The Emotion at Work Podcast
Our podcast investigates emotions and their role in the people, processes and places of work. Managing regulating and understanding emotions at work can be tricky, and that’s why we interview industry experts to provide insight into different topics such as emotion regulation, emotion expression, digital body language, shame, and other important topics in society.
Scroll to explore our bank of episodes, and get in touch if you’d like to be featured on our podcast. The episodes naturally cover emotionally sensitive topics, therefore it is important that listeners know this beforehand.
Episode 60 – Emotion at Work in life (and work being part of it)
In this episode, Phil talks about boundaries, identities and different approaches to life. His guest is Angela Day, a business leader, Head of People, Risk and Compliance at Market Operator Services Limited (MOSL). MOSL are the market operator for the non-household water retail market in England and sit at the centre of the water industry.
Episode 59 – Emotion at Work in Boundaries and Burnout
This episode of the Emotion at Work podcast looks at two different topics: boundaries and burnout. My guest in this episode, Kelly Swingler, is a coach, keynote speaker and author who has an array of experience in both topics which have an important role in our overall wellbeing.
Episode 58 – Emotion at Work in Self Presentation
In this episode, Phil is looking at what can be defined as a sub-category of impression management and turns to inspect the role of self presentation. As noted in the episode, impression management and self presentation is “a goal-directed, conscious or unconscious attempt to influence the perceptions of others about a person, object, or event by regulating and controlling information in social interaction.”
Episode 57 – Emotion at Work in Flexible Working
In this episode, I interview Krystal Wilkinson who is a researcher, practitioner, and senior lecturer at the Manchester Metropolitan University.
Episode 56 – This is how I am feeling – Emotional Wellbeing in the workplace research
In our latest research we wanted to find out, from people like you, what are the variables that impact key wellbeing outcomes.
Episode 55 – Emotion at Work in Remote Leadership
COVID-19 has changed the landscape of work for many people and organisations. Shifting processes and leading teams in a hybrid way and/or a remote way has brought with it a myriad of challenges and considerations for people professionals and those in leadership positions.
Episode 54 – Emotion at Work Analysis – Negotiating Meaning in Context
“Smoking ruin”: failure or hard work? Analysing a real-life example of how people make meaning in context.
The data set for this analysis is an interview of Matt Hancock on ITV’s Good Morning Britain, which takes place on the one year anniversary of the first COVID-19 lockdown.
Episode 53 – Emotion at Work in Interview Techniques
During this episode Phil is joined by Cody Porter, who’s research involves information elicitation and how this aids deception detection. Phil and Cody discuss the role that deception plays in the workplace, from exaggeration and minimisation in job interviews (or on a CV), to corporate fraud and day-to-day lies and omissions.
Episode 52 – Emotion at Work in Emotional Sensitivity (aka hot triggers)
In this episode, Phil talks about Emotional Sensitivity or more commonly known as Hot Triggers. No guest is featured here but rather it includes targeted questions and reflection times throughout the episode for you as a listener to consider.
Episode 51 – Emotion at Work in Body Difference
How we think or feel about ourselves and how we want others to feel about us can be manifested in the way that we look. Some aspects about how we look, for example how we style our clothes, hair or accessories are within our control. Other aspects, for example, our...
Episode 50 – Emotion at Work in the Imposter Phenomenon
In this episode, Phil talks about the Imposter Phenonemon or more commonly known as the Imposter Syndrome. No guest is featured here but rather it includes targeted questions and reflection times throughout the episode for you as a listener to consider.
Episode 49 – Emotion at Work in Power of Love Leadership
In this longer than usual episode, I interview Sarah Higgins who is a Leadership Coach and Author of her own book The Power of Love Leadership. Here, she developed 7 Strategies for leadership, team, business, and life to not only drive success but to manage and understand one’s own emotions in order to become a better leader (and person really).
Emotion at Work Podcast
The Emotion at Work Podcast
Overview
In the podcast interview featuring Katie Allen, a specialist inclusion coach and advocate, the discussion begins with a light-hearted opening about different methods of hanging socks, which serves as an illustrative metaphor for varying perspectives on inclusion. Katie shares her transformative journey into the realm of inclusion, emphasizing that understanding diverse experiences is essential and that binary thinking can be limiting. She advocates for practical approaches that encourage open conversations about sensitive topics like racism and sexism, stressing the importance of personal accountability and vulnerability in leadership. Through sharing her own experiences as a pan-romantic asexual, she highlights the often-overlooked aspects of sexual orientation in inclusion efforts. The conversation concludes with actionable steps for fostering inclusive environments, such as seeking feedback from teams, incorporating inclusive practices like closed captions, and reframing language to enhance engagement and cooperation. Overall, the interview serves as a thought-provoking exploration of strategies to create more inclusive spaces that benefit everyone.
🎙️ Introduction and Light-Hearted Opening (00:09 – 06:30)
Katie Allen introduced as specialist inclusion coach, consultant, TEDx speaker, and allyship advocate
Innocuous opening question about how they hang socks on washing lines reveals different approaches
Katie uses an ‘octopus’ hanger with individual pegs for socks, hanging them in pairs
Phil hangs socks from one side at the ‘ankle end’ to help them dry quicker
Discussion creates a moment of connection through similarities and differences, paralleling inclusion concepts
💡 Core Concepts of Inclusion (06:31 – 20:02)
Katie explains her journey into inclusion work began at age 36 when she truly understood what it means to be white
Listening to Professor Kehinde Andrews explain racialization was eye-opening for Katie
Key lesson: Multiple truths can exist at the same time – different experiences can all be valid
Binary thinking is unhelpful – the world isn’t simply good/bad or right/wrong
There’s ‘no definition of done’ in inclusion work – it’s an ongoing learning process
Intention does not equal impact – good intentions don’t change negative impacts
🧠 Practical Inclusion Approaches (20:03 – 35:00)
Katie shifted from strategic corporate work to focusing on human conversations about inclusion
Many leadership teams struggle to discuss topics like racism, sexism, and homophobia
Leaders fear offending others or facing public criticism if they say something wrong
Katie emphasizes personal accountability and normalizing vulnerability in learning journeys
Recommends starting with ‘I’ statements and exploring your own knowledge gaps
Leaders should model learning publicly to create psychological safety for others
👂 Understanding Different Experiences (35:01 – 50:54)
Phil shares experience working with deaf people and learning about deaf culture
Katie highlights that ‘there’s no such thing as normal’ – only what we’ve normalized
Creating inclusive environments benefits everyone, not just those with specific needs
Non-inclusive environments create emotional and energy costs for excluded people
Example: Making application processes flexible helps many people, not just specific groups
Discussion of ‘I don’t see color’ statements and why they can be problematic
🌈 Sexual Orientation and Asexuality (50:55 – 01:05:29)
Katie explains her identity as asexual – experiencing no sexual attraction
Discovered her asexuality later in life after living most of her life thinking she was straight
Explains asexuality spectrum and difference between sexual and romantic attraction
Identifies as pan-romantic asexual – experiences romantic but not sexual attraction
Shares workplace challenges: asexuality often overlooked in inclusion efforts
People make hurtful comments like ‘you’re too attractive to be asexual’
Feels seen when people use LGBTQIA+ rather than stopping at LGBT
🔍 Practical Steps for Inclusion (01:05:30 – 01:19:49)
Start with self-education and immerse yourself in content outside your comfort zone
Ask people in your team what would make them feel more included
Example: Adding closed captions to meetings helps everyone, not just those with hearing issues
Reframe inclusion as something you’re already doing, not an additional task
Every touch point with humans (employees, customers, suppliers) involves inclusion work
Linguistic tip: Ask ‘is there something else?’ rather than ‘anything else?’ to encourage more sharing
Using ‘would you be willing’ instead of ‘can you’ is more effective for gaining cooperation
Here is Katie’s LinkedIn Bio https://www.linkedin.com/in/katieallenconsulting/
And her website https://www.katieallenconsulting.com/