This is Episode 2 of our Summer Sessions — and this week, we’re going global. After visiting nearly 50 countries together, we’re spilling the tea on where to go, where to avoid, and how to actually get work done without melting, buffering, or losing your mind.

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

📌 Holiday vs. Nomad: don’t get it twisted

📌 Places we’ll never return to (for work)

📌 The unexpected winners

🧠 Support with Mental Health and Well-being

📬 Connect with Al & Leanne

This week we’re breaking down the science behind switching off — and how to finally reclaim your holidays. From boundary-setting to return-to-work anxiety, clinical psychologist Dr. Elaine Smith shares what it really takes to disconnect (without guilt).

🔥 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

🧠 Support with Mental Health and Well-being

– Mind UK: https://www.mind.org.uk/information-support/
– Samaritans (UK): Call 116 123 or email [email protected]

📬 Connect with Al & Leanne

This week we’re diving into our biggest professional disasters — and the personal embarrassments we still think about in the shower. From losing £103k on a failed business to being demoted out of a dream job, these are the moments that shaped us. And the ones we usually keep quiet.

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

📌 Al’s bankruptcy at 26

📌 Public fails and poolside humiliation

📌 Why failure is worth sharing

🎧 Want more from Truth, Lies & Work?

🧠 Support with Mental Health and Well-being

Andrew Palmer has spoken to the head executives form Stripe, Netflix, LinkedIN, Google, Toyota - and he's uncovered the counterintuitive leadership lessons from all of them!

Welcome back to Truth, Lies & Work, the award-winning podcast where behavioural science meets workplace culture — brought to you by the HubSpot Podcast Network, the audio destination for business professionals.

🎙️ This Week’s Guest: Andrew Palmer

From Toyota to Netflix, IKEA to Unilever, Andrew’s spent the last year asking one deceptively simple question: What makes a better boss?

In this conversation, he shares the themes that kept coming up — and the surprising patterns that didn’t.

💡 Key Takeaways from Andrew Palmer

Great bosses know when to shut up. The best leaders don’t try to win the room. They create the space for others to think — and listen before they speak.

Trust is built slowly — and breaks fast. The CEOs who lead well focus less on controlling people and more on designing systems that earn trust every day.

There’s no ‘one way’ to lead. From the founder of Patagonia to the CEO of Toyota, the styles vary wildly. But what they share is a clear sense of purpose — and an ability to reflect on their own behaviour.

Being a boss means learning constantly. The best leaders aren’t finished products. They’re works in progress who stay curious, ask questions, and remain open to being wrong.

🔗 Find out more

🎧 Enjoying the show?

🧠 Support with Mental Health and Well-being

📬 Connect with Al & Leanne

Welcome back to Truth, Lies & Work, the award-winning podcast where behavioural science meets workplace culture — brought to you by the HubSpot Podcast Network, the audio destination for business professionals.

🔥 This Week’s Stories

📌 1. The Intruder Paradox: Is imposter syndrome actually a workplace problem?
New research says it’s not always your confidence that’s the issue — it’s your environment. We explore the study behind a new term: the intruder paradox — and what it means for inclusion at work.

📌 2. How to hire an A-player: Tough love or recruitment theatre?
A viral hiring post lays out a bold approach: multi-hour interviews, deep reference checks, and a “hard truths first” philosophy. But does this really help you hire better — or just scare off the best people? Al and Leanne unpack the thinking behind this controversial method and explore what hiring top talent really takes.

📌 3. Return-to-office rules are harming wellbeing — even before they’re enforced
A new Hays poll finds that just the threat of stricter office policies is denting morale. We unpack the anticipatory anxiety building across the UK workforce.

🔥 Hot Take: Should you talk openly about quitting?

Guest: Becky Simms (CEO, Human First Collective)

It’s the workplace conversation nobody wants to have — until it’s too late. Becky explains why talking about career moves before they happen could be the secret to better retention, stronger trust, and less awkward exits.

📬 Register your interest to support Aspiration Digital: https://forms.gle/qFSqSurv1soNF4sL8

💬 Workplace Surgery

❓ “How do you handle a workplace complaint when one employee wants to make amends — and the other wants them gone?”

❓ “Are job boards still worth it for small businesses?”

❓ “How do bank holidays work for compressed hours?”

🎧 Enjoying the show?

🧠 Support with Mental Health and Well-being
– Mind UK: https://www.mind.org.uk/information-support/
– Samaritans (UK): Call 116 123 or email [email protected]
– Mental Health at Work: https://www.mentalhealthatwork.org.uk/

📬 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: [email protected]
– Book a call: https://savvycal.com/meetleanne/chat

Welcome back to Truth, Lies & Work, the award-winning podcast where behavioural science meets workplace culture — brought to you by the HubSpot Podcast Network, the audio destination for business professionals.

🎙️ This Week’s Guest: Tim Lupinacci

He runs a law firm with hundreds of employees across the U.S. — and he’s doing it by flipping traditional leadership on its head.

Tim Lupinacci is the CEO and Chair of Baker Donelson, a 130-year-old U.S. law firm. But unlike the archetype of a power-hungry managing partner, Tim leads through vulnerability, service, and personal values.

In this conversation, Tim shares how he’s built a culture of trust and transparency in a sector that’s famously high-pressure, high-burnout, and historically low on empathy. Expect real-world lessons on humility, motivation, and leading with impact in complex, change-resistant environments.

💡 Key Takeaways from Tim Lupinacci

Service is power.
Tim explains why true leadership means removing barriers — not issuing commands.

Vulnerability builds trust.
By showing up as a real human, Tim found his team became more loyal, engaged, and resilient.

Law firms don’t have to be toxic.
Culture change is possible — even in legacy-driven sectors — when leaders go first.

🔗 Connect with Tim Lupinacci
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tim-lupinacci/

🎧 Enjoying the show?

🧠 Support with Mental Health and Well-being

📬 Connect with Al & Leanne

Welcome back to Truth, Lies & Work, the award-winning podcast where behavioural science meets workplace culture — brought to you by the HubSpot Podcast Network, the audio destination for business professionals.

🔥 This Week’s Stories

📌 1. Empathsplaining: Are today’s leaders all talk, no trust?
From “I hear you” to “we care deeply,” modern leaders know how to sound empathetic — but are they actually avoiding hard conversations? Leanne explores a growing trend of emotional performance without action — and why Gen Z isn’t buying it.

📰 Source: Jeff LeBlanc – https://www.linkedin.com/posts/jeff-leblanc-93212510a_leadership-workplace-management-activity-7347583849054302208-Fzy0

📌 2. Silicon Valley’s million-dollar scammer
One engineer, 22 startups, $1 million a year — and barely any work. Al breaks down the most outrageous employment heist in recent tech history, what it tells us about the future of remote work, and the ethical chaos of overemployment.

📰 Source: The Pragmatic Engineer – https://newsletter.pragmaticengineer.com/p/the-10x-overlemployed-engineer

📌 3. What really happens when leaders break their word?
A new study reveals that it’s not the gap between values and actions that kills trust — it’s how leaders explain that gap. Leanne digs into the psychology behind word–action misalignment, and why high-integrity leaders are judged more gently.

📰 Study: https://bpspsychub.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdfdirect/10.1111/joop.70030

🔥 Hot Take: Let’s Talk About Pay, with Rameez Kaleem

Why are companies still scared of pay transparency — and what’s that fear really costing them?

Rameez Kaleem, founder of 3R Strategy, says pay isn’t just a finance issue — it’s a culture issue. He explains why younger workers are demanding honesty, how pay secrecy fuels inequality, and how transparency builds trust even without revealing everyone’s salary.

🗣 Guest links:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/rameezkaleem/

https://3r-strategy.com/

https://podcasts.apple.com/sa/podcast/a-case-of-the-mondays/id1691526371

💬 Workplace Surgery

❓ Should I hire my spouse into my small team?
A listener wonders if working with their partner will strengthen trust — or spark chaos.

❓ How far should employers go to protect wellbeing?
What’s realistic when you want to care for your team — but you’re also trying to survive as a small business?

❓ Can DISC fix team tensions — or is it just a fad?
With personality clashes brewing, one leader asks whether DISC assessments can help — and what other tools might work better.

🎧 Enjoying the show?
Follow, share, and leave us a review wherever you listen — and don’t forget to join us Thursday for an expert masterclass on how to manage people who are way smarter than you.

🧠 Support with Mental Health and Well-being

📬 Connect with Al & Leanne

Welcome back to Truth, Lies & Work, the award-winning podcast where behavioural science meets workplace culture — brought to you by the HubSpot Podcast Network, the audio destination for business professionals.

🎙️ This Week’s Guest: Steve Roest

What do you do when you’re leading people who are smarter than you?

This week, we’re joined by Steve Roest, CEO and co-founder of PocDoc — one of the UK’s fastest-growing health tech startups. Steve leads a team of scientists and engineers developing cutting-edge diagnostics — despite not being a scientist or an engineer himself.

In this episode, Steve shares how he turns that so-called “weakness” into a leadership superpower. You’ll hear how he builds high-performance teams, handles ego, and keeps world-class experts aligned without stifling innovation.

💡 Key Takeaways from Steve Roest

You don’t need to be the smartest person in the room.
Steve explains how leaders can succeed by focusing on vision, coordination, and culture — not technical control.

Confidence isn’t the same as competence.
Hiring for collaboration skills is just as important as technical ability. Steve shares how PocDoc screens for ego and team fit.

Brilliance needs boundaries.
The best ideas often come from freedom — but only when that freedom is shaped by clear goals and customer needs.

🔗 Resources & Links

🎧 Enjoying the show?
Follow, share, and leave us a review wherever you listen — and don’t forget to check out our Tuesday news round-up for the latest in people, culture, and the science 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 [email protected]

📬 Connect with Al & Leanne
Truth, Lies & Work on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/truth-lies-and-work/
Al Elliott: https://www.linkedin.com/in/thisisalelliott
Leanne Elliott: https://www.linkedin.com/in/meetleanne
Email: [email protected]
Book a call: https://savvycal.com/meetleanne/chat

Welcome back to Truth, Lies & Work, the award-winning podcast where behavioural science meets workplace culture — brought to you by the HubSpot Podcast Network, the audio destination for business professionals.

🔥 Stories Covered

📌 1. BrewDog says it’s all about wellbeing now
After years of scandal and staff walkouts, BrewDog is trying to clean up its act — training 200 mental health first aiders and rolling out a new leadership charter. But are we buying it? And what does real culture change actually look like?

📰 Source: https://www.thetimes.com/uk/scotland/article/brewdog-leaves-punk-era-behind-to-focus-on-staff-wellbeing-d03xht2rx

📌 2. NatWest starts thinking like a tech company
From giving back nearly half a million staff hours to killing off bad ideas fast, NatWest’s COO is leading a culture shift inside one of the UK’s biggest banks. Is this the future of large-scale transformation?

📰 Source: https://www.strategy-business.com/article/The-new-way-NatWest-Group-is-making-work-better

📌 3. Stuck employees act out — and here’s the science behind it
New research finds that career plateaus don’t just hurt motivation — they drain people’s mental energy and make them more likely to break rules, disengage, or behave badly. Not because they’re unprofessional… but because they’re burned out and stuck.

📄 Study: Zhao, Chen & Xie (2025), Journal of Occupational and Organizational Psychology

🔗 Follow-up: ⁠https://medium.com/@truthlieswork/stuck-in-a-dead-end-job-youre-more-likely-to-lash-out-2de4f22ccdca

🔥 Hot Take: Matt Smeed on Why Wellbeing Leaders Are Held to Impossible Standards

Matt Smeed — Business Psychologist and co-founder of the Working Well Community — joins us to ask a simple question: why do wellbeing leaders have to be perfect?

Other departments are allowed to try, fail and iterate. But when it comes to wellbeing, the bar’s sky-high. Matt argues it’s time to ditch the perfectionism and make space for progress.

More from Matt Smeed:
🌐 Website: www.workingwell.community
🔗 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/matt-smeed-b6033922/

👨‍💼 YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@workingwellcommunity

💬 Workplace Surgery

❓ Do investors care about culture — and how do you prove it?
A founder gearing up for their first funding round wants to show off their strong team culture. But will investors actually value it — and how do you make it measurable?

❓ Should I tell my boss I’m burnt out — or just push through?
They’ve been the fixer, the firefighter, the one who holds it all together. Now they’re running on empty. But will honesty help… or backfire?

❓ I’ve been asked to gather peer feedback — but no one wants to talk to me
Their boss wants them to be the “culture go-between.” They feel awkward, underqualified, and unsure how to do it. Is it OK to push back?

🎧 Enjoying the show?
Follow, share, and leave us a review wherever you listen — and don’t forget to join us Thursday for a masterclass in managing people who are smarter than you (yes, really).

🧠 Support with Mental Health and Well-being

Mind UK: https://www.mind.org.uk/information-support/
Samaritans (UK): Call 116 123 or email [email protected]

📬 Connect with Al & Leanne

Welcome back to Truth, Lies & Work, the award-winning podcast where behavioural science meets workplace culture — brought to you by the HubSpot Podcast Network, the audio destination for business professionals.

🎙️ This Week’s Guest: Richard Birke

He’s helped settle billion-dollar legal cases, trained thousands of leaders, and worked with organisations like NASA, NBC and the UN — teaching them how to resolve high-stakes conflict before it becomes a disaster.

And in this episode, he shares how the best managers use mediation skills to build trust, reduce drama, and protect culture — even if they never set foot in a courtroom.

💡 Key Takeaways from Richard Birke

Conflict is inevitable. Combat is optional.
Great managers don’t avoid conflict — they navigate it. Richard breaks down the difference between productive disagreement and destructive drama.

Most problems at work aren’t legal — they’re relational.
Before HR policies or employment law get involved, there’s often a moment where a manager could step in and defuse the tension. Richard explains what that looks like in practice.

Listening is more than hearing.
The number one skill in any conflict isn’t talking — it’s listening for what’s not being said. Richard shares how to tune in and de-escalate before things go nuclear.

🔗 Resources & Links

🎧 Enjoying the show?

🧠 Support with Mental Health and Well-being

📬 Connect with Al & Leanne

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