In this episode of This is How We Feel, Ali is joined by fellow behavioural scientist Dr Juliette Tobias-Webb, who holds a PhD from the University of Cambridge.

We explore a deceptively simple idea: the house always wins.

In casinos and on smartphones, that’s by design. Every flashing light, every near miss, every notification, algorithm and reward schedule is engineered around one core truth of human psychology: we are wired for hyperbolic discounting. We privilege immediate rewards over future gains. Every time.

But here’s the twist: aviation does the opposite.

In airline cockpits, systems are deliberately designed to support pilots; to reduce error, scaffold attention, and protect against predictable human biases. The environment assumes fallibility and builds in safeguards.

Juliette asks, why don’t we design our own lives that way?

We talk about:

• Why willpower is a losing strategy

• How hyperbolic discounting quietly shapes your daily decisions

• What gambling machines can teach us about behaviour

• Why aviation safety systems are a model for personal change

• Practical ways to “hack” your environment

• The science behind temptation bundling

• How to make the good choice the easy choice

This conversation is about shifting from self-blame to system design, because if the house always wins, maybe it’s time to redesign the house.

Have you ever stopped to notice what you’re really feeling? This week, Ali experimented with naming emotions every day, and discovered how much our stories can mislead us, how small insights sneak up over time, and why a week isn’t long enough to see real change.

Join Ali as she shares what she has learnt about emotional granularity and how giving yourself space can transform the way you see yourself.

In this episode, Ali Walker is joined by her first guest- Daniel Teitelbaum from Playful Thinking to unpack a simple but confronting experiment: what happens when we prioritise play for an entire week.

Ali shares how choosing play - through dancing, dressing up, and being more light-hearted with her kids - dramatically shifted her energy and sense of aliveness. But play didn’t just bring joy. It also unearthed the reasons she avoids it: fatigue, responsibility, fear, and the unspoken rules we absorb about being 'serious' adults.

Together, Daniel and Ali explore why play is not a luxury but a biological and psychological need, how it generates energy, connection, and resilience, and why returning to old patterns is so easy once the experiment ends.

This is a conversation about play as regulation, leadership, and self-trust - and why small experiments matter if we want lasting change.

In this episode of This Is How We Feel, Ali Walker introduces a different way of approaching behaviour change - not through pressure, discipline, or shame, but through curiosity.

After 15 years studying how people behave in groups, one pattern kept showing up: knowing what’s good for us rarely changes what we do.

So instead of asking “How do I change?” or “What’s wrong with me?”, this podcast asks a simpler question:

What happens if we try this?

This episode introduces the idea of turning everyday life into a series of small, low-stakes experiments - and begins with the first one: PLAY.

Not as a reward.
Not after everything else is done.
Just… play.

You’ll hear:

• Why insight alone doesn’t change behaviour

• How curiosity softens the nervous system

• Why play is one of the fastest ways to create safety and flexibility

• Practical, adult-friendly ways to bring play into real life (no productivity required)

You’ll also be invited into the first experiment: one small, unnecessary, enjoyable thing each day - and simple prompts to notice what comes up.

This isn’t a challenge.
It’s not a program.
There’s nothing to keep up with.

It’s an invitation to notice how it actually feels to be human - in real life.

If you’ve ever felt stuck, flat, serious, or overwhelmed…
you’re not alone in this feeling.

THIS IS HOW WE FEEL...

If you start this year the same way you started the last one, you’ll get the same year all over again. What if this year didn’t follow the same pattern as the last one?

In the opening episode of Season 2, Ali explores how to make this year unlike any other by changing where you invest your energy. Instead of setting more goals or pushing harder, this episode invites you to become self-referential; to start making decisions from alignment, curiosity, and your future self.

You’ll learn how to:

• Connect with your future self

• Use energy, not pressure, as your compass for the year ahead

This episode is about momentum, clarity, and choosing yourself without rejecting anyone else. If you’ve ever felt like you’re repeating last year on a loop, this is your invitation to begin differently.

In this episode, we explore a feeling so many people carry:

What do I do when no one needs me?

If you grew up getting approval for being 'good' or 'useful,' your nervous system learned that doing equals value - and being equals nothing.

So when life gets still, or when the roles fall away, your identity can collapse.

In this episode, Dr Ali Walker breaks down:

• why we feel lost when we stop performing or being 'useful'

• why presence feels uncomfortable when you’re used to performing

• and how to rebuild a clear, grounded sense of self

You’ll get practical tools to reconnect with yourself, anchor your identity, and feel like you again… not just the roles you play.

In this episode of This Is How We Feel, Dr. Ali Walker, behavioural scientist and expert in group dynamics, shares five practical, science-backed ways you can shift your own energy and transform the group around you.

The real story in any group isn’t what’s being said, but what’s being felt.

In this episode of This Is How We Feel, Ali Walker explores the invisible emotional energy that flows through every team, family, and culture.

You’ll learn about:

Whether you’re leading a team, navigating family dynamics, or curious about human behaviour, this episode will give you a new lens to understand the groups you are in.

Why does a small comment sometimes cause a huge (over)reaction? In this episode of This Is How We Feel, Dr Ali Walker explores how old emotions from our past can hijack the present, causing us to overreact in relationships.

We unpack why our brains replay old patterns, how these 'old' emotions show up in everyday interactions, and simple ways to respond with awareness.

Tune in to start noticing your feelings in a whole new way.

In every group, from families and friendships to teams and nations, there are invisible forces at play. Power, status, and hierarchy shape who speaks, who listens, and who gets left out.

In this episode, Dr. Ali Walker unpacks the hidden rituals that reinforce group hierarchies, explores how status is performed and perceived, and examines what happens when the balance of power begins to shift.

We ask:

• What is power beyond titles and roles?

• How do we unconsciously play status games?

• What happens when we challenge group norms?

• And how can we create spaces where power moves with integrity?

Whether you're navigating team politics, rethinking your role in a social group, or questioning long-standing dynamics in your family, this episode invites you to look beneath the surface — and lead with awareness.