards following periods of poor share price performance.

• The Verdict: TRUTH. While real-world corporate data is complex, experimental evidence consistently shows a tendency to select women for precarious roles—often as a signal for change or, more darkly, as a potential scapegoat.

💬 Workplace Surgery

This week, we answer three listener dilemmas:

• The Undermining Friend: How do you manage a close friend who now reports to you and has started making dismissive jokes in meetings?

• The Cash Resentment: Should you be worried if your team sees the company has healthy cash reserves?

• The Benefits Balance: How do you strike the balance between being a good employer (wellbeing days, stipends) and keeping the business sustainable?

📬 Connect with Al & Leanne – LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/truthlieswork – Al Elliott: https://www.linkedin.com/in/thisisalelliott – Leanne Elliott: https://www.linkedin.com/in/meetleanne – Email: hello@truthliesandwork.com – Book a call: https://savvycal.com/meetleanne/chat

Mental health support UK & ROI — Samaritans Call 116 123 or visit https://www.samaritans.org UK — Mind Call 0300 123 3393 or visit https://www.mind.org.uk US — Suicide & Crisis Lifeline Call or text 988 or visit https://988lifeline.org Australia — Lifeline Call 13 11 14 or visit https://www.lifeline.org.au Global helplines https://findahelpline.com

Truth, Lies & Work is part of the HubSpot Podcast Network, the audio destination for business professionals.

Most businesses are making hiring decisions based on fundamentally broken data: the CV. This week, we are joined by Kate Young, Head of People Science at Sapia.ai. As an occupational psychologist, Kate is on a mission to move recruitment away from "gut instinct" and toward a valid, fair, and defensible science.

We dive into the "painful" reality of traditional job analysis—like Kate’s 6:00 AM flight to Munich to shuffle cards with 30 stakeholders for eight hours—and how AI has condensed that process into 90 minutes of high-precision data.

In this episode, we explore:

• The Job Analysis Revolution: Why "measuring what matters" is the only way to avoid doubling down on hiring errors.

• The Death of the CV: Why Sapia.ai prefers "blind" chat interviews where every candidate gets an equal shot to tell their story.

• De-biasing the Process: How to strip "ableist" and majority-group language out of job descriptions to find the best talent.

• The "Human in the Loop": Why AI isn't replacing psychologists, but rather acting as an amplifier for better, fairer decisions.

• Candidate Experience: How an automated process can actually achieve a 9/10 satisfaction rate, even for neurodiverse candidates.

Key Takeaways for Leaders:

1. Job Analysis is Non-Negotiable: If you don't define what a person actually does all day (the tasks and behaviors), no hiring tool can save you.

2. Standardization = Fairness: Unstructured interviews default to the "loudest voice in the room." Using the same questions for every candidate is the simplest way to reduce bias.

3. No More Ghosting: Using AI at the top of the funnel allows you to provide feedback to every candidate, protecting your employer brand.

Connect with Kate Young & Sapia.ai Website: https://www.sapia.ai LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kate-young-1359483/

Connect with Al & Leanne LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/truthlieswork Al Elliott: https://www.linkedin.com/in/thisisalelliott Leanne Elliott: https://www.linkedin.com/in/meetleanne Email: hello@truthliesandwork.com Book a call: https://savvycal.com/meetleanne/chat

Mental health support UK & ROI — Samaritans Call 116 123 or visit https://www.samaritans.org UK — Mind Call 0300 123 3393 or visit https://www.mind.org.uk US — Suicide & Crisis Lifeline Call or text 988 or visit https://988lifeline.org Australia — Lifeline Call 13 11 14 or visit https://www.lifeline.org.au Global helplines: https://findahelpline.com

Truth, Lies & Work is part of the HubSpot Podcast Network, the audio destination for business professionals.

Over the past few years, the world of work has shifted. Layoffs are rising, AI is reshaping industries, and career paths that once felt like solid ground now feel uncertain. But beyond the headlines, something quieter is happening: professionals everywhere are questioning whether the careers they’ve built actually align with who they are today.

In this special LinkedIn Live panel discussion, hosts Al & Leanne Elliott are joined by three industry experts to explore whether we are seeing a temporary reaction to economic uncertainty or a deeper, structural shift in how we think about our professional lives.

🎙️ Meet the Panel

• Che Ugwuala: Global Lead for Android Marketing Strategy at Google and LinkedIn creator exploring ambition and the realities of modern professional life. Connect with Che: https://www.linkedin.com/in/che-ugwuala-mba-1749ab21/

• Kelly Garthwaite: Former Red Bull Media House leader turned founder and co-host of The Naked Room podcast. Connect with Kelly: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kelly-garthwaite/

• Erica Breuer: Creative and go-to-market strategist working at the intersection of culture, creativity, and strategy. Connect with Erica: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ericabreuer/

🔥 Key Themes Explored

• The Identity Crisis: For many, work is tied closely to identity. What happens when the job you built your life around no longer fits?

• Stability vs. Purpose: Is "purposeful work" a realistic goal for everyone, or have we over-romanticized the idea of a dream career?

• The Reality of Reinvention: What does a major career shift actually look like in practice, beyond the "idealized" version?

• The Role of Leaders: How can managers support teams through career uncertainty without overstepping or pretending to have all the answers?

• The Future of Work: Is the "Great Career Re-evaluation" a temporary blip or the new normal?

📬 Connect with Al & Leanne – LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/truthlieswork – Al Elliott: https://www.linkedin.com/in/thisisalelliott – Leanne Elliott: https://www.linkedin.com/in/meetleanne – Email: hello@truthliesandwork.com – Book a call: https://savvycal.com/meetleanne/chat

Mental health support UK & ROI — Samaritans Call 116 123 or visit https://www.samaritans.org UK — Mind Call 0300 123 3393 or visit https://www.mind.org.uk US — Suicide & Crisis Lifeline Call or text 988 or visit https://988lifeline.org Australia — Lifeline Call 13 11 14 or visit https://www.lifeline.org.au Global helplines https://findahelpline.com

🔥 Stories Covered

1. The $75 Lunch That Beats Any Exit Interview Headhunter Nick Corcodilos calls exit interviews the "cockroaches" of the employment world—they serve little purpose, yet they never die. Because departing employees often fear burning bridges, they give safe, generic answers.

• The Alternative: Wait six months after an employee leaves and invite them to a casual lunch.

• The Benefit: Time changes the dynamic. Former employees are more objective and willing to provide grounded feedback for the price of a meal.

• Source: Inc. Magazine - https://www.inc.com/suzanne-lucas/the-75-lunch-that-beats-any-exit-interview/91319277

2. Stop Guessing, Start Coaching: HowToJob & Interviewly Al explores HowToJob, an all-in-one platform built by HR veteran Milo Sevelj to help candidates navigate a brutal job market.

• Interviewly: A standout feature that generates role-specific interview questions and provides structured feedback on your recorded answers.

• The Impact: It moves beyond practicing in a mirror by giving candidates real-time data on what landed and what didn't.

• Connect with Milo Sevelj: https://www.linkedin.com/in/milosevelj/

3. The Power of Intergenerational Teams New research suggests that age diversity isn't just something to "manage"—it’s a competitive advantage.

• The Findings: Older workers feel more employable and capable when they regularly interact and share knowledge with younger colleagues.

• The Key: It’s not just about sitting next to each other; it’s about a two-way flow of experience and new skills.

• Source: Journal of Occupational and Organizational Psychology - https://bpspsychub.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/joop.70061?af=R

  
  

🧠 Truth or Lie: You Should Hire for Culture Fit Around 80% of employers prioritize "culture fit," but Leanne digs into the evidence to see if it actually predicts success.

• The Truth: Fit does predict job satisfaction (19%) and organizational commitment (26%).

• The Lie: It is one of the weakest predictors of actual job performance, accounting for less than 1% of the variance.

• The Verdict: "Culture fit" is often a subjective "airport test" that lets bias in the back door. Instead, look for "Culture Add."

  
  

💬 Workplace Surgery This week, we tackle three tough listener dilemmas:

• The Policy Trap: How do you enforce a 5-day return-to-office mandate when you don’t believe in it yourself?

• The Complicity Crisis: If your employer treats you well but treats others poorly, are you complicit by staying?

• Scaling Culture: How do you move from "being the culture" to building a culture that works without you as the team grows?

  
  

📬 Connect with Al & Leanne – LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/truthlieswork – Al Elliott: https://www.linkedin.com/in/thisisalelliott – Leanne Elliott: https://www.linkedin.com/in/meetleanne – Email: hello@truthliesandwork.com – Book a call: https://savvycal.com/meetleanne/chat

Mental health support UK & ROI — Samaritans Call 116 123 or visit https://www.samaritans.org UK — Mind Call 0300 123 3393 or visit https://www.mind.org.uk US — Suicide & Crisis Lifeline Call or text 988 or visit https://988lifeline.org Australia — Lifeline Call 13 11 14 or visit https://www.lifeline.org.au Global helplines https://findahelpline.com

🎧 Truth, Lies & Work is part of the HubSpot Podcast Network, the audio destination for business professionals. Listen to all the shows here: https://www.hubspot.com/podcastnetwork

In this very honest episode, Jeffrey joins Al and Leanne to explain why the industry he helped create hasn't solved the problem it promised to fix. We dive into the "subscription economy" traps of HR Tech, the rise of "job hugging" in 2025/26, and why your fancy engagement dashboard might actually be making things worse.

🔥 What we cover this week:

• The "Vitamin" vs. "Painkiller" Problem: Why most engagement tools only show you the problem but provide no help in actually fixing it.

• The Ethics of AI in HR: How AI should act as an "amplifier, not a replacement" for human relations by removing manual tasks and surfacing contextual themes.

• Job Hugging: Why employees are clinging to roles out of fear in the current market, and why this is actually the best time for employers to double down on culture.

• Stop Building for the Dashboard: Jeffrey’s biggest regret from his early startup days and why we need to stop building for HR metrics and start building for the employee experience.

• The Difference Between Engagement & Relations: How to distinguish between general culture "vibes" and serious employee safety or compliance issues that require platforms like AllVoices.

🎙️ Guest Information

Jeffrey Fermin is the Head of Demand Generation at AllVoices and the host of the People First podcast. He is a pioneer in the people analytics space and a vocal advocate for ethical, actionable HR technology.

• Email: jeffrey@allvoices.co

• Website: www.allvoices.co

• LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/jfermin

• Social Media (IG, TikTok, Youtube, Threads): @fermintalkswork

• Podcast (YouTube): People First Podcast

  
  

  📬 Connect with Al & Leanne

– LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/truthlieswork – Al Elliott: https://www.linkedin.com/in/thisisalelliott – Leanne Elliott: https://www.linkedin.com/in/meetleanne – Email: hello@truthliesandwork.com – Book a call: https://savvycal.com/meetleanne/chat

🧠 Mental health support

UK & ROI — Samaritans Call 116 123 or visit https://www.samaritans.org

UK — Mind Call 0300 123 3393 or visit https://www.mind.org.uk

US — Suicide & Crisis Lifeline Call or text 988 or visit https://988lifeline.org

Australia — Lifeline Call 13 11 14 or visit https://www.lifeline.org.au

Global helplines — https://findahelpline.com

Truth, Lies & Work is part of the HubSpot Podcast Network, the audio destination for business professionals.

🔥 Stories Covered

1. The Science of "Corporate Bullshit" Leanne introduces the Corporate Bullshit Receptivity Scale, a real psychological study from Cornell University.

• The Definition: "Corporate Bullshit" is defined as semantically empty jargon used in a functionally misleading way.

• The Finding: Research shows that people who find vague, jargon-heavy statements profound often score lower on analytical thinking and decision-making.

• The Impact: In the workplace, rewarding this language leads to worse decisions and a culture of performance over substance.

2. The Rise of "New-Collar" Jobs Al explores a term coined by the former CEO of IBM: New-Collar jobs.

• Skills over Degrees: These are highly skilled, well-paid roles in AI, cybersecurity, and tech that don't require a traditional university degree.

• The Stats: It's predicted that 60% of new jobs created between 2020 and 2030 will be "new-collar."

• The Barrier: Despite the talent shortage, 60% of employers still reject candidates with the right skills simply because they lack a degree.

3. Would You Walk Out of a Messy Interview? A viral Reddit story sparks a debate on candidate experience.

• The Red Flag: A senior professional ended their application process after a recruiter failed to show up for the first interview and was late for the second.

• The Lesson: Your hiring process is a direct signal of your company culture. If communication is messy before day one, candidates assume it’s messy on the inside.

  
  

  🧠 Truth or Lie: Are Morning People More Successful?

Is the 5:00 AM (or 3:50 AM!) alarm truly the secret to success, or are we just glorifying sleep deprivation?

• The Truth: Studies show "Larks" often earn 4-5% more than "Owls" and perform better in school.

• The Lie: This isn't because morning people are more disciplined. It’s because the world (schools and 9-5 offices) is built for their biology.

• The Cost: Forcing an "Owl" into a "Lark" schedule leads to Social Jetlag, higher cortisol levels, and increased risk of depression.

  
  

  💬 Workplace Surgery

This week, we tackle three listener dilemmas:

• The "Silent" Meeting: How do you handle it when the same two people dominate every conversation? Leanne shares tips on balancing participation without it feeling forced.

  • Check out our deep dive on meetings here: What if meetings were the best part of your day?

• The Overwhelmed Founder: Transitioning from "doing the work" to "leading others."

• The Toxic High-Performer: What to do when your top talent is quietly damaging team morale.

📬 Connect with Al & Leanne – LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/truthlieswork – Al Elliott: https://www.linkedin.com/in/thisisalelliott – Leanne Elliott: https://www.linkedin.com/in/meetleanne – Email: hello@truthliesandwork.com – Book a call: https://savvycal.com/meetleanne/chat

Mental health support UK & ROI — Samaritans Call 116 123 or visit https://www.samaritans.org UK — Mind Call 0300 123 3393 or visit https://www.mind.org.uk US — Suicide & Crisis Lifeline Call or text 988 or visit https://988lifeline.org Australia — Lifeline Call 13 11 14 or visit https://www.lifeline.org.au Global helplines https://findahelpline.com

This week, we are joined by Bill Yost, a People Analytics powerhouse who has operated at the very highest levels of data-driven culture. Bill spent four years running Googlegeist, Google’s legendary annual survey that consistently achieved a staggering 90% response rate. Now leading analytics at Netflix, Bill joins Al and Leanne to explain why your employee engagement survey is likely failing—and how to fix it.

In this episode, Bill pulls back the curtain on the "snake eating itself"—the cycle of performative surveying that destroys employee trust—and shares the exact framework used by tech giants to turn data into genuine organizational change.

🔥 What we cover in this episode:

• The "Goodwill Account": Why asking for feedback without the intention to act is a withdrawal from a bank account you can’t afford to drain.

• Confidential vs. Anonymous: The "taboo" of anonymity and why confidential surveys are the gold standard for identifying specific team issues without compromising trust.

• Closing the Loop: How Google built an entire new department based on survey feedback, and why you must "close the loop" loudly to maintain engagement.

• The Art of the Dashboard: Distinguishing between data "curation" for executives and "exploration" for analysts to avoid the misery of a bad dashboard.

• The Return-to-Office Bias: How leaders use their own "personal lens" to interpret messy data to fit their existing biases.

📚 About Bill Yost Connect with Bill for the best spreadsheet humor and blunt data truths: – Website: www.billyost.net – Website: www.billyost.com – LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/billyost/ (Look for the pirate flag 🏴‍☠️)

Special Offer: If you are in the US and want to try some incredible cookies, visit https://cookiesworthsharon.com/ and use the code TLW for 15% off (valid for two months from the release of this episode).

📬 Connect with Al & Leanne – LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/truthlieswork – Al Elliott: https://www.linkedin.com/in/thisisalelliott – Leanne Elliott: https://www.linkedin.com/in/meetleanne – Email: hello@truthliesandwork.com – Book a call: https://savvycal.com/meetleanne/chat

🧠 Mental health support UK & ROI — Samaritans: Call 116 123 or visit https://www.samaritans.org UK — Mind: Call 0300 123 3393 or visit https://www.mind.org.uk US — Suicide & Crisis Lifeline: Call or text 988 or visit https://988lifeline.org Australia — Lifeline: Call 13 11 14 or visit https://www.lifeline.org.au Global helplines: https://findahelpline.com

Truth, Lies & Work is part of the HubSpot Podcast Network, the audio destination for business professionals.

In this episode: We explore why "Brand Well-being" is the new secret to a 47% ROI, why a Silicon Valley startup is banning "tech bros" in favour of over-50s, and why the coworking dream is being replaced by the "proworking" revolution. Plus, we debunk the multitasking myth and solve your workplace dilemmas.

🔥 This Week in Work: The News Round-Up

• Brand Well-being: The Competitive Advantage Is your brand just a logo, or a healthy ecosystem? Leanne introduces "Brand Well-being"—the idea that success depends on the health of employees, internal culture, and customers. With research showing a 47% ROI on well-being programmes and the Work Wellbeing 100 outperforming the market, we ask: why is this still treated as an optional extra? Fast Company Article: https://www.fastcompany.com/91474208/what-is-brand-well-being-and-can-it-give-you-a-competitive-advantage-leadership-brands-well-being

• The Silicon Valley "Anti-Tech-Bro" Shift Startup Snowcap Compute is flipping the script by hiring a team with an average age of over 50. In a hardware industry where one mistake costs nine months of progress, CEO Mike Lafferty argues that "veteran" skepticism beats "youthful" trust in models. We discuss why deep experience is becoming a primary competitive advantage. Inc Article: https://www.inc.com/kevin-haynes/tech-bros-need-not-apply-a-silicon-valley-hiring-twist/91313738

• The Death of Coworking & The Rise of "Proworking" Is the "Bromad" era over? Al explores why serious professionals are quietly leaving open-plan coworking spaces. As home becomes the default for many, the office must offer something better: quiet, privacy, and "proworking" spaces that offer a door that actually shuts. Forbes Article: https://www.forbes.com/councils/forbesbusinesscouncil/2025/12/15/the-private-office-revival-why-professionals-are-quietly-leaving-coworking-behind/

🧠 Truth or Lie: Can Some People Genuinely Multitask? We put the "supertasker" under the microscope. While 2.5% of the population might handle heavy cognitive loads more efficiently, for the other 97.5% of us, multitasking is just expensive "task switching." We also look at how AI isn't making us better at juggling—it’s just taking some of the balls out of the air for us.

🏥 The Workplace Surgery

• The "Zero Ambition" Contributor: Is it a problem if a top performer just wants to do their job and go home?

• Leading Hard Conversations: Advice for HR pros and managers on staying neutral when things get emotional.

• Podcast ROI: Is starting a business podcast in 2026 a smart growth strategy or a vanity project?

📬 Connect with Al & Leanne – LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/truthlieswork – Al Elliott: https://www.linkedin.com/in/thisisalelliott – Leanne Elliott: https://www.linkedin.com/in/meetleanne – Email: hello@truthliesandwork.com – Book a call: https://savvycal.com/meetleanne/chat

Mental health support UK & ROI — Samaritans Call 116 123 or visit https://www.samaritans.org UK — Mind Call 0300 123 3393 or visit https://www.mind.org.uk US — Suicide & Crisis Lifeline Call or text 988 or visit https://988lifeline.org Australia — Lifeline Call 13 11 14 or visit https://www.lifeline.org.au Global helplines: https://findahelpline.com

This week, we are joined by the "adult in the room" from the early days of Facebook, Tom LeNoble. Tom has led in boardrooms and fought for his life in hospital rooms, surviving multiple life-threatening illnesses. From shaping growth at Facebook (META), Walmart.com, Palm (HP), and MCI (Verizon) to now serving as CEO of the Academy for Coaching Excellence and a leadership coach with Santa Clara University’s Miller Center for Global Impact, Tom helps others navigate adversity with courage and clarity.

In his best-selling book, My Life in Business Suits, Hospital Gowns, and High Heels, Tom shares unflinching lessons on risk, resilience, and reinvention.

🔥 What we cover in this episode:

• The Early Days of Facebook: What it was like interviewing with a 19-year-old Mark Zuckerberg in a tiny office above a Chinese restaurant.
• The Secret Struggle: How Tom managed a high-octane Silicon Valley career while being given six months to live—three separate times.
• Leading Through Crisis: The philosophy of laying off 100 people (and eventually himself) with dignity and a "head held high" approach.
• The Philanthropic Mindset: Why philanthropy isn't about the size of the check, but the intention behind a simple "hello."
• The Story of Rita Dayworth: Reclaiming all parts of your identity, from executive suits to high heels.

📚 About Tom LeNoble

Tom’s book is available on Amazon, and you can learn more by visiting www.tomlenoble.com. Follow @lenoble.tom on Instagram, Facebook, and LinkedIn.

You can also reach out to Tom directly at resilience@tomlenoble.com.

📬 Connect with Al & Leanne

• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/truthlieswork

• Al Elliott: https://www.linkedin.com/in/thisisalelliott

• Leanne Elliott: https://www.linkedin.com/in/meetleanne

• Email: hello@truthliesandwork.com

• Book a call: https://savvycal.com/meetleanne/chat

  
  

  🧠 Mental health support+1

• UK & ROI — Samaritans: Call 116 123 or visit https://www.samaritans.org

• UK — Mind: Call 0300 123 3393 or visit https://www.mind.org.uk

• US — Suicide & Crisis Lifeline: Call or text 988 or visit https://988lifeline.org

• Australia — Lifeline: Call 13 11 14 or visit https://www.lifeline.org.au

• Global helplines: https://findahelpline.com

Truth, Lies & Work is part of the HubSpot Podcast Network, the audio destination for business professionals.

This week, we explore why "friction" might be the secret to better judgment, the brutal reality of AI-driven layoffs at Block, and why your boss's 10:47 PM emails are exhausting your entire team. Plus, we dig into the science of whether leadership is written in your DNA.

🔥 Stories Covered

1. The Rise of "Friction-maxxing" Leanne introduces a new term: friction-maxxing. Inspired by reporting in the Financial Times, this movement sees workers deliberately choosing slower, more effortful ways of working—like handwriting notes or reading full documents instead of AI summaries—to combat "cognitive atrophy" and build nuanced judgment. Source: https://www.ft.com/content/fd5e65df-83c7-42f3-9658-377c99df42d1

2. Jack Dorsey’s AI Gamble Al discusses the recent layoffs at Block (formerly Square/Twitter), where CEO Jack Dorsey cut 4,000 jobs—40% of the workforce—and explicitly blamed AI productivity gains. We debate whether this "rip the plaster off" honesty is refreshing or a dangerous precedent for the future of work. Source: https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2026/feb/27/block-ai-layoffs-jack-dorsey

3. The Climate of Constant Connectivity New research in the Journal of Occupational and Organizational Psychology reveals that when leaders use smartphones for work after hours, they create a shared "climate of constant connectivity". This doesn't just annoy individuals; it leads to collective emotional exhaustion across the entire team. Source: https://bpspsychub.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1111/joop.70067

🧠 Truth or Lie: Are Leaders Born or Made?

We tackle the "Great Man" theory of leadership. While studies of identical twins show that between 37% and 59% of leadership style variation can be linked to genetics, that still leaves more than half the equation down to environment, experience, and development. The Verdict: It’s a Lie—leadership is not a genetic script; it is a practicable skill shaped by opportunity and self-awareness.

💬 Workplace Surgery

This week, we answer three tough listener questions:

• The Nepotism Trap: How do you push back when a senior leader pressures you to hire their less-qualified relative?

• The Vanishing Spark: What do you do when "star" employees suddenly settle for "just fine" without being dramatic about "quiet quitting"?

• The Transparency Gap: Your manager is telling the CEO a project is "on track" when you know it's failing. Do you speak up or stay complicit?

📬 Connect with Al & Leanne – LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/truthlieswork – Al Elliott: https://www.linkedin.com/in/thisisalelliott – Leanne Elliott: https://www.linkedin.com/in/meetleanne – Email: hello@truthliesandwork.com – Book a call: https://savvycal.com/meetleanne/chat

Mental health support UK & ROI — Samaritans Call 116 123 or visit https://www.samaritans.org UK — Mind Call 0300 123 3393 or visit https://www.mind.org.uk US — Suicide & Crisis Lifeline Call or text 988 or visit https://988lifeline.org Australia — Lifeline Call 13 11 14 or visit https://www.lifeline.org.au Global helplines https://findahelpline.com

Truth, Lies & Work is part of the HubSpot Podcast Network, the audio destination for business professionals. Find out more at: https://www.hubspot.com/podcast-network

In the corporate world, we are obsessed with personality. We use DISC, Myers-Briggs, and Enneagrams to "colour-code" our colleagues and predict who will be a great leader. But what if we’ve been looking at the wrong data?

In this episode, we sit down with Juliette Alban-Metcalfe, a Chartered Occupational Psychologist and CEO of Real World Group. Juliette is at the forefront of leadership research, building on the groundbreaking work of her mother, Professor Beverly Alimo-Metcalfe.

Juliette argues that personality only explains a tiny fraction of leadership success. Instead, the real "magic sauce" is behaviour—the specific, observable actions that leaders take to engage their teams and foster success.

In this episode, we discuss:

• Personality vs. Behaviour: Why what you do matters infinitely more than who you are according to your personality test results.

• The "Accidental Manager" Trap: Why founders and technical experts often struggle to transition into leadership and how 360-degree feedback can bridge the gap.

• Predictive Validity: The science behind why leadership behaviours can predict up to 60% of a team's motivation and fulfilment.

• Psychological Safety: How to use assessments to build trust and development rather than fear and judgement.

• Actionable Advice for Leaders: Two simple things every leader can do today to immediately improve team engagement.

If you’ve ever felt like you’re "not a natural leader" or if you're an HR professional frustrated with the lack of ROI from personality workshops, this episode is a masterclass in the science of what actually works.

🔗 Connect with Juliette

– LinkedIn: Juliette Alban-Metcalfe – Website: Real World Group

📬 Connect with Al & Leanne

– LinkedIn: Truth, Lies & Work – Al Elliott: LinkedIn – Leanne Elliott: LinkedIn – Email: hello@truthliesandwork.com – Book a call: https://savvycal.com/meetleanne/chat

🧠 Mental Health Support

UK & ROI — Samaritans: Call 116 123 or visit https://www.samaritans.org

UK — Mind: Call 0300 123 3393 or visit https://www.mind.org.uk

US — Suicide & Crisis Lifeline: Call or text 988 or visit https://988lifeline.org

Australia — Lifeline: Call 13 11 14 or visit https://www.lifeline.org.au

Global Helplines — https://findahelpline.com

Truth, Lies & Work is part of the HubSpot Podcast Network, the audio destination for business professionals.

This week, we explore the "silent disengagement" trend, the surprising truth about Gen Z and the office, and the psychological reason why the end of a project feels harder than the beginning. Plus, we settle the ultimate workplace debate: do people leave managers or jobs?

Stories Covered

1. The Rise of "Silent Disengagement" Is office culture dying, or is it just getting quieter? We look at silent disengagement, where employees do the work but mentally pull back, speaking less in meetings and avoiding new projects. Leanne argues this isn't a new remote work problem, but a long-standing issue of employees not feeling valued or challenged.

• Source: Silent Disengagement: The work trend explained

2. Gen Z: Leading the Charge Back to the Office? Forget the lazy stereotypes. New data suggests Gen Z is actually leading the return to the office for social connection and development. We share the story of a 24-year-old commuting four hours a day just to be in the room. It turns out, different life stages need different work models—and flexibility increases engagement for everyone.

3. Why the "Last Stretch" Feels the Hardest Ever noticed how the final 10% of a project feels more draining than the first 90%? A new study in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology explains that fatigue heightens as we become more aware of the effort we've already invested. The fix? Zoom out and frame the task as part of a bigger goal.

• Read the paper: More done, more drained (Zeng et al., 2025)

• BPS Digest: How to get through the last push

  
  

Truth or Lie: Do people really leave managers, not jobs?

It is one of the most common beliefs in business: "People don't leave bad jobs, they leave bad managers." Leanne digs into the research from Gallup, McKinsey, and Facebook to find the truth. While poor leadership dramatically increases the odds of someone quitting, we reveal the other factors that actually drive the Great Resignation.

Workplace Surgery

This week, we tackle three tough questions from our listeners:

• Unlimited Holiday: Is it a brilliant trust-building exercise or a recipe for anxiety and "leavism"?

• Lifting Morale: How do you rebuild energy in a team that is flat after a draining year of changes and stress?

• The "30-Second" Interview: What do you do when you know a candidate isn't right within seconds of meeting them?

  
  

  Connect with Al & Leanne

• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/truthlieswork

• Al Elliott: https://www.linkedin.com/in/thisisalelliott

• Leanne Elliott: https://www.linkedin.com/in/meetleanne

• Email: hello@truthliesandwork.com

• Book a call: https://savvycal.com/meetleanne/chat

  
  

  Mental health support

UK & ROI — Samaritans: Call 116 123 or visit https://www.samaritans.org

UK — Mind: Call 0300 123 3393 or visit https://www.mind.org.uk

US — Suicide & Crisis Lifeline: Call or text 988 or visit https://988lifeline.org

Australia — Lifeline: Call 13 11 14 or visit https://www.lifeline.org.au

Global helplines: https://findahelpline.com

Truth, Lies & Work is proud to be part of the HubSpot Podcast Network, the audio destination for business professionals.

This week we’re diving into how AI is actually landing in the workplace — and what that means for managers, employees and the future of work.

Our guest is Andrew Palmer, host of Boss Class from The Economist and author of the Bartleby management column. In Season 3 of Boss Class, Andrew goes hands-on with AI — not just talking about it, but living with it, testing it and asking the questions leaders need to answer as the technology transforms jobs and organisations.

This episode isn’t about hype. It’s about what AI is actually good at today, what it’s still terrible at, and how leaders should think about deploying it in ways that help people — not replace them.

🔥 What you’ll learn

1) AI isn’t coming. It’s here.
Season 3 of Boss Class opens with Andrew trying generative AI tools in real work routines — even asking Claude to draft his management column — and discovering both the power and the weirdness that comes with using them.

2) AI reshapes roles, not just tasks
Rather than automating jobs wholesale, the most immediate workplace impact of AI is changing how work gets done — augmenting roles, compressing coordination and expanding what managers are responsible for.

3) Imperfect AI still delivers value
Some AI tools don’t get things right. But when used as thinking partners — critiquing ideas, suggesting alternatives, or helping leaders make sense of complexity — they make teams more productive and innovative.

4) Leaders need AI literacy, not just tech teams
AI affects strategy, priorities and people decisions — not just coding and automation. The organisations that thrive aren’t those that wait for perfect tech, but those that integrate AI intelligently into leadership and workflows.

5) Human judgement still matters
Far from making humans obsolete, AI highlights uniquely human strengths: judgment, nuance, people skills and context-aware decision-making.

🧠 Why this matters for work

AI is not just a tool — it’s a workforce multiplier. Leaders who understand how to harness AI can reshape productivity, culture and the role of managers in their organisations. Those who don’t risk falling behind as workplace expectations shift rapidly.

🔗 Resources & links

Season 3 of Boss Class asks crucial questions about responsibility, adoption and what we truly mean by progress — and this episode brings those questions directly into your workplace context.

Listen to Boss Class from The Economist — Season 3 launched January 2026 and explores AI, management and the future of work:
https://www.economist.com/audio/podcasts/boss-class

Andrew Palmer’s work: search “Boss Class” on podcast platforms or visit The Economist’s podcast page:
https://www.economist.com/audio/podcasts/boss-class

💬 Connect with the show

Website: https://truthliesandwork.com
Email: hello@truthliesandwork.com
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/truth-lies-and-work
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/truthlieswork

Hosts
Al Elliott: https://www.linkedin.com/in/thisisalelliott/
Leanne Elliott: https://www.linkedin.com/in/meetleanne/

🧠 Mental health support

UK & ROI – Samaritans
Call 116 123 | http://www.samaritans.org

UK – Mind
Call 0300 123 3393 | https://www.mind.org.uk

US – Suicide & Crisis Lifeline
Call or text 988 | https://988lifeline.org

Australia – Lifeline
Call 13 11 14 | https://www.lifeline.org.au

Global helplines
https://findahelpline.com

🔥 Stories covered

1. The rise of the “career comedown”motivation, engagement and the future of work.

Have you ever hit a major career milestone and felt underwhelmed?

Leanne introduces the term career comedown, coined by Stefanie Sword-Williams. It describes the emotional slump that can follow promotions, pay rises and career success. Many professionals report feeling bored, stuck or disconnected once they reach the goals they worked towards.

The research suggests three paths forward:
• Stick — reshape your current role
• Twist — change direction or reinvent your career
• Tap out — reduce how much work defines your identity

Source: https://graziadaily.co.uk/life/real-life/is-your-career-giving-you-the-ick/
Stefanie Sword-Williams: https://www.linkedin.com/in/stefanieswordwilliams/

2. Generative AI becomes a leadership skill

These stories matter for leaders, founders and managers navigating

Google has launched a Generative AI Leader certification, signalling that AI literacy is becoming a core leadership capability.

The programme helps business leaders understand generative AI, identify opportunities and adopt AI responsibly. Leaders who lack AI literacy risk making strategic decisions without the full picture.

Learn more: https://cloud.google.com/learn/certification/generative-ai-leader

3. Hope is the emotion that creates meaning at work

New psychological research shows hope may be more important than happiness for creating a meaningful life.

Across six studies with more than 2,300 participants, researchers found hope strongly predicts meaning, motivation and wellbeing. Seeing progress, believing change is possible and having a future direction all boost engagement at work.

For leaders, clarity, visible progress and realistic optimism matter more than constant positivity.

🧠 Truth or Lie: Does NLP actually work?

This week we explore Neuro-Linguistic Programming (NLP).

While NLP training can boost confidence and communication skills, strong scientific evidence for its broader claims is limited. Many techniques overlap with established psychology, but NLP itself is not considered a robust evidence-based approach.

💬 Workplace Surgery – Special edition

This week’s questions come from The Business Psycho, a new platform launching for students and early-career professionals in business psychology.

We discuss:
• Breaking into business psychology
• The real people problems inside organisations
• Mistakes leaders make when trying to fix culture
• Future trends in workplace psychology

Follow The Business Psycho
https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-business-psycho/
https://www.instagram.com/thebusinesspsycho.official

Connect with Truth, Lies & Work

Website: https://truthliesandwork.com
Email: hello@truthliesandwork.com
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/truth-lies-and-work
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/truthlieswork

Hosts
Al Elliott: https://www.linkedin.com/in/thisisalelliott/
Leanne Elliott: https://www.linkedin.com/in/meetleanne

Mental health support

UK & ROI — Samaritans Call 116 123 or visit https://www.samaritans.org

UK — Mind Call 0300 123 3393 or visit https://www.mind.org.uk

US — Suicide & Crisis Lifeline Call or text 988 or visit https://988lifeline.org

Australia — Lifeline Call 13 11 14 or visit https://www.lifeline.org.au

Global helplines
https://findahelpline.com

🎧 Truth, Lies & Work is part of the HubSpot Podcast Network, the audio destination for business professionals.

This week on Truth, Lies & Work, we’re joined by Steve Kemish to talk about the most uncomfortable phase of company growth. The moment when your business moves from a handful of people to a real organisation. Steve calls it the puberty of a company and if you have ever scaled a team, you will know exactly what he means.

Steve has grown a marketing agency from a small team into a business approaching 50 people. In this conversation, he shares what leaders rarely talk about when growth accelerates. The identity crisis, the culture wobble, the communication breakdowns and the leadership shifts that suddenly become unavoidable.

This episode is packed with practical advice for founders, leaders and managers navigating rapid growth.

Key Takeaways

Why growth changes everything
Many founders assume growth is purely positive. In reality, scaling introduces new complexity overnight. Communication becomes harder. Informal processes stop working. Leaders who once knew everything now have to learn to let go.

The “puberty phase” of organisations
Steve explains why the jump from around 13 to 20 employees is a major turning point. This is when businesses must move from instinct and intuition to structure and systems. Without that shift, chaos quickly follows.

The leadership identity shift
The skills that help you start a business are not the same skills needed to scale one. Founders must evolve from doers into leaders, from decision-makers into decision-enablers.

Culture under pressure
Growth puts pressure on culture. New hires bring fresh perspectives, expectations and habits. Leaders must become intentional about culture rather than relying on “how things have always been.”

Communication becomes the biggest challenge
As teams grow, assumptions and informal conversations stop working. Leaders must learn to communicate clearly, consistently and at scale.

Why this episode matters

If you are hiring quickly, planning to scale or feeling the growing pains of expansion, this conversation offers a roadmap for navigating one of the most challenging phases of leadership.

Connect with Steve Kemish

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/skemish/
Website: http://www.intermedia-global.com

Connect with the show

Follow Al Elliott: https://www.linkedin.com/in/thisisalelliott/
Follow Leanne Elliott: https://www.linkedin.com/in/meetleanne

Email: hello@truthliesandwork.com
Website: https://truthliesandwork.com

Mental health resources

UK: https://www.mind.org.uk

UK Samaritans: https://www.samaritans.org
US: https://988lifeline.org
International: https://www.opencounseling.com/suicide-hotlines

🎧 Truth, Lies & Work is part of the HubSpot Podcast Network – the audio destination for business professionals.

This week we’re asking: how prepared are workplaces for real life transitions, what happens when AI becomes your colleague, and does your name secretly shape your career?

🔥 Stories covered

1. Matrescence: the workplace transition nobody plans for
   Leanne introduces a word we should all know: matrescence. Similar to adolescence, it describes the emotional, psychological and identity shift that happens when someone becomes a mother.

This is one of the most significant transitions in a woman’s career, yet it’s rarely reflected in performance systems, leadership pathways or job design. The question for organisations is simple: instead of asking people to return unchanged, how can we support them to grow forward?

Follow the research: https://www.instagram.com/microrosie/

Follow Rose on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rose-soffel/

2. The AI that called its owner while he was sleeping
A developer created an AI agent that can run a computer, read emails, organise files and complete work independently. Then things escalated. Users began connecting their agents together through a platform called MoltBook, a social network for AI agents to share ideas and improve each other.

If AI can do eight hours of work in minutes, what does productivity mean? And what happens when the AI isn’t the company’s tool, but your personal one?

Read more:
https://openclaw.ai/
https://www.moltbook.com/

3. The biggest workplace problem in 2026 isn’t pay or burnout. It’s managers.
A new SHRM report based on thousands of HR leaders and employees found ineffective leadership has overtaken pay and workload as the top workplace concern.

In organisations rated ineffective, job satisfaction falls to 44%. In effective workplaces it rises to 91%, and more than half of employees in poorly led organisations expect to leave within a year.

Leadership development is now the top priority for HR leaders, with economic uncertainty and AI adoption adding pressure. The message is clear: workplaces don’t fail because people don’t care. They fail because leadership systems don’t support people properly.

Read the report: https://www.webpronews.com/boss-bottleneck-why-leadership-tops-2026-workplace-woes/

🔥 Truth or Lie
Does your name influence your career?

Nominative determinism suggests people are drawn to jobs that match their names. Early research hinted at a small effect, but larger modern studies found the link disappears when you control for demographics and chance.

Verdict: Lie. Your brain loves coincidences, but your career is not written in your name.

💬 Workplace Surgery
This week we tackle:
• Why personality tools like DiSC remain popular despite weak evidence
• Whether small businesses should hire younger workers
• How to stand out when starting a career in occupational psychology

🎧 Coming up Thursday
We’re joined by Steve Kemish to talk about the “puberty of organisations” and what happens when teams grow fast.

💬 Connect with the show
Website: https://truthliesandwork.com
Email: hello@truthliesandwork.com
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/truth-lies-and-work
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/truthlieswork

Hosts
Al Elliott: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alelliott/
Leanne Elliott: https://www.linkedin.com/in/leanneelliott/

🧠 Mental health support
UK & ROI: Samaritans – 116 123 https://www.samaritans.org
US: Suicide & Crisis Lifeline – 988 https://988lifeline.org
Australia: Lifeline – 13 11 14 https://www.lifeline.org.au
Global: https://findahelpline.com

In this episode of Truth, Lies & Work, Al and Leanne speak with Lindsey Caplan, a former Hollywood screenwriter turned organisational psychologist, about why leaders struggle to influence groups at work and what actually works instead.

Lindsey shares the MOVED Model, a practical framework for driving engagement, influencing behaviour and communicating change in a way that sticks. If you lead teams, present ideas, manage projects or drive transformation, this episode explains why information alone never creates change and what does.

What you’ll learn

Why most workplace change fails
Many organisations fall into the transmission trap: the belief that more information leads to better results. More slides, more frameworks and more meetings rarely change behaviour. Real change happens when people feel involved, motivated and emotionally connected.

Informing vs influencing at work
Influencing one person is very different from influencing a group. Leaders often assume employees are already motivated and aligned, but many are neutral, cautious or distracted. Real change begins with a better question: What do we need people to do differently? Not: What do we need to tell them?

The MOVED Model explained
Lindsey’s framework maps how leaders try to influence behaviour using two key dimensions. Push vs Pull: is change being done to people or with people? Generic vs Personalised: is the message broad or relevant to individuals? These create four outcomes: compliance, awareness, entertainment and engagement. Most organisations aim for engagement but accidentally design for compliance.

What Taylor Swift can teach leaders
Great performers design experiences that involve their audience. Leaders can do the same by giving people a role in the change, creating curiosity with a central question, sharing emotion as well as expertise and showing why the change matters to employees. The message is simple: perform with people, not at people.

Practical leadership takeaways
Decide the behaviour you want before designing the message. Pull people into change instead of pushing information at them. Stop saying “I’m excited about this change” and explain why employees should be.

Resources and links
Take the MOVED Model quiz: https://www.gatheringeffect.com/quiz
Connect with Lindsey: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lindseycaplan/

Connect with Truth, Lies & Work
Website: https://truthliesandwork.com
Email: hello@truthliesandwork.com
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/truth-lies-and-work
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/truthlieswork

Connect with the hosts
Al Elliott: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alelliott/
Leanne Elliott: https://www.linkedin.com/in/leanneelliott/

Mental health support
UK & ROI: Samaritans – 116 123 https://www.samaritans.org
US: Suicide & Crisis Lifeline – 988 https://988lifeline.org
Australia: Lifeline – 13 11 14 https://www.lifeline.org.au
Global support: https://findahelpline.com

Over the last few years, work has quietly shifted from ambition to survival.

Rising living costs, economic uncertainty, layoffs and AI have changed how people make career decisions. Instead of taking risks or pursuing meaningful work, many are staying put not because they want to, but because it feels safer to stay. The media has called this the Big Stay or job-hugging.

Why these two perspectives together

Louise and Ruth operate at different, but deeply connected, points in the system.

• Louise works at the earliest stage, where money beliefs, habits and confidence are formed in childhood and adolescence.

• Ruth works at the adult decision-making stage, where financial confidence shapes career risk-taking, leadership progression, entrepreneurship and long-term wellbeing.

Together, they offer an end-to-end view of how money confidence shapes working lives.

• Why money confidence often matters more than income when it comes to career choices

• How financial insecurity quietly shapes promotions, leadership ambition and risk-taking

• Why people from less affluent backgrounds are less likely to take career risks, even when highly capable

• How early money beliefs follow people into adulthood and the workplace

• Why financial wellbeing is the most neglected pillar of workplace wellbeing

• What leaders and organisations can do to reduce fear-driven decision-making without being intrusive

What you’ll learn in this episode

This conversation reframes financial literacy not as budgeting or products, but as freedom, confidence and optionality.

Money confidence influences:

• Who feels able to negotiate, speak up or take risks

• Who progresses into leadership roles

• Who starts businesses or new ventures

• Who opts out, plays safe or stays stuck

Why this matters for leaders and organisations

For leaders concerned about engagement, retention, wellbeing, DEI and social mobility, this episode highlights a hidden but powerful driver of workplace behaviour.

About our guests

Louise Hill
Co-founder of GoHenry, a financial education platform helping children and young people build money confidence from an early age.
🔗 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/louise-hill-5197614/
🔗 GoHenry: https://www.gohenry.com

Ruth Handcock
CEO of Octopus Money, supporting adults and employees to make confident financial decisions about work, life and the future.
🔗 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ruth-handcock-obe-71b3656/
🔗 Octopus Money: https://octopusmoney.com

🎧 Who this episode is for

• Leaders and managers worried about engagement, retention and risk-aversion

• HR and People teams focused on wellbeing, DEI and social mobility

• Parents thinking about the long-term impact of money conversations at home

• Employees feeling cautious, stuck or unable to take career risks

• Founders and policymakers interested in innovation and economic participation

  
  

  💬 Connect with Truth, Lies & Work

• Website: https://truthliesandwork.com

• Email: hello@truthliesandwork.com

• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/truth-lies-and-work

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/truthlieswork

  
  

  Connect with the hosts

• Al Elliott: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alelliott/

• Leanne Elliott: https://www.linkedin.com/in/leanneelliott/

🧠 Mental health support

If this conversation brings anything up for you:

• UK & ROI: Samaritans — 116 123 | https://www.samaritans.org

• US: Suicide & Crisis Lifeline — 988 | https://988lifeline.org

• Australia: Lifeline — 13 11 14 | https://www.lifeline.org.au

• Elsewhere: https://findahelpline.com

In this episode of Truth, Lies & Work, we're joined by Gemma Ruse and Xavier Shariff, the husband-and-wife co-founders of Studio Zag, a 60-person agency that designs and builds experiential installations for brands all over the world.

• STUDIO XAG: https://studioxag.com/
• Gemma: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gemma-ruse-646979a
• Xavier: https://www.linkedin.com/in/xavier-sheriff-49091132
• Ellie Glason PR: https://ellieglasonpr.com/

They met at 20 in a house share at Central Saint Martins. They've been together for over 20 years, running Studio Zag together for 16 of those. They've clad a 35-metre boombox onto Diesel's Carnaby Street facade, become a certified B Corp, and built a business where people regularly say: "This is and will always be the best place I've ever worked."

This isn't a story about having it all figured out. It's about trusting your gut, knowing when enough is enough, and building culture through brilliant work — not ping pong tables.

What you'll learn in this episode

• Why they never planned to work together (and why it works anyway)
• How complementary skills matter more than identical visions
• Why "disagree in the room, commit outside the room" is their partnership rule
• The difference between forced fun and authentic culture
• Why they don't want to grow from 60 to 600 people (and what that says about sustainable business)
• How trust your gut feeling actually works as a leadership strategy
• Why great work IS culture (and how they keep that red thread of attention to detail at scale)
• What it means when people say your agency is, "the best place you've ever worked"

Gemma and Xavier are brutally honest about the realities of building a creative business with your life partner: the complementary strengths, the stubborn moments, and why sometimes the best business advice is to ask yourself: "What does this feel like in my stomach?"

• 💬 Connect with Truth, Lies & Work

• Website: ⁠https://truthliesandwork.com⁠

• Email: ⁠hello@truthliesandwork.com⁠

• LinkedIn: ⁠https://www.linkedin.com/company/truth-lies-and-work⁠

• Instagram: ⁠https://www.instagram.com/truthlieswork⁠

• Al Elliott: ⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/alelliott/⁠

• Leanne Elliott: ⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/leanneelliott/⁠

🧠 Mental health support

If this conversation brings anything up for you or someone you care about:

• UK & ROI: Samaritans — 116 123 | ⁠https://www.samaritans.org⁠

• US: Suicide & Crisis Lifeline — 988 | ⁠https://988lifeline.org⁠

• Australia: Lifeline — 13 11 14 | ⁠https://www.lifeline.org.au⁠

• Elsewhere: ⁠https://findahelpline.com

This week, we’re asking a simple question with uncomfortable answers: who really gets flexibility, who’s trusted around AI, and what psychology myths are still shaping work decisions?

🔥 Stories covered

1. Who actually gets flexible work — and why

Leanne introduces a new term this week: i-deals — short for idiosyncratic deals. These are personalised, one-to-one flexibility arrangements negotiated privately between employees and managers.

📄 Research source:
https://bpspsychub.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1111/joop.70084

2. When corporate politics becomes the real job

Al brings a thread from X this week by an account called IT_Unprofessional, written by an IT Director earning around $280k a year. He describes what he calls a “corporate survival guide” — not about technical excellence, but about navigating power, perception and incentives.

3. Why banks are hiring behavioural scientists for AI roles

After one of the toughest recruitment years since 2008, UK financial services firms are hiring again — and not just technologists.

The concern isn’t AI failure. It’s human behaviour around AI — over-trust, automation bias, and quiet deference to systems that sound confident but may be wrong.

🔗 Reporting:
https://www.lbc.co.uk/article/banks-ai-experts-worried-misuse-5HjdRJS_2/

🔥 Truth or Lie💬

People learn better when teaching matches their learning style

Visual learner. Auditory learner. Kinaesthetic learner. The idea is everywhere.

Leanne breaks down decades of evidence and explains:

• Preferences exist

• Enjoyment increases when preferences are met

• Learning outcomes do not reliably improve

The verdict: Lie.
What matters is the material, not the learner label. And learning that feels harder is often more effective.

Workplace Surgery

This week we tackle:

• How to motivate a team nearing retirement without patronising them

• What to do when a career coach crosses ethical lines

• Whether employee NPS is a meaningful measure of engagement

We explore motivation, power, boundaries and what good evidence actually supports.

🎧 Coming up Thursday

We’re joined by Gemma Ruse and Xavier Sheriff, co-founders of Studio XAG, to talk about building a people-first agency, becoming a B Corp, and what it’s really like running a business with the person you’re married to.

💬 Connect with Truth, Lies & Work

• Website: https://truthliesandwork.com

• Email: hello@truthliesandwork.com

• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/truth-lies-and-work

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/truthlieswork

  
  

  Connect with the hosts

• Al Elliott: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alelliott/

• Leanne Elliott: https://www.linkedin.com/in/leanneelliott/

  
  

  🧠 Mental health support

• UK & ROI: Samaritans — 116 123 | https://www.samaritans.org

• US: Suicide & Crisis Lifeline — 988 | https://988lifeline.org

• Australia: Lifeline — 13 11 14 | https://www.lifeline.org.au

• Elsewhere: https://findahelpline.com

In this episode of Truth, Lies & Work, we’re joined by Beth Sherman — a seven-time Emmy-winning comedy writer who spent three decades in Hollywood writers’ rooms before taking what she learned into the world of business.

Beth has written for The Late Show with David Letterman, The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, Ellen, the Screen Actors Guild Awards, and the Oscars. Today, she works with leaders, sales teams, and organisations who want to build trust quickly, communicate with confidence, and connect more humanly at work.

This is not about telling jokes in meetings.

It’s about understanding why humour works, how truth creates connection, and why the most effective communicators are the most observant — not the funniest.

What you’ll learn in this episode

• Why “truth is funny” — and what that reveals about trust and rapport

• The difference between self-awareness and self-deprecation (and why confusing the two damages credibility)

• How humour creates psychological safety without undermining authority

• Why being human matters more as work becomes more automated and AI-driven

• How observational humour helps in sales, leadership, presentations, and difficult conversations

• Why you don’t need to be funny — you need to be emotionally intelligent and observant

Beth explains how comedians build instant rapport with strangers, and why those same principles are powerful in boardrooms, client meetings, and tense workplace moments.

Why this matters for leaders and teams

In a world where people can buy similar products, services, and solutions anywhere, relationships are the differentiator.

Humour, when used properly, signals:

• Awareness of the room

• Confidence without ego

• Safety without softness

• Humanity without oversharing

Beth’s work shows that humour isn’t about performance. It’s about connection — and connection is the foundation of trust, influence, and persuasion at work.

About our guest

Beth Sherman is a comedian, keynote speaker, and communication expert. She spent over 30 years writing comedy at the highest level before translating those principles into practical tools for business leaders.

Her upcoming book is published by Blue Goat Books.

🔗 Beth Sherman website: https://www.bethsherman.com/
🔗 Beth Sherman on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/beth-sherman/

🎧 Listen if you’re…

• A leader who wants to build trust without forcing charisma

• In sales or marketing and tired of scripts that feel inauthentic

• Giving presentations and feeling pressure to “perform”

• Curious about the psychology of humour and human connection

• Website: https://truthliesandwork.com

• Email: hello@truthliesandwork.com

• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/truth-lies-and-work

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/truthlieswork

• Al Elliott: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alelliott/

• Leanne Elliott: https://www.linkedin.com/in/leanneelliott/

🧠 Mental health support

If this conversation brings anything up for you or someone you care about:

• UK & ROI: Samaritans — 116 123 | https://www.samaritans.org

• US: Suicide & Crisis Lifeline — 988 | https://988lifeline.org

• Australia: Lifeline — 13 11 14 | https://www.lifeline.org.au

• Elsewhere: https://findahelpline.com

This week we’re exploring what employees and leaders are really looking for at work right now — and how it’s shaping leadership behaviour, burnout, employee wellbeing, and workplace culture.

🔥 Stories covered

Why are Gen Z leaving jobs so quickly?

According to a Fast Company article by Jeff LeBlanc, Gen Z workers aren’t job-hopping out of disloyalty. They’re growth hunting.

The research shows:

• Nearly half of Gen Z plan to leave roles for better growth, not higher pay

• 86% won’t upskill without employer funding

• 43% feel too burnt out to learn outside work hours

• Cost, not motivation, is the biggest barrier to development

This reflects a wider shift in workplace expectations. When organisations talk about growth but don’t support it structurally, people move on. Gen Z isn’t rejecting work — they’re rejecting stagnation.

🔗 https://www.fastcompany.com/91452297/the-rise-of-growth-hunting-why-gen-z-changes-jobs-so-oftengenz-job-hopping

Jeff previously joined Truth, Lies & Work to discuss Gen Z, burnout, and leadership psychology: https://truthliesandwork.com/episodes/207-what-happens-when-leaders-start-being-kind-with-jeff-leblanc

You can also explore his book Engaged Empathy Leadership for practical, science-backed management advice: https://www.amazon.com/Engaged-Empathy-Leadership-Redefining-Action-ebook/dp/B0FCGSC48C

Does complaining at work make teams less resilient?

Research highlighted by Stanford suggests that repeated complaining rewires the brain.

Over time:

• Neural pathways linked to stress and threat detection strengthen

• Baseline stress levels rise

• Small irritations feel bigger

• Negativity becomes automatic

For leaders, this matters. Teams that normalise constant complaining may unintentionally reduce resilience, decision-making quality, and psychological safety.

🔗 https://x.com/shiningscience/status/2013113758386987099

What employee wellbeing benefits actually reduce burnout?

After a LinkedIn post went viral, Slate introduced a $200 monthly cleaning stipend for employees.

Why this matters for employee wellbeing:

• It removes friction instead of adding effort

• It gives people time and mental space back

• It supports carers and those under chronic time pressure

• Research consistently links cluttered environments to higher stress

This reframes wellbeing away from “one more thing to do” and towards burnout prevention.

🔗 https://fortune.com/2026/01/15/company-adds-cleaning-services-as-employee-benefit-what-hr-leaders-can-learn/

🔥 Truth or Lie

Can you manifest success just by visualising it?

Lie — if it’s about imagining outcomes alone.
Truth — when visualisation is used to plan actions and effort.

Psychology shows visualising the process increases follow-through. Imagining success without action often reduces motivation.
💬 Workplace Surgery — practical management advice

This week we answer:

• What’s the earliest sign of burnout before someone admits it?

• Is it genuinely hard to find a good manager?

• If you hate your job and feel stuck, what’s the first practical step?

🎧 Coming up Thursday

We’re joined by Beth Sherman to explore how humour builds trust, rapport, and confident decision-making at work.

💬 Connect with Truth, Lies & Work

• Website: https://truthliesandwork.com

• Email: hello@truthliesandwork.com

• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/truth-lies-and-work

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/truthlieswork

• Al Elliott: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alelliott/

• Leanne Elliott: https://www.linkedin.com/in/leanneelliott/

  
  

  🧠 Mental health support

• UK & ROI: Samaritans — 116 123 | https://www.samaritans.org

• US: Suicide & Crisis Lifeline — 988 | https://988lifeline.org

• Australia: Lifeline — 13 11 14 | https://www.lifeline.org.au

• Elsewhere: https://findahelpline.com

But there’s a point where that strength quietly becomes the problem.

In this episode, Al and Leanne are joined by Dustin Hillis, a serial entrepreneur and executive coach who has led businesses from early-stage chaos through to $100m-plus scale, and is now building again at a much bigger level.

Dustin’s core message is simple, but uncomfortable:
what gets you to your first milestone will not get you to the next one.

Unless leaders change how they work, think, and let go, they become the bottleneck that holds everything back.

This is a long-form, honest conversation about growth, power, systems, and the emotional reality of leadership that rarely gets talked about.

🔍 What you’ll learn in this episode

• Why working harder eventually stops working, and what replaces it

• How leaders unintentionally burn out their best people by turning them into “catch-alls”

• Why systems don’t kill creativity, but reduce fear and create capacity

• What actually changes at £1m, £10m, £100m and beyond

• The power dynamics that quietly derail teams as money and authority increase

• Why “pruning” underperformance is painful but essential for healthy cultures

• How to stop being the centre of everything without losing control

Dustin acts as a guide through the messy middle of growth, grounded in lived experience rather than theory.

📘 About the book

Dustin is the author of Capacity: Building Your Business Bigger Than You, a practical exploration of how leaders build organisations that no longer depend on them to function.

🔗 Connect with Dustin

• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dustinhillis/

• Website: https://dustinhillis.com

  
  

  💬 Connect with the hosts

• Leanne Elliott
  https://www.linkedin.com/in/leanneelliott/

  
  

  🎧 Connect with Truth, Lies & Work

• Website: https://truthliesandwork.com

• Email: hello@truthliesandwork.com

• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/truth-lies-and-work

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/truthlieswork

Have a workplace dilemma or question? Get in touch — it may feature in a future episode.

🧠 Mental health support

If this episode brings up difficult feelings, support is available:

• UK: Samaritans — call 116 123 or visit https://www.samaritans.org

• US: Suicide & Crisis Lifeline — call or text 988 or visit https://988lifeline.org

• Australia: Lifeline — call 13 11 14 or visit https://www.lifeline.org.au

• Elsewhere: https://findahelpline.com

If the start of the year feels heavy, flat or strangely exhausting, you’re not alone. Instead of pushing harder, this week we ask a different question: what if slowing down is the smarter response?

🔥 Stories Covered

Word of the Week: Wintering
We unpack the idea of wintering, coined by author Katherine May, which reframes winter as a period of restoration rather than something to “power through”. Drawing on coverage in The Times and insights from clinical psychologist Dr Stephanie Fitzgerald, we explore why January might not be the time for big life changes — and how seasonal rhythms, cold exposure, warm food rituals and gentler movement can help regulate mood and energy.

Links:
https://www.thetimes.com/life-style/health-fitness/article/january-blues-cure-wintering-tkxhxwksk
https://katherine-may.co.uk/wintering
https://www.penguin.co.uk/books/472162/the-gifts-of-winter-by-fitzgerald-dr-stephanie/9780241779576

When is it really time for a career pivot?
We look at new thinking on how to tell the difference between genuine readiness for change and endless rumination. With careers becoming less predictable and many people stuck in the “Big Stay”, we explore why job-hugging is rising — and how understanding your real strengths can help you spot when fit has genuinely broken down.

Link:
https://www.fastcompany.com/91462109/how-tell-time-career-pivot

Mattel launches its first autistic Barbie
Mattel has introduced its first autistic Barbie, developed with the Autistic Self Advocacy Network. Thoughtful design choices around sensory comfort, communication and representation open up a bigger conversation about inclusion, neurodiversity and what people grow up seeing as “normal” — and how that shapes expectations at work.

Links:
https://corporate.mattel.com/news/barbie-introduces-the-first-autistic-barbie-doll-championing-representation-for-children-through-play
https://www.linkedin.com/in/jamie-cygielman-7a912412/

🧠 Truth or Lie: Is Blue Monday real?

Every January, we’re told there’s a single Monday that’s the most depressing day of the year. It sounds scientific. It feels believable. But does it stand up to evidence?

We break down where Blue Monday came from, what research actually says about winter mood, money stress, Mondays and post-holiday crashes — and where the idea falls apart.

Verdict:
Blue Monday as a specific date is a lie.
January strain and winter pressure are very real.

💬 Workplace Surgery

This week we answer:

• What actually works in a company culture diagnostic beyond satisfaction surveys?

• How do you build a genuinely high-performance team without burning people out?

• If your policies support work-life balance but staff say otherwise, what’s missing?

  
  

🎧 Coming up Thursday

A brand-new expert interview with Beth Sherman, comedian and seven-time Emmy Award-winning writer, on how humour builds trust, rapport and confident decision-making at work.

📬 Get in touch with the show

Have a question for Workplace Surgery or feedback on the episode?

• LinkedIn (Show): https://www.linkedin.com/company/truthlieswork

• Al Elliott: https://www.linkedin.com/in/thisisalelliott

• Leanne Elliott: https://www.linkedin.com/in/meetleanne

• Email: hello@truthliesandwork.com

• Website: https://truthliesandwork.com/

💚 Mental wellbeing support

If you or someone you know is struggling, confidential help is available:

• Samaritans (UK & Ireland): 116 123

• Mind (England & Wales): 0300 102 1234

• 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline (US): Call or text 988

• Find A Helpline (Global): https://findahelpline.com/

What We Cover

Matt explains why hope is not fluffy positivity but a measurable psychological skill linked directly to job performance, resilience and team culture. Drawing on Snyder’s Hope Theory, he shows how two components – agency (belief you can influence outcomes) and pathways (seeing the concrete steps to succeed) – determine whether people stay engaged or slip into autopilot.

We also explore why so many teams are struggling: years of instability, constant change and leaders who unknowingly remove autonomy or fail to explain the path forward. Matt shares practical ways leaders can rebuild hope by creating clarity, showing people where they fit, and setting ambitious but achievable goals.

The conversation moves into modern leadership, where AI automates admin but heightens the importance of human connection, psychological safety and real alignment. Matt introduces his concept of Enlightened Leadership – a shift away from outdated command-and-control approaches toward a more selfless, purpose-driven model that balances technology with humanity.

If you lead people, manage teams or want to stay ahead in a rapidly changing workplace, this episode offers concrete actions to build engagement, performance and wellbeing in 2026 and beyond.

• Why hope predicts job performance as strongly as intelligence

• How burnout, bureaucracy and unclear goals quietly erode hope

• The difference between hope, optimism and positivity

• Why new beginnings generate motivation and why post-achievement crashes happen

• How leaders can use agency and pathways to rebuild engagement

• Why AI makes human leadership a competitive advantage

• What Enlightened Leadership looks like in practice

• How to measure hope inside your organisation

• Why hope becomes contagious when leaders model it

Connect with Matt Poepsel

🌐 Website: https://mattpoepsel.com
💼 LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/in/mattpoepsel
🎧 Podcast: Lead the People – https://www.mattpoepsel.com/podcasts/lead-the-people

Connect with Al & Leanne

LinkedIn (Show): https://www.linkedin.com/company/truthlieswork
Al Elliott: https://www.linkedin.com/in/thisisalelliott
Leanne Elliott: https://www.linkedin.com/in/meetleanne
Email: hello@truthliesandwork.com
Book a call: https://savvycal.com/meetleanne/chat
Website: https://truthliesandwork.com/

Mental Health Support

Samaritans (UK & Ireland) – 116 123
Mind (England & Wales) – 0300 102 1234
988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline (US) – Call or text 988
Find A Helpline (Global) – https://findahelpline.com/

In this candid conversation, Leanne and Josh dismantle the myths around company culture and redefine it as a strategic, business-critical system rooted in behavioral science. If you're tired of treating culture as a "nice-to-have" or a collection of perks, this episode is a must-listen for business leaders, managers, and HR professionals.

🧠 What We Cover:

• A Clear Definition of Culture: Leanne shares her preferred definition of culture by John Amaechi: "The worst behaviors tolerated." This makes culture behavior-based and is a living, breathing thing that everyone can be responsible for.

• The Biggest Misunderstanding: Why do business leaders mistakenly think culture is something physical (like a cool office, ping-pong table, or the general vibe around the place) rather than something psychological and scientific?

• Moving Beyond Fluff: All the data and science show that building an awesome workplace is fundamentally good for business. It's great for the bottom line, customers, and growth trajectory.

• The Right Data: Leanne advocates for collecting data on psychosocial risk factors (relationships, control over work, trust, resources, change management) because they are transactional elements that directly impact how people think, feel, and behave.

• Innovation vs. Efficiency: An organization's strategy (e.g., chasing efficiency vs. relying on innovation) dictates which psychosocial factors to prioritize. For example, innovation requires nurturing psychological safety to allow people to make mistakes safely.

• Building Internal Capability: Building internal capability for people and culture is critical for survival in the next decade due to increasing complexity and the rate of change. A C-level leader must own this responsibility.

🛠️ Practical Resources

• Oblong Consultancy (Leanne Elliott's Company)

  • Website: https://oblonghq.com/

• HSE Management Standards (UK Health and Safety Executive)

  • Leanne recommends this completely free resource for understanding and measuring key psychosocial risk factors at work.

  • Website: https://www.hse.gov.uk/stress/standards/

📬 Connect with Al & Leanne (Truth, Lies & Work)

• LinkedIn (Show): https://www.linkedin.com/company/truthlieswork

• Al Elliott: https://www.linkedin.com/in/thisisalelliott

• Leanne Elliott: https://www.linkedin.com/in/meetleanne

• Email: hello@truthliesandwork.com

• Book a call: https://savvycal.com/meetleanne/chat

• Podcast Website: https://truthliesandwork.com/

Connect with Josh Levine (Guest Host):

• Connect with Josh Levine on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/akajoshlevine

• Follow Josh on Instagram: @greatmondays_culturedesign

• Great Mondays website: https://greatmondays.com

• Great Mondays Radio: https://radio.greatmondays.com

• Great Mondays YouTube: https://youtube.com/@GreatMondays

• Get the book "Great Mondays" at greatmondays.com

💚 Mental Health Support Resources

If you or someone you know is struggling, help is available. Please reach out to one of the following confidential services:

• Samaritans (UK & Ireland) - Emotional support for anyone struggling to cope, available 24/7.

  • Call: 116 123 (Free, 24/7)

• Mind (England & Wales) - Advice and support for mental health problems.

  • Phone: 0300 102 1234 (Mon-Fri, 9am-6pm)

• 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline (US-based) - Confidential, free, 24/7/365 support for those in crisis.

  • Call or Text: 988 (24/7)

• Find A Helpline (Global) - Connects users to over 1,600 free and confidential support resources worldwide.

  • Website: https://findahelpline.com/

🧠 What We Cover: The Big Predictions for 2026

Hybrid Will Fracture Before It Settles – Professors Ina Purvanova & Alanah Mitchell

The authors of The New Workplace predict deeper relational fractures across hybrid teams. As employees split across offices, homes and third spaces, meaningful connection weakens and culture becomes harder to sustain. Expect more intentional design, stronger tech integration and a rising demand for purpose and meaning as AI reshapes traditional work.

More of the Same… but With More Pressure – Danny Wareham

Danny sees 2026 as a magnified version of 2025: tighter budgets, rising expectations and leaders forced to think smarter rather than scale bigger. His hope? A shift toward evidence-based people practices — job analysis, behavioural data and hiring decisions that finally move past “gut feel”.

Unionisation Will Surge – Rebecca Taylor

Rebecca predicts a new wave of unionisation across industries. As job insecurity rises and workers feel increasingly squeezed, collective bargaining will gain momentum. Anti-union stigma is fading, and younger generations will be the ones to push workplaces toward shared power.

AI Will Break Management Before It Fixes It – Vince Sanderson

Vince foresees a period of chaos where leaders delegate too much emotional labour to AI — and employees do the same. AI responding to AI, while real connection disappears. The result? Frustrated teams, resentful managers and widening distrust. But he also predicts a competitive edge for companies that stay human-first.

The Death of Assimilation – Sonia Thompson

Sonia says the old norm of “fit in at all costs” is over. Employees are less willing to hide their identities to succeed, and organisations must adapt. The future belongs to brands that embrace difference rather than smooth it out. Inclusion is shifting from compliance to cultural courage.

AI Will Become a Dealbreaker for Candidates – Becky Simms

Becky predicts top talent will increasingly judge companies on their approach to AI. If tools are outdated, restricted or slow, candidates will simply move on. Transparency, experimentation and a clear AI strategy will become as important as salary or flexibility.

A Reality Check for Leaders – Jeanette Ramsden

Jeanette highlights a growing disconnect between what leaders think they are communicating and what people actually hear. Feedback fatigue, message overload and constant change will demand a new level of clarity, groundedness and empathy if leaders expect teams to follow them.

🔗 Connect with the Contributors

Danny Wareham – ⁠https://firgun.co.uk/⁠Rebecca Taylor – ⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/rebeccataylor2/⁠Vince Sanderson – ⁠https://www.vincentsanderson.com/⁠Sonia Thompson – ⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/soniaethompson/⁠

⁠www.frictionlessgrowthlab.com⁠

⁠www.frictionlessgrowthlab.com/roadmap⁠Jeanette Ramsden – ⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/jeanette-ramsden-0946a83/⁠Becky Simms – ⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/beckyreflectdigital/⁠Alanah Mitchell – ⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/alanah-mitchell/⁠Ina Purvanova – ⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/ina-purvanova/⁠

📬 Connect with Al & Leanne

LinkedIn (Show): ⁠https://www.linkedin.com/company/truthlieswork⁠ Al Elliott: ⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/thisisalelliott⁠ Leanne Elliott: ⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/meetleanne⁠ Email: ⁠hello@truthliesandwork.com⁠ Book a call: ⁠https://savvycal.com/meetleanne/chat⁠ Podcast Website: ⁠https://truthliesandwork.com/⁠

💚 Mental Health Support

Samaritans (UK & Ireland) – 116 123Mind (England & Wales) – 0300 102 1234988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline (US) – Call or text 988Find A Helpline (Global) – ⁠https://findahelpline.com/⁠

Join Leanne and Al as they speak to top experts who share their contrasting views on how AI, leadership, identity, and productivity are about to fundamentally shift the world of work.

🔮 Your Panel of Experts: Prediction Headlines

1. Phill Agnew (The Nudge Podcast): AI Must "Show Its Working" & the Rise of Text Speak. Find Out More: https://www.nudgepodcast.com/

2. Meghan French Dunbar: AI Will Advance Humanity & Job Creation Trumps Destruction. Find Out More: https://www.meghanfrenchdunbar.com/book

3. Erica Breuer: Identity Deviates from Work: Explore Over Optimize. Find Out More: https://www.ericabreuer.com

4. Anthony Taylor: Clarity and Middle Managers are the New Superpower. Find Out More: https://www.aqrconsulting.co.uk/

5. Georgia M. Hodkinson: Clarity is the New Productivity Metric (Not Time). Find Out More (Event): https://www.psychbizinc.com/eventpage and (LinkedIn): https://www.linkedin.com/in/georgia-hodkinson-gmbpss/

6. Josh Levine: The Death of the Resume: Relationships are the New CV. Find Out More: https://greatmondays.com/

🗓️ Coming Up Next

The next episode is Part 2 of our Predictions for 2026 and will be released on New Year's Day (January 1st).

💚 Mental Health Support Resources

If you or someone you know is struggling, help is available. Please reach out to one of the following confidential services:

• Samaritans (UK & Ireland): Emotional support for anyone struggling to cope, available 24/7. Call: 116 123 (Free, 24/7)

• Mind (England & Wales): Advice and support for mental health problems. Phone: 0300 102 1234 (Mon-Fri, 9am-6pm)

• 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline (US-based): Confidential, free, 24/7/365 support for those in crisis. Call or Text: 988 (24/7)

• Find A Helpline (Global): Connects users to over 1,600 free and confidential support resources worldwide. Website: https://findahelpline.com/

📬 Connect with Al & Leanne (Truth, Lies & Work)

Do you have your own prediction for 2026? A question for the Workplace Surgery segment? Or a comment on the episode?

• Podcast Website: https://truthliesandwork.com/

• LinkedIn (Show): https://www.linkedin.com/company/truthlieswork

• Al Elliott: https://www.linkedin.com/in/thisisalelliott

• Leanne Elliott: https://www.linkedin.com/in/meetleanne

• Email: hello@truthliesandwork.com

• Book a call: https://savvycal.com/meetleanne/chat

Today we’re back with Part 2 of our 2025 highlights series, and this time it’s all about our guest interviews.

If you’re new here, welcome along. This is Truth, Lies & Work, the award-winning podcast where behavioural science meets workplace culture. Brought to you by the HubSpot Podcast Network.

⭐ Our Favourite Guest Interviews of 2025

Steve Carse — Work Should Be Fun

Episode 181: https://truthliesandwork.com/episodes/181

We kicked things off with King of Pops founder Steve Carse, who turned a layoff into a $10M ice-pop empire built on one radical belief: work should be fun.

Andrew Palmer — Fall in Love With the Problem

Episode 217: https://truthliesandwork.com/episodes/217

Then came an absolute pinch-me moment for both of us: talking to Andrew Palmer, senior editor at The Economist and host of the Boss Class podcast.
James Hawkins — Chaos, Autonomy and Building Better Teams

Episode 189: https://truthliesandwork.com/episodes/189

Al’s pick was James Hawkins, co-founder of PostHog — the dev tools company that ditched managers and meetings in favour of tiny autonomous teams.
Dr Marie-Hélène — The Science of Strategic Resilience

Episode 171: https://truthliesandwork.com/episodes/171
TEDx talk link: “Crossing the River: Resilience in the Age of AI” - https://youtu.be/JEdr2cvHF5M?si=OB07KHvgSjldYKmg

Leanne’s pick was Dr MH, who reframed resilience as a state — not part of your personality. It moves, fluctuates, and can be strengthened through movement, nutrition, sleep, and relationships.

💬 Listeners’ Choice Award 2025

Elina Teboul — Feminine Intelligence and the Future of Leadership

Episode 197: https://truthliesandwork.com/episodes/197

Your messages, comments and LinkedIn posts made this one clear.
Elina Teboul, executive advisor and author of Feminine Intelligence, challenged assumptions about power, masculinity, intuition, balance and the psychological patriarchy. Whether listeners agreed or disagreed wasn’t the point — the episode sparked reflection everywhere, which is exactly what great conversations do.

🥇 Most Downloaded Expert Episode of 2025

Dr Enya Doyle — The Workplace Rules No One Explains

Episode 175: https://truthliesandwork.com/episodes/175

No surprises here.
The episode you downloaded most — and shared most quietly — was with Dr Enya Doyle, the harassment and inclusion specialist known online as The Harassment Doctor.

This was a true masterclass in navigating messy, awkward and sometimes frightening management moments.
From appearance standards to ageing workforces to tricky inclusion issues, Dr Enya cut through the nonsense with clarity, humour and absolute precision. A must-bookmark episode for every manager.

🎧 Episodes Mentioned Today

• Ep 181 — Work Should Be Fun with Steve Carse
  https://truthliesandwork.com/episodes/181

• Ep 217 — Andrew Palmer on Better Bosses
  https://truthliesandwork.com/episodes/217

• Ep 189 — James Hawkins: Autonomous Teams & Faster Delivery
  https://truthliesandwork.com/episodes/189

• Ep 171 — The Science of Resilience with Dr Marie-Hélène
  https://truthliesandwork.com/episodes/171

• Ep 197 — Feminine Intelligence with Elina Teboul
  https://truthliesandwork.com/episodes/197

• Ep 175 — The Workplace Rules No One Explains with Dr Enya Doyle
  https://truthliesandwork.com/episodes/175

Support Links:
Mind UK — https://www.mind.org.uk/information-support/
Samaritans — 116 123 or jo@samaritans.org

Connect with us:
LinkedIn — https://www.linkedin.com/company/truthlieswork
Al — https://www.linkedin.com/in/thisisalelliott
Leanne — https://www.linkedin.com/in/meetleanne
Email — hello@truthliesandwork.com
Book a chat — https://savvycal.com/meetleanne/chat

As we countdown to Christmas, we’ve pulled together the standout moments from our Tuesday episodes across 2025 — the stories, segments and listener questions that defined the year.

From new workplace vocabulary to tech scandals, CEO tantrums and the wildest listener dilemmas, this episode is a celebration of everything that made TWIW what it is.

Word of the Year: Duck Shuffler

Our unanimous pick. A perfect term for those colleagues making a lot of noise on the surface while quietly shuffling chaos underneath. Straight from Episode 202 — and yes, the Bosnia-and-Herzegovina reference still makes sense in context.

Stories of the Year:

Big Toddler Energy

When we first discussed CEOs behaving like overgrown toddlers, we didn’t expect the avalanche of DMs, confessions, and even a YouTube thumbnail featuring us as actual toddlers. From Episode 196.

Rule-Bending Leaders

From Episode 200, the unforgettable debate on rule-breaking founders… including Al’s confession about his beer-delivery business days.

The Great Employment Heist

Episode 214 gifted us one of the wildest workplace stories of the year: a single engineer secretly working for 22 startups and earning over $1m without doing the work.

Hot Take of the Year: Gossip is Good

Rebecca Taylor argued that workplace gossip isn’t just normal — it’s useful. One of our most talked-about segments of the year (Episode 194).

Truth or Lies of the Year:

The triangle that never was. From Episode 240, the myth-busting moment that sent LinkedIn into meltdown.

Workplace Surgery Question of the Year:

My Ex is My New Boss!!

From Episode 180 — still one of the most awkward, gripping dilemmas we’ve ever received.

🎧 Episodes Featured

• Duck Shuffler – Ep 202
  http://truthliesandwork.com/episodes/202-divorce-disruption-and-the-death-of-the-watercooler-plus-are-you-a-duck-shuffler-with-kristyna-hawkett-this-week-in-work-3-rd-june-2025

• Big Toddler Energy – Ep 196
  https://truthliesandwork.com/episodes/196-does-your-ceo-have-big-toddler-energy-plus-touching-grass-accidental-bullies-and-hiring-mistakes-with-stuart-mace-this-week-in-work-13th-may-2025

• Rule Benders – Ep 200
  https://truthliesandwork.com/episodes/200-rule-benders-quiet-quitting-and-the-dei-dilemma-plus-is-happiness-overrated-with-julian-hayes-ii

• The Great Employment Heist – Ep 214
  https://truthliesandwork.com/episodes/214-the-wildest-overemployment-scam-in-tech-history-plus-fake-empathy-nepo-hires-and-salary-secrets-with-rameez-kaleem

• Gossip at Work – Ep 194
  https://truthliesandwork.com/episodes/194-secret-jobs-leadership-mic-drops-and-spotify-s-remote-gamble-plus-the-case-for-gossip-at-work-this-week-in-work-6th-may-2025

• Maslow’s Hierarchy – Ep 240
  https://truthliesandwork.com/episodes/240-starbucks-ceo-fail-toxic-superstars-and-dubai-s-wolf-of-wall-street-plus-is-maslow-s-hierarchy-a-myth

• My Ex Is Now My Boss – Ep 180
  https://truthliesandwork.com/episodes/180-my-ex-is-now-my-boss-and-other-toxic-promotions-plus-dei-is-doing-more-harm-than-good-with-sarah-gashier

🎧 Coming Up Thursday

Part 2 of our highlights special: the best interview moments of 2025, including Steve Carse, Elaina Teboul, and our most downloaded guest of the entire year.

🧠 Support with Mental Health and Wellbeing

Mind UK: https://www.mind.org.uk/information-support/
Samaritans (UK): Call 116 123 or email jo@samaritans.org

📬 Connect with Al & Leanne

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/truthlieswork
Al Elliott: https://www.linkedin.com/in/thisisalelliott
Leanne Elliott: https://www.linkedin.com/in/meetleanne
Email: hello@truthliesandwork.com
Book a call: https://savvycal.com/meetleanne/chat

This conversation marks Jeremy’s 200th episode, and instead of interviewing someone else, he turns the spotlight on himself. It’s a rare, honest look at what actually happens when you leave a stable career after 20 years and try to build something new from scratch. No glossy “quit and make six figures” narrative — just the real, messy middle that most founders and coaches quietly go through.

Al and Jeremy dig into the emotional, financial and identity shifts that come with starting your own business, what surprised Jeremy the most, and why meaningful conversations — not logos or websites — became the backbone of his first year.

If you’re thinking of going out on your own, supporting someone who is, or you're simply curious about what a year of reinvention looks like behind the scenes, this is the perfect listen for the quieter days of December.

🧠 What We Cover: The Reality of Year One

Life after a 20-year career
Jeremy left a long legal career to become a coach, and the biggest challenge wasn’t logistical — it was the identity shock of asking “who am I now?”.

Self-employment and the fear of the first step
Instead of hiding behind planning, Jeremy forced himself into real conversations — the uncomfortable kind that actually move a business forward.

The messy middle of reinvention
Testing ideas, discarding bad ones, refining offers, working through insecurities — the emotional work was bigger than the strategic work.

Why conversations matter more than ever
Despite global connectivity, genuine, real-time conversations are becoming rare. Jeremy argues that this is where opportunity lives.

Opportunities come from putting yourself out there
Jeremy explains how reaching out to people — including Al — created unexpected relationships, support and new directions for his business.

The truth about coaching as a business
He talks candidly about client work, self-doubt, capacity and the grind of turning passion into something that pays the bills.

🔗 Connect with Jeremy

🌐 Episode page & resources: https://changeworklife.com/one-year-in-lessons-from-my-first-year-as-a-full-time-coach/

📬 Connect with Al & Leanne
💼 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jeremyjcline/

LinkedIn (Show): https://www.linkedin.com/company/truthlieswork
Al Elliott: https://www.linkedin.com/in/thisisalelliott
Leanne Elliott: https://www.linkedin.com/in/meetleanne
Email: hello@truthliesandwork.com
Book a call: https://savvycal.com/meetleanne/chat
Podcast Website: https://truthliesandwork.com/

💚 Mental Health Support

Samaritans (UK & Ireland) – 116 123
Mind (England & Wales) – 0300 102 1234
988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline (US) – Call or text 988
Find A Helpline (Global) – https://findahelpline.com/

This is Truth, Lies and Work, the award-winning podcast where behavioural science meets workplace culture — brought to you by the HubSpot Podcast Network. Al and Leanne break down the biggest stories shaping the way we work, with practical insights for founders, leaders and anyone trying to build a better workplace.

🔥 Stories Covered

1. Escape The City launches its ‘Top 1 Percent Employer’ certification

Escape The City has introduced a new accreditation designed to spotlight genuinely progressive employers. The audit covers pay, inclusion, leadership, wellbeing, flexibility and anonymous employee feedback. Positive News highlighted four featured organisations:
• Sharky & George – flexible working, healthcare and nomad-friendly policies
• The Economist Educational Foundation – strong purpose and supportive leadership
• Rare Recruitment – a leader in inclusive hiring, especially for underrepresented groups
• Unifrog – £500 annual learning budget and company-wide bonus

It raises a bigger question: if we claim a workplace is “great”, what exactly should be measured?

Links:
positive.news/society/beyond-the-ping-pong-table-new-certification-endorses-truly-progressive-employers
app.escapethecity.org/certification\

2. Apple’s leadership shake-up

Apple has lost four senior leaders in quick succession, including its VP of Human Interface Design to Meta. Rumours of Tim Cook preparing to step aside continue to grow. Meanwhile, competitors are accelerating AI releases as the Vision Pro struggles to find momentum. Investors are calling for clarity on Apple’s AI strategy as the tech landscape shifts.
Link: edition.cnn.com/2025/12/06/tech/apple-tim-cook-leadership-changes

3. Supporting veterans in civilian careers

New research by James Hardie, guided by Dr Hayley Lewis, explores the transition challenges faced by UK veterans. Themes include identity loss, misunderstanding of collective leadership skills, culture shock around workplace politics and additional barriers for female veterans.
The core finding: veterans aren’t failing to adapt — organisations are failing to integrate them.

🧠 Truth or Lie: Is the Christmas spirit real?

Al and Leanne unpack the research behind seasonal mood shifts. Studies show Christmas can raise wellbeing through connection, ritual and nostalgia — but stress, comparison and financial pressure can weaken the effect. The “Christmas spirit” exists, but only when the conditions are right.

💬 Workplace Surgery

This week’s dilemmas:
• Is it unprofessional to skip the office Christmas party?
• Do employers have to approve every Occupational Health referral request?
• Is a manager undermining their employee, or is something else going on?

🧠 Mental Health Support

Mind UK: mind.org.uk/information-support
Samaritans (UK): Call 116 123 or email jo@samaritans.org

📬 Connect with Al & Leanne

LinkedIn: linkedin.com/company/truthlieswork
Al Elliott: linkedin.com/in/thisisalelliott
Leanne Elliott: linkedin.com/in/meetleanne
Email: hello@truthliesandwork.com
Book a call: savvycal.com/meetleanne/chat

🎧 Coming up Thursday

We kick off our Christmas and New Year specials — highlights of 2025, expert predictions for 2026, and two feed-drop interviews.

P.S. You still have time to enter the competition offered by last week's guest, Rob Kalwarowsky, for a chance to win six weeks of coaching or his book. Go to robkalwarowsky.com/reason to get the Find Your Reason tool and enter the draw before Christmas Day 2025.

This episode explores why our brains struggle with uncertainty, how to overcome the status quo bias, and the single most critical skill every leader needs to not just survive, but revolutionize their business in 2026 and beyond.

🧠 What We Cover: Master Your Inner System

• Defining Chaos: For the brain, chaos is simply uncertainty. This triggers the stress responses (fight, flight, freeze, and fawn), which shut down our executive functioning, making it impossible to be a good, innovative leader.

  
  

• The Internal Battle: Chaos is as much about our internal state as external events. Rob discusses the competing parts within leaders (e.g., start looking for a new job vs. stay motivated to innovate), and how to bring both parts to the table to find clarity.

  
  

• Overcoming the Status Quo Bias: We stick to the status quo because our brain can predict a certain outcome, even if it's a terrible one. Rob shares his "Find Your Reason" tool to leverage the goals and future feelings of success against the pain and suffering of staying stuck.

  
  

• The AI Disruption: AI is creating its own friction and non-sense within businesses (e.g., two people using AI to email each other back and forth). Leaders must create clear guidance on where AI adds value and where it poses risks, particularly around data privacy.

  
  

• The Non-Negotiable Skill: The single most crucial skill for capitalizing on chaos is the leader having their own "shit together". This rock-solid inner confidence prevents them from transmitting fear and disruption to their teams.

  
  

• The Power of Clarity: When leaders find inner clarity and confidence, they can double or triple their workforce without hiring a single person because they can finally care about, develop, and engage their team.

🎁 Exclusive Giveaway & Practical Resources

Rob is offering a generous giveaway to help you capitalize on chaos and set up your 2026 goals!

• Grand Prize (1 Winner): A copy of Capitalizing on Chaos + a six-week coaching engagement with Rob (a high-value prize!).

• Second Prize (10 Winners): A signed copy of Capitalizing on Chaos + one personal coaching session.

• Everyone Wins: You'll receive the Find Your Reason tool just for entering.

  
  

To enter (must be within two weeks of the episode release date: 11th December 2025):

• Go to: robkalwarowsky.com/reason

  
  

Connect with Rob Kalwarowsky (Guest):

• Book: Capitalizing on Chaos

• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/robkalwarowsky/

• Website: https://robkalwarowsky.com/

📬 Connect with Al & Leanne (Truth, Lies & Work)

• LinkedIn (Show): https://www.linkedin.com/company/truthlieswork

• Al Elliott: https://www.linkedin.com/in/thisisalelliott

• Leanne Elliott: https://www.linkedin.com/in/meetleanne

• Email: hello@truthliesandwork.com

• Book a call: https://savvycal.com/meetleanne/chat

• Podcast Website: https://truthliesandwork.com/

💚 Mental Health Support Resources

If you or someone you know is struggling, help is available. Please reach out to one of the following confidential services:

• Samaritans (UK & Ireland) - Emotional support for anyone struggling to cope, available 24/7.

  • Call: 116 123 (Free, 24/7)

• Mind (England & Wales) - Advice and support for mental health problems.

  • Phone: 0300 102 1234 (Mon-Fri, 9am-6pm)

• 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline (US-based) - Confidential, free, 24/7/365 support for those in crisis.

  • Call or Text: 988 (24/7)

• Find A Helpline (Global) - Connects users to over 1,600 free and confidential support resources worldwide.

  • Website: https://findahelpline.com/

🔥 Stories Covered

1. Generation Alpha are coming (Benenden Health report)

A major new workforce study shows the 11–15 age group expect flexible careers, strong mental health support and employers who understand neurodiversity.
Only 11 percent expect one career path, 77 percent want meaningful wellbeing support, and six in ten personally know someone who is neurodivergent.
HR leaders admit they’re not ready. The report warns workplaces will need redesigning around manager capability, clear communication and personalised support.
Link: benenden.co.uk/media/10551/bh-gen-alpha-workforce-report.pdf

2. Starbucks faces its largest strike yet

Around 2,500 baristas across more than 120 US stores have walked out in the longest coordinated action in company history.
Four years after the first union vote, not a single store has a contract. Workers cite pay, conditions, understaffing and stalled negotiations.
Leadership churn and sliding trust sit at the core of the dispute — a lesson for any employer relying too heavily on dashboards instead of people.
Link: theguardian.com/us-news/2025/dec/02/starbucks-union-strike

3. The rise of micro-joys (Forbes + The Progress Principle)
Micro-joys boost resilience, support creativity, reduce cognitive load and keep teams motivated through meaningful “small progress.”
For leaders, these moments are easy to design into a working day — and they compound.
Links:
forbes.com/sites/traversmark/2025/11/29/why-micro-joys-are-the-key-to-life-long-happiness
progressprinciple.com

🔥 Truth or Lie

Can power posing actually increase confidence?
The viral TED claim promised hormonal shifts and bold behaviour in two minutes. Replications haven’t supported the biological claims — but the psychological effect survived. Expansive postures don’t transform you, yet contractive postures reliably make people feel worse.
The verdict: a light nudge, not a superpower.

💬 Workplace Surgery

New coverage of Amabile and Kramer’s work highlights why small moments matter far more than big wins.

This week’s dilemmas:
• “Help — I pulled the CEO for Secret Santa.”
• “Can my employer challenge home-working adjustments already approved by occupational health?”
• “Where do I start with a competency model that’s genuinely useful?”

Referenced frameworks:
• SHL Universal Competency Framework – shl.com
• Handbook of Competency Mapping (Seema Sanghi) – amazon.com/Handbook-Competency-Mapping

🎧 Coming Up Thursday

We’re welcoming back Rob Kalwarowsky, one of the world’s leading executive coaches. He’s sharing how to capitalise on chaos in 2026 — and offering a major giveaway to get you off to a flying start.

🧠 Support with Mental Health and Well-being

Mind UK: mind.org.uk/information-support
Samaritans: Call 116 123 or email jo@samaritans.org

📬 Connect with Al & Leanne

LinkedIn: linkedin.com/company/truthlieswork
Al: linkedin.com/in/thisisalelliott
Leanne: linkedin.com/in/meetleanne
Email: hello@truthliesandwork.com
Book a call: savvycal.com/meetleanne/chat

This week, Al and Leanne sit down with Aoife O’Brien Founder of Happier at Work and host of the Happier at Work podcast — for a conversation about why so many people feel misaligned at work, and what leaders can do about it.

Aoife combines evidence, honesty and lived experience to break down the real drivers of engagement: values, fit, autonomy, fairness and meaning. It’s a grounded, practical discussion that cuts through surface-level “happiness initiatives” and focuses instead on the deeper psychological conditions that actually make work feel good.

Expect to learn:

• Why values misalignment is one of the strongest predictors of disengagement

• How to diagnose whether your team is missing autonomy, clarity or recognition

• The role of data in understanding what employees really want

• How senior leaders accidentally create the problems they’re trying to solve

• What organisations can do to build cultures where people genuinely thrive

• The biggest myths about “workplace happiness” (and how to avoid them)

Whether you're a founder, a manager or anyone rebuilding their relationship with work, this episode is full of practical, evidence-based ideas you can act on immediately.

🔗 Find Aoife O’Brien

• Website: https://happieratwork.ie/

• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/aoifemobrien/

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/happieratwork.ie

• TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@happieratwork

• YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@happieratworkhq

• Happier at Work Podcast: https://happieratwork.ie/happier-at-work-podcast/

  
  

  🧠 Support with Mental Health and Well-being

• Mind UK: https://www.mind.org.uk/information-support/

• Samaritans (UK): Call 116 123 or email jo@samaritans.org

  
  

  📬 Connect with Al & Leanne

• LinkedIn (podcast): https://www.linkedin.com/company/truthlieswork

• Al Elliott: https://www.linkedin.com/in/thisisalelliott

• Leanne Elliott: https://www.linkedin.com/in/meetleanne

• Email: hello@truthliesandwork.com

• Book a call: https://savvycal.com/meetleanne/chat

This week, we look at the direct, measurable impact of toxic culture and unpack the new anxieties surrounding Artificial Intelligence. Plus, in our Truth or Lies segment, we dive deep into the science behind 'faking it 'til you make it'.

📰 The News Round-Up

• The Brutal COVID Inquiry Report: The report found that the "toxic and chaotic" workplace culture inside Downing Street directly slowed the pandemic response.

  • Full Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c986821m604o

• The Rise of AI Anxiety (AIA): A new report suggests that while C-Suite leaders have high expectations for AI boosting productivity, most employees (77%) feel it has added to their workload.

  • Sarah Bregel (Reporter) Profile: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sarah-bregel-032585/

• Dreamers vs. Doers: Why do so many people dream of changing careers, but stay stuck? New research on temporal focus reveals that people most likely to move have a balanced temporal focus.

  • Original Study: doi.org/10.1111/joop.70064

💡 Truth or Lies: Can You Fake It Until You Make It?

We explore the famous mantra, fueled by high-profile stories of entrepreneurial bluffing.

• The Question: Can you actually fake it until you make it? We test the evidence on whether confident performance buys you real career progress or if it's just a short-term illusion.

🩺 World-Famous Weekly Workplace Surgery

We take questions from listeners, including a young fan from our "Ask Old People" segment.

1. Should I be hiring people who think like me or challenge me?

   • Questioner's dilemma: "My boss prefers to hire and promote people who closely match how she thinks and works... I'm the opposite. I like it when my team brings new ideas, challenges, and pushes things in directions I wouldn't have considered. Is one approach better than the other?"

2. How honest should I be with my employer about my mental health?

   • Questioner's dilemma: "I'm finding things tough at the moment. It's starting to affect me at work. I really want to be honest with my employer, but I'm worried it could backfire or change how I'm treated. Is it better to be upfront or should I keep things to myself?"

3. Have you ever regretted not taking a risk when you were younger?

   • Questioner's dilemma: "I'm weighing up something quite big at the moment and I think I'm worried I'll look back and regret playing it safe, but at the same time, I don't wanna make a huge mistake. How do you know the difference between a smart risk and a reckless one?"

📬 Connect with Al & Leanne (Truth, Lies & Work)

• LinkedIn (Show): https://www.linkedin.com/company/truthlieswork

• Al Elliott: https://www.linkedin.com/in/thisisalelliott

• Leanne Elliott: https://www.linkedin.com/in/meetleanne

• Email: hello@truthliesandwork.com

• Book a call: https://savvycal.com/meetleanne/chat

• Podcast Website: https://truthliesandwork.com/

💚 Mental Health Support Resources

If you or someone you know is struggling, help is available. Please reach out to one of the following confidential services:

• Samaritans (UK & Ireland) - Emotional support for anyone struggling to cope, available 24/7.

  • Call: 116 123 (Free, 24/7)

• Mind (England & Wales) - Advice and support for mental health problems.

  • Phone: 0300 102 1234 (Mon-Fri, 9am-6pm)

• 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline (US-based) - Confidential, free, 24/7/365 support for those in crisis.

  • Call or Text: 988 (24/7)

• Find A Helpline (Global) - Connects users to over 1,600 free and confidential support resources worldwide.

  • Website: https://findahelpline.com/

This week, Leanne sits down with Christian Laing, co-founder of Stand Out Socks and one of the most compelling voices in ethical employment today. Christian’s story began with something simple: wanting his younger brother Ross, who has Down syndrome, to have meaningful, paid work. What followed became a movement that is challenging an entire system built on unpaid labour, tokenism and decades of “this is just how it works.”

In this conversation, Christian talks honestly and openly about the early days, the struggle to keep the business alive, the moment he realised paid roles were possible, and the wider question he wants every leader to consider: What assumptions am I making about who is capable?

Stand Out Socks isn’t just a company. It’s an example of what work can look like when we remove red tape, build roles around people, and refuse to exploit those who’ve been overlooked for too long. Christian shares the reality of navigating misconceptions about Down syndrome, the emotional weight families carry, and why representation matters far beyond the product.

This is a raw, unedited conversation — the pauses matter, the honesty matters, and the humanity matters. It’s a reminder that culture isn’t built with slogans; it’s built with decisions.

If you’re a leader, a business owner, a hiring manager or a parent of someone with learning disabilities, this episode will stay with you.

In this episode

• How Christian went from “someone should hire Ross” to “I’ll do it myself.”

• Why meaningful, paid work transforms confidence, purpose and community.

• How Stand Out Socks grew from one family’s challenge into a national mission.

• The emotional reality behind inclusion — from joy to grief to rebuilding.

• What leaders misunderstand about capability, opportunity and potential.

• Why “creating space for someone to shine” is not charity — it’s leadership.

  
  

  Links from the episode

• Stand Out Socks: https://www.standoutsocks.co.uk

• Christian on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/cdlaing/

• Stand Out Socks on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/standoutsocksuk

• Stand Out Socks on TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@standoutsocks

  
  

  
  

  Find us

• Al Elliott: https://www.linkedin.com/in/thisisalelliott

• Leanne Elliott: https://www.linkedin.com/in/meetleanne

• Email: hello@truthliesandwork.com

• Book a call: https://savvycal.com/meetleanne/chat

  
  

  Wellbeing Support

• Mind UK: https://www.mind.org.uk/information-support/

• Samaritans: 116 123 or jo@samaritans.org

This week: workplace confidence flips, QuitTok resurfaces, and LinkedIn shares its most chaotic interview stories. In Truth or Lie, we tackle the myth of the “four-hour sleeper.” And in the Workplace Surgery, we unpack micromanagement, occupational health, and senior-level flatness.

🔥 Stories Covered

1. QuitTok makes a comeback

Employees are once again filming their resignations and posting them online. It might look like drama, but it’s become a visible dataset for HR — real-time feedback on broken processes, toxic behaviours and unmet expectations. Instead of treating it as a PR problem, leaders can treat it as insight: what makes someone quit loudly is usually what made them feel unheard quietly.
Link: https://www.hrkatha.com/features/hr-pops-features/quittok-wake-up-call-for-hr-leaders/

2. Confidence rises at the bottom, falls at the top

Fast Company reports a surprising shift: entry-level workers are feeling more hopeful, while senior leaders’ confidence continues to slide. Younger employees have grown up adapting to chaos; leaders are carrying the load of uncertainty, hybrid tensions and AI-driven decision fatigue. Confidence is no longer about hierarchy — it’s about adaptability.
Link: https://www.fastcompany.com/91440615/why-entry-level-workers-confidence-is-rising-while-leaders-is-falling-workplace-leadership-confidence-entry-level-workers

3. LinkedIn’s most unforgettable interview moments

Maria Healey’s viral post collected hundreds of wild interview stories — from karaoke auditions to panel interrogations. The thread shows how interviews reveal culture instantly: the respect, the pressure, the humour, the red flags.
Link: https://www.linkedin.com/posts/maria-healey_whats-your-most-memorable-job-interview-share-7394400322569424896-J3j6

🔥 Truth or Lie — Do high achievers sleep less?

This week we examine the long-standing myth popularised by Thatcher, Musk and the productivity world: can you really perform at your best on four hours of sleep? We break down what decades of sleep science actually shows — and why biological “short sleepers” are the rare exception, not the blueprint.

💬 Workplace Surgery — This Week’s Questions

• “Am I wrong for calling out a micromanaging colleague?”

• “Do I need to offer Occupational Health as a small UK employer?”

• “I’ve reached the top but feel completely flat — what now?”

  
  

  
  

🎧 Coming Up Thursday

We're talking to Christian Laing, Co-founder & Director of Stand Out Socks and BBC's Dragons' Den Investment Winner 2024. Stand Out Socks is a social enterprise created after Christian saw his brother Ross, who has Down syndrome, repeatedly overlooked by employers.
We explore purpose, resilience, family upheaval, loss, inclusion and what it means to build work that gives people space to shine.

🧠 Support with Mental Health & Well-being

Mind UK: https://www.mind.org.uk/information-support/
Samaritans: Call 116 123 or email jo@samaritans.org

📬 Connect with Al & Leanne

LinkedIn (Show): https://www.linkedin.com/company/truthlieswork
Al Elliott: https://www.linkedin.com/in/thisisalelliott
Leanne Elliott: https://www.linkedin.com/in/meetleanne
Email: hello@truthliesandwork.com
Book a call: https://savvycal.com/meetleanne/chat

Garry led WD-40 for more than two decades, taking it from a small American brand to a global organisation, all while maintaining engagement scores that most companies can only dream of. His belief is simple: “Leaders don’t manage people — they help them get to where they need to be.” And the results speak for themselves.

In this conversation, we go deep into what makes a great leader, why psychological safety drives performance, how to build a culture people genuinely want to belong to, and why treating mistakes as learning moments creates organisations that last.

Key Takeaways

1. Belonging isn’t soft — it’s strategic
Garry explains why the foundation of performance is a culture where people feel seen, valued and safe to contribute. When people feel they belong, they take risks, share ideas and collaborate without fear.

2. Leaders create the weather
Teams respond to the emotional climate set by their leaders. Garry breaks down how tone, behaviour and consistency shape trust more than any policy or engagement initiative.

3. Mistakes are learning moments
Instead of blame, Garry uses learning moments to build capability. This is how you grow confident, autonomous teams who solve problems instead of hiding them.

4. Clarity beats control
Garry’s leadership model centres on aligned expectations, adult-to-adult relationships and reducing friction. When people know what’s expected — and feel supported — performance takes care of itself.

5. The real job of a leader
Garry believes leaders are responsible for creating an environment where people can be brilliant. That means curiosity, empathy, consistency and genuine accountability (the kind that lifts people, not limits them).

Resources & Links

Connect with Garry Ridge
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/garryridge/
The Learning Moment: https://thelearningmoment.net/
Book: Any Dumb Ass Can Do a Multi-Billion Dollar Brand
https://www.amazon.com/Any-Dumb-Ass-Can-Do-Multi-Billion-Dollar/dp/1637746296

🧠 Support with Mental Health and Wellbeing
Mind UK: https://www.mind.org.uk/information-support/
Samaritans (UK): Call 116 123 or email jo@samaritans.org

📬 Connect with Al & Leanne
LinkedIn (Show): https://www.linkedin.com/company/truthlieswork
Al Elliott: https://www.linkedin.com/in/thisisalelliott
Leanne Elliott: https://www.linkedin.com/in/meetleanne
Email: hello@truthliesandwork.com
Book a call: https://savvycal.com/meetleanne/chat

If you enjoyed this conversation, follow the show for more interviews every Thursday — and make sure you’re subscribed so you don’t miss next week.

This week, Al and Leanne unpack one of the darkest stories in British business — and what it reveals about organisational failure and human systems.

🔥 Stories Covered

1. Can the government really ‘Keep Britain Working’?
A major new review led by Sir Charlie Mayfield digs into why half a million more people have left work since 2019 due to long-term sickness, stress, or disability. The findings point to broken systems, poor coordination between the NHS and employers, and a lack of early support. The solution? A joined-up national programme that treats work and health as two sides of the same coin.
Read the report: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/keep-britain-working-review-final-report/keep-britain-working-final-report

2. The Post Office scandal — how trust collapsed
A new MSc study from Charlotte Glading at the University of Leeds examines how the Post Office’s Horizon IT system caused one of the worst miscarriages of justice in modern history. The research reveals deep organisational flaws: a culture of fear, denial, and blind faith in technology that silenced whistleblowers and destroyed lives. The conclusion is sobering — this wasn’t a tech failure, it was a human one.
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/charlotteglading/

🧠 Truth or Lie

Does time really go faster as you get older?
It feels true — childhood summers lasted forever, but adulthood disappears in a blink. This week, Al and Leanne explore the neuroscience behind why time seems to speed up, and how novelty, memory, and emotion shape our perception of life’s pace.

💬 Workplace Surgery

1. How do you deal with imposter syndrome as a business owner?
2. What workplace adjustments can you expect after an ADHD diagnosis?
3. How do you re-engage a top performer who’s switched off?

🧠 Support with Mental Health and Wellbeing

Mind UK: https://www.mind.org.uk/information-support/
Samaritans (UK): Call 116 123 or email jo@samaritans.org

📬 Connect with Al & Leanne

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/truthlieswork
Al Elliott: https://www.linkedin.com/in/thisisalelliott
Leanne Elliott: https://www.linkedin.com/in/meetleanne
Email: hello@truthliesandwork.com
Book a chat: https://savvycal.com/meetleanne/chat

This week, Al and Leanne sit down with Nick Power — senior marketing leader at The Noun Project and one of the most talked-about voices on LinkedIn. With more than 30 000 followers and millions of views, Nick has built a reputation for doing what most professionals won’t: calling out corporate nonsense, talking openly about burnout, and reminding us that being human is not unprofessional.

💡 Key Takeaways

In this episode, Nick shares the good, the bad, and the ugly of being honest online — from viral one-liners and “weird LinkedIn” to the backlash that comes with visibility. It’s a masterclass in authenticity, humour, and how to show up as yourself without burning bridges or your reputation.

🔗 Resources & Links

• Honesty beats polish. Professionalism isn’t about perfection — it’s about skill, integrity and being easy to work with.

• Short form wins. Think fortune-cookie insights, not essays. Nick’s rule: write something people can finish before they scroll.

• Start conversations, not lectures. The goal isn’t likes; it’s dwell time, dialogue, and trust.

• Authenticity ≠ oversharing. Show humanity, not your diary. Find your own line between personal and performative.

• Expect the trolls. Nick opens up about LinkedIn Lunatics, the subreddit that mocks viral posts — and why bullying under the guise of humour says more about insecurity than content quality.

Above all, Nick argues that being real online doesn’t damage your brand — it defines it.

Follow Nick on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nickcpower
Shop Nick’s merch: https://www.nickpower.co
Learn more about The Noun Project: https://thenounproject.com

🧠 Support with Mental Health and Well-being

– Mind UK: https://www.mind.org.uk/information-support/
– Samaritans (UK): Call 116 123 or email jo@samaritans.org

📬 Connect with Al & Leanne

– LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/truthlieswork
– Al Elliott: https://www.linkedin.com/in/thisisalelliott
– Leanne Elliott: https://www.linkedin.com/in/meetleanne
– Email: hello@truthliesandwork.com
– Book a chat: https://savvycal.com/meetleanne/chat

🎧 Coming up Tuesday

Don’t miss next week’s This Week in Work, where we unpack the biggest workplace headlines and another round of Truth or Lie. Subscribe wherever you get your podcasts.

🔥 Stories Covered

1. Trump appoints DEI critic to lead the EEOC

The AP reports that Andrea Lucas is now chair of the US Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. Critics say she has already reduced protections for transgender workers and limited investigations into discriminatory practices. Supporters frame her appointment as a shift toward “merit-based, race-neutral equality.”
Link: https://apnews.com/article/andrea-lucas-eeoc-civil-rights-dei-discrimination-transgender-591b48113bf6fab1a17d84e58cf9ac8f

2. The quiet-quitter who rose to senior leadership

A mid-level manager shared how a decade of reduced overwork, firm boundaries and radical delegation lowered stress and unexpectedly accelerated both career progression and wealth. It raises practical questions about sustainability, workload design and the hidden rewards of saying no.
Link: https://cheezburger.com/43120389/50-year-old-tries-quiet-quitting-after-achieving-mid-level-management-goals-ends-up-quadrupling-net

3. The impact of music misfit at work

New research shows that when background music doesn’t match what employees need, mood declines and mental fatigue increases. In retail and hospitality settings, “misfit” days also reduce cooperation and customer-facing helpfulness.
Link: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/keep-britain-working-review-final-report/keep-britain-working-final-report

🧠 Truth or Lie: Can you really spot a liar by their body language?

Inspired by Celebrity Traitors UK, where confident guesses were almost always wrong, we look at what the evidence shows. Across decades of studies, accuracy rarely rises above chance. Common cues like eye contact, posture shifts or nervous gestures have no reliable link to dishonesty. Real insight comes from analysing story structure, consistency and detail, not fidgeting or facial expressions.

💬 Workplace Surgery

This week’s dilemmas:
• I think I accidentally trained my team to stop thinking for themselves — how do I fix it?
• What’s the real role of Occupational Health from an employer’s perspective?
• How do I manage my first remote hire without becoming a micromanager?

🎧 Coming Up Thursday

A conversation with Nick Power, one of LinkedIn’s most distinctive voices and a leading figure in Weird LinkedIn, on authenticity, burnout and the changing face of professionalism.

🧠 Wellbeing Support

Mind UK: https://www.mind.org.uk/information-support/
Samaritans: 116 123 or jo@samaritans.org

📬 Connect with Al & Leanne

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/truthlieswork
Al: https://www.linkedin.com/in/thisisalelliott
Leanne: https://www.linkedin.com/in/meetleanne
Email: hello@truthliesandwork.com
Book a call: https://savvycal.com/meetleanne/chat

Guest intro

Dr Ryan Martin is a psychologist and emotion researcher known as The Anger Professor. In this conversation he explains why emotions are information, not emergencies, and how small, upstream decisions shape how you feel hours later. His new book lays out 50 research-backed “emotion hacks” that anyone can use at work and at home.

Episode summary

We start with a classroom exercise that reveals our brains still run ancient threat software. Ryan’s Why We Feel model shows how stimuli, mood, interpretation, feeling, and expression combine to create what we experience as emotion. He shares practical in-the-moment tools, then challenges leaders to address root causes: sleep, hydration, nature, worldview, and daily choices. We finish with a manager’s checklist for mapping emotional incidents and a simple mantra method for tough moments.

Key takeaways

1. Treat emotions as signals. They give you information and energy to act.

2. Most regulation happens upstream. Sleep, hydration, nature, movement, and digital boundaries set your baseline.

3. Worldview matters. Beliefs about people, self, and the future can drive anger, anxiety, or resilience.

4. Use in-the-moment tools wisely. Breathing, grounding, and naming the feeling help you de-escalate and think clearly.

• Grounding: 5 things you can see, 4 you can hear, and so on.

• Mantras: a short phrase to anchor attention and guide the next step.

• Nature with attention: unplug and actively notice what you see to reduce rumination.

• Recognition over suppression: acknowledge the feeling, then choose the response.

• Worldview audit: do I trust people, see myself as capable, and view the future as hopeful?

Resources and links

Pre-order Dr Ryan Martin’s new book, Emotion Hacks: 50 Ways to Feel Better Fast
https://www.amazon.com/Emotion-Hacks-Ways-Feel-Better-ebook/dp/B0F3WNB6HP

Find Ryan
Website: https://alltheragescience.com
TikTok and Instagram: @AngerProfessor
Substack: https://angerprofessor.substack.com

Support with Mental Health and Well-being

Mind UK: https://www.mind.org.uk/information-support/
Samaritans (UK): Call 116 123 or email jo@samaritans.org

Connect with Al and Leanne

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/truthlieswork
Al Elliott: https://www.linkedin.com/in/thisisalelliott
Leanne Elliott: https://www.linkedin.com/in/meetleanne
Email: hello@truthliesandwork.com
Book a call: https://savvycal.com/meetleanne/chat

This week: fake job ads, clever interview hacks, the power of recognition, and whether it really takes 10 000 hours to master anything.

🔥 Stories Covered

Career Catfishing Nearly 80 percent of workers say they’ve been misled during hiring. The job they took wasn’t the job they got. Broken promises break trust fast.
Source: https://finance.yahoo.com/news/nearly-80-us-workers-victims-183000581.html

Why People Keep Giving MSc researcher Mary Luu found volunteers who give the most often feel happiest — because meaning and recognition matter more than reward.
Source: https://www.linkedin.com/in/trambaoluu/

Interview Hack or Workplace Deception?
A Reddit user says calling employers and claiming “I was told to schedule my interview” landed five callbacks. Smart or dishonest? It’s forcing everyone to rethink how hiring really works.
Source: https://www.reddit.com/r/InterviewCoderPro/comments/1ohsuq9/i_started_calling_companies_and_saying_i_was_told

🧠 Truth or Lie — The 10 000-Hour Rule

Does it truly take 10 000 hours to master something?
Psychologist K. Anders Ericsson’s research showed practice matters — but not that hours alone guarantee mastery. Quality, feedback and context count more than time.
Verdict: mastery takes effort and structure, not a stopwatch.

💬 Workplace Surgery

• Should you give a Christmas bonus or gift?
• How do you present a strategy you don’t believe in?
• What do you do when a new hire is 40 minutes late on day one?

🎧 Coming Up Thursday

Dr Ryan Martin — better known as The Anger Professor — joins Leanne and Al to explore how we can hack our emotions to perform better in life and work.

🧠 Support with Mental Health and Well-being

– Mind UK: https://www.mind.org.uk/information-support/
– Samaritans (UK): Call 116 123 or email jo@samaritans.org

📬 Connect with Al & Leanne

– LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/truthlieswork
– Al Elliott: https://www.linkedin.com/in/thisisalelliott
– Leanne Elliott: https://www.linkedin.com/in/meetleanne
– Email: hello@truthliesandwork.com
– Book a call: https://savvycal.com/meetleanne/chat

Through her SPARK method, Angela has transformed how her clients think about fashion, helping them dress for success and feel their best every day.

In this episode, we explore:

• Do first impressions really count? The science of enclothed cognition and how clothing influences confidence, cognition, and perceptions.
• Why what we wear at work matters: How professional attire affects leadership perceptions and workplace dynamics
• Crafting your signature look: From tailored staples to bold accessories, Angela shares tips to define a personal brand that’s unforgettable.
• Navigating modern dress codes: Striking the balance between inclusivity, professionalism, and personal style in today’s workplaces.
• Angela’s SPARK method: A five-step guide to understanding your body shape, building versatile wardrobes, and curating a style that works for you.

Key Takeaways:

1. Dress for Success: First impressions are formed in seconds, and attire plays a huge role in shaping them.
2. Create a Signature Look: Stand out with a style that reflects your personality and professional brand.
3. It’s Not About Buying More Clothes: Angela emphasizes starting with a strategy before shopping.
4. Professionalism and Confidence: Learn how the right wardrobe can boost your workplace confidence and enhance others' perceptions.
5. Inclusivity in Dress Codes: Angela shares practical advice for employers crafting dress codes that are fair, clear, and aligned with organizational values.

Angela’s Free Gift:

Take Angela’s Body Shape Quiz to discover the styles and silhouettes that suit you best. Visit ⁠AngelaFoster.co/Leanne⁠ to get started!

Connect with Angela:

• Website: ⁠Angela Style Coach⁠
• LinkedIn: ⁠Angela Foster⁠
• Instagram: ⁠@AngelaStyleCoach⁠



Support with Mental Health and Well-being

If any of the topics in this episode have affected you, or if you need mental health support, please reach out to one of the following resources:

• UK: ⁠Mind⁠ offers mental health support and information. For those in distress, call Samaritans at 116 123 or email jo@samaritans.org.
• US: Contact the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-TALK or text HOME to 741741 to connect with a crisis counselor.
• Rest of the World: Visit ⁠Befrienders Worldwide⁠ to find a helpline in your country.

Connect with Truth, Lies & Work

• YouTube: ⁠Truth, Lies & Work YouTube Channel⁠
• TikTok: ⁠Truth, Lies & Work TikTok⁠
• Instagram: ⁠Truth, Lies & Work Instagram⁠
• LinkedIn: ⁠Truth, Lies & Work LinkedIn⁠
• Connect with Al Elliott: ⁠LinkedIn⁠
• Connect with Leanne Elliott: ⁠LinkedIn⁠
• Email: Reach out at hello@truthliesandwork.com
• Book a Meeting: Schedule a meeting with Al & Leanne ⁠here⁠.

Hosted by Chartered Occupational Psychologist Leanne Elliott and business owner Al Elliott, this week’s stories dig into workplace trust, exploitation, and the psychology of staying too long.

🔥 This Week’s Stories

🛒 Waitrose Under Fire for Axing Autistic Volunteer
A 27-year-old man with severe autism was reportedly “sacked” after his family asked if he could be paid for some of his work. After volunteering at Waitrose for four years and clocking up more than 600 hours unpaid, his placement was suddenly suspended.
We explore the line between inclusion and exploitation — and what true inclusive employment should look like.
Source: https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-15211181/Autistic-volunteer-sacked-Waitrose-family-asked-start-paid-years-stocking-shelves-free.html

🧠 AI Clones Are Coming for Your Coworkers
Two co-founders from the $2.1B AI recruiting startup Eightfold just raised $35M for a new company, Viven — an AI “digital twin” of every employee that lets coworkers message your clone when you’re offline.
We unpack the privacy risks, ethical dilemmas, and whether this is innovation or invasion.
Source: https://techcrunch.com/2025/10/15/eightfold-co-founders-raise-35m-for-viven-an-ai-digital-twin-startup-for-querying-unavailable-coworkers/

📅 The 3-Month Notice Period Problem
Three-month notice periods used to be for senior executives. Now they’re everywhere — from middle management to entry-level jobs. We ask whether forcing people to stay longer is about succession planning or control — and what it’s doing to motivation and trust.
Source: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/money/jobs/career-advice/working-three-months-notice-period-drain/

🧩 Truth or Lie: Are Firstborn Children Natural Leaders?

Firstborns dominate CEO lists and political leadership — but is it nature or nurture? We explore decades of research showing that while firstborns do have a statistical advantage, it’s more about parental attention and early responsibility than genetic destiny.

💬 Workplace Surgery

1. “How do I manage chaos when hiring without spending a fortune?”

2. “My manager invited me to lunch — do I have to go?”

3. “Can I opt out of birthday collections at work without looking antisocial?”

🧠 Support with Mental Health and Well-being

– Mind UK: ⁠https://www.mind.org.uk/information-support/⁠– Samaritans (UK): Call 116 123 or email ⁠jo@samaritans.org⁠

📬 Connect with Al & Leanne

– LinkedIn: ⁠https://www.linkedin.com/company/truthlieswork⁠– Al Elliott: ⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/thisisalelliott⁠– Leanne Elliott: ⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/meetleanne⁠– Email: ⁠hello@truthliesandwork.com⁠– Book a call: ⁠https://savvycal.com/meetleanne/chat

This week, Al and Leanne talk to Danny Wareham, organisational psychologist and author of Constellation Leadership: Reimagined for a Connected Age, about why leadership might not need a single leader at all.

From Navy SEALs to small business teams, Danny’s research explores what happens when you remove the leader from the room — and discover that, in the right conditions, performance can actually increase.

🔥 What We Cover

📘 What is Constellation Leadership?
Danny introduces his model — a flexible, culture-driven approach where leadership shifts based on context and capability, not hierarchy or titles.

🧭 Why culture can replace hierarchy
Learn why clear purpose, shared trust and behavioural norms can guide teams more effectively than top-down control.

💡 The North Star principle
Before defining roles, policies or perks, Danny says every organisation must answer one question: why do we exist? That North Star then becomes the anchor for every decision.

⚙️ How small organisations have a natural edge
Danny’s research shows that companies under 150 people — below Dunbar’s number — perform best when they keep teams small, autonomous and purpose-led.

💬 The Navy SEAL mindset
We unpack “mission command” — how elite teams rotate leadership fluidly, with the person best equipped for each situation taking charge in real time.

🧠 The psychology of trust and autonomy
From imposter syndrome to cultural alignment, Danny explains what it really takes to create teams that lead themselves.

🎧 Want more from Danny Wareham?

– Website: dannywareham.co.uk
– LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/danny-wareham/
– Constellation Leadership: https://dannywareham.co.uk/constellation-leadership/

🧠 Support with Mental Health and Well-being

– Mind UK: https://www.mind.org.uk/information-support/
– Samaritans (UK): Call 116 123 or email jo@samaritans.org

📬 Connect with Al & Leanne

– LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/truthlieswork
– Al Elliott: https://www.linkedin.com/in/thisisalelliott
– Leanne Elliott: https://www.linkedin.com/in/meetleanne
– Email: hello@truthliesandwork.com
– Book a call: https://savvycal.com/meetleanne/chat

Hosted by Chartered Occupational Psychologist Leanne Elliott and business owner Al Elliott, this week’s headlines dive into generational friction, AI disruption, and Amazon’s latest layoffs — plus the psychology behind “Your vibe attracts your tribe.”

🔥 This Week’s Stories

🧃 Gen Z vs Everyone Else
The Telegraph says Gen Z are ruining the workplace — dodging phone calls, dressing down, demanding safe spaces, and setting firm boundaries. But is this generational chaos or cultural evolution? Leanne breaks down what’s really going on when work expectations clash across age groups.

📰 Source: The Telegraph – Six ways Gen Z are “ruining” the workplace

🤖 40 Jobs AI Might Replace (and 40 It Can’t)
Microsoft analysed 200,000 Copilot conversations to rank which jobs are most at risk from AI. Translators top the list at 98%, coders at 90%, and even DJs at 74%. But the real story isn’t about job loss — it’s about job evolution. Al explores how automation could actually create more work, not less.

📰 Source: Sky News – The 40 jobs most at risk from AI

📦 Amazon’s AI-Fuelled Layoffs
Amazon is reportedly cutting up to 15% of its HR division as CEO Andy Jassy doubles down on AI investment. Fortune reports that the People Experience & Technology team (PXT) is bearing the brunt. We unpack what happens to trust, culture, and psychological safety when “learn AI or be left behind” becomes company policy.

📰 Source: Fortune – Amazon plans new round of layoffs

🧠 Truth or Lie: “Your Vibe Attracts Your Tribe”

Does your energy really shape the people around you — or is it just another social media myth? Leanne examines the science behind attraction, similarity, and social mirroring. From the “chameleon effect” to homophily, find out what really draws people together (and what pushes them apart).

💬 Workplace Surgery

1. A remote employee might secretly be working two full-time jobs — what should you do?

2. How do you motivate your team to actually upskill?

3. You’ve started a new job full of red flags — do you fix it or flee?

   
   

   🧠 Support with Mental Health and Well-being

– Mind UK: https://www.mind.org.uk/information-support/
– Samaritans (UK): Call 116 123 or email jo@samaritans.org

📬 Connect with Al & Leanne

– LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/truthlieswork
– Al Elliott: https://www.linkedin.com/in/thisisalelliott
– Leanne Elliott: https://www.linkedin.com/in/meetleanne
– Email: hello@truthliesandwork.com
– Book a call: https://savvycal.com/meetleanne/chat

Our guest is Mamie Kanfer Stewart — host of The Modern Manager podcast, author of Momentum, and founder of Meeteor — who has dedicated her career to transforming meetings from time-wasting nightmares into spaces for decision-making, creativity, and genuine collaboration.

🔥 What We Cover

📌 Why most meetings fail
Mamie shares how growing up in a culture that encouraged open, challenging conversations gave her a unique perspective — and why most organisations get the fundamentals of meetings wrong.

📌 Feedback conversations that don’t implode
Learn Mamie’s frameworks for difficult one-to-one meetings, including how to give feedback to someone more senior without tanking your reputation.

📌 Group decision-making without the chaos
From dominant voices to silent stakeholders, Mamie explains how to prepare for and run complex meetings that lead to real decisions instead of endless back-and-forth.

📌 The “zero to five” strategy
Mamie reveals a simple but powerful technique that turned a potentially hour-long battle into a 15-minute consensus — and how you can use it too.

📌 When meetings should be emails — and when they really shouldn’t
We tackle the internet’s favourite complaint. Mamie explains the real issue behind “this could’ve been an email” and why the answer isn’t fewer meetings, but better ones.

🎧 Want more from Mamie Kanfer Stewart?
– LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mamiekanferstewart/
– Meeteor: https://www.meeteor.com/
– The Modern Manager: https://www.themodernmanager.com/
– Mamie KS: https://www.mamieks.com/

🧠 Support with Mental Health and Well-being
– Mind UK: https://www.mind.org.uk/information-support/
– Samaritans (UK): Call 116 123 or email jo@samaritans.org

📬 Connect with Al & Leanne
– LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/truthlieswork
– Al Elliott: https://www.linkedin.com/in/thisisalelliott
– Leanne Elliott: https://www.linkedin.com/in/meetleanne
– Email: hello@truthliesandwork.com
– Book a call: https://savvycal.com/meetleanne/chat

🔥 This Week’s Stories

🍞 Breadcrumbing at Work
A new HR buzzword has arrived. Originally a dating term, “breadcrumbing” describes when managers hint at promotions, raises, or development opportunities but never follow through. In a shaky economy where pay rises and mobility are stalling, leaders may be tempted to keep talent with vague promises — but the psychology shows this kills trust and motivation.

Source: Cangrade, “2025 HR Buzzwords”
https://www.cangrade.com/blog/talent-management/24-hr-buzzwords-to-know-in-2025/

☕ Starbucks’ “Fabricated Empathy” Problem
New CEO Brian Nichol’s “Back to Starbucks” plan mandates scripted customer interactions — eye contact, cup messages, four-minute service times — alongside tighter dress codes and reduced remote work. The goal: revive sales. The risk: forcing fake connection and alienating both staff and customers.

Source: Minda Zetlin, Inc.com
https://www.inc.com/minda-zetlin/starbucks-just-announced-a-new-policy-its-a-failure-of-leadership/91243638
https://x.com/mindazetlin

📞 The Dubai Sales Machine
Would you make 100 calls a day for £24,000 a year? A London firm is hiring trainee wealth managers in Dubai with brutal daily quotas and little base pay. They call it “resilience.” We break down why high pressure without autonomy or purpose can wreck motivation.

Source: Louis Goss, The Telegraph
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/authors/l/lk-lo/louis-goss/

🧠 Truth or Lie

Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs is on every business school slide, but is it actually true? We dig into the real history — including the missing “sixth level” Maslow added — and what modern psychology says about human motivation.

💬 Workplace Surgery

• What do you do when your top performer is destroying team morale?

• How can you keep remote teams genuinely connected?

• And how do founders protect their wellbeing when the business never switches off?

  
  

🧠 Support with Mental Health and Well-being

– Mind UK: https://www.mind.org.uk/information-support/
– Samaritans (UK): Call 116 123 or email jo@samaritans.org

📬 Connect with Al & Leanne

– LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/truthlieswork
– Al Elliott: https://www.linkedin.com/in/thisisalelliott
– Leanne Elliott: https://www.linkedin.com/in/meetleanne
– Email: hello@truthliesandwork.com
– Book a call: https://savvycal.com/meetleanne/chat

Hosted by Chartered Occupational Psychologist Leanne Elliott and business owner Al Elliott, this episode features Josh Levine, work futurist, author of "Great Mondays," and culture consultant who's helped companies like Credit Karma navigate the treacherous waters of hypergrowth.

Episode Summary

Picture this: You've built something special. Your team of 15 feels like family. Everyone knows everyone. The culture just works. But now you're staring down growth - maybe to 50, maybe to 100 employees. And there's this gnawing fear: what if scaling breaks everything we've built?

What We Cover

The 50-Employee Breaking Point

• Why founder's culture has an expiration date and the physics behind cultural breakdown

From Implicit to Explicit

• How to transform unspoken behaviours into values that actually scale beyond personal influence

The Three-Step Framework

• Identify, codify, and communicate the most important decisions that move the needle

Why Most Values Fail

• The difference between values as wall decorations versus business tools that drive decisions

Recognition Done Right

• How Wells Fargo's outcome-focused rewards destroyed trust and what to do instead

Trust as Infrastructure

• Why relational infrastructure matters more than physical infrastructure in distributed work

The WD-40 Case Study

• How Gary Ridge reframed failure as learning and invested in humans, not just outputs

Measuring Culture at Scale

• Why Employee Net Promoter Score captures what matters as you grow

Resources

Connect with Josh Levine on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/akajoshlevine

• Follow Josh on Instagram: @greatmondays_culturedesign
• Great Mondays website: https://greatmondays.com
• Great Mondays Radio: https://radio.greatmondays.com
• Great Mondays YouTube: https://youtube.com/@GreatMondays
• Get the book "Great Mondays" at greatmondays.com

Mental Health Support

This episode discusses workplace stress, burnout, and the challenges of scaling culture. If you or someone you know is struggling with mental health:

UK:

• Samaritans: 116 123 (24/7 helpline) - https://www.samaritans.org/
• Mind: 0300 123 3393 or text 86463 - https://www.mind.org.uk/

US:

• 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline: Call or text 988 (24/7) - https://988lifeline.org/
• NAMI Helpline: 1-800-950-NAMI (6264) - https://www.nami.org/

International:

• Befrienders Worldwide: https://www.befrienders.org/ (directory of crisis helplines worldwide)
• International Association for Suicide Prevention: https://www.iasp.info/resources/Crisis_Centres/ (global crisis center directory)

Connect with Your Hosts

• Connect with Al on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/thisisalelliott/
• Connect with Leanne on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/meetleanne
• Join the discussion about this episode on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/truthlieswork/
• Email: podcast@TruthLiesandWork.com
• Follow us on Instagram: @truthlieswork
• Chat with us on X: @truthlieswork
• YouTube channel: @TruthLiesWork
• Check us out on TikTok: @truthlieswork

Want a chat about your workplace culture? hi@TruthLiesandWork.com

Got feedback/questions/guest suggestions? Email podcast@TruthLiesandWork.com

Hosted by Chartered Occupational Psychologist Leanne Elliott and business owner Al Elliott, bringing you the latest workplace stories that actually matter.

News Round Up

Digital Hangover - The New Workplace Epidemic That feeling when you've been on your laptop all day, mindlessly scroll Instagram, and suddenly feel wired but weirdly drained? That's a digital hangover.

Psychologies Magazine article: https://pocketmags.com/us/psychologies-magazine/oct-25/articles/the-science-of-wellbeing-how-to-shake-off-a-digital-hangover?srsltid=AfmBOorVwGPxFvEpTNB5EZru-bMQUVahEMrR_Nk5KLVp4daxRgI7CV3W

Is Workplace Humour Too Risky? New research from Peter McGraw, Adam Barsky, and Caleb Warren suggests workplace humour might be too risky to attempt.

Research article: https://phys.org/news/2025-09-funny.html

MrBeast's Vibe Check: Smart Hiring or Commitment Avoidance? The world's biggest YouTuber has introduced 90-day trial periods for all new hires, complete with temporary housing and rental cars. The goal is testing whether someone can adapt to high-speed, high-stakes production work.

Business Insider article: https://www.businessinsider.com/why-mrbeast-vibe-checks-new-hires-2025-10

Truth or Lie?

Are Tall People Really More Successfully The verdict: TRUE, but with massive caveats. Research shows height correlates with career success - each inch predicts about £600 more in annual earnings. Since 1900, the taller US presidential candidate has won 81% of elections. But height explains only 7% of earning variation, leaving 93% to actual skills, education, and other factors. The effect operates through perceptual bias (we see tall people as more leader-like), modest correlations with intelligence and health, and self-fulfilling prophecies from being treated like a leader from childhood.

Workplace Surgery

Real listener questions this week:

• How do you build a reliable team when you're used to doing everything yourself without losing quality control?
• What do you do when you have to let someone go even though they're trying their best and improving?
• How do you keep great people when you can't compete on pay with bigger companies?

Mental Health Support

This episode discusses workplace stress, burnout, and the impact of digital overload on mental wellbeing. If you or someone you know is struggling with mental health:

UK:

• Samaritans: 116 123 (24/7 helpline) - https://www.samaritans.org/
• Mind: 0300 123 3393 or text 86463 - https://www.mind.org.uk/

US:

• 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline: Call or text 988 (24/7) - https://988lifeline.org/
• NAMI Helpline: 1-800-950-NAMI (6264) - https://www.nami.org/

International:

• Befrienders Worldwide: https://www.befrienders.org/ (directory of crisis helplines worldwide)
• International Association for Suicide Prevention: https://www.iasp.info/resources/Crisis_Centres/ (global crisis center directory)

Connect with Your Hosts

• Connect with Al on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/thisisalelliott/
• Connect with Leanne on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/meetleanne
• Join the discussion about this episode on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/truthlieswork/
• Email: podcast@TruthLiesandWork.com
• Follow us on Instagram: @truthlieswork
• Chat with us on X: @truthlieswork
• YouTube channel: @TruthLiesWork
• Check us out on TikTok: @truthlieswork

Want a chat about your workplace culture? hi@TruthLiesandWork.com

Got feedback/questions/guest suggestions? Email podcast@TruthLiesandWork.com

Hosted by Chartered Occupational Psychologist Leanne Elliott and business owner Al Elliott, this episode features Professors Ina Purvanova and Alanah Mitchell, authors of "The New Workplace" and experts who've spent years studying remote, hybrid, and in-office work arrangements.

Episode Summary

What if hybrid working isn't the best of both worlds, but actually the worst? Professors Ina Purvanova and Alanah Mitchell have mapped nine different work personas - from "officers" who never want to leave the office, to "avatars" who live entirely online, to "integrators" trying to bridge both worlds. Their research reveals that 65% of workers are now aligned with their company's workplace strategy, but that still leaves 35% struggling with misalignment that affects engagement, commitment, and ultimately performance.

This conversation explores what happens when work personas collide, why hybrid can create more conflict than clarity, and how leaders can move their teams from misaligned to at least half-aligned without losing their best people. You'll hear heartbreaking stories of young workers describing themselves as "soulless husks" when forced to work remotely, and female executives who prefer office work for unexpected reasons.

What We Cover

The Nine Work Personas

• How people fall into categories like "officers," "avatars," and "integrators" based on their workplace preferences

Why Hybrid Creates Conflict

• How hybrid workplaces can become battlegrounds between opposing preferences, with officers and avatars both wanting companies to go fully their way

The Alignment Problem

• Why 65% alignment isn't enough and what happens to the misaligned 35% who stay in jobs that don't suit them

Task-Location Fit

• Moving from "dress for your day" to "locate for your day" based on what tasks you need to accomplish

Who Decides the Strategy

• Whether leaders should set workplace policies or listen to what teams actually want

Personas Change Over Time

• How life stages, from early career to parenthood to late career, can shift your workplace preferences

Recruitment Reality

• Why honest job previews about work arrangements are crucial for avoiding misalignment from day one

The Future of Work

• Predictions for 2050 and why hybrid might win by default

Resources

The New Workplace book website: https://thenewworkplacebook.com/

• Connect with Ina Purvanova on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ina-purvanova/
• Connect with Alanah Mitchell on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alanah-mitchell/

Mental Health Support

The episode discusses some difficult workplace experiences, including feelings of isolation, loneliness, and depression. If you or someone you know is struggling with mental health:

UK:

• Samaritans: 116 123 (24/7 helpline) - https://www.samaritans.org/
• Mind: 0300 123 3393 or text 86463 - https://www.mind.org.uk/

US:

• 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline: Call or text 988 (24/7) - https://988lifeline.org/
• NAMI Helpline: 1-800-950-NAMI (6264) - https://www.nami.org/

International:

• Befrienders Worldwide: https://www.befrienders.org/ (directory of crisis helplines worldwide)
• International Association for Suicide Prevention: https://www.iasp.info/resources/Crisis_Centres/ (global crisis center directory)

Connect with Your Hosts

• Connect with Al on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/thisisalelliott/
• Connect with Leanne on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/meetleanne
• Join the discussion about this episode on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/truthlieswork/
• Email: podcast@TruthLiesandWork.com
• Follow us on Instagram: @truthlieswork
• Chat with us on X: @truthlieswork
• YouTube channel: @TruthLiesWork
• Check us out on TikTok: @truthlieswork

Hosted by Chartered Occupational Psychologist Leanne Elliott and business owner Al Elliott, bringing you the latest workplace stories that actually matter.

News Round Up

Office Frogging - Gen Z's Job-Hopping Trend Gen Z workers are hopping from job to job like frogs on lily pads, chasing better pay and growth. But here's the thing - this isn't new. Millennials did this too, they just didn't have a catchy name for it. The real question: are you giving people a reason to stay?

Forbes article on Office Frogging: https://www.forbes.com/sites/bryanrobinson/2025/09/18/office-frogging-gen-zs-career-trend-disrupts-employer-expectations/

Workslop - AI's Productivity Problem AI-generated content that looks polished but has no real substance. Research from BetterUp Labs and Stanford found 41% of workers have been on the receiving end, costing almost two hours of rework each time. AI use at work has doubled since 2023, but 95% of organizations see no measurable ROI.

Harvard Business Review article: https://hbr.org/2025/09/ai-generated-workslop-is-destroying-productivity

Deloitte's £4.9m Pay Rise Problem Deloitte UK's chief executive Richard Houston received a 17% pay rise to £4.9 million while staff got 2.9% and revenues actually fell by 1%. He's now paid 65 times the median Deloitte salary. When staff see the boss's pay racing away from their own, fairness goes, then trust, then loyalty.

The Times article: https://www.thetimes.com/business-money/companies/article/deloitte-uks-chief-executive-receives-17-percent-pay-rise-to-49m-kshc08cqr

Truth or Lie?

Left-Handed People Are More Creative Because They Use the Right Side of Their Brain

The verdict: LIE. While Roger Sperry's Nobel Prize-winning split-brain research showed the hemispheres have distinct strengths, creativity doesn't belong to one hemisphere. Both sides work together constantly in healthy brains. Left-handers may have language spread across both hemispheres and larger corpus callosums, but that doesn't make them automatically more creative.

Workplace Surgery

Real listener questions this week:

• Is DISC profiling actually useful for leadership or just another personality tool with slick marketing?
• How do senior leaders answer tough questions without actually committing to anything? (Featuring the SCARF model)
• What do you call the role when you're ready to step back from day-to-day running of your business?

Connect with Your Hosts

• Connect with Al on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/thisisalelliott/
• Connect with Leanne on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/meetleanne
• Join the discussion about this episode on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/truthlieswork/
• Email: podcast@TruthLiesandWork.com
• Follow us on Instagram: @truthlieswork
• Chat with us on X: @truthlieswork
• YouTube channel: @TruthLiesWork
• Check us out on TikTok: @truthlieswork

Want a chat about your workplace culture? hi@TruthLiesandWork.com

Got feedback/questions/guest suggestions? Email podcast@TruthLiesandWork.com

Hosted by Chartered Occupational Psychologist Leanne Elliott and business owner Al Elliott, this episode celebrates friend of the show Isabel Berwick and the paperback release of her bestselling book "The Future-Proof Career."

Episode Summary

We're thrilled to welcome back Isabel Berwick, the Financial Times' work and careers editor and host of the "Working It" podcast. With her bestselling book "The Future-Proof Career" now available in paperback, Isabel shares her insights on making working work for you in our post-pandemic world.

This conversation covers everything from the characteristics that make managers truly effective to emerging workplace trends like "greedy jobs" and workplace polarisation. Isabel also tackles some of our toughest listener questions about managing difficult relationships, career development for younger workers, and finding balance in an increasingly demanding work environment.

What We Cover

The Accidental Manager Crisis

• How people end up in management roles without proper training or preparation

Social Media's Workplace Impact

• The way platforms like TikTok are influencing professional expectations and behaviors

What Makes Managers Actually Effective

• Why listening, empathy, and trust matter more than traditional leadership traits

2024's Biggest Workplace Trends

• From workplace polarization to "greedy jobs" and the ongoing quiet quitting conversation

Career Advice for Younger Workers

• Strategies for getting heard and developing your career in today's workplace

The Power of Reverse Mentoring

• How cross-generational learning benefits both mentors and mentees

Managing People You Don't Like

• Practical tips for navigating difficult professional relationships

Listener Q&A

• Isabel tackles real questions about work-life balance and career progression

Resources

Follow Isabel on X: https://twitter.com/isabelberwick

• Connect with Isabel on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/isabel-berwick-8b4922167
• Listen to Working It podcast: https://www.ft.com/working-it
• Subscribe to Isabel's newsletter: https://ep.ft.com/newsletters/subscribe?newsletterIds=62039b7ea31d6577a31f70df
• Get "The Future-Proof Career" on Amazon: https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/0008607729?ref_=cm_sw_r_cp_ud_dp_75RYWXR355NMVKX71SCC




Connect with Your Hosts

• Connect with Al on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/thisisalelliott/
• Connect with Leanne on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/meetleanne
• Join the discussion about this episode on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/truthlieswork/
• Email: podcast@TruthLiesandWork.com
• Follow us on Instagram: @truthlieswork
• Chat with us on X: @truthlieswork
• YouTube channel: @TruthLiesWork
• Check us out on TikTok: @truthlieswork

Want a chat about your workplace culture? hi@TruthLiesandWork.com

Got feedback/questions/guest suggestions? Email podcast@TruthLiesandWork.com

Hosted by Chartered Occupational Psychologist Leanne Elliott and business owner Al Elliott, bringing you the latest workplace stories that actually matter.

This week we explore "job hugging" - the new workplace trend where people stay in roles they don't love out of fear rather than engagement. Plus troubling reports from inside Microsoft suggest a cultural shift leaving employees feeling powerless, and we launch our new "Truth or Lie?" segment examining whether white noise actually helps concentration.

News Roundup:

Job Hugging - The New Workplace Trend The flip side of quiet quitting where people stay in jobs they don't love due to market uncertainty. Affects younger workers choosing security over progression.

Nicole Williamson's LinkedIn post: https://www.linkedin.com/posts/nicolewilliamsorganisationalpsychology_first-we-had-quiet-quitting-now-its-activity-7373611657425559552-NZL-?utm_source=share&utm_medium=member_desktop&rcm=ACoAAAPpxk8B1ivB8GiszIgdppDkaIkcd6hBmOo

Microsoft Culture Crisis Reports from a 7-year employee describing managers who look "like pinballs, completely powerless" and colleagues "jumping ship." Shows how culture frays slowly before collapse.

Microsoft story: https://www.financialexpress.com/trending/its-scaring-me-microsoft-employee-of-7-years-says-current-work-culture-has-changed-for-the-worse/3982230/

Arthur Brooks on Career Risk Research shows the biggest workplace risk isn't failing - it's living with regret because you never tried. Fear of regret makes us play it safe and avoid growth opportunities.

Simon Sinek article: https://www.cnbc.com/2025/09/18/simon-sinek-backwards-career-moves-can-make-you-happier-more-successful.html

Truth or Lie?!

This week's question: does white noise help you concentrate? The answer: true, but only for some people. Research shows it helps those with ADHD or attention difficulties, but actually harms performance in people with strong focus.

Workplace Surgery:

Real listener questions this week:

• Dealing with unfulfilling work when your team and manager are great
• Managing a brilliant employee who's struggling after promotion to management
• Building genuine passion in your team as a young entrepreneur

Get in touch:

• Connect with Al on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/thisisalelliott/
• Connect with Leanne on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/meetleanne
• Join the discussion about this episode on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/truthlieswork/
• Email: podcast@TruthLiesandWork.com
• Follow us on Instagram: @truthlieswork
• Chat with us on X: @truthlieswork
• YouTube channel: @TruthLiesWork
• Check us out on TikTok: @truthlieswork

Want a chat about your workplace culture? hi@TruthLiesandWork.com

Got feedback/questions/guest suggestions? Email podcast@TruthLiesandWork.com

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Hosted by Chartered Occupational Psychologist Leanne Elliott and business owner Al Elliott, this episode features one of the most brutally honest interviews we've ever had about what it really takes to lead people the right way.

Episode Summary

Picture this: you're in your mid-twenties, walking into a Detroit manufacturing plant for your first day as head of labor relations. Your job involves firing at least one person every single week, and you discover that you are a very different person to everyone who did this job before you - because you're the first woman in the role, and more importantly, the first one who doesn't carry a gun.

Today's guest, Amy Bouque, Chief People Officer at Kelly Services, shares stories from her 30-year career in HR that most C-suite executives would never dare share publicly. From devastating personal loss that changed her leadership philosophy to investigating phantom poopers and naked Barbies in compromising positions, Amy gives us an unfiltered look at the messy reality of leading people.

What We Cover

Transformative Career Moments

Amy's early days in Detroit manufacturing plants where armed security walked her to her car

Leadership Myths Busted

Why the myth that "leaders are born, not made" is holding organizations back

Real-World Advice for Small Businesses

How to build culture when money is tight using the "Yes, And" approach

Having Difficult Conversations

The Content-Pattern-Relationship framework for performance issues

Key Takeaways

1. Connection Beats Command Amy learned the hard way that moving fast and making decisions quickly meant nothing if her team didn't want to work for her. Slow down, invest in relationships, and yes - it matters if your team likes you.

2. Embrace the Messy Middle Sometimes you do work Sundays. No, you might not be comfortable with someone working 20 hours for 40 hours of pay. It's okay to admit the complex reality instead of pretending everything's perfect.

3. Have the Conversation Script it, practice it, breathe through it - but have the difficult conversation. Not having these conversations isn't kindness; it's disrespectful to your team who already knows who's not pulling their weight.

Resources

Amy Bouque on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/amy-bouque-she-her-hers-520a855/

• Kelly Services: https://www.kellyservices.com/

Connect with Your Host

• Connect with Al on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/thisisalelliott/
• Connect with Leanne on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/meetleanne
• Join the discussion about this episode on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/truthlieswork/
• Email: podcast@TruthLiesandWork.com
• Follow us on Instagram: @truthlieswork
• Chat with us on Twitter: @truthlieswork
• YouTube channel: @TruthLiesWork
• Check us out on TikTok: @truthlieswork

Want a chat about your workplace culture? hi@TruthLiesandWork.com

Got feedback/questions/guest suggestions? Email podcast@TruthLiesandWork.com

Amy's confessions remind us that even C-Suite executives are learning as they go. The difference is Amy is brave enough to admit it. We all deserve leaders who see our humanity, even when they're having to make the hard decisions - even if those decisions involve investigating naked Barbies.

Summer is over and we're back with This Week in Work, where we bring you the latest headlines, expert hot takes and answer your questions in our world famous weekly workplace surgery.

🔥 Stories Covered

📌 Nestlé CEO Fired Over Secret Romance When the world’s largest food company sacks its global CEO after 40 years, the issue isn’t just scandal — it’s trust. We explore why hidden relationships at the top create ripples through entire organisations, eroding fairness and psychological safety.

📰 Read more: https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c1mpm9ee9p9o

📌 1,000 Days of ChatGPT What has AI really changed about work since its launch? We look at productivity gains, job fears, and whether we’re truly in the middle of a white-collar industrial revolution.

📰 Read more: https://www.cityam.com/1000-days-of-chatgpt-how-has-work-changed/

📌 19 Ways to Improve Your Life, According to Science Forget September stress — it’s the real new year. We revisit evidence-based ways to reset, refresh, and make small, meaningful changes.

📰 Read more: https://www.bps.org.uk/psychologist/19-ways-improve-your-life

🔥 Hot Take: Rage Baiting at Work
We’re used to rage-bait headlines online, but what happens when leaders use sarcasm and provocation in the office? Guest Vanessa Judelman argues it silences teams, destroys trust, and confuses sharpness for strength.

More from Vanessa:

– Website: https://www.mosaicpd.com/ – LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/vanessajudelman/ – Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MosaicPeopleDevelopment – Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/vanessajudelman/ – Twitter: https://twitter.com/MosaicPD

💬 Workplace Surgery

❓ Do employee engagement platforms really work — or are they just tick-box exercises?

❓ I was refused unpaid leave for health reasons, but my colleague was granted it months later. What can I do? - featuring Cat Coggins from The Curve Group: https://www.thecurvegroup.co.uk/

❓ Are we too focused on experience — and missing out on talent?

🧠 Support with Mental Health and Well-being
– Mind UK: https://www.mind.org.uk/information-support/ – Samaritans (UK): Call 116 123 or email jo@samaritans.org

📬 Connect with Al & Leanne
– LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/truthlieswork – Al Elliott: https://www.linkedin.com/in/thisisalelliott – Leanne Elliott: https://www.linkedin.com/in/meetleanne – Email: hello@truthliesandwork.com – Book a call: https://savvycal.com/meetleanne/chat

Hosted by Chartered Occupational Psychologist Leanne Elliott and business owner Al Elliott, this episode features Tony Cooke, former VP of Human Resources at Adidas, who spent decades proving that HR doesn't have to be the department everyone dreads.

Episode Summary

Imagine you're the head of an HR team and you get asked to present the team's vision for the future workforce of the largest sportswear company in Europe. But instead of sitting down and putting together the usual dull PowerPoint slide presentation, you instead decide to make a James Bond style movie. You have the MD kidnapped, he's tied up, he's stuffed into a chest and he does multiple takes until he is bruised and battered.

That's exactly what happened at Adidas, where Tony Cooke was running HR. His approach was to make HR more human by appealing to people's sense of humor and showing genuine personality. His initiatives were so effective that HQ kept stealing them and rolling them out worldwide, earning his team the nickname "The North Mafia."

What We Cover

Why HR Became the Villain

How HR became the convenient pantomime villain in organizations

The Waggish Approach

What it means to be "waggish" and take formality out of HR

Maverick Initiatives

The "Addie Oscars" - cost-neutral recognition that packed halls to the rafters

Speed dating for talent across different markets

"DIVIN" (Diversity + Inclusion) - making difficult topics fun and engaging

The James Bond Movie

How Tony's team created a spy movie instead of PowerPoint slides for Workforce 2020

Key Takeaways

1. Collaborate with Senior Stakeholders Early Tony's biggest learning was that even the best ideas need buy-in from decision makers. Build those relationships before you need them, not after.

2. Learn the Business Inside and Out Don't just be an HR person - be a business partner who understands revenue, competitors, and strategic priorities. Tony challenged HR professionals to know their company's turnover.

3. Show Your Human Side Stop being the aloof rule-maker and let people see that you're human with frailties, bad days, and emotions. People warm to authenticity, not perfection.

The Results

Adidas became known as a talent factory with a conveyor belt of leaders going to senior roles across America, Amsterdam, Germany, and beyond. That's the business impact of making HR genuinely human at one of the world's most recognizable brands.

Resources

Tony Cooke on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tony-cooke-9706341b/

• Tony's book "Waggish Chronicles of a Maverick in a Corporate World" on Amazon: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Waggish-Chronicles-Maverick-Corporate-World-ebook/dp/B0FDBL9XGS
• Also available on Everand: https://www.everand.com/book/877879715/Waggish-Chronicles-of-a-Maverick-in-a-Corporate-World




Connect with Your Hosts

• Connect with Al on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/thisisalelliott/
• Connect with Leanne on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/meetleanne
• Join the discussion about this episode on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/truthlieswork/
• Email: podcast@TruthLiesandWork.com
• Follow us on Instagram: @truthlieswork
• Chat with us on Twitter: @truthlieswork
• YouTube channel: @TruthLiesWork
• Check us out on TikTok: @truthlieswork

Want a chat about your workplace culture? hi@TruthLiesandWork.com

Got feedback/questions/guest suggestions? Email podcast@TruthLiesandWork.com

This week we’re sharing part two of our conversation with Jon White and Nick Korte, hosts of the Nerd Journey podcast. If you missed part one, it’s in our feed as episode 224. In that first half we explored the pressure on managers in flatter organisations. Today, we flip the lens: what it’s like to be in the team, and how to thrive in uncertain times.

🔥 What We Cover

📌 Clarity is everything Why asking your manager “What does good look like?” is the most powerful way to stand out and support your team.

📌 Psychological safety in action A story from Toyota’s production line — where pulling the stop cord is a daily ritual — shows why culture matters more than rules.

📌 The role of the quiet hero Why the colleagues who make life easier for everyone else are the ones you’ll remember, and why every team needs a “Bob.”

📌 Managers need support too How leaders can stop stress rolling downhill by finding their own outlets — from peers to coaches — instead of passing pressure to their teams.

📌 Becoming an entrepreneur of your own reputation How to take control of how you’re seen at work without falling into “personal brand” clichés.

🎧 Want more from Jon & Nick?

• Nerd Journey Podcast: ⁠https://www.nerd-journey.com⁠

• Connect with Jon White on LinkedIn: ⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/jonwhite173/⁠

• Connect with Nick Korte on LinkedIn: ⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/nickkorte/⁠

  
  

  👉 Listen to Part 1 on Nerd Journey here:⁠⁠https://nerd-journey.com/task-cohesion-managing-a-larger-team-in-a-flatter-organization-amidst-a-climate-of-uncertainty-with-al-and-leanne-elliott-1-2/⁠

🧠 Support with Mental Health and Well-being

• Mind UK: ⁠https://www.mind.org.uk/information-support/⁠

• Samaritans (UK): Call 116 123 or email ⁠jo@samaritans.org⁠

📬 Connect with Al & Leanne

• LinkedIn: ⁠https://www.linkedin.com/company/truthlieswork⁠

• Al Elliott: ⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/thisisalelliott⁠

• Leanne Elliott: ⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/meetleanne⁠

• Email: ⁠hello@truthliesandwork.com⁠

• Book a call: ⁠https://savvycal.com/meetleanne/chat

This week we’re joined by Meghan French Dunbar — author, speaker, business anthropologist, and former CEO who built a nationally distributed magazine before realising she was chasing all the wrong metrics. Meghan has interviewed over a thousand business leaders and in her new book This Isn’t Working she argues that everything we’ve been told about business success is upside down.

🔥 What We Cover

📌 Banana-hoarding billionaires
Why we celebrate exploitative leaders — and what it says about our values.

📌 The power of active listening
How one of Meghan’s best hires started with an unexpected, deeply human conversation.

📌 What’s really broken in business
Why shareholder supremacy and profit-at-all-cost thinking is destroying wellbeing, and the companies proving there’s a better way.

📌 Redefining success
The shift from extrinsic motivators like money and titles, to intrinsic motivators like purpose, growth, and autonomy.

📌 Practical inspiration
Case studies from Zingerman’s to Eileen Fisher showing how treating people well leads to long-term profitability and resilience.

🎧 Want more from Meghan French Dunbar?
– Website: https://www.meghanfrenchdunbar.com/book
– LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/meghanfrenchdunbar
– Substack: https://meghanfrenchdunbar.substack.com
– Email: meghan@frenchdunbar.com
– Book: This Isn’t Working (use code TLW for 20% off) → https://www.hachettebookgroup.com/titles/meghan-french-dunbar/this-isnt-working/9781541704862/?lens=basic-venture

🧠 Support with Mental Health and Well-being
– Mind UK: https://www.mind.org.uk/information-support/ – Samaritans (UK): Call 116 123 or email jo@samaritans.org

📬 Connect with Al & Leanne
– LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/truthlieswork
– Al Elliott: https://www.linkedin.com/in/thisisalelliott
– Leanne Elliott: https://www.linkedin.com/in/meetleanne
– Email: hello@truthliesandwork.com
– Book a call: https://savvycal.com/meetleanne/chat

This week, we’re doing something different. Think of this as your own personal coaching session. September is the season of fresh starts — kids are back at school, Q3 is ending, and it’s the perfect time to reset before the chaos of year-end.

Over 40 minutes, Al becomes the “coachee” while Leanne guides us through five evidence-based exercises designed to help you reflect, reset, and refocus for the final stretch of 2025. And yes — you can do them right alongside us.

🔥 What We Cover (and How to Do It Yourself)

📌 STOP: A Mindfulness Reset
STOP is a simple four-step tool for breaking out of autopilot and regaining clarity.

• S – Stop what you’re doing.

• T – Take a breath.

• O – Observe what’s happening: your thoughts, feelings, and body.

• P – Proceed with greater awareness.
  This is especially useful before tough meetings, responding to emails, or when stress spikes.

📌 Three Good Things: Gratitude with Science
At the end of each day, write down three things that went well and why. Research shows this boosts happiness, resilience, and sleep quality. For a September reset, reflect on three good things from your summer — it helps you carry positive energy into autumn.

📌 Future Self Vision: Planning with Perspective
Our brains treat “future us” like a stranger, which makes long-term planning harder. Visualisation helps close that gap. Imagine yourself three months from now (end of Q4):

• What have you achieved?

• What challenges did you overcome?

• How do you feel?
  Write it down as if it’s already happened — this creates motivation and clarity for the months ahead.

📌 WOOP Goal Setting: Turning Wishes into Action
WOOP is a research-backed framework to set goals that stick:

• W – Wish: What do you want to achieve?

• O – Outcome: What would it look and feel like if you succeeded?

• O – Obstacle: What could get in the way?

• P – Plan: What will you do when that obstacle shows up?
  This helps move beyond vague goals into practical steps.

📌 Energy Intention: Carrying the Right Mindset
Instead of just asking “What do I want to achieve?”, ask:

• “How do I want to show up?”

• “What energy do I want to bring to my team, my family, my work?”
  This reframes success as not just outcomes but how you live and lead every day.

🧠 Support with Mental Health and Well-being
– Mind UK: https://www.mind.org.uk/information-support/
– Samaritans (UK): Call 116 123 or email jo@samaritans.org

📬 Connect with Al & Leanne
– LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/truthlieswork
– Al Elliott: https://www.linkedin.com/in/thisisalelliott
– Leanne Elliott: https://www.linkedin.com/in/meetleanne
– Email: hello@truthliesandwork.com
– Book a call: https://savvycal.com/meetleanne/chat

This week’s guest is Patrick Fagan — behavioural scientist, bestselling author, and consultant on influence and psychology. Patrick spent a year doing something completely new every single week, from joining cults to attending cuddle workshops, from My Little Pony conventions to colonic irrigation, all to see how novelty shapes happiness, memory, and meaning.

His reflections are part science, part personal experiment — and the lessons go way beyond fun stories. They show us how leaders, teams, and individuals can use novelty and experience design to build happier, more connected, and more creative lives.

🔥 What We Cover

📌 The science of novelty and happiness Why our brains crave new experiences — and how they can literally make life feel longer.

📌 52 weeks, 52 experiments From cult meetings to cuddle workshops, what Patrick learned by pushing himself into the uncomfortable and unusual.

📌 Pleasure vs purpose The psychology of why struggle and awkwardness can create deeper meaning than comfort alone.

📌 From marketing to management What behavioural science and experiential retail can teach leaders about creating workplaces that people remember.

📌 Practical takeaways Why even small changes — like trying a new recipe or changing your work setting — can transform how you feel about life and work.

🎧 Want more from Patrick Fagan?
– Website (consulting, behavioural science): https://patrickfagan.co.uk/
– “Just Do Stuff” blog (Patrick’s 52 experiences): https://justdostuff.co.uk/

🧠 Support with Mental Health and Well-being
– Mind UK: https://www.mind.org.uk/information-support/
– Samaritans (UK): Call 116 123 or email jo@samaritans.org

📬 Connect with Al & Leanne
– LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/truthlieswork
– Al Elliott: https://www.linkedin.com/in/thisisalelliott
– Leanne Elliott: https://www.linkedin.com/in/meetleanne
– Email: hello@truthliesandwork.com
– Book a call: https://savvycal.com/meetleanne/chat

This week, we’re rolling out a brand-new format: Ranking the Wildest Workplace Stories of 2025. From four-day weeks to CEO meltdowns, overemployment scams to viral kiss cams, these are the headlines shaping work this year — and we’re grading them like a school report card.

Some get an A+. Some fail spectacularly. All of them tell us something about where work is headed.

🔥 The Stories We Cover

📌 🌍 200 UK Companies Go Four-Day Week
A permanent shift for over 5,000 workers. Future of productivity or privileged luxury?

📌 🤬 Jamie Dimon’s WFH Rant
The JPMorgan CEO’s viral meltdown over hybrid petitions. Authentic leadership or toxic boomer energy?

📌 🤖 Duolingo’s AI-First Revolution
Replacing writers and translators with AI. Bold innovation or corporate creativity-killer?

📌 💼 Soham Parekh’s Overemployment Scam
One man, four startups, 140-hour weeks. Audacious hustle or scam that risks remote work trust?

📌 🎵 Kiss Cam Coldplay CEO Affair
Caught live at a concert — and out of a job days later. Just comedy, or proof of workplace power imbalance?

📌 🔥 Sydney Sweeney “Jeans or Genes” Ad
A viral American Eagle campaign gone global. Smart controversy marketing or harmful echo of eugenics?

🧠 Support with Mental Health and Well-being
– Mind UK: https://www.mind.org.uk/information-support/
– Samaritans (UK): Call 116 123 or email jo@samaritans.org

📬 Connect with Al & Leanne
– LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/truthlieswork
– Al Elliott: https://www.linkedin.com/in/thisisalelliott
– Leanne Elliott: https://www.linkedin.com/in/meetleanne
– Email: hello@truthliesandwork.com
– Book a call: https://savvycal.com/meetleanne/chat

Hosted by Leanne Elliott, Chartered Occupational Psychologist and business owner, Al Elliott, together they help you simplify the science of work.

This week’s summer session is about something we don’t talk about enough: fun.

Our guest, Joel Zeff — keynote speaker, improv performer, and workplace energy expert — believes that celebrating small wins with a simple “ta-da!” can transform how your team feels and performs.

Forget forced fun and ping pong tables. Joel’s approach is about authentic energy, appreciation, and joy.

🔥 What We Cover

📌 Why fun matters at work Joel shares why fun isn’t a distraction, but the secret sauce for engagement, retention, and genuine performance.

📌 Dumb Ass Managers The managers who drain energy and destroy creativity — and how to avoid becoming one.

📌 The ‘Ta-Da’ philosophy How celebrating everyday wins can rebuild motivation, positivity, and connection.

📌 Appreciation as leadership Joel explains why recognising people is the simplest, most powerful tool managers have.

🎧 Want more from Joel Zeff?
– Website: https://www.joelzeff.com/
– LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/joelzeff/

- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thejoelzeff/

🧠 Support with Mental Health and Well-being
– Mind UK: https://www.mind.org.uk/information-support/
– Samaritans (UK): Call 116 123 or email jo@samaritans.org

📬 Connect with Al & Leanne
– LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/truthlieswork
– Al Elliott: https://www.linkedin.com/in/thisisalelliott
– Leanne Elliott: https://www.linkedin.com/in/meetleanne
– Email: hello@truthliesandwork.com
– Book a call: https://savvycal.com/meetleanne/chat

This week is a special crossover: our conversation with Jon White and Nick Korte, co-hosts of the brilliant Nerd Journey podcast.

In this two-part series, we dig into what makes teams thrive (and fail), the skills most managers never get taught, and how to navigate careers in uncertain times.

👉 Listen to Part 1 on Nerd Journey here:
https://nerd-journey.com/task-cohesion-managing-a-larger-team-in-a-flatter-organization-amidst-a-climate-of-uncertainty-with-al-and-leanne-elliott-1-2/

👉 Listen to Part 2 on Nerd Journey here:
https://nerd-journey.com/champion-your-people-role-clarity-for-the-ic-in-the-chaotic-world-of-work-with-al-and-leanne-elliott-2-2/

🔥 What We Cover

• The hidden skills every great manager needs — and why most never get trained in them.

• How to navigate career pivots without losing confidence (even if it feels like you’re starting over).

• The difference between being a “boss” and being a leader who actually develops people.

• Why Jon and Nick believe the best career stories come from mistakes and detours, not perfect planning.

• The surprising lessons they’ve learned from 300+ interviews with tech professionals.

🎧 Want more from Jon & Nick?

• Nerd Journey Podcast: https://www.nerd-journey.com

• Connect with Jon White on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jonwhite173/

• Connect with Nick Korte on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nickkorte/

🧠 Support with Mental Health and Well-being

• Mind UK: https://www.mind.org.uk/information-support/

• Samaritans (UK): Call 116 123 or email jo@samaritans.org

📬 Connect with Al & Leanne

• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/truthlieswork

• Al Elliott: https://www.linkedin.com/in/thisisalelliott

• Leanne Elliott: https://www.linkedin.com/in/meetleanne

• Email: hello@truthliesandwork.com

• Book a call: https://savvycal.com/meetleanne/chat

Hosted by Chartered Occupational Psychologist Leanne Elliott and business owner Al Elliott, this is your Thursday deep-dive with a workplace expert.

🎙️ This Week's Guest: John Michel Associate Professor at Loyola University of Maryland, John discovered that awkward small talk doesn't just make people uncomfortable — it leads to emotional exhaustion, the precursor to burnout. His research reveals the dark side of workplace chatter that's hiding in plain sight.

💡 Key Takeaways from John Michel

• Surface-level is better. Until trust develops, keep workplace conversations professional. Personal topics can harm professional image.
• Forced fun backfires. Don't mandate Fun Fridays. Organic socializing builds stronger relationships than manufactured activities.
• Uncomfortable conversations isolate. Bad small talk makes people feel excluded, reducing their support network and increasing burnout risk.

🎧 Want more from John Michel? – Website: https://johnwmichel.wordpress.com/ – LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/john-michel-33883a5/

🎧 Enjoying the show? Follow, share, and leave us a review — and join us Tuesday for our summer session where we chat about the fun side of work.

🧠 Support with Mental Health and Well-being – Mind UK: https://www.mind.org.uk/information-support/ – Samaritans (UK): Call 116 123 or email jo@samaritans.org

📬 Connect with Al & Leanne
– LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/truthlieswork
– Al Elliott: https://www.linkedin.com/in/thisisalelliott
– Leanne Elliott: https://www.linkedin.com/in/meetleanne
– Email: hello@truthliesandwork.com
– Book a call: https://savvycal.com/meetleanne/chat

Armed with gin, sunscreen, and questionable wisdom, we answer some of the internet’s best nostalgia questions — from “what’s a behaviour you no longer tolerate” to “how did we find out a song name before Shazam?” Plus, we unpack the workplace quirks, fashion crimes, and tech disasters that shaped our early careers.

🔥 What We Cover

📌 Back in our day… From office smoking rooms to fax machine rage, we share the work habits and cultural norms we’re glad to leave in the past.

📌 Career curveballs The ‘Plan B’ moments that turned out better than Plan A — and why it’s worth embracing the detours.

📌 Finding music before the internet Yes, it involved cassette tapes, patience, and sometimes a lot of guesswork.

📌 What really earns respect The small but meaningful actions that instantly win us over in colleagues and leaders.

📌 Stress that didn’t exist What younger generations worry about now that simply wasn’t on our radar growing up.

🧠 Support with Mental Health and Well-being
– Mind UK: https://www.mind.org.uk/information-support/
– Samaritans (UK): Call 116 123 or email jo@samaritans.org

📬 Connect with Al & Leanne
– LinkedIn: Truth, Lies & Work
– Al Elliott: https://www.linkedin.com/in/thisisalelliott
– Leanne Elliott: https://www.linkedin.com/in/meetleanne
– Email: hello@truthliesandwork.com
– Book a call: https://savvycal.com/meetleanne/chat

What followed was a six-month sabbatical, a solo trip around the world, and a radical redefinition of what it means to be successful.

Let’s get into it.

🔑 Key Takeaways

📌 When achievement becomes identity
Carolina opens up about using her accomplishments to feel loved, and how this deep-rooted drive masked real emotional needs — until her health and happiness collapsed.

📌 “I am busy” isn’t a flex
She explains why constantly saying you're “too busy” might be a warning sign, not a badge of honour — and how to start replacing output obsession with genuine wellbeing.

📌 Flourishing isn’t about being happy all the time
Forget peak performance. Carolina’s idea of success is being able to say, “I am well,” even when things aren’t perfect — and she shares how to get there.

📌 Your ego isn’t your enemy
In a surprising twist, Carolina reframes the ego as a protective force. When it’s chasing achievement, it’s often trying to secure love and belonging.

🔗 Resources & Links

Explore Carolina’s work:
🌐 https://www.carolinalasso.com

Follow her journey on Instagram:
📸 https://www.instagram.com/carolinalasso_/

Connect on LinkedIn:
💼 https://www.linkedin.com/in/carolinalasso

🧠 Support with Mental Health and Well-being

– Mind UK: ⁠mind.org.uk/information-support
– Samaritans (UK): Call 116 123 or email ⁠jo@samaritans.org

📬 Connect with Al & Leanne

– LinkedIn: Truth, Lies & Work
– Al Elliott: ⁠linkedin.com/in/thisisalelliott
– Leanne Elliott: ⁠linkedin.com/in/meetleanne
– Email: ⁠hello@truthliesandwork.com
– Book a call: ⁠savvycal.com/meetleanne/chat

From long-stays in Southeast Asia to one-night stands in Northern Europe, we’re unpacking the joy and chaos of remote work around the world. Expect real talk, surprising tips, and at least one mosquito-related meltdown.

🔥 What We Cover

📌 Best countries for remote working Where Wi-Fi, weather, and work-life balance all hit that sweet spot (hint: not Bali).

📌 Holiday vs. Nomad: don’t get it twisted Why not every dreamy destination is cut out for your inbox.

📌 Places we’ll never return to (for work) Loud, cold, lonely or just plain awkward — the countries that didn’t make the cut.

📌 The unexpected winners Countries we didn’t expect to love as a base… but it totally surprised us.

🧠 Support with Mental Health and Well-being – Mind UK: https://www.mind.org.uk/information-support/ – Samaritans (UK): Call 116 123 or email jo@samaritans.org

📬 Connect with Al & Leanne
– LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/truthlieswork – Al Elliott: https://www.linkedin.com/in/thisisalelliott – Leanne Elliott: https://www.linkedin.com/in/meetleanne – Email: hello@truthliesandwork.com – Book a call: https://savvycal.com/meetleanne/chat

🔥 What We Cover

📌 Email addiction is real
Dr. Elaine explains why our brains are wired to check messages — even on holiday — and how to break that cycle with simple psychological strategies.

📌 Setting better boundaries at work
From crystal-clear out-of-office messages to handling pushy colleagues, Elaine lays out exactly how to protect your time off without burning bridges.

📌 Toxic holiday cultures
We hear from a listener who was told to check emails daily while on leave — and got angry messages when they didn’t. Elaine breaks down what’s really happening in these workplaces and how to respond.

📌 The secret to a smooth return
Why your return-to-work inbox shouldn’t ruin your last two days off — and Elaine’s practical plan for managing the emotional spike that comes with coming back.

🎧 Want more from Dr. Elaine Smith?

• Explore her work: www.drelainesmith.com

• Connect on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dr-elaine-smith-creating-compassionate-workplaces/

• Try her Holiday Headspace masterclass:
  https://www.drelainesmith.com/beat-annual-leave-anxiety
  Use code truthlieswork20 for 20% off (normally £39)

🧠 Support with Mental Health and Well-being

– Mind UK: https://www.mind.org.uk/information-support/
– Samaritans (UK): Call 116 123 or email jo@samaritans.org

📬 Connect with Al & Leanne
– LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/truthlieswork
– Al Elliott: https://www.linkedin.com/in/thisisalelliott
– Leanne Elliott: https://www.linkedin.com/in/meetleanne
– Email: hello@truthliesandwork.com
– Book a call: https://savvycal.com/meetleanne/chat

Recorded poolside with a gin in hand, this is the first of our Summer Sessions — stripped-back, slightly tipsy, and very real.

🔥 What We Cover

📌 Leanne’s first big management flop
The dream promotion that turned into a living panic — and what she learned about boundaries, leadership, and starting again after being publicly demoted.

📌 Al’s bankruptcy at 26
The booze delivery startup that collapsed under licensing laws — and the brutal lessons in risk, resilience, and recovering from £103k of debt.

📌 Public fails and poolside humiliation
Leanne’s wedding faceplant in Thailand. Al’s Tesco meat counter catastrophe. We relive the awkward moments that taught us more than any win ever has.

📌 Why failure is worth sharing
We talk honestly about panic attacks, identity crises, and the long tail of shame — and why we still believe in taking big swings.

🎧 Want more from Truth, Lies & Work?
– Website: https://truthliesandwork.com
– LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/truthlieswork
– Al Elliott: https://www.linkedin.com/in/thisisalelliott
– Leanne Elliott: https://www.linkedin.com/in/meetleanne
– Email: hello@truthliesandwork.com
– Book a call: https://savvycal.com/meetleanne/chat

🧠 Support with Mental Health and Well-being
– Mind UK: https://www.mind.org.uk/information-support/
– Samaritans (UK): Call 116 123 or email jo@samaritans.org