Truth, Lies and Work

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.

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.

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.

Welcome back to Truth, Lies & Work, the award-winning workplace podcast where behavioral science meets workplace culture. Part of the HubSpot Podcast Network, the audio destination for business professionals.

Over the past few years, the world of work has shifted. Layoffs are rising, AI is reshaping industries, and career paths that once felt like solid ground now feel uncertain. But beyond the headlines, something quieter is happening: professionals everywhere are questioning whether the careers they’ve built actually align with who they are today.

In this special LinkedIn Live panel discussion, hosts Al & Leanne Elliott are joined by three industry experts to explore whether we are seeing a temporary reaction to economic uncertainty or a deeper, structural shift in how we think about our professional lives.

🎙️ Meet the Panel


Che Ugwuala: Global Lead for Android Marketing Strategy at Google and LinkedIn creator exploring ambition and the realities of modern professional life.
Connect with Che: https://www.linkedin.com/in/che-ugwuala-mba-1749ab21/


Kelly Garthwaite: Former Red Bull Media House leader turned founder and co-host of The Naked Room podcast.
Connect with Kelly: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kelly-garthwaite/


Erica Breuer: Creative and go-to-market strategist working at the intersection of culture, creativity, and strategy.
Connect with Erica: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ericabreuer/

🔥 Key Themes Explored


The Identity Crisis: For many, work is tied closely to identity. What happens when the job you built your life around no longer fits?


Stability vs. Purpose: Is "purposeful work" a realistic goal for everyone, or have we over-romanticized the idea of a dream career?


The Reality of Reinvention: What does a major career shift actually look like in practice, beyond the "idealized" version?


The Role of Leaders: How can managers support teams through career uncertainty without overstepping or pretending to have all the answers?


The Future of Work: Is the "Great Career Re-evaluation" a temporary blip or the new normal?

📬 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

Welcome back to Truth, Lies & Work, the award-winning workplace podcast where behavioural science meets workplace culture. This week we’re deconstructing the "cockroaches of the employment world," exploring a new AI tool that helps you nail your next interview, and digging into the data to see if hiring for "culture fit" is actually a good idea.

🔥 Stories Covered

1. The $75 Lunch That Beats Any Exit Interview
Headhunter Nick Corcodilos calls exit interviews the "cockroaches" of the employment world—they serve little purpose, yet they never die. Because departing employees often fear burning bridges, they give safe, generic answers.


The Alternative: Wait six months after an employee leaves and invite them to a casual lunch.


The Benefit: Time changes the dynamic. Former employees are more objective and willing to provide grounded feedback for the price of a meal.


Source: Inc. Magazine - https://www.inc.com/suzanne-lucas/the-75-lunch-that-beats-any-exit-interview/91319277

2. Stop Guessing, Start Coaching: HowToJob & Interviewly
Al explores HowToJob, an all-in-one platform built by HR veteran Milo Sevelj to help candidates navigate a brutal job market.


Interviewly: A standout feature that generates role-specific interview questions and provides structured feedback on your recorded answers.


The Impact: It moves beyond practicing in a mirror by giving candidates real-time data on what landed and what didn't.


Connect with Milo Sevelj: https://www.linkedin.com/in/milosevelj/

3. The Power of Intergenerational Teams
New research suggests that age diversity isn't just something to "manage"—it’s a competitive advantage.


The Findings: Older workers feel more employable and capable when they regularly interact and share knowledge with younger colleagues.


The Key: It’s not just about sitting next to each other; it’s about a two-way flow of experience and new skills.


Source: Journal of Occupational and Organizational Psychology - https://bpspsychub.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/joop.70061?af=R

🧠 Truth or Lie: You Should Hire for Culture Fit
Around 80% of employers prioritize "culture fit," but Leanne digs into the evidence to see if it actually predicts success.


The Truth: Fit does predict job satisfaction (19%) and organizational commitment (26%).


The Lie: It is one of the weakest predictors of actual job performance, accounting for less than 1% of the variance.


The Verdict: "Culture fit" is often a subjective "airport test" that lets bias in the back door. Instead, look for "Culture Add."

💬 Workplace Surgery
This week, we tackle three tough listener dilemmas:


The Policy Trap: How do you enforce a 5-day return-to-office mandate when you don’t believe in it yourself?


The Complicity Crisis: If your employer treats you well but treats others poorly, are you complicit by staying?


Scaling Culture: How do you move from "being the culture" to building a culture that works without you as the team grows?

📬 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. Listen to all the shows here: https://www.hubspot.com/podcastnetwork