Welcome back to Truth, Lies & Work, the award-winning podcast where behavioral science meets workplace culture.

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/

Connect with Your Host

Want a chat about your workplace culture? [email protected]

Got feedback/questions/guest suggestions? Email [email protected]

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.

Welcome back to Truth, Lies & Work, the award-winning podcast where behavioural science meets workplace culture — brought to you by the HubSpot Podcast Network. Hosted by Chartered Occupational Psychologist Leanne Elliott and business owner Al Elliott, we’re here to simplify the science of work.

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

📰 Read more: https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c1mpm9ee9p9o

📌 1,000 Days of ChatGPT

📰 Read more: https://www.cityam.com/1000-days-of-chatgpt-how-has-work-changed/

📌 19 Ways to Improve Your Life, According to Science

📰 Read more: https://www.bps.org.uk/psychologist/19-ways-improve-your-life

🔥 Hot Take: Rage Baiting at Work

More from Vanessa:

– Website: https://www.mosaicpd.com/

💬 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

📬 Connect with Al & Leanne

Welcome back to Truth, Lies & Work, the award-winning podcast where behavioral science meets workplace culture.

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

2. Learn the Business Inside and Out

3. Show Your Human Side

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/

Connect with Your Hosts

Want a chat about your workplace culture? [email protected]

Got feedback/questions/guest suggestions? Email [email protected]

Welcome back to Truth, Lies & Work, the award-winning podcast where behavioural science meets workplace culture — brought to you by the HubSpot Podcast Network. Hosted by Chartered Occupational Psychologist Leanne Elliott and business owner Al Elliott, we’re here to simplify the science of work.

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

📌 Psychological safety in action

📌 The role of the quiet hero

📌 Managers need support too

📌 Becoming an entrepreneur of your own reputation

🎧 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 ⁠[email protected]⁠

📬 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: ⁠[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. Hosted by Chartered Occupational Psychologist Leanne Elliott and business owner Al Elliott, we’re here to simplify the science of work.

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

📌 The power of active listening

📌 What’s really broken in business

📌 Redefining success

📌 Practical inspiration

🎧 Want more from Meghan French Dunbar?

🧠 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. Hosted by Chartered Occupational Psychologist Leanne Elliott and business owner Al Elliott, we’re here to simplify the science of work.

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

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.

📌 Three Good Things: Gratitude with Science

📌 Future Self Vision: Planning with Perspective

What have you achieved?

What challenges did you overcome?

How do you feel?

📌 WOOP Goal Setting: Turning Wishes into Action

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?

📌 Energy Intention: Carrying the Right Mindset

“How do I want to show up?”

“What energy do I want to bring to my team, my family, my work?”

🧠 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. I’m Chartered Occupational Psychologist Leanne Elliott, joined as always by business owner Al Elliott, and together we simplify the science of work.

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

📌 52 weeks, 52 experiments

📌 Pleasure vs purpose

📌 From marketing to management

📌 Practical takeaways

🎧 Want more from Patrick Fagan?

🧠 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. Hosted by Chartered Occupational Psychologist Leanne Elliott and business owner Al Elliott, we’re here to simplify the science of work.

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

📌 🤬 Jamie Dimon’s WFH Rant

📌 🤖 Duolingo’s AI-First Revolution

📌 💼 Soham Parekh’s Overemployment Scam

📌 🎵 Kiss Cam Coldplay CEO Affair

📌 🔥 Sydney Sweeney “Jeans or Genes” Ad

🧠 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.

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

📌 Dumb Ass Managers

📌 The ‘Ta-Da’ philosophy

📌 Appreciation as leadership

🎧 Want more from Joel Zeff?

- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thejoelzeff/

🧠 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. Hosted by Chartered Occupational Psychologist Leanne Elliott and business owner Al Elliott, we’re here to simplify the science of work.

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 [email protected]

📬 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: [email protected]

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