

Emotion At Work
Phil Willcox
The Emotion at Work Podcast
Episodes
Mentioned books

Dec 6, 2024 • 1h 9min
Episode 78- Emotion at Work in the Impact of AI on People and Culture
In this episode, Phil Willcox talks to Tarek Kamil, founder and CEO of Cerkl Broadcast to explore AI in modern communication and employee engagement. Tarek discusses experimentation in driving innovation within organisations, while Phil discusses the powerful emotion of fear and how fear of failure can hurt innovation. Together, they examine how organisations can shift their perspective, viewing employees as valuable assets rather than liabilities.
Links
Episode 50 – Emotion at Work in the Imposter Phenomenon - https://emotionatwork.co.uk/episode-50-emotion-at-work-in-the-imposter-phenomenon/
Episode 36 – Emotion at Work in Learning Evaluation with Jim Kirkpatrick - https://emotionatwork.co.uk/episode-36-emotion-at-work-in-learning-evaluation-with-jim-kirkpatrick/
Cerkl Broadcast: https://cerkl.com/
Tarek Kamil LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tkamil
Tarek Kamil at TEDx: Passion: A Means of Avoiding the Zombie Apocalypse: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hneUfWKARUU

Oct 16, 2024 • 45min
Episode 77 - Emotion at Work in Embracing Introversion and Finding Your Voice Through Career Change
In this episode, our host Lizzi Philokyprou, Emotion at Work Community and Marketing Manager talks to Fay Nicholls, a seasoned HR professional turned qualified coach with over 14 years of experience. Fay shares her thoughts on navigating emotions in the workplace and they discuss Fay's personal journey, including her transition to a coaching career focused on helping others find their voice and embrace their identities, particularly introversion.
The conversation concludes with practical advice for introverts in traditional workplaces, highlighting the importance of deep listening and perspective-taking in enhancing workplace dynamics. With actionable tasks for listeners, the episode highlights the transformative power of coaching.
Links:
Fay Nicholls LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/fay-nicholls/
Nancy Kline - Time To Think: Nancy Kline - Time to Think

Sep 18, 2024 • 1h 15min
Episode 76 - Emotion at Work in Creating Joy and Connection with Simon Blake
In this episode of the Emotion at Work podcast, Simon Blake, CEO of Mental Health First Aid England, shares insights on the intersection of work and well-being.
The discussion emphasises the vital role of connection, purpose, and relationships in creating positive workplace environments, revealing that a significant percentage of managers rise to their roles by circumstance rather than design.
Simon identifies key strategies for creating mental health in the workplace, including considerate design of roles and open communication.
The episode highlights the importance of vulnerability in conversation, offers practical phrases for clearer discussion and encourages a shift in focus towards joy and fulfilment instead of stress management at work, alongside recommendations for further reading to enrich understanding of workplace mental health.
Links
Simon Blake LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/simonblake/
Mental Health First Aid UK: https://mhfaengland.org/individuals/
Research paper - Managers feel the Pinch Managers_Feel_The_Pinch_Report_PDF-2.pdf (emotionatwork.co.uk)
Kim Scott's book - Radical Candor Radical Candor: Fully Revised and Updated Edition: How to Get What You Want by Saying What You Mean: Amazon.co.uk: Scott, Kim: 9781529038347: Books
Brene Brown - Anxiety, Calm, and Over-/Under-Functioning - Brené Brown (brenebrown.com)
Find Your Why by Simon Sinek - Find Your Why: A Practical Guide for Discovering Purpose for You and Your Team: Amazon.co.uk: Mead, David, Docker, Peter, Sinek, Simon: 9780143111726: Books
Desert Island Discs - BBC Radio 4 - Desert Island Discs
Podcast series A Muslim & A Jew - A Muslim & A Jew Go There Podcast Series – Apple Podcasts

Aug 14, 2024 • 58min
Episode 75 - Emotion at Work in Joy, Justice and Pregnancy Discrimination
Welcome to another episode of The Emotion at Work podcast, this time hosted by Lizzi, our Marketing and Community Manager. Today’s guest is Nicola Hinds, a former senior manager at Mitee. Nicola shares her journey of battling pregnancy discrimination in a high-stakes workplace tribunal—a struggle the media has dubbed as a 'David v. Goliath moment'.
After a three-year fight for justice, Nicola created Pregnant Pickle, an organisation that supports women facing similar challenges. In collaboration with local maternity services and the council, she launched a support website to aid pregnant women who are facing discrimination in the workplace.
Nicola's story doesn't end there, she demonstrated an extraordinary act of kindness—donating a kidney to a woman she met through Pregnant Pickle.
Links
BBC news article: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-south-yorkshire-68730616
Pregnant Pickle website - https://www.pregnant-pickle.co.uk/about/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/preg_nantpickle/?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y%3D
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pregnantpickle/
Pregnant Then Screwed: https://pregnantthenscrewed.com/
Resource to help navigate the legal process: https://valla.uk/

Jul 17, 2024 • 1h
Episode 74 - Emotion at Work in Resilience
In this episode, Phil talks to Sukhvinder Pabial (Sukh). They discuss topics such as positive psychology, emotional intelligence, and mindfulness. Sukh discusses the difficulties he faced while writing and promoting his book, offering insights into the distinction between positive thinking and positive psychology, as well as the importance of emotional intelligence in the workplace.
Links
Sukh LinkedIn: Sukhvinder Pabial - Marks and Spencer | LinkedIn
Sukh’s book: The Resilience Handbook: A practical understanding of resilience : Pabial, Sukhvinder: Amazon.co.uk: Books
Brene Brown and Dr. Susan David - destructive emotions: The Dangers of Toxic Positivity, Part 1 of 2 - Brené Brown (brenebrown.com)
Dr. Paul Ekman's book, Emotions Revealed: Emotions Revealed: Understanding Faces and Feelings: Amazon.co.uk: Ekman, Prof Paul: 8601300459851: Books
Martin Seligman's Positive Psychology: Martin Seligman’s Positive Psychology Theory

Jun 19, 2024 • 59min
Episode 73 - Emotion at Work in the Accidental Mental Health Podcast
In this episode Phil speaks to Nick Bellinger from Sanofi about the importance of discussing mental health and well-being in the workplace.
Nick discusses his techniques to manage anxiety while traveling and talks about the evolution of The All Well show, which is the accidental mental health podcast within Sanofi.
They discuss cultural differences in talking about mental health and well-being across Sanofi's global offices and strategies to encourage open discussions about mental health in different cultures.
Links
Nick B LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/nickbellinger/
Sanofi All Well - https://www.sanofi.com/en/careers/all-well

May 15, 2024 • 55min
Episode 72 - Emotion at Work in Neurodiversity
In this episode, Phil speaks with Nathan Whitbread of The Neurodivergent Coach on neurodiversity in the workplace.
Nathan is inspiring people and establishing neuro-inclusive workplaces. He encourages awareness, active participation in employee resource groups, and leadership improvements to promote neurodiversity.
Nathan emphasises the impact of reasonable adjustments for individuals in the workplace and how making small changes can make a big difference to people’s work experience. He aims to create workplaces where everyone, regardless of neurodiversity may thrive using empathy-driven strategies and practical interventions.
Links
Nathan Whitbread LinkedIn - https://uk.linkedin.com/in/nathanaelwhitbread
Nathan Website - https://theneurodivergentcoach.co.uk/
3D Coaching - https://www.3dcoaching.com/
Exploded coaching, or coaching exploded – Action Learning Sets - https://theneurodivergentcoach.co.uk/tag/action-learning-sets/
Book recommendation - Microadventures - Microadventures - Alastair Humphreys
Book recommendation - Neurodiversity at Work - Neurodiversity at Work: Drive Innovation, Performance and Productivity with a Neurodiverse Workforce : Kirby, Amanda, Smith, Theo: Amazon.co.uk: Books
Book recommendation - Simplifying Coaching - Amazon.com: Simplifying Coaching: How to Have More Transformational Conversations by Doing Less eBook : Pedrick, Claire: Kindle Store
Book recommendation - The Human Behind the Coach - The Human Behind the Coach: How great coaches transform themselves first: Amazon.co.uk: Pedrick, Claire, Baldelli, Lucia: 9781788604567: Books
Book recommendation - The Material World - Material World: A Substantial Story of Our Past and Future: Amazon.co.uk: Conway, Ed: 9780753559154: Books

Apr 17, 2024 • 59min
Episode 71 - Emotion at Work in Reactions to the Physical Work Environment
During this episode my guest today is Libby Sander, a leading thinker on understanding the future of work and how we can re-imagine work to live more meaningful and creative lives.
We discuss how physical work environments affect cognitive, emotional, and relational reactions, highlighting the importance of focus and concentration for knowledge workers. We discuss how open-plan offices could hinder productivity due to noise distractions and mention the positive impact of a sense of beauty in workplaces on mood and creativity.
Links
Libby Sander LinkedIn: https://au.linkedin.com/in/libbysander
How spaces can make us better versions of ourselves | Libby Sander: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cscBdhU0QYA
Libby Sander’s website: https://www.libbysander.com/
Psychological perceptions matter: Developing the reactions to the physical work environment scale: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0360132318307157
Open-plan office noise is stressful: multimodal stress detection in a simulated work environment: https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/journal-of-management-and-organization/article/abs/openplan-office-noise-is-stressful-multimodal-stress-detection-in-a-simulated-work-environment/F3EF8D2DF47767F18CBF5C081D6AB3A0
Externally-induced meditative states: an exploratory fMRI study of architects’ responses to contemplative architecture - https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2095263517300055
Get a proper chair, don’t eat at your desk, and no phones in the loo – how to keep your home workspace safe and hygienic (theconversation.com)

Mar 13, 2024 • 1h 8min
Episode 70 - Emotion at Work in Remote and Hybrid Leadership
In this engaging discussion, Emma Wall, Practice Manager in Derby, shares her rich experience in leading primary care through the emotional turmoil of remote and hybrid work. She highlights the strain of meeting patient demands while managing personal emotions and team dynamics. Emma offers insights on resilience and adaptability, explains the necessity of clear communication, and emphasizes the power of emotional intelligence tools like Myers-Briggs. Her practical tips for remote leadership stress the importance of over-communication and fostering team engagement.

Feb 14, 2024 • 1h 10min
Episode 69 - Emotion at Work in Authenticity and Breaking the Fourth Wall
Our guest today is Adrian Salazar, who is Head of Culture and Integrity at SafetyWing. SafetyWing offers insurance for travellers and remote teams.
We explore important topics like being authentic and discuss buzzwords that influence company values. Then we'll chat about SafetyWing's culture, focusing on ideas like integrity and authenticity, and why having a positive culture and well-being can greatly benefit any organisation.
Links
Adrian Salazar LinkedIn – https://www.linkedin.com/in/theadriansalazar/
SafetyWing - https://safetywing.com/
Arlie Hochschild’s book - The Managed Heart: Commercialization of Human Feeling: Amazon.co.uk: Hochschild, Arlie: 9780520272941: Books
Imposter phenomenon - Dr. Pauline Rose Clance - IMPOSTOR PHENOMENON


