In this episode of our 'Sustainable Leadership' series, we explore the antithesis of sustainable work: professional burnout. Richard is joined by Dr. Richard Duggins, consultant psychiatrist and psychotherapist, who is known as the 'Doctor's Doctor' due to his work with physicians experiencing burnout in the NHS. His recent book 'Burnout-free working' explores the topic in detail, demystifying burnout and explaining how recovery is possible. In this first part of a two-part interview, we establi...
Jul 02, 2025•28 min•Season 1Ep. 189
This episode of the podcast is based on a webinar we recently ran on the topic of emotional literacy. In this session, Dr. Richard MacKinnon and Ross McIntosh explain what sustainable leadership is, the role of emotional literacy in leadership, the risks of neglecting it and some simple ways to develop it. This is part of our 'Sustainable Leadership' series and you can find out more and access our free white paper on the topic, by clicking the link below. Resources for this episode Find out all ...
Jun 18, 2025•47 min•Season 1Ep. 188
Welcome to another episode of My Pocket Psych, which is part of our ongoing 'Sustainable Leadership' series. In this episode, Richard is joined by clinical and coaching psychologist Dr. Petra Gwilliam, to discuss the importance of mental health when it comes to leadership. We've previously looked at some of the challenges leaders can face at work, and the benefits of cultivating psychological flexibility (Episode 186). In this episode, Richard and Petra discuss some of the many challenges to lea...
Jun 05, 2025•37 min•Season 1Ep. 187
Continuing our theme of the importance of Sustainable Leadership, this episode is a little bit different. Earlier this month, I facilitated a webinar with my good friend and collaborator Dr. Rachael Skews. It was the first of our new series of free monthly webinars on the topic of Sustainable leadership - and I'll put a link to the booking site so you can see the details of the remaining sessions. The focus of our session was making the case for boosting psychological flexibility in leaders. I e...
May 22, 2025•46 min•Season 1Ep. 186
This episode is the first in a new series where we'll unpack all aspects of leadership, leadership development and the wellbeing and performance of leaders. In this episode, Richard is joined by Dr. Wayne Mullen , an experienced leadership development expert, to set the scene, outline our rationale for focusing on leadership, and explore some of the ways leadership can go wrong. In the coming episodes, we're going to look at topics like the role of coaching in leadership development, the importa...
May 08, 2025•37 min•Season 1Ep. 185
In this episode, we wrap up our 'Thriving at Work' focus on wellbeing by asking a simple question: when it comes to improving your health and wellbeing, have you considered actually doing less? So much of the advice we get about our wellbeing implies the need to do more of something: new foods, new diets, new exercises, new methods and approaches. But if we look at the root causes of so much of our pain and ill health, it stems from over-consumption, over-exertion and overwhelm. If you're clear ...
Apr 16, 2025•8 min•Season 1Ep. 184
In episode 181, I explained how getting clear on what matters - our values - can be a great place to start when we want to improve our wellbeing. This time round, I look at the benefits of putting these values into action and being more intentional about our actions. Instead of framing our attempts at change as 'pass' or 'fail', we can frame our options as either moving towards what matters to us, or away from some form of psychological discomfort. This can take the pressure of perfection or com...
Apr 02, 2025•10 min•Season 1Ep. 183
I recently spoke at the Health and Wellbeing at Work conference in Birmingham on supporting employees to overcome challenges and setbacks. On the back of lots of positive feedback, I decided to record an episode outlining the main points I shared with delegates on the day, to share with a wider audience. And hopefully improve on my delivery! In this episode, I explain what Psychological Flexibility is, how psychological rigidity shows up, why flexibility helps us deal with the everyday challenge...
Mar 20, 2025•36 min•Season 1Ep. 182
In this episode, we look at why it's so important to be clear on our values when making changes to improve our wellbeing. Values help us make authentic changes, help us persist when we don't feel like it, and give us an opportunity to take values-based action on a daily basis. Values remind us of the person we want to be, an incredibly useful touchstone as we progress on our change journey. Don't forget you can get in touch with your questions and comments by emailing 'podcast at worklifepsych d...
Mar 06, 2025•7 min•Season 1Ep. 181
Change is at the very heart of the work that I do with my clients. Changing behaviour, changing attitudes. Changing in response to changes in the environment. In this episode, I take a look at some of the different levels at which change can take place - from daily habits all the way through to identity. This enables us to get nice and specific about what it is we actually want to change, and do so in an authentic and realistic way. Do get in touch with your questions and comments. You can alway...
Feb 20, 2025•18 min•Season 1Ep. 180
And now for something completely different! Richard is joined by coach and actor, Lena Kaur for a discussion about coaching actors. We try to keep our definition of work and the workplace as broad as possible and in this episode, Richard and Lena explore the particular challenges faced by actors and how increasing their psychological flexibility can make all the difference. Lena explains how being can actor can help when coaching other actors, but also when it can get in the way. And we take a l...
Feb 06, 2025•53 min•Season 1Ep. 179
In another of our 'Thriving at Work' episodes, Richard is joined by fellow workplace psychologist Jane Stewart. They look at some of the challenges with addressing workplace wellbeing and the common traps organisations can fall into. While it's so easy to get caught up with new wellbeing fads and fashions, these are often disruptive and fail to deliver results. Simiarly, even evidence-based approaches may not be right for your organisation right now. So, a more thoughtful and deliberate approach...
Jan 23, 2025•39 min•Season 1Ep. 178
In this episode in our 'Thriving at Work' series, Richard is joined by Hazel Anderson-Turner for a discussion all about burnout. Hazel describes what prompted her to write a book on the topic, as well as her significant experience coaching and training professionals on how to avoid burnout in the UK's National Health Service (NHS). Richard and Hazel discuss the benefits of using Acceptance and Commitment Coaching methods, the futility of self-blame when it comes to burnout, the key role that org...
Jan 10, 2025•37 min•Season 1Ep. 177
What does it mean to be evidence-based when it comes to wellbeing at work? How do we know what works when it comes to wellbeing interventions? And does doing 'something' always beat doing nothing? In this episode, Richard is joined by James Carrier for a chat about the benefits of being more evidence-based when it comes to wellbeing and the importance of asking difficult questions. Full show notes for this episode can be found at https://www.worklifepsych.com/podcast/176 Thanks for listening!...
Dec 12, 2024•51 min•Season 1Ep. 176
We continue our 'Thriving at Work' series with a look at leadership and leaders. Richard is joined by Leadership Development expert and executive coach, Dr. Wayne Mullen. They have a look at what it means to be a leader, why it's beneficial to challenge leadership stereotypes and explore some of the many challenges contemporary organisational leaders face. You can find full show notes for this episode at https://www.worklifepsych.com/podcast/175 Thanks for listening!...
Dec 05, 2024•36 min•Season 1Ep. 175
In this episode, another in the Thriving at Work series, we take a look at how sleep contibutes to our wellbeing and performance at work and ask: can you really thrive when you haven't had enough sleep? Full show notes for this episode can be found at https://www.worklifepsych.com/podcast/174 Thanks for listening!
Nov 28, 2024•36 min•Season 1Ep. 174
After a few 'heavy' episodes, it's time to turn to the lighter side of the workplace. Richard is joined by Dr. Mike Rucker for a discussion all about how to have more fun, inside and outside of work. Mike discusses his book about fun, the relationship between run, wellbeing and performance, the downsides of putting too much emphasis on 'future happiness'. You can find the full show notes for this episode at worklifeposych.com/podcast/173 Thanks for listening!
Nov 14, 2024•53 min•Season 1Ep. 173
In this latest episode of our 'Thriving at Work' series, Richard takes a fresh look at the concept of self-care. While it may conjure up images of bubble baths and cups or tea, there's a lot more to it than that. Richard outlines some quality markers to bear in mind when selecting self-care activities and flags some common pitfalls to avoid. Full show notes for this episode can be found at worklifepsych.com/podcast/172 Thanks for listening!...
Oct 31, 2024•29 min•Season 1Ep. 172
In this episode, which is part of our Thriving at Work series, Richard is joined by two experts in ostracism at work, to discuss what it is, how it impacts employees and what we can do about it. Dr. Ian Tyndall and Dr. Daniel Waldeck discuss their research and why they got involved in this specific topic. Unlike the loneliness experience we discussed back in Ep 135 with Dr. Sarah Wright, where people aren't feeling enough connection with others, ostracism centres of feelings and beliefs about be...
Oct 10, 2024•40 min•Season 1Ep. 171
In this episode, Richard is joined once again by Ross McIntosh for a discussion about how increasing our psychological flexibility can improve our wellbeing. This episode is part of our 'Thriving at Work' series, which focuses on wellbeing at work and what individuals and organisations can do to improve it. Richard and Ross look at what we mean by wellbeing, and explore how increasing psychological flexibility can make a positive contribution to our physical, psychological and social wellbeing. ...
Oct 02, 2024•43 min•Season 1Ep. 170
In this episode, part of our Thriving at Work initiative, Richard is joined by Dr. Rachael Skews for a discussion about employees with chronic health conditions. They look at what constitutes a chronic health condition, while employees may be reticent to speak up about their condition or ask for assistance, and the ways that organisations can unintentionally exclude people from the workplace due to inflexibility about how work is organised. They then explore how we can look at the experience of ...
Sep 26, 2024•43 min•Season 1Ep. 169
In this episode of the podcast, the first in our new 'Thriving at Work series, Richard is joined by menopause researcher Kara Daly for a discussion about how menopause impacts women at work. It's a big topic, affecting so many people in the workforce, yet very often neglected. From myths and misconceptions, to the impact menopause has on women's identity and careers, through to the simple things organisations and managers can do to make the experience easier for women. FIND OUT MORE Our 'Thrivin...
Sep 11, 2024•39 min•Season 1Ep. 168
In this episode, Richard is joined by Antonina Pereira, Professor of Neuropsychology and Neuroscience at the University of Chichester. They explore Antonina's research into prospective memory - our ability to remember to do things in future - and how it relates to our wellbeing, our productivity and effectiveness at work, and discuss some simple ways to improve our ability to 'remember to remember'. Full show notes for this episode can be found at https://www.worklifepsych.com/podcast/167 Thanks...
Aug 28, 2024•48 min•Season 1Ep. 167
I'm recording this episode just before I turn on my 'out of office' and head to Spain for my annual review. In this solo episode, I outline my reasons for taking an annual retreat each year, why you don't need to leave the country to do this, but why regular reflection is a great idea. Find the show notes for this episode at https://www.worklifepsych.com/podcast/166 Thanks for listening!
Aug 14, 2024•24 min•Season 1Ep. 166
In this final episode of our series on Psychological Flexibility, Richard and Ross reflect on what it was like to create the episodes, share listener feedback and answer some more of your questions. You can find all the resources for this series at https://www.worklifepsych.com/PsychologicalFlexibility and some more detailed show notes at https://www.worklifepsych.com/podcast/165 Thanks for listening!...
Aug 01, 2024•48 min•Season 1Ep. 165
In this, the latest episode in our series on Psychological Flexibility, Richard is one again joined by fellow psychologist Ross McIntosh. They explore the importance of noticing the stories we tell ourselves about ourselves - which we collectively call our self-concept - and holding these stories lightly. Full shownotes for this episode can be found at https://www.worklifepsych.com/podcast/164 Thanks for listening!
Jul 17, 2024•46 min•Season 1Ep. 164
Richard is joined by fellow psychologist Sarah McLellan for a discussion about the role of organisational culture and the importance of shaping it intentionally. For full show notes for this episode, visit our website at worklifepsych.com/podcast/163 Thanks for listening!
Jul 04, 2024•44 min•Season 1Ep. 163
In this episode, Richard is joined by friend of the podcast Dr. Rachael Skews. They discuss a recent coaching psychology conference they both presented at, the nature of coaching research, the importance of evidence-based practice and ask the killer question: will your coach be replaced by a bot? Full show notes for this episode can be found on our website at https://www.worklifepsych.com/podcast/162 Thanks for listening!...
Jun 21, 2024•33 min•Season 1Ep. 162
In this episode, Richard and Ross take a look at another important skill for increasing our psychological flexibility: acceptance. This doesn't mean a passive acceptance of the status quo, or simply pushing through difficulties with gritted teeth. It means authentically accepting the discomfort and other stuff we don't like in situations, while taking helpful action to get through it. Once we make room for it, we don't have to struggle with it, or delay action until the discomfort has gone. We e...
May 29, 2024•46 min•Season 1Ep. 161
In this episode of 'My Pocket Psych', Richard and Ross turn to the next skill in our psychological flexibility toolkit: committed action. This is all about taking our values and putting them into action. Doing more of the stuff that matters, not because it's easy or fun, but because it's important. You can find all the resources we mention in this episode on our dedicated series page at https://www.worklifepsych.com/psychologicalflexibility...
May 17, 2024•35 min•Season 1Ep. 160
