288. 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: hello@truthliesandwork.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

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