Truth, Lies & Work is the award-winning psychology podcast from the HubSpot Podcast Network — hosted by Chartered Occupational Psychologist Leanne Elliott and business owner Al Elliott.

This week, we’re joined by Forbes contributor and media founder Dr Cheryl Robinson to explore a skill every leader thinks they’ve mastered — but often haven’t: communication.

From delivering tough messages to owning your impact in the room, Cheryl shares how great communication can elevate your leadership, influence your career, and build meaningful connections at work.

If you’ve ever stumbled through a difficult conversation or wondered why your ideas aren’t landing — this episode is for you.

💡 Key Takeaways from Dr Cheryl Robinson

– Leadership starts with clarity: You don’t need to shout to be heard — you need to know what you want to say and why it matters.

🔗 Connect with Dr Cheryl Robinson

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/drcherylrobinson/

Website: https://www.drcherylrobinson.com/

Forbes Column: https://www.forbes.com/sites/cherylrobinson/

💬 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

🎧 If you found this episode helpful, please follow, share, or leave a review.

🔗 Support With Mental Health and Well-being

Truth, Lies & Work is the award-winning psychology podcast from the HubSpot Podcast Network — hosted by Chartered Occupational Psychologist Leanne Elliott and business owner Al Elliott.

This week:

Welcome to This Week in Work — where we unpack the trends, traps and true stories shaping work today.

🔥 Stories Covered

1. Are We Normalising Trauma at Work?

2. 8 Ways to Say ‘Screw You’ at Work (Without Getting Fired)

3. Why You’re Still Hiring the Wrong Leaders

🔥 Hot Take

Is Alcohol Still a Workplace Taboo?

💬 Workplace Surgery

– “Should I fire my biggest client for calling at 2am?”

🎧 Coming Up Thursday

Hate corporate jargon? Join us for a masterclass in workplace communication. We’ll decode the phrases that make you sound credible — and the ones that make you sound like a walking HR punchline.

🔗 Connect

– Al: https://www.linkedin.com/in/thisisalelliott

🔗 Support With Mental Health and Well-being

Truth, Lies & Work is the award-winning psychology podcast from the HubSpot Podcast Network — hosted by Chartered Occupational Psychologist Leanne Elliott and business owner Al Elliott.

This week, we’re tackling the dreaded summer slowdown. You know the one: client comms go quiet, team motivation nosedives, and you start to wonder if it’s just your business that's hit a wall.

It’s not. But it can cost you — if you’re not prepared.

In this episode, we answer the eight biggest questions leaders face every June, including how to keep people engaged, prevent burnout, support working parents, and still get things done when half the team is on holiday.

This one’s for every founder, manager or team lead who’s ever felt like summer is quietly wrecking their roadmap. It doesn’t have to.

💡 Key Takeaways

– The slowdown is real — and measurable: Harvard and HBR both confirm that heat, holidays and longer daylight hours all reduce focus, energy and output. Some businesses see up to a 20% productivity dip.

– Engagement problems start long before July: Summer exposes issues, it doesn’t cause them. If people feel disconnected, holidays give them time to reflect — and potentially resign.

– Burnout risk spikes for those left behind: If workloads go up but support doesn’t, motivation and wellbeing will crash. Plan handovers and give people fewer balls to juggle.

– Support working parents like adults: Flexibility, open comms, and trust go further than token gestures. The mental load is real — and if you don’t acknowledge it, they’ll take it elsewhere.

– Remote workers need context and connection: Summer’s a great time to build async rituals, reset norms, and prevent ‘out of sight, out of mind’ thinking.

– Positive psychology works in summer too: Recognition, flow, learning and micro-wins boost motivation and protect energy — even during quieter weeks.

– Now is the time for strategy: Summer can be your planning superpower. But only if you block the time and protect the space.

🔗 Resources & Links

Harvard Study: https://www.hsph.harvard.edu/news/press-releases/heat-impairs-student-learning/

HBR: https://hbr.org/2022/07/make-the-most-of-the-summer-slowdown

Xero Insights: https://www.xero.com/blog/2023/06/summer-slowdown-small-business/

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

Working Families: https://workingfamilies.org.uk

📲 Connect with Us

Al on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/thisisalelliott

Leanne on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/meetleanne

Show page: https://www.linkedin.com/company/truthlieswork

Email: [email protected]

Book a chat with Leanne: https://savvycal.com/meetleanne/chat

🔗 Support With Mental Health and Well-being

Truth, Lies, and Work is 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.

This week: random chats, rogue employees, and resilience in the job market. We’re digging into what really builds strong cultures – and where we might be fooling ourselves.

🔥 Stories Covered

🦆 What’s a Duck Shuffler — and Why You Might Need One

Leanne introduces a new workplace archetype: the duck shuffler. This is the person who disrupts your perfectly aligned “ducks in a row” — but not for chaos. They’re often the ones who save you from bad decisions and groupthink. Are you building a culture where they can thrive?

📊 The Economy Isn’t Crashing — It’s Changing

Al breaks down the latest job data from the US. Despite media panic, sectors like health care, logistics, and finance are adding jobs fast. So is it resilience or a false sense of security?

Link: https://www.visualcapitalist.com/cp/ranked-the-fastest-growing-jobs-in-the-u-s-2023-2033/

🚰 The Small-World Illusion: Why Watercooler Moments Don’t Matter as Much as You Think

Are we overhyping chance encounters at work? A new study shows people dramatically overestimate how often they bump into colleagues — and how much support they actually get. The lesson? If we want real connection, we need to build it intentionally.

Summary: https://medium.com/@truthlieswork/how-we-fool-ourselves-about-bumping-into-colleagues-the-small-world-illusion-eafd12c7cc1f

Study: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.obhdp.2024.104387

💬 Workplace Surgery

“She was a star — until she betrayed our trust.”

What do you do when a high-performing employee crosses the line? This week’s dilemma: family problems, medical leave, and moonlighting for a competitor. Al and Leanne explore the legal, cultural, and ethical angles of letting a star go.

🎙️ Hot Take

Divorce is a workplace issue.

Kristyna Hawkett from MinusOne.club joins us to explain why supporting employees through family changes isn’t just compassionate — it’s smart business. You’ll learn how to help without prying, reduce gossip, and build loyalty through life’s messiest moments.

Website: https://minusone.club

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kristyna-hawkett-96b9a963/

💡 Enjoyed This Episode?

Follow, subscribe, and leave a review on your podcast platform of choice. And connect with us on LinkedIn — we love hearing your thoughts.

General Support with Mental Health and Well-being

If you’ve been affected by any of the themes in this episode, or are currently struggling with your mental health, the following resources may be useful:

Connect with Al and Leanne

🎙️ Welcome Back to Truth, Lies & Work

This week, Al and Leanne open up about their recent experience of having to leave Bosnia & Herzegovina within 48 hours — an abrupt move that turned their lives, business, and plans upside down.

From that real-life test of resilience, they share eight tips (plus a bonus) that helped them stay calm, adapt fast, and keep moving forward. No theory here — just honest insights and practical advice for anyone dealing with unexpected change.

🗝️ What We’re Talking About Today

💡 Key Tips From the Episode

Acknowledge the shock — Accept it, don’t bury it.

Prioritise immediate actions — What must be done today?

Stay flexible — Let go of perfect plans, adapt fast.

Lean on your support network — Don’t try to do it alone.

Focus on what you can control — Stay steady by narrowing your focus.

Don’t be afraid to break commitments — Boundaries over burnout.

Self-compassion matters — Stress is real and human.

Look for silver linings — Find growth in the chaos.
Bonus: Small habits now can make the big shocks easier later.

🔗 Support With Mental Health and Well-being

💬 Connect with Al & Leanne

🎧 Loved this episode?

This week, we’re celebrating our 200th episode by asking:

We’re also joined by Julian Hayes II for a Hot Take on why happiness might be the wrong goal for your workplace. Forget the ping-pong tables — let’s talk about what really matters.

🔥 News Roundup

– $40 for loyalty? A Boston moving company boss went viral after an employee asked for a $40 loan — some say never lend to staff, others call it a loyalty-building move.
https://x.com/salvin_joseph/status/1927002447974654253?s=12&t=Nu1sn41l6BG_ubgGziYG1g

– Rule-benders vs. rule-followers: A new study shows we trust rule-benders more than strict followers — and they might make the best leaders.
https://www.bps.org.uk/research-digest/rule-benders-make-more-appealing-leaders-rule-abiders

🔥 Hot Take: Happiness Is the Wrong Goal

Connect with Julian: https://www.linkedin.com/in/julianhayesii/

Julian's Website: https://www.executivehealth.io/

Julian's Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/executive-health-and-life/id1500205650

💬 This Week’s Workplace Surgery

– The DEI overload dilemma: A listener asks how to push back when they’re constantly asked to be the “diverse” voice in interviews — even at the expense of their own work.

🔗 General Support with Mental Health and Well-being

💡 Connect with Al & Leanne

Warning: This episode contains references to discrimination, suicide, and mental health struggles. Please listen with care.

Welcome back to Truth, Lies & Work, the award-winning psychology podcast from the HubSpot Podcast Network — hosted by Chartered Occupational Psychologist Leanne Elliott and business owner Al Elliott.

This week, we’re talking about one of the most misunderstood (and often avoided) topics in people management: how to support transgender colleagues in your workplace.

Our guest is Sophie Wood — trainer, speaker, and trans woman with over 13 years of lived workplace experience. She’s here to answer the questions most managers have — but are too afraid to ask.

This isn’t a lecture on political correctness. It’s a step-by-step, fully human guide to making your workplace psychologically safe, legally sound, and genuinely inclusive.

💡 Key Takeaways from Sophie Wood

– The law gives choice, not orders: Despite media panic, no new legal requirement forces employers to exclude anyone — use your company values, not fear, to guide decisions.

🔗 Connect with Sophie Wood

**Editor's Note**

In this episode, the hosts reference Sophie Wood as a former police officer. To clarify, Sophie worked as police staff, not as a police officer.

🧠 Need More Support?

💬 Connect with Al & Leanne

🎧 If you found this episode helpful, please share it with a colleague, leave a review, or connect with us online. It’s time we made inclusion make sense — for everyone.

Welcome back to Truth, Lies & Work, the award-winning psychology podcast from the HubSpot Podcast Network — hosted by business owner Al Elliott and Chartered Occupational Psychologist Leanne Elliott.

This week, we’re asking: Is your company accidentally killing motivation and trust? From how we talk about success, to how we structure the workweek, to how we train our managers — the best of intentions are falling short. And according to our guest, we’re now in a full-blown trust crisis.

🗞 This Week’s News Roundup

🌟 The Reverse Bucket List

Forget goals — what if reflecting on what you’ve already overcome could boost confidence and calm imposter syndrome?

Read it: https://www.huffpost.com/entry/reverse-bucket-list-happiness_n_68195c92e4b09d0e11f7df5a

🇮🇸 What the UK Can Learn from Iceland

Six years into a 36-hour workweek, Iceland’s workforce is less stressed, more satisfied, and still just as productive.

Read it: https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2024/nov/21/iceland-36-hour-working-week-stress-job

🧠 Why Mental Health Training for Managers Isn’t Enough

Over 7,000 UK businesses were studied — and even the ones doing the right things are hitting a wall.

Read it: https://medium.com/@truthlieswork/why-mental-health-starts-with-line-managers-2b2a74cebc46

🔥 Hot Take of the Week

Our guest this week is Rose Soffel (Talent & Culture Consultant at SoffelHaus), and she’s not holding back. Her take? We’re in a trust crisis between employers and employees — and behavioural science might be the only way out.

Rose argues that post-pandemic progress on wellbeing, autonomy and inclusion is being undone by control tactics, forced office returns, and short-term thinking. If we don’t rebuild trust, the best talent will quietly walk.

Connect with Rose:

LinkedIn – https://linkedin.com/in/rose-soffel

Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/microrosie?igsh=MXN0c2owdHp4ZTNqNA==

🩺 Workplace Surgery

– “Do anonymous surveys actually work?”

– “How do I know if I’m any good at interviewing?”

– “I got the job… so why am I terrified?”

🎧 Coming up Thursday…

A UK Supreme Court ruling has redefined “woman” under equality law. What does this mean for inclusion, rights, and how organisations support trans employees?

We’re joined by Sophie Wood, LGBTQ+ educator and mental health trainer, to help leaders navigate this complex new landscape.

🧠 Support With Mental Health & Wellbeing

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

Truth, Lies & Work on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/truthlieswork

Al on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/thisisalelliott

Leanne on LinkedIn: 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 psychology podcast from the HubSpot Podcast Network — hosted by business owner Al Elliott and Chartered Occupational Psychologist Leanne Elliott.

This week, we’re joined by Elina Teboul — executive advisor, former Wall Street lawyer, and author of Feminine Intelligence. Elina challenges our assumptions about power, leadership, and success, offering a radical reframe that might just define the future of work.

Drawing on years of coaching top leaders, Elina makes the case that intuition, emotional presence, creativity, and connection aren’t leadership weaknesses — they’re leadership superpowers. And ignoring them? That’s what’s keeping so many organisations stuck in disconnected, underperforming cultures.

This isn’t a conversation about gender. It’s a call to rebalance.

💡 Key takeaways from Elina Teboul

🔗 Links & Resources

🧠 Enjoying the show?

🧠 General Support with Mental Health and Wellbeing

💬 Connect with Al & Leanne

Welcome back to Truth, Lies & Work, the award-winning psychology podcast from the HubSpot Podcast Network — hosted by business owner Al Elliott and Chartered Occupational Psychologist Leanne Elliott.

This week, we’re asking a big question: Could well-meaning managers be bullying their teams without even realising it? New research suggests it’s not about personality clashes — but broken systems. From underperformance meetings to inconsistent shift scheduling, the way we manage people might be doing more harm than good.

🔥 This Week’s News Roundup

🧠 Touch Grass: Why getting outside is actually good for your brain

👶 Toddler vs CEO: Who actually has more emotional regulation?

🎯 Bullying at work: New research blames bad management, not bad people

🔥 Hot Take of the Week

Connect with Stuart: https://www.linkedin.com/in/stuartmace/

🩺 Workplace Surgery

🧠 Enjoying the show?

🧠 General Support with Mental Health and Wellbeing

💬 Connect with Al & Leanne