Hi there and a very warm welcome to Season 6 Episode 38 of People Soup, it's Ross McIntosh here.  

In this episode we welcome the return of Dr Ben Askew to People Soup and this is our two part festive special where we delve into the challenges of behaviour change using the film Frozen. We analyse Elsa's fear-driven isolation and Ana's craving for connection, highlighting both rigid and naive approaches to love and relationships. Throughout the conversation, we draw parallels to real-life leadership challenges and the importance of understanding and flexibility. There is some of my singing involved in this episode, which I added in post production. Those who appreciate a fine set of pipes - might want to skip those bits.

For those of you who are new to People Soup - welcome - it's great to have you here - I aim to provide you with ingredients for a better work life from behavioural science and beyond. For those of you who are regular P Soupers - thanks for tuning in - we love it that you're part of our community.

• Building better teams with Ross McIntosh - Contextual Consulting
• Leading with purpose with Ross McIntosh - Contextual Consulting
• Ross McIntosh - 30 minute multipurpose | TidyCal
• Updated (Nov 2025) ACT in the Workplace Supervision | Ross McIntosh
• 🌍 Impact Partners Wanted | Ross McIntosh

Read about our Chisi Awards from #365daysofcompassion for Best Podcast

Leave a review as a WhatsApp voicenote on +0034696636487

Ross' new website

Our Podcast Website on CAPTIVATE

People Soup on Instagram which also features plenty of Ross' photos of the Andalusian life

And you can connect with Ross on LinkedIn

He's now also on Bluesky

Hi there and a very warm welcome to Season 6 Episode 37 of People Soup, it's Ross McIntosh here.  

In this episode I dive into the complexities of navigating Christmas using Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT). Recognizing the mixed emotions that many experience during the holidays, I offer practical strategies grounded in psychological flexibility, compassion, and values-driven action. I cover techniques for managing expectations, staying present, and clarifying holiday values to make the festive season more meaningful and manageable. I also share updates on ACT in the workplace and announces new opportunities for collaboration and learning. Listeners are encouraged to reflect on their personal context and employ simple exercises to practice acceptance and mindfulness.

For those of you who are new to People Soup - welcome - it's great to have you here - I aim to provide you with ingredients for a better work life from behavioural science and beyond. For those of you who are regular P Soupers - thanks for tuning in - we love it that you're part of our community.

• Values Card Sort
• Ross McIntosh - 30 minute multipurpose | TidyCal
• Updated (Nov 2025) ACT in the Workplace Supervision | Ross McIntosh
• 🌍 Impact Partners Wanted | Ross McIntosh

Read about our Chisi Awards from #365daysofcompassion for Best Podcast

Leave a review as a WhatsApp voicenote on +0034696636487

Ross' new website

Our Podcast Website on CAPTIVATE

People Soup on Instagram which also features plenty of Ross' photos of the Andalusian life

And you can connect with Ross on LinkedIn

He's now also on Bluesky

Hi there and a very warm welcome to Season 6 Episode 36 of People Soup, it's Ross McIntosh here.  

Today it's something a bit different. I'm sharing a behind the scenes masterclass on how I designed and delivered the large scale wellbeing intervention for school staff during the pandemic, I'll be talking about the thinking behind the approach, the key design principles, the tools we used, the impact we saw, and how organizations can adapt this model for their own people. It's work I'm hugely proud of and I'm excited to take you through it.

• Ross McIntosh - 30 minute multipurpose | TidyCal
• Updated (Nov 2025) ACT in the Workplace Supervision | Ross McIntosh
• 🌍 Impact Partners Wanted | Ross McIntosh

For those of you who are new to People Soup - welcome - it's great to have you here - I aim to provide you with ingredients for a better work life from behavioural science and beyond. For those of you who are regular P Soupers - thanks for tuning in - we love it that you're part of our community.

Read about our Chisi Awards from #365daysofcompassion for Best Podcast

Leave a review as a WhatsApp voicenote on +0034696636487

Ross' new website

Our Podcast Website on CAPTIVATE

People Soup on Instagram which also features plenty of Ross' photos of the Andalusian life

And you can connect with Ross on LinkedIn

He's now also on Bluesky

Hi there and a very warm welcome to Season 6 Episode 35 of People Soup, it's Ross McIntosh here.

P-Soupers – It’s another cup a soup this week – one where I share some sad news, reflections and a poem that carries personal meaning for me.

This episode is personal – and I’m reflecting on themes of death and grieving – topics that, in my experience, we’re not always the best at talking about, particularly in the workplace – and if now is not the right time for you to be listening – please do consider skipping this episode. Also I wanted to highlight the brilliant ACT based resource at www.mygriefmyway.co.uk. I am actively dipping into the website several times a week at the moment. I was fortunate enough to interview the two researchers, Ann Finucane and David Gillanders who led the development of this resource recently and you’ll find a link to those episodes in the show notes. Please pause and consider, is there anyone you know who might find mygriefmyway.co.uk useful.

I have terribly Sad news P Soupers – my dear Dad, known to many of you as Big G – died on Wednesday 22 October. He was peaceful at the end and I’m grateful that I got to spend the previous week with him in Northumberland. In that week, alongside the pain of impending grief, there were some beautiful moments.

For those of you who are new to People Soup - welcome - it's great to have you here - I aim to provide you with ingredients for a better work life from behavioural science and beyond. For those of you who are regular P Soupers - thanks for tuning in - we love it that you're part of our community.

There is a transcript for each episode. There is a caveat - this transcript is largely generated by Artificial Intelligence, I have corrected many errors but I won't have captured them all! You can also find the shownotes by clicking on notes then keep scrolling for all the useful links.

• Dad's Cancer Research UK Donation Page
• Meet Dr Anne Finucane - Marie Curie Senior Research Fellow - People Soup
• Meet Dr David Gillanders - The University of Edinburgh - People Soup
• My Grief My Way - People Soup
• Home | My Grief My Way

Read about our Chisi Awards from #365daysofcompassion for Best Podcast

Leave a review as a WhatsApp voicenote on +0034696636487

Ross' new website

Our Podcast Website on CAPTIVATE

People Soup on Instagram which also features plenty of Ross' photos of the Andalusian life

And you can connect with Ross on LinkedIn

He's now also on Bluesky

Hi there and a very warm welcome to Season 6 Episode 34 of People Soup, it's Ross McIntosh here.

P-Soupers - today it's another cuppa soup - a short episode where I continue to reflect on change. Last week I talked about the challenge of change. This week I'm reflecting on how we used to work. It's possible that the rate of change has accelerated over the last 30 years - and we're increasingly more preoccupied with the impact of Artificial Intelligence.

This week, I take a trip back in time to my first job in the UK Civil Service, circa 1991 — where paper files ruled, the typing pool clattered away, and the office bar was just a lift ride away.

I explores:

• What “non-smoking” really meant in the early ’90s 🌀
• The mysterious world of fitted for promotion annual reports
• Early digital transformation — complete with barcode wands and a legendary “mouse moment”
• And what all this tells us about change, adaptability, and humour at work

💌 Share your story!

I'd love to hear your memories of early work life — the quirks, the culture, the things that make you say “good lord, can you believe it used to be like that?”

Email peoplesoup.pod@gmail.com or share on Instagram, LinkedIn, or Bluesky.

For those of you who are new to People Soup - welcome - it's great to have you here - I aim to provide you with ingredients for a better work life from behavioural science and beyond. For those of you who are regular P Soupers - thanks for tuning in - we love it that you're part of our community.

• View the programme and book your tickets for the ACBS UKROI Conference in November
• Interactive Q&A: ACT in the workplace - Contextual Consulting

Read about our Chisi Awards from #365daysofcompassion for Best Podcast

Leave a review as a WhatsApp voicenote on +0034696636487

Ross' new website

Our Podcast Website on CAPTIVATE

People Soup on Instagram which also features plenty of Ross' photos of the Andalusian life

And you can connect with Ross on LinkedIn

He's now also on Bluesky

Hi there and a very warm welcome to Season 6 Episode 33 of People Soup, it's Ross McIntosh here.

P-Soupers - We're back - our Summer break kind of ran away with itself. I've been over to the UK a fair bit over the last few months to spend time with my Dad, known to many listeners as Big G. Sadly Dad has faced a succession of health challenges and he's now navigating his final life transition. It's an emotive, turbulent time, and there has also been time to talk and reflect with tenderness and love. You'll hear some of my thoughts at the beginning of this episode.

The main episode is a cup-a-soup - where I reflect on the challenge of change. This episode, of course, draws upon Acceptance and Commitment Therapy and in particular - a brilliant paper called - "Why we are not acting to save ourselves - ACT, Health and Culture" by Ruth Anne Rehfeldt & Ian Tyndall.

 You'll hear me cover various aspects, from an example of an HR leader responsible for the rollout of our wellbeing programme, how we can look at the workplace as a system of reinforcement (recognizing that behavior doesn't happen in isolation) and I illustrate how Acceptance and Commitment Therapy can support behavior change at work. There's also a simple exercise to try which can transform the experience of a meeting.

For those of you who are new to People Soup - welcome - it's great to have you here - I aim to provide you with ingredients for a better work life from behavioural science and beyond. For those of you who are regular P Soupers - thanks for tuning in - we love it that you're part of our community.

There is a transcript for each episode. There is a caveat - this transcript is largely generated by Artificial Intelligence, I have corrected many errors but I won't have captured them all! You can also find the shownotes by clicking on notes then keep scrolling for all the useful links.

• Interactive Q&A: ACT in the workplace - Contextual Consulting
• Why we are not acting to save ourselves - ACT, Health, and Culture

Read about our Chisi Awards from #365daysofcompassion for Best Podcast

Leave a review as a WhatsApp voicenote on +0034696636487

Ross' new website

Our Podcast Website on CAPTIVATE

People Soup on Instagram which also features plenty of Ross' photos of the Andalusian life

And you can connect with Ross on LinkedIn

He's now also on Bluesky

Hi there and a very warm welcome to Season 6 Episode 32 of People Soup, it's Ross McIntosh here.

P-Soupers - In this episode I continue my chat with Dr Ryan Kemp who is a clinical psychologist, Director of Therapies at a large NHS Trust, Author and  chair of the Division of Clinical Psychology England in the British Psychological Society.

We focus on the theme of compassionate leadership and our conversation begins with Ryan's reflections on his unexpected transition from clinical psychologist to clinical director and what he learned over the process. Initially he had no plans or ambitions to take on a leadership role, but Ryan found himself driven by the organizational challenges he encountered and the encouragement from colleagues. We talk about the importance of compassionate leadership, particularly in healthcare settings. Ryan highlights the emotional burden that healthcare professionals face, and the need for self-compassion as a foundation for leading others. Additionally, Ryan discusses his approach to leadership training, emphasizing vulnerability, authenticity, and the significance of aligning actions with personal values. We also touch upon the book that Ryan has written and is currently refining with a working title of 12 Steps to Compassionate Leadership.

For those of you who are new to People Soup - welcome - it's great to have you here - I aim to provide you with ingredients for a better work life from behavioural science and beyond. For those of you who are regular P Soupers - thanks for tuning in - we love it that you're part of our community.

There is a transcript for each episode. There is a caveat - this transcript is largely generated by Artificial Intelligence, I have corrected many errors but I won't have captured them all! You can also find the shownotes by clicking on notes then keep scrolling for all the useful links.

• Connect with Ryan on LinkedIn
• Find out more about the ACBS UK&ROI Conference in November

Read about our Chisi Awards from #365daysofcompassion for Best Podcast

Leave a review as a WhatsApp voicenote on +0034696636487

Ross' new website

Our Podcast Website on CAPTIVATE

People Soup on Instagram which also features plenty of Ross' photos of the Andalusian life

And you can connect with Ross on LinkedIn

He's now also on Bluesky

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Hi there and a very warm welcome to Season 6 Episode 31 of People Soup, it's Ross McIntosh here.

P-Soupers - In this episode you'll get to meet Dr Ryan Kemp who is a clinical psychologist and Director of Therapies at a large NHS Trust. He's also an author and  Chair of the Division of Clinical Psychology England in the British Psychological Society

In this episode we get to know a bit more about Ryan - who shares some pivotal moments in his professional journey - including his working class roots, his initial career in financial services, and an early midlife crisis that led him to psychology. He discusses his training and various roles in clinical settings, as well as his development of the compassionate leadership programmes within his NHS Trust. We also chat about his values, including practicality, learning, courage and ethics, and the impact of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) in his life. As a leader - he's also prepared to be vulnerable and open about his career history, including the less successful moments.

For those of you who are new to People Soup - welcome - it's great to have you here - I aim to provide you with ingredients for a better work life from behavioural science and beyond. For those of you who are regular P Soupers - thanks for tuning in - we love it that you're part of our community.

There is a transcript for each episode. There is a caveat - this transcript is largely generated by Artificial Intelligence, I have corrected many errors but I won't have captured them all! You can also find the shownotes by clicking on notes then keep scrolling for all the useful links.

• Connect with Ryan on LinkedIn

Read about our Chisi Awards from #365daysofcompassion for Best Podcast

Leave a review as a WhatsApp voicenote on +0034696636487

Ross' new website

Our Podcast Website on CAPTIVATE

People Soup on Instagram which also features plenty of Ross' photos of the Andalusian life

And you can connect with Ross on LinkedIn

He's now also on Bluesky