People Soup

By Ross McIntoshBusiness Science Social Sciences Health & Fitness Mental Health Management

People Soup episodes

May 25Quick Spoon: I always had an eye looking in
In this Quick Spoon, Ross explores the second skill in the McIntosh Leadership Framework: Awareness.
Inspired by a reflection from Gabriella Braun, this episode looks at the leadership power of noticing what’s happening beneath the surface — in ourselves, in teams, and in the wider system around us.
So often, leaders feel pressure to speak quickly, solve problems, and drive action.
But what if better leadership sometimes starts with noticing more… and saying less?
Ross shares a practical experiment to help leaders develop awareness in meetings, conversations, and everyday workplace dynamics.
In this Quick Spoon
🥄 Why awareness is a core leadership skill
🥄 The hidden dynamics we often miss in meetings
🥄 How curiosity can change a room
🥄 A practical experiment to try this week
Key reflection
“You can’t lead beyond what you notice.”
People Soup: Real conversations about work, leadership, and being human — grounded in behavioural science, with practical ideas you can actually use.
If this episode resonated with you, please consider following People Soup, leaving a rating or review, or sharing it with someone who might find it useful.
Every recommendation helps more people discover practical, evidence-based conversations about work, leadership and being human.
Leadership beyond autopilot - The McIntosh ACT Leadership Framework

Here's the People Soup Website.
And you can subscribe to the People Soup YouTube Channel here.
Visit Ross' Website.
Connect with Ross on LinkedIn
People Soup on Instagram which also features plenty of Ross' photos of the Andalusian life.
2 min
May 22 Quick Spoon: Why did I react like that?
In this Quick Spoon, Ross explores the first skill in the McIntosh Leadership Framework: Pause.
Inspired by a powerful reflection from Gabriella Braun, this episode looks at those moments when our reactions feel immediate, emotional, and difficult to control.
Why does one comment roll off our backs… while another lingers all day?
And what might change if, instead of reacting automatically, we paused long enough to notice what’s happening inside us?
Ross shares a simple practical experiment to help leaders interrupt autopilot, create choice, and respond with greater awareness and intention.
In this Quick Spoon
🥄 Why our reactions at work can feel instant
🥄 The leadership power of pausing before reacting
🥄 How to interrupt autopilot and habitual responses
🥄 A simple reflection question to try this week
Key reflection
“Between stimulus and response… that’s where your leadership lives.”
People Soup: Real conversations about work, leadership, and being human — grounded in behavioural science, with practical ideas you can actually use.
If this episode resonated with you, please consider following People Soup, leaving a rating or review, or sharing it with someone who might find it useful.
Every recommendation helps more people discover practical, evidence-based conversations about work, leadership and being human.
Here's the People Soup Website.
And you can subscribe to the People Soup YouTube Channel here.
Visit Ross' Website.
Connect with Ross on LinkedIn
People Soup on Instagram which also features plenty of Ross' photos of the Andalusian life.
2 min
May 20Quick Spoon: That difficult person at work
Every workplace seems to have one.
The difficult colleague.
The challenging client.
The person who pushes your buttons before they’ve even opened their mouth.
In this Quick Spoon from my conversation with Dr Eric Goodman, we explore a different way of responding to difficult people at work.
Not by excusing behaviour.
Not by pretending it’s easy.
But by asking a different question:
What if compassion reduced your suffering… not just theirs?
A practical reflection on threat responses, workplace relationships, and how seeing people differently might change the impact they have on us.
People Soup: Real conversations about work, leadership, and being human — grounded in behavioural science, with practical ideas you can actually use.
If this episode resonated with you, please consider following People Soup, leaving a rating or review, or sharing it with someone who might find it useful.
Every recommendation helps more people discover practical, evidence-based conversations about work, leadership and being human.
Eric's Website

Here's the People Soup Website.
And you can subscribe to the People Soup YouTube Channel here.
Visit Ross' Website.
Connect with Ross on LinkedIn
People Soup on Instagram which also features plenty of Ross' photos of the Andalusian life.
2 min
May 18Why work feels so personal with Gabriella Braun
In this episode of People Soup, Ross is joined by consultant, psychoanalytic thinker, and author Gabriella Braun for a deeply human conversation about why work can feel so personal.
Drawing on her remarkable book All That We Are, Gabriella explores what really happens beneath the surface in teams, organisations, and leadership.
Together, Ross and Gabriella explore:
Why we can’t simply “leave our emotions at home”
How Gabriella’s experience as the child of immigrants shaped her ability to observe human systems
The leadership experience that left her “floundering”… and sparked a lifelong curiosity about organisational life
Why so many workplaces are carrying hidden distress
What leaders learned about vulnerability during COVID
Why psychoanalytic thinking has so much to offer the workplace
The deeply personal writing journey behind All That We Are
Why leaders may be helping their organisations choose between constructive and destructive forces every single day

And finally…
Why love may have a lot more to do with leadership than we often admit.
Originally released in 2023. Reimagined and re-edited for the new People Soup format in 2026.
People Soup: Real conversations about work, leadership, and being human — grounded in behavioural science, with practical ideas you can actually use.
If this episode resonated with you, please consider following People Soup, leaving a rating or review, or sharing it with someone who might find it useful.
Every recommendation helps more people discover practical, evidence-based conversations about work, leadership and being human.
Connect with Gabriella on LinkedIn
Gabriella Braun's website

Here's the People Soup Website.
And you can subscribe to the People Soup YouTube Channel here.
Visit Ross' Website.
Connect with Ross on LinkedIn
People Soup on Instagram which also features plenty of Ross' photos of the Andalusian life.
22 min
May 15 Quick Spoon: Speak to three people
What do you do when anxiety shows up… right when something matters?
A networking event.
A room full of strangers.
A voice in your head saying:
“Your Spanish isn’t good enough.”
In this Quick Spoon, I share a very real moment from a networking event for psychologists in Seville—where social anxiety showed up… and so did the urge to run.
But instead of waiting to feel confident…
I tried something smaller.
Something more workable.
Speak to three people.
That was the goal.
Not confidence.
Not perfection.
Just one small, values-based action.
A practical reflection on anxiety, workable goals, and taking action—even when your mind is telling you otherwise.
People Soup: Real conversations about work, leadership, and being human — grounded in behavioural science, with practical ideas you can actually use.
If this episode resonated with you, please consider following People Soup, leaving a rating or review, or sharing it with someone who might find it useful.
Every recommendation helps more people discover practical, evidence-based conversations about work, leadership and being human.
Here's the People Soup Website.
And you can subscribe to the People Soup YouTube Channel here.
Visit Ross' Website.
Connect with Ross on LinkedIn
People Soup on Instagram which also features plenty of Ross' photos of the Andalusian life.
2 min
May 13Quick Spoon: If I was at my absolute best...
What do you do in those moments when emotions are running high?
An awkward conversation.
A difficult email.
A family disagreement.
A colleague who’s pushing your buttons.
In this Quick Spoon from my conversation with Dr Eric Goodman, we explore one simple question that can create a little more space… and a little more choice:
“If I was at my absolute best right now… what would I want to do?”
Not…
What do I feel like doing?
Not…
What would be easiest?
But…
What would my best self choose?
A practical reflection on values, choice, and how to respond—rather than simply react—when things get challenging.
People Soup: Real conversations about work, leadership, and being human — grounded in behavioural science, with practical ideas you can actually use.
If this episode resonated with you, please consider following People Soup, leaving a rating or review, or sharing it with someone who might find it useful.
Every recommendation helps more people discover practical, evidence-based conversations about work, leadership and being human.
Eric's Website

Here's the People Soup Website.
And you can subscribe to the People Soup YouTube Channel here.
Visit Ross' Website.
Connect with Ross on LinkedIn
People Soup on Instagram which also features plenty of Ross' photos of the Andalusian life.
2 min
May 11Quick Spoon: Pain is part of being human
What if the goal was never to become stress-free?
Or anxiety-free.
Or grief-free.
In this Quick Spoon from my conversation with Dr Eric Goodman, we challenge a myth that many of us still buy into:
That difficult emotions are somehow a sign that something’s gone wrong.
Eric offers a different perspective:
Painful emotions aren’t a design flaw.
They’re part of being human.
And the real skill may not be fighting what we feel…but learning how to notice it with a little more awareness—and a little more compassion.
People Soup: Real conversations about work, leadership, and being human — grounded in behavioural science, with practical ideas you can actually use.
If this episode resonated with you, please consider following People Soup, leaving a rating or review, or sharing it with someone who might find it useful.
Every recommendation helps more people discover practical, evidence-based conversations about work, leadership and being human.
Eric's Website

Here's the People Soup Website.
And you can subscribe to the People Soup YouTube Channel here.
Visit Ross' Website.
Connect with Ross on LinkedIn
People Soup on Instagram which also features plenty of Ross' photos of the Andalusian life.
2 min
May 09Quick Spoon: Get off autopilot
Ever noticed how pressure can shrink your options?
A difficult conversation.
An awkward email.
A deadline.
A piece of feedback you weren’t expecting.
And suddenly… you’re reacting before you’ve even realised it.
In this Quick Spoon from my conversation with Dr Eric Goodman, we explore what he describes as one of the most crucial skills in mental health:
Getting off autopilot.
Taking a pause.
Calling a timeout.
And choosing a response that’s…
Helpful, not harmful.
A short practical reflection on choice, self-awareness, and creating a little more space when life gets challenging.
Because that space, creates options.
People Soup: Real conversations about work, leadership, and being human — grounded in behavioural science, with practical ideas you can actually use.
If this episode resonated with you, please consider following People Soup, leaving a rating or review, or sharing it with someone who might find it useful.
Every recommendation helps more people discover practical, evidence-based conversations about work, leadership and being human.
Eric's Website

Here's the People Soup Website.
And you can subscribe to the People Soup YouTube Channel here.
Visit Ross' Website.
Connect with Ross on LinkedIn
People Soup on Instagram which also features plenty of Ross' photos of the Andalusian life.
2 min
May 07Quick Spoon: Locked out of the controls
Why do we sometimes react in ways that don’t feel like us?
Why do we say things we later regret, shut down under pressure, or act against our values?
In this Quick Spoon from my conversation with Dr Eric Goodman, we explore a powerful idea:
Sometimes, in difficult moments…
“We’re locked out of the controls.”
And if that’s true…
Beating ourselves up probably isn’t the answer.
Awareness might be.
A practical reflection on self-compassion, threat responses, and how to choose a response that’s guided by your values—not just your emotions.
People Soup: Real conversations about work, leadership, and being human — grounded in behavioural science, with practical ideas you can actually use.
If this episode resonated with you, please consider following People Soup, leaving a rating or review, or sharing it with someone who might find it useful.
Every recommendation helps more people discover practical, evidence-based conversations about work, leadership and being human.
Eric's Website

Here's the People Soup Website.
And you can subscribe to the People Soup YouTube Channel here.
Visit Ross' Website.
Connect with Ross on LinkedIn
People Soup on Instagram which also features plenty of Ross' photos of the Andalusian life.
2 min
May 05Quick Spoon: When the threat system takes over
Why do good people sometimes say things they later regret?
Why do we shut down, snap, or go into fight mode when pressure rises?
In this Quick Spoon from my conversation with Dr Eric Goodman, we explore a powerful idea:
Sometimes it’s not weakness.
Sometimes your threat system is driving the bus.
And when that happens, we can find ourselves reacting in ways that don’t reflect who we want to be.
A practical and compassionate reminder that awareness creates choice… especially in difficult moments.
People Soup: Real conversations about work, leadership, and being human — grounded in behavioural science, with practical ideas you can actually use.
If this episode resonated with you, please consider following People Soup, leaving a rating or review, or sharing it with someone who might find it useful.
Every recommendation helps more people discover practical, evidence-based conversations about work, leadership and being human.
Eric's Website

Here's the People Soup Website.
And you can subscribe to the People Soup YouTube Channel here.
Visit Ross' Website.
Connect with Ross on LinkedIn
People Soup on Instagram which also features plenty of Ross' photos of the Andalusian life.
2 min