Is listening a hidden superpower we’ve overlooked? You've heard of Active Listening, but what is Radical Listening and why does it matter? Episode Summary On this episode, I’m joined by Professor Christian van Nieuwerburgh , an academic who also describes himself as 'Coach on a Motorcycle'. He's on the show to help me explore what he calls 'Radical Listening'. Christian is Professor of Coaching and Positive Psychology at the University of East London and the co-author, with Dr Robert Biswas-Dien...
Aug 17, 2025•1 hr 9 min
Why do we follow orders or go along with things that feel wrong? Why might defiance be better than compliance? And how can we go about becoming more defiant? Episode Summary I’ve always been fascinated by why people obey, even when it clashes with their instincts or values. In this conversation, I’m joined by Dr Sunita Sah — a physician-turned-organisational psychologist whose work explores the hidden social, cultural, and psychological forces behind compliance. Drawing from her research and per...
Aug 09, 2025•1 hr 3 min
What happens when citizens lose faith in the institutions that serve them? And how can we rebuild that trust? Episode Summary On this episode, I'm speaking to someone who cares passionately about this subject and who has made it her life's work to research and solve it. From politicians who lie, to corruption scandals, to public services that simply don’t work the way we expect—especially when we're paying taxes and getting poor value—something feels broken. I want to know: how do we understand ...
Aug 02, 2025•1 hr 1 min
We’ve all heard the phrase ‘the show must go on’. But when shouldn’t the show go on? To help me answer that, I’m speaking to someone who has spent 35 years managing some of Australia’s most iconic large-scale events — from Taylor Swift concerts to public city spectacles with crowds over 200,000, and corporate experiences — and has often faced the question: when should the show really stop? My guest is Iain Morrison, wh,o as well as having a background in events, is now the CEO of a startup that ...
Jul 26, 2025•1 hr 5 min
What if the real risk of AI isn’t job loss but brain atrophy? Episode Summary If you've spent any time on social media recently, you'll be familiar with the flood of low-quality AI-generated sludge. And on this episode, I'm speaking to someone who is leading a one-woman campaign against it and in favour of human-generated content. Her name is Zsike Peter and she's the fiercely human founder of an agency called Vampire Digital ; you'll hear why its called that on the show. Zsike is also the autho...
Jul 19, 2025•1 hr 10 min
What if we treated mental health like a capability instead of a crisis? On this episode, I'm talking to a business school professor and a counselling psychologist about their new book that looks at practical ways we can manage mental health. Not after it manifests itself, but beforehand. Episode Summary Mental health has become part of the workplace conversation, but all too often, that conversation stops at slogans and superficial gestures. On this episode, I explore what it really means to bui...
Jul 12, 2025•1 hr 2 min
What if joy became the most important metric when we organised events? Or, to put it another way, why are so many events uninspiring and not very joyful? Episode Summary On this episode, I’m joined by event strategist, educator, and author Tahira Endean to explore a provocative question: what if we measured events not just by financial metrics, but by the joy they deliver? Drawing from her new book Our KPI is Joy: How Live Events Catalyze Happiness, Productivity and Trust , Tahira shares deep in...
Jul 06, 2025•1 hr 2 min
Why is getting shit done so hard, and what can we do about it? Episode Summary Getting shit done isn’t just about motivation or tools, it’s about design. In this episode, I speak to Claus Raasted: consultant, author, speaker, experience designer, and someone who describes himself — with tongue firmly in cheek — as an “overpaid rockstar consultant.” But behind the flair is a deep understanding of how to remove friction, reframe work, and help people build systems that actually work for them. Clau...
Jun 29, 2025•1 hr 11 min
What happens when a British communications expert takes her political instincts and corporate storytelling skills to Germany? 🎙️ Overview On this episode, I speak with Katy Diggory, who’s done exactly that — and learned a lot about tone, culture, and translation along the way. It’s a brilliant conversation that blends politics, international business, and linguistic nuance. We explore the difference between translating and localising a message, why AI struggles to sound human, and how tone of v...
Jun 21, 2025•54 min
What can a global pop icon teach us about business strategy? In the case of Taylor Swift, more than you might think. Episode Summary On this episode, I’m joined by Kevin Evers , senior editor at Harvard Business Review and the author of There's Nothing Like This: The Strategic Genius of Taylor Swift . We dive deep into what makes Swift not just a pop icon but a master strategist — someone who has repeatedly made bold, counterintuitive business decisions and turned them into career-defining momen...
Jun 14, 2025•1 hr 8 min
Why do people have affairs? What lessons can we learn from infidelity? It's estimated that an affair will impact one in five of us, yet it tends to be a taboo subject. So, on this episode, I'm going to break that taboo and explore the hidden world of affairs with psychoanalyst and autho r Juliet Rosenfeld . Juliet’s book, Affairs: Stories of Love, Lies, Hope and Desire , is an intimate look at why people have affairs, how those relationships shape us, and what they reveal about the unconscious f...
Jun 07, 2025•1 hr 7 min
Have you ever wondered how much of your success is down to luck? What if the world is far less fair and predictable than we’d like to think? On this episode, I explore the complex and fascinating role of luck in our lives and decisions with Dr. Chengwei Liu, Associate Professor of Strategy and Behavioural Science at Imperial College London. Chengwei shares how his research challenges our assumptions about skill, effort, and fairness – and why the outcomes we see are often far more random than we...
Jun 01, 2025•1 hr 4 min
What is psychological harm, and can we really regulate it? Should an AI-companion app be allowed to dump the person who is using it? 📝 Episode Summary On this episode, I’m joined once again by Professor Magda Osman, someone who’s been on the show several times before, who always has something compelling to say. This time, we're talking about psychological harm, a term you’ve probably heard, but which remains vague, slippery, and surprisingly unhelpful when it comes to actually protecting people...
May 24, 2025•1 hr 2 min
What do chemistry, committees and cooking have in common? They’re all things which have formed part of the career of my guest on this episode. She’s Sarah Ward , owner of The Cookery Lab , a unique cookery school that uses a science-led approach to teaching cooking skills. I first met Sarah when we worked together on governance at the Bank of England. She began her carerer as a chemist, before switching — for reasons she explains on the show — to regulation. And now she’s a chef. In a fascinatin...
May 18, 2025•1 hr 5 min
What do people have to do with cybersecurity? A lot. As with other fields of human risk, it’s people that are typically the root cause of problems in the cybersecurity world. Which is where my guest’s expertise in behavioural design comes into play. On this episode, I’m speaking with Sarah Aalborg , a cybersecurity and behavioural design expert who’s on a mission to change how organisations approach IT security. Rather than focusing on firewalls and tech solutions, Sarah examines the human behav...
May 11, 2025•1 hr 4 min
What really happens Behind The Scenes at Human Risk? 📝 Episode Summary In this special ‘takeover’ episode of the show, I’m taking you behind the scenes of my work at Human Risk. Because interviewing myself would be odd, friend of the show Sarah Abramson takes the interviewer’s seat. She delves into my journey, exploring the intersections of curiosity, compliance, and creativity that have shaped my career. We discuss the origins of my interest in human behaviour, the evolution of the Human Risk ...
May 03, 2025•1 hr 33 min
What's the most important thing we can all do to be happy? According to my guest on this episode, it's embracing the thing that made us weird as kids. 🎙️ Episode Summary On this episode, I’m joined once again by the inimitable James Victore — artist, author, and creative provocateur — to explore the power of embracing your inner weirdo. James has just published Hey Weirdo , an eBook that argues the very things that made us weird as kids are exactly what make us great as adults. We talk about wh...
Apr 27, 2025•1 hr 1 min
Why was there a women’s orchestra in Auschwitz, and what can that help us understand human resilience? In this deeply moving episode of the show, I speak with Anne Sebba — renowned biographer, historian, and journalist — about one of the Holocaust’s most extraordinary and little-known stories: the Women’s Orchestra of Auschwitz . Anne’s latest book tells the story of how a group of female prisoners were forced to form an orchestra in one of the most brutal Nazi concentration camps. They played n...
Apr 18, 2025•1 hr 6 min
What makes people want to go to museum? How can they ensure they still remain relevant? I spend a lot of my time in museums. They inspire me, inform me and put me into mindsets I wouldn't otherwise be in. So I wanted to learn more about them. Episode Summary On this episode, I sit down with Matthew McNerney, Chief Creative Officer of Luci Creative , to explore the hidden psychology behind museum design. Matthew has worked on everything from the Lego House in Denmark to presidential libraries, sc...
Apr 12, 2025•1 hr 2 min
What if the problem isn’t that you’re not happy enough — but that you’re chasing the wrong kind of happiness altogether? Show Summary On this episode I’m joined by Dr Mark Fabian , Associate Professor of Public Policy at the University of Warwick and author of Beyond Happy: How to Rethink Happiness and Find Fulfillment . Mark argues that our modern obsession with happiness often leads us astray, locking us into an endless cycle of striving without ever feeling satisfied. Drawing on insights from...
Apr 05, 2025•1 hr 4 min
What makes an organisation toxic, and how can we spot the signs before it’s too late? What are the common traits that make seemingly unrelated organisations, ranging from the Catholic Church to corporations, do harm? On this episode, I’m joined once again by one of my favourite guests — Professor Benjamin van Rooij — for a deep dive into the hidden dangers of organisational life. Benjamin and his co-author, Professor Nicholas Lord , are working on a new book (working title) Toxic: Organisations ...
Mar 29, 2025•1 hr 2 min
How can we prevent violence against women? And what role do men who don't engage in violence, have to play? This episode tackles a serious, but important topic. Violence against women affects millions worldwide, yet too often, the focus is placed on how women can protect themselves rather than addressing the behaviors and systems that enable violence in the first place. This isn’t a problem women can solve alone—society as a whole, and particularly men, need to be part of the solution. But how d...
Mar 01, 2025•1 hr 30 min
What does tea have to do with human behaviour? A lot more than you might think. On this epusoed, I'm exploring one of the world's most popular drinks and what we can learn from it. Summary My guest is Giles Oakley , a professional tea taster, entrepreneur, and long-time friend. Giles began his career at Tetley before co-founding Two Spoons Tea, a company dedicated to celebrating tea as the hero crop it is. Over the course of our conversation, Giles introduces me—and you—to the rich history and i...
Feb 15, 2025•49 min
How do we create systems that encourage whistleblowing without incentivizing malicious reporting? Should we reward whistleblowers financially? Why is closure important, both for whistleblowers and the organisations they are whistleblowing on? Episode Summary On this episode, I speak with Pav Gill , the whistleblower behind the Wirecard scandal and former General Counsel for Wirecard’s Asia Pacific operations. But this conversation isn’t about Wirecard. Instead, we explore the broader dynamics of...
Feb 01, 2025•1 hr 12 min
What is the edge of possibility and how can storytelling help us to find it? My guest isn't a storyteller — she's a lawyer, working in compliance — but she's got some fascinating insights to share about how it can help us to effect change. Or, in her words, to find the edge of our possibility. I've been wanting to get Dr Hemma Lomax on the show for some time, and I'm delighted that in this episode, I've managed to make that happen. Summary In a wide-ranging discussion, Hemma shares her unique jo...
Jan 25, 2025•1 hr 3 min
How does a major global bank keep surviving crises; until it doesn't? Episode Summary On this episode, I’m joined by Duncan Mavin , author of Meltdown: Scandal, Sleaze, and the Collapse of Credit Suisse. Duncan’s book dives deep into the bank’s dramatic downfall, uncovering decades of mismanagement, scandals, and cultural clashes that eventually led to its collapse. As someone with intersecting touchpoints with Credit Suisse throughout my career, I couldn’t wait to have this conversation. During...
Jan 12, 2025•1 hr 2 min
What can we learn about a country from its favourite sport? A lot. Particularly when that country has a history and culture like Germany. Which is what I'm exploring on this episode. Even if you're not a football fan, this episode — in a year when Germany goes to the polls — will have something of interest. Episode Summary On this episode, I speak with Kit Holden , a British-German journalist and author whose love for German football has led him to uncover the rich tapestry of stories behind the...
Jan 05, 2025•57 min
What role does experimentation play in making big life and creative decisions? What lessons can podcasters teach us about effective communication in business? Show Summary To answer these questions, in this festive episode, I’m thrilled to welcome back two friends of the show, two of my favorite podcasters, Tim Houlihan and Kurt Nelson, co-hosts of the Behavioral Grooves podcast. Known for their brilliance in behavioral science and knack for experimentation, Tim and Kurt bring unique insights in...
Dec 27, 2024•1 hr 32 min
What does a pink puppet called Connie have to do with ethics? More than you might think. On this episode, I'm speaking with a lawyer, whose innovative approach to getting employees to engage in ethics, involved turning to something we all know from our childhood, a puppet. Episode Summary That lawyer and my guest on this episode is Fraser Simpson, Associate General Counsel at the Wellcome Trust. He's on the show to me to tell me about a creative and award-winning approach to embedding ethics in ...
Dec 21, 2024•1 hr 39 min
Can you distill a complex concept into a single sketch? Jono Hey can and on this episode, he joins me to talk about Sketchplanations —a project that explains the world, one sketch at a time. Summary I’ve been a long-time admirer of Jono’s work, which makes complex ideas accessible and engaging through simple, elegant sketches. We discuss how he manages to turn abstract or intricate concepts into visual explanations that resonate with so many people, while maintaining accuracy and nuance. Jono ha...
Dec 06, 2024•1 hr 8 min
