Truth, Lies and Work

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Truth, Lies and Work episodes

April 23295: $30M to $2M in 18 Months: How to Lead When Everything Falls Apart
What does it actually feel like when the company you built starts falling apart?
In 2021, Aedan Fida’s company, Blade Air, was on top of the world. They had a $20 million school board contract, 25,000 square feet of manufacturing space, and revenue hitting $30 million. Then, the pandemic ended, and revenue dropped off a cliff—falling to just $2 million by 2024.
In this episode, Aedan (a Forbes 30 Under 30 honoree and EY Entrepreneur of the Year) gives one of the most candid accounts of founder life we’ve ever hosted. From sleeping in cars to build prototypes to the brutal reality of a 93% revenue drop, Aedan shares the "deep learning" that comes when you stop chasing goalposts and start leading with purpose.

🔥 What we cover in this episode:
The Pivot that Paid Off (and then didn't): How Aedan went from building carbon filters for cannabis growers in a Toronto basement to massive government contracts.

The "Deep Learning" Period: The truth about managing a $30M company with a management structure that wasn't ready for it.

Slow Down to Speed Up: Why the instinct to "go harder" during a collapse is often wrong, and how coaching, therapy, and systems actually turned the tide.

The "Right" Team: The remarkable story of Aedan’s brother, Kieran, who recognized he was becoming a bottleneck and went out to find his own replacement.

Purpose Balance over Work-Life Balance: The heart-wrenching lesson Aedan learned after losing his father about being present for the life you’re already living.
👤 About Aedan Fida
Aedan is the CEO of Blade Air, a Canadian clean air technology company. He is focused on the "triple bottom line" of people, planet, and profit, driving energy efficiency in HVAC systems through disruptive technology.
Connect with Aedan:
– LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/aedanfidastriplebottomline/
– Website: https://www.bladeair.com/

📬 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

Mental health support
UK & ROI — Samaritans Call 116 123 or visit https://www.samaritans.org
UK — Mind Call 0300 123 3393 or visit https://www.mind.org.uk
US — Suicide & Crisis Lifeline Call or text 988 or visit https://988lifeline.org
Australia — Lifeline Call 13 11 14 or visit https://www.lifeline.org.au
Global helplines
https://findahelpline.com
53 min
April 21294. Are Extroverts Better Leaders? PLUS! 5 A.I. proof skills, Zuckerberg’s digital clone and new job red flags
Welcome back to Truth, Lies & Work, the award-winning workplace podcast where behavioural science meets workplace culture. This week, we’re unpacking the "human" skills needed for an AI-driven future, a bizarre experiment in digital leadership at Meta, and whether the "loudest" person in the room is actually the best person to lead it.

🔥 Stories Covered
1. 5 Skills LinkedIn Says Will AI-Proof Your Career
LinkedIn’s CEO Ryan Roslansky argues that while AI will reshape work, it won’t replace it—if you lean into the "5 Cs". Leanne breaks down why curiosity, courage, creativity, compassion, and communication are the traits hardest to automate. We also compare these to the evidence-based "Great Eight" model to see if these skills are truly new or just "repackaged" for the AI era.
https://www.inc.com/amaya-nichole/5-skills-linkedin-says-will-ai-proof-your-career-in-2026/91325413

2. The Digital Mark Zuckerberg: Efficiency or Madness?
Meta is reportedly training an AI clone of its CEO on his mannerisms and tone so employees can query him directly—essentially a digital boss on demand. While Zuckerberg uses a "CEO agent" to flatten the organisation, Meta is simultaneously navigating massive legal penalties. Is this a genius move for scale or a jarring corporate misstep?
https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2026/apr/13/meta-ai-mark-zuckerberg-staff-talk-to-the-boss

3. Why the DoorDash CEO Reads 2,000-Word Complaint Emails
Tony Xu reveals why he hunts for "gold" in long, detailed messages from customers and Dashers. While many leaders shy away from negative feedback, Xu personally "debugs" system failures by tracking orders in the backend to understand where the app fails the real world.
https://www.businessinsider.com/doordash-ceo-tony-xu-2000-word-emails-customers-dashers-2026-3

🧠 Truth or Lie: Extroverts Make More Effective Leaders
We often celebrate magnetic, commanding figures as the gold standard for leadership. But Leanne dives into the research to distinguish between leader emergence (who looks the part) and leader effectiveness (who actually delivers results).
The Verdict: It’s a Lie—or at least a dangerous half-truth. While extroversion accounts for about 10% of who gets promoted, it doesn't guarantee results. In fact, research shows that quieter leaders often outperform extroverts when managing proactive, high-performing teams.

💬 Workplace Surgery
This week, we answer three listener dilemmas:
Should I Bother with Engagement Surveys? Are you just measuring problems or actually fixing them?

Managing Generational Friction: Is the tension between Gen Z’s boundaries and "earned authority" something a manager should fix? Leanne explains why this is a clash of unspoken norms, not age.

New Job Red Flags: What are the signs in your first few weeks that you’ve joined a genuinely healthy workplace versus an intentional disaster?

Resources Mentioned
Who is Al Elliott? Hear our co-host’s story from bankruptcy to award-winning business owner: https://truthliesandwork.com/episodes/16-who-is-al-elliott-award-winning-business-owner-to-bankruptcy-and-back-our-co-host-s-story

📬 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

Mental Health Support
UK & ROI — Samaritans Call 116 123 or visit https://www.samaritans.org
UK — Mind Call 0300 123 3393 or visit https://www.mind.org.uk
US — Suicide & Crisis Lifeline Call or text 988 or visit https://988lifeline.org
Australia — Lifeline Call 13 11 14 or visit https://www.lifeline.org.au
Global helplines: https://findahelpline.com

🎧 Truth, Lies & Work is part of the HubSpot Podcast Network, the audio destination for business professionals.
55 min
April 16293. Only Two Job Titles: How to Flatten Your Entire Company (And Why It Works), with GentleForces Founder and CEO, Danni Mohammed
Welcome back to Truth, Lies & Work, the award-winning podcast where behavioral science meets workplace culture, brought to you by the HubSpot Podcast Network.
This week, Al and Leanne are joined by Danni Mohammed, founder of the creative and innovation practice Gentle Forces. Danni has spent her career at some of the world’s most iconic agencies—including Saatchi & Saatchi and WPP—but she’s now doing something genuinely radical: running a global innovation firm with just two job titles.
Danni explores why traditional hierarchies might be holding your team back, how to balance the "chaos" of creativity with the "order" of delivery, and why her team describes their workplace as "calm" despite tackling some of the biggest brand challenges on the planet.

🔥 Inside the Episode
1. The "Two Title" Experiment
Danni explains her hatred for traditional job titles, arguing they limit potential and feed egos rather than focusing on the work. At Gentle Forces, you are either a Practice Lead or a Practitioner. We dive into how this structure provides clarity without the restrictive walls of a traditional corporate ladder.
2. Balancing Chaos and Order
In the creative world, comfort is the enemy of freshness. Danni discusses her philosophy of "getting comfortable with the uncomfortable" and how she uses a "diverge and converge" process to ensure that big, chaotic ideas eventually turn into tangible, high-scale deliverables for clients.
3. "Night Vision" and Innovation
Described by peers as having "night vision"—the ability to see possibilities where others see darkness—Danni shares her experience founding WPP Black Ops. She reveals how this "speedboat" model allowed her to drive massive innovation for brands like SK-II and the Tokyo Olympics by ignoring traditional setups.
4. A Culture of Calm
Perhaps the most surprising takeaway is that despite a process built on friction and interrogation, her team consistently describes the culture as "calm." Danni explains how removing unnecessary politics and "ego-feeding" titles creates a safe, open environment where people are proud to build something different.

🧠 Key Lessons for Leaders
Structure for Output: Don't inherit your industry's habits. Ask if your current titles are defining roles or just defining limits.

Embrace Interdisciplinary Thinking: Move beyond simple collaboration to a space where different disciplines work together to create something entirely new.

Practice Over Agency: Why viewing your work as a "practice" encourages continuous learning and keeps the "ceiling" off your team's growth.
📬 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
Connect with Danni Mohammed:
– LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dannimohammed
– Website: https://gentleforces.com
Mental health support
UK & ROI — Samaritans Call 116 123 or visit https://www.samaritans.org
UK — Mind Call 0300 123 3393 or visit https://www.mind.org.uk
US — Suicide & Crisis Lifeline Call or text 988 or visit https://988lifeline.org
Australia — Lifeline Call 13 11 14 or visit https://www.lifeline.org.au
Global helplines
https://findahelpline.com
Truth, Lies & Work is part of the HubSpot Podcast Network, the audio destination for business professionals.
48 min
April 14292. Is your A.I. getting 'token anxiety'? PLUS! Sh*tcuts, Sweden’s empty offices and the truth about vulnerable leadership, with Live+Work More Human Podcast hosts, Alexis Zahner and Sally Clarke
Welcome back to Truth, Lies & Work, the award-winning podcast where behavioural science meets workplace culture. This week is a very special "cross-over" episode as we are joined by Alexis Zahner and Sally Clarke, hosts of the Live+Work More Human podcast. Together, we tackle the "bums on seats" myth, the stress of AI limits, and why being a "vulnerable" leader is more nuanced than you think.

🔥 Stories Covered
1. The "Sh*tcut": When Speed Kills Quality
Leanne introduces a new term from James Hardie: the sh*tcut. While a shortcut is a disciplined way to save time while protecting quality, a shtcut* is moving faster by skipping the essential thinking and checks. We discuss why businesses fall into this trap and how to use the C Method (Clarity, Checks, and Consequences) plus Courage to avoid it.
Read more here: https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/really-shortcut-shtcut-james-hardie-rouye/?trackingId=aTyABh%2F%2BTgCbctmdoTx97w%3D%3D
2. The 4:30 PM Empty Office
Sally shares a viral story of an Indian tech professional in Sweden who was stunned to find her office completely vacant by 4:30 PM. In Sweden, the emphasis is on quality of work over "warming a chair." We dive into why the "always-on" badge of honor is a recipe for burnout and why recovery must be treated as a professional norm.
Watch the video: https://www.google.com/search?q=viral+video+of+swedish+office&oq=viral+video+of+swedish+office&gs_lcrp=EgZjaHJvbWUyBggAEEUYOTIHCAEQIRigATIHCAIQIRigATIHCAMQIRigATIHCAQQIRiPAtIBCDQzNDlqMGo5qAIAsAIB&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8#fpstate=ive&vld=cid:d0449930,vid:iMc8VrcsfQs,st:0
Read the story: https://www.ndtv.com/feature/empty-office-at-4-30-pm-indian-techie-highlights-swedens-work-culture-11275625
3. Token Anxiety: The New AI Stress
Al reveals a bizarre new workplace stress: Token Anxiety. Whether it's watching your daily AI allowance creep up or feeling guilty that your AI isn't "working" while you sleep, it's a very modern FOMO. Interestingly, research shows that even AI models start to produce "sloppy code" and cut corners when they near their context limits—just like an overworked human on a Friday afternoon.

🧠 Truth or Lie: Does Vulnerability Make You a Better Leader?
Alexis puts the "vulnerability" gospel to the test. While popular, the research shows it’s a double-edged sword.
The Truth: Sharing critical feedback about your own performance builds psychological safety.

The Lie: "Willy-nilly" oversharing without strategy signals incompetence.

The Verdict: Leadership vulnerability only works when paired with discernment, humble self-assessment, and a clear plan for growth.
💬 Workplace Surgery
Our panel of four experts answers your burning questions:
Leading through your own burnout: How do you support a team when you’re running on empty? Sally suggests seeking outside help pronto and putting on your own oxygen mask first.

Leading culture "uphill": What to do when the organization rewards speed but you want to protect your team? Lex discusses creating a "micro-culture" and using the language of business to defend boundaries.

The "Hiring Like Me" Trap: Why hiring for "culture fit" often leads to groupthink and how to move toward "culture add."
📬 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
Connect with our Guests
– Alexis Zahner: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alexiszahner/
– Sally Clarke: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sallyclarkeevolve/
– Website: https://liveandworkmorehuman.com/

Mental health support
UK & ROI — Samaritans Call 116 123 or visit https://www.samaritans.org
UK — Mind Call 0300 123 3393 or visit https://www.mind.org.uk
US — Suicide & Crisis Lifeline Call or text 988 or visit https://988lifeline.org
Australia — Lifeline Call 13 11 14 or visit https://www.lifeline.org.au
Global helplines: https://findahelpline.com

Truth, Lies & Work is part of the HubSpot Podcast Network, the audio destination for business professionals.
54 min
April 09291. They Said "One Minute Manager" Would Embarrass Him. It Sold 15 Million Copies, With Martha Lawrence
Welcome back to Truth, Lies & Work, the award-winning workplace podcast where behavioural science meets workplace culture.
Ken Blanchard was told in college he couldn't write. His graduate professors said he lacked academic ability. When he finished The One Minute Manager, his colleagues warned him it would embarrass him professionally. It went on to sell 15 million copies and become one of the most influential business books ever written.
In this episode, we sit down with Martha Lawrence — editor, novelist, and the woman who spent 22 years working directly alongside Ken Blanchard. Martha recently wrote his biography, Catch People Doing Things Right, and she's here to share what she learned about the man, the philosophy, and why his ideas matter more than ever in today's leadership landscape.
📖 What We Discuss with Martha Lawrence
1. The Book That Broke the Rules
In 1982, business books were dense, academic, and hundreds of pages long. Ken Blanchard wrote a 100-page parable — and invented an entirely new category. Martha explains how a chance meeting at a cocktail party led to one of the most counterintuitive publishing decisions in history, and why Ken's colleagues thought it would ruin his reputation.
2. Leading With Love — What It Actually Means
"Leading with love" sounds soft. It isn't. Martha unpacks what Ken really meant: getting yourself out of the way so other people can be magnificent. She explains why this philosophy is harder to execute than command-and-control leadership — and why it produces better results.
3. EGO = Edging Good Out
In a world of loud, aggressive, title-obsessed leaders, Ken had a different definition of ego. Martha shares how his father's advice on the day he became seventh grade class president shaped his entire leadership philosophy — and why people follow leaders they trust, not leaders with impressive job titles.
4. What He Did With a Tape Recorder
Two stories from Martha's biography that stop you in your tracks: what Ken did when an employee's widow visited the office, and what he did the night his own father was dying. Both reveal the difference between someone who talks about values and someone who actually lives them.
5. The 9/11 Test
After 9/11, the Blanchard organisation was losing millions. The leadership team discussed layoffs for the first time in company history. What Ken did next is one of the most striking examples of transparent, human leadership you'll hear — and it ended with the whole company in Maui.

🔗 Connect with Martha Lawrence
Website: https://www.marthalawrence.com

Ken Blanchard's books: https://www.kenblanchardbooks.com

Blanchard organisation: https://www.blanchard.com
📬 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
Truth, Lies & Work is part of the HubSpot Podcast Network, the audio destination for business professionals.
47 min
April 07290. Is money the best motivator? PLUS! Londonmaxxing, hustling after 40 and The Deliberate Manager, featuring Dr Jake Tuber
Welcome back to Truth, Lies & Work, the award-winning podcast where behavioral science meets workplace culture. This week, we are joined by special guest Dr. Jake Tuber, an organizational psychologist, executive coach, and founder of Ticon Advisory, recently named one of the Leadership Center for Excellence’s 40 Under 40.
In this episode, we explore the surprising power of "Londonmaxxing," why hustle culture might be a young person's game, and whether money is actually the best way to get your team to perform.

🔥 Stories Covered
1. Is "Londonmaxxing" the Secret to Rapid Growth?
Some UK entrepreneurs are moving back into the office—but not for the reason you think. "Londonmaxxing" is the practice of being in close physical proximity to other ambitious, high-growth businesses to accelerate your own success. We look at an office block in Southwark where 13 companies are collectively turning over £150 million simply by sharing a kitchen and a vibe.
2. Is Hustle Culture Just a Young Person's Game?
We’ve all heard the "rise and grind" mantras, but research suggests that after 40, your "capacity" hasn't changed—your stakes have. We discuss why mid-life professionals often trade intensity for sustainability and why "running out of juice" is actually just a sophisticated risk assessment by your brain.

🧠 Truth or Lie: Is Money the Best Motivator?
Dr. Jake Tuber leads us through a deep dive into the psychology of compensation. While performance-based pay can drive results, it isn't always the "best" way to inspire your team.
The Pro: Money increases perceptions of fairness and works well for simple tasks with a clear line of sight.

The Con: For knowledge work and creative tasks, performance-based pay can actually lower motivation if it feels controlling or manipulative.

The Verdict: It's a "hygiene factor." You need enough to mitigate dissatisfaction, but true flourishing comes from autonomy, meaning, and recognition.
💬 Workplace Surgery
This week, Al, Leanne, and Dr. Jake tackle three tough listener questions:
AI Skills vs. Experience: Should you follow Reddit’s lead and hire graduates because they are "AI-native," or is judgment still king?

Disappearing Values: What do you do when your company’s EDI commitments quietly vanish from the website and the lead role isn't replaced?

The "Accidental Manager" Trap: Why do 82% of managers get promoted without any training, and how do you navigate performance issues and conflict when you've been left to figure it out alone?

🤝 Connect with Dr. Jake Tuber
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jaketuber/

Website: www.ticonadvisory.com

Podcast (Forces at Work): https://forcesatwork.transistor.fm/

Special Offer: Dr. Jake is offering our listeners six months of free access to his Substack, Workwise. Use this link to claim: https://workwise.substack.com/1e481d0b
📬 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

Mental health supportUK & ROI — Samaritans Call 116 123 or visit https://www.samaritans.orgUK — Mind Call 0300 123 3393 or visit https://www.mind.org.ukUS — Suicide & Crisis Lifeline Call or text 988 or visit https://988lifeline.orgAustralia — Lifeline Call 13 11 14 or visit https://www.lifeline.org.auGlobal helplineshttps://findahelpline.com

Truth, Lies & Work is part of the HubSpot Podcast Network, the audio destination for business professionals.
1 hr 9 min
April 03LIVE! Employee engagement in times of crisis (why bother?), with Jeffrey Fermin and Kristien Turner
Welcome back to a special live edition of Truth, Lies & Work, the award-winning podcast where behavioral science meets workplace culture. This episode is brought to you by the HubSpot Podcast Network, the audio destination for business professionals.
In this panel discussion, hosts Leanne Elliott (Chartered Occupational Psychologist) and Al Elliott (Business Owner) are joined by two industry titans to discuss the "doom and gloom" currently permeating the global workforce.
Joining the conversation are:
Christian Turner: CEO of TK Talent Group, HR veteran with over 100,000 hires under his belt, and Harvard-educated organizational psychologist.

Jeffrey Fermin: Employee engagement expert, founding member of Officevibe, and current lead at All Voices.
🔥 Topics Covered
1. The "Job Hugging" Phenomenon
Low turnover doesn't always equal high engagement. We explore why employees are "hugging" their current roles out of fear rather than loyalty. Christian explains why disengaged employees might give high survey scores just to "not rock the boat" while secretly planning their exit.
2. Redefining Engagement Metrics
Is your expensive employee survey actually telling you anything? The panel discusses why leaders should focus on two "acid test" metrics:
Hiring Metrics: If you can’t attract talent easily, your organization may no longer be attractive.

Glassdoor: Why ignoring your "TripAdvisor for work" is a fatal mistake for HR teams.
3. The Commercial Case for Culture
Investing in people is a commercial necessity. Research shows organizations in the top 25% of engagement scores enjoy 22% higher profitability and 21% higher productivity during economic recoveries compared to those at the bottom.
4. AI: Amplifier or Replacer?
We tackle AI anxiety head-on. Jeffrey argues that AI should be a tool to automate manual tasks so humans can get back to "human skills" like empathy and critical thinking. Christian warns that in a world of "AI gobbledygook," your "super skill" is what keeps you relevant.

🧠 Key Takeaways for Leaders
The "Canceller" Habit: One of the fastest ways to trigger "quiet quitting" is for managers to consistently cancel weekly one-on-ones.

HR is Marketing: Your employees are an extension of your consumer brand. If your internal culture is toxic, your external product will eventually suffer.

Open the Gags: 90% of companies over 50,000 people lack an employee advocacy program. Trusting your people to use their own voice on LinkedIn pays dividends.
🎙️ Guest Connections
Christian Turner
– Website: https://tktalentgroup.com/
– LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kristienturner/
Jeffrey Fermin
– Website: https://www.allvoices.co
– Socials: @fermintalkswork (IG, TikTok, YouTube)
– LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/in/jfermin

🤝 Credits
A special thanks to our Associate Producer, Georgia Hodkinson.
– Connect with Georgia: https://www.linkedin.com/in/georgia-hodkinson-gmbpss/

📬 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]
– Find out how we can support you: https://oblonghq.com/
– Book a call: https://savvycal.com/meetleanne/chat

Mental health support
UK & ROI — Samaritans Call 116 123 or visit https://www.samaritans.org
UK — Mind Call 0300 123 3393 or visit https://www.mind.org.uk
US — Suicide & Crisis Lifeline Call or text 988 or visit https://988lifeline.org
Australia — Lifeline Call 13 11 14 or visit https://www.lifeline.org.au
Global helplines
https://findahelpline.com
1 hr 13 min
April 02289. The Canary in the Coal Mine: What Autistic Employees Reveal About Your Workplace, with BPS President Elect, Dr Laura Dean
Welcome back to Truth, Lies & Work, the award-winning workplace podcast where behavioural science meets workplace culture. Today, April 2nd, 2026, marks World Autism Day. Statistically, if you have 70 employees, at least one is likely autistic—whether they have disclosed it to you or not.

In this episode, we sit down with Dr. Laura Dean, a chartered occupational psychologist, President-Elect of the British Psychological Society, and a leading expert on neurodiversity. Laura explains why building a workplace that works for autistic employees isn't just about "being nice"—it’s about high-performance system design that makes work better for everyone.

🧠 What We Discuss with Dr. Laura Dean
1. The "Canary in the Coal Mine"
Laura introduces a powerful framing: autistic employees are the "canaries" of the workplace. The environmental stressors that cause burnout in autistic people—such as ambiguous instructions or rigid social rules—impact the efficiency of your entire workforce; they just impact neurodivergent individuals first.
2. Moving Beyond the "Superpower" Narrative
While it’s often intended as a compliment, framing autism as a "superpower" can be damaging. It reduces people to their "usefulness" to capitalism rather than seeing them as whole human beings. Laura explains why we should value people for who they are, not just for their pattern recognition or logical skills.
3. The Myth of the Empathy Deficit
One of the biggest lies about autism is that autistic people lack empathy. Laura breaks down the difference between Cognitive Empathy and Affective Empathy, explaining why autistic people often have a heightened sense of justice and care.
4. System Design vs. Special Treatment
Inclusion shouldn't be hidden behind a diagnosis. Laura argues for Universal Design: clear written instructions, flexible hours to avoid "sensory hell," and quiet spaces for decompression. These aren't "special favors"—they are the hallmarks of a well-run business.

🚀 Three Takeaways for Leaders
Stop Gatekeeping Support: Don't wait for a formal disclosure to help your team. Ask everyone what they need to do their best work.

Fix the Environment, Not the Person: Predictability and sensory-friendly spaces make your whole team more effective and less likely to burn out.

Drop the Superpower Label: Framing autism as a superpower reduces people to their utility. Focus on creating environments where they can simply be themselves.
🔗 Connect with Dr. Laura Dean
LinkedIn: ⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/lauradean1/⁠
📬 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

Mental health support
UK & ROI — Samaritans Call 116 123 or visit ⁠https://www.samaritans.org⁠
UK — Mind Call 0300 123 3393 or visit ⁠https://www.mind.org.uk⁠
US — Suicide & Crisis Lifeline Call or text 988 or visit ⁠https://988lifeline.org⁠
Australia — Lifeline Call 13 11 14 or visit ⁠https://www.lifeline.org.au⁠
Global helplines: ⁠https://findahelpline.com⁠

Truth, Lies & Work is part of the HubSpot Podcast Network, the audio destination for business professionals.
51 min
March 31288. The pink ice cream maker disaster. PLUS! A.I. assistants, the glass cliff and managing friends at work.
Welcome back to Truth, Lies & Work, the award-winning workplace podcast where behavioural science meets workplace culture. In this episode of This Week in Work, we tackle the overwhelm of 2026, explore a "hallucination-free" AI tool, and investigate if women are being set up for failure in leadership.

🔥 Stories Covered
1. Reclaiming Your "Psychological Sovereignty"
Feeling overwhelmed by the 2026 news cycle and the breakneck speed of life? Leanne introduces the concept of Psychological Sovereignty, based on the work of Dr. Emma Seppälä. It’s about regaining control over your attention and agency rather than being pulled by external chaos.
The Big Mistake: Believing you just have to "push through".

The Dos: Quiet your nervous system twice a day, move your body, hydrate, and protect your sleep.

The Don’ts: Don’t run on empty, overschedule, or stay glued to negative news 24/7.

Source: Emma Seppälä, PhD (https://www.linkedin.com/in/emmaseppala/) | Psychology Today (https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/feeling-it/202603/5-foolproof-ways-to-protect-your-sanity-in-a-crazy-world)
2. NotebookLM: Your Personal AI "Mike Ross"
Al shares his "love letter" to NotebookLM, a free tool by Google that acts as a personal assistant that never hallucinates. By grounding the AI only in your uploaded documents, you can synthesize months of notes in minutes, create study guides, or even generate a podcast "Audio Overview" of your reports.
3. Inclusion or Insult? The Pink Ice Cream Maker Fiasco
A law firm’s International Women’s Day gift of pink ice cream makers has sparked a debate on "performative inclusion". DEI expert Catherine Garrod weighs in on why gimmicks fail and how to move toward real impact—like parental leave and fair progression—instead of branded kitchen appliances.
Source: Catherine Garrod on LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/in/catherinegarrod/)
🧠 Truth or Lie: The Glass Cliff
Is it true that when women finally break the glass ceiling, they are handed leadership roles that are already failing?
The Evidence: Research from the University of Exeter suggests that companies are more likely to appoint women to boards following periods of poor share price performance.

The Verdict: TRUTH. While real-world corporate data is complex, experimental evidence consistently shows a tendency to select women for precarious roles—often as a signal for change or, more darkly, as a potential scapegoat.
💬 Workplace Surgery
This week, we answer three listener dilemmas:
The Undermining Friend: How do you manage a close friend who now reports to you and has started making dismissive jokes in meetings?

The Cash Resentment: Should you be worried if your team sees the company has healthy cash reserves?

The Benefits Balance: How do you strike the balance between being a good employer (wellbeing days, stipends) and keeping the business sustainable?
📬 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

Mental health support
UK & ROI — Samaritans Call 116 123 or visit https://www.samaritans.org
UK — Mind Call 0300 123 3393 or visit https://www.mind.org.uk
US — Suicide & Crisis Lifeline Call or text 988 or visit https://988lifeline.org
Australia — Lifeline Call 13 11 14 or visit https://www.lifeline.org.au
Global helplines
https://findahelpline.com

Truth, Lies & Work is part of the HubSpot Podcast Network, the audio destination for business professionals.
54 min
March 26287. What if A.I. is Fairer Than Humans? The Truth About Bias in Recruitment, with Kate Young, Head of People Science at Sapia.ai
Welcome back to Truth, Lies & Work, the award-winning workplace podcast where behavioural science meets workplace culture. This week, we’re diving into the high-stakes world of recruitment. If you’ve ever hired someone who looked perfect on paper but failed on day one, this episode is for you.

Most businesses are making hiring decisions based on fundamentally broken data: the CV. This week, we are joined by Kate Young, Head of People Science at Sapia.ai. As an occupational psychologist, Kate is on a mission to move recruitment away from "gut instinct" and toward a valid, fair, and defensible science.

We dive into the "painful" reality of traditional job analysis—like Kate’s 6:00 AM flight to Munich to shuffle cards with 30 stakeholders for eight hours—and how AI has condensed that process into 90 minutes of high-precision data.

In this episode, we explore:
The Job Analysis Revolution: Why "measuring what matters" is the only way to avoid doubling down on hiring errors.

The Death of the CV: Why Sapia.ai prefers "blind" chat interviews where every candidate gets an equal shot to tell their story.

De-biasing the Process: How to strip "ableist" and majority-group language out of job descriptions to find the best talent.

The "Human in the Loop": Why AI isn't replacing psychologists, but rather acting as an amplifier for better, fairer decisions.

Candidate Experience: How an automated process can actually achieve a 9/10 satisfaction rate, even for neurodiverse candidates.
Key Takeaways for Leaders:
Job Analysis is Non-Negotiable: If you don't define what a person actually does all day (the tasks and behaviors), no hiring tool can save you.

Standardization = Fairness: Unstructured interviews default to the "loudest voice in the room." Using the same questions for every candidate is the simplest way to reduce bias.

No More Ghosting: Using AI at the top of the funnel allows you to provide feedback to every candidate, protecting your employer brand.
Connect with Kate Young & Sapia.ai
Website: https://www.sapia.ai
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kate-young-1359483/

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

Mental health support
UK & ROI — Samaritans Call 116 123 or visit https://www.samaritans.org
UK — Mind Call 0300 123 3393 or visit https://www.mind.org.uk
US — Suicide & Crisis Lifeline Call or text 988 or visit https://988lifeline.org
Australia — Lifeline Call 13 11 14 or visit https://www.lifeline.org.au
Global helplines: https://findahelpline.com

Truth, Lies & Work is part of the HubSpot Podcast Network, the audio destination for business professionals.
52 min