PODCAST · science
My Pocket Psych
by Dr. Richard A. MacKinnon
My Pocket Psych is all about the psychology of the workplace. Each episode, we'll examine the world of work and explore a topic through the lens of psychology. Wellbeing, productivity, careers, relationship management. We'll aim to give listeners tips to help improve their experience of work - moving from surviving to thriving! My Pocket Psych is brought to you by WorkLifePsych Ltd and hosted by Dr. Richard MacKinnon, a Chartered Psychologist and coach.
Episodes
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Ep 230: Nine years of this!
This episode is a short one, to mark the ninth anniversary of My Pocket Psych. Nine years ago I pressed record on the very first episode, despite all my nerves and misgivings. I hope it's clear how much the show has developed and improved since those first, tentative and nervous episodes! It has...
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Ep 229: There are no prizes in coaching
Following on from last episode, where we explored the imposter phenomenon and its impact, this time we look at how it can show up in coaching. Even when it's not the main topic or theme we're exploring. Experiencing the imposter phenomenon can lead clients to mask their true feelings and...
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Ep 228: Help! I feel like an imposter!
In this episode, Richard is joined by fellow psychologist Dr. Hayley Lewis for a chat about what we now call 'Imposter Phenomenon'. Essentially, Imposter Phenomenon (previously called 'imposter syndrome') is an experience when an employee feels they've achieved their success and position due to...
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Ep 227: An owner's manual for the mind
In this episode, we turn our attention to the topic of thoughts, thinking and how we interact with all the stuff our own mind creates for us. While the human mind is definitely a wonderful thing, some of the thoughts (including images, predictions, memories) it provides us can be unpleasant to...
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Ep 226: What is success, anyway?
In this episode, I look at the downsides of striving for future success, when we're not completely sure what that actually looks like. In coaching sessions, I often hear clients worry that they're not successful, not successful enough or concerned about missing a future success target. All when...
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Ep 225: Values as tools for life
One of the best ways to understand something as conceptual as values is to use metaphors and imagery. In this episode, I explore the topic of values by seeing them as tools - tools for life. Whether it's navigating organisational change, cultivating new healthy habits, or managing a difficult...
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Ep 224: Values - it's what you do that matters
Our monthly focus over on WorkLifeSpark is values and how to bring them to life. So, in this episode, I take a look at the importance of living values, not just talking about them. I use my recent extended holiday as a simple illustration of how to bring values to life in simple ways, but also...
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Ep 223: Take a break - before you need it!
This episode continues our recent run on sleep, intentional rest and breaks, this time viewed through the lens of sustainability. When working with coaching clients, I often ask them something along the lines of: Can you keep working the way you are right now without it costing you? That is the...
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Ep 222: Rest is more than sleep
In this episode, I continue the focus on sleep, rest and breaks, moving beyond sleep itself to explore the many other forms rest can take. I explain why treating rest as something to be earned gets in the way of sustainable working. And actively hampers our performance and wellbeing. Why sleep is…
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Ep 221: Sleep and rest - they're not optional!
In this episode, Richard is joined again by Dr Fiona Jane Meechin to tackle a topic that underpins everything else in workplace wellbeing: sleep. They make the case that sleep isn't just one wellbeing habit among many. Rather, it's the foundation that determines whether everything else we do for...
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Ep 220: Navigating change with compassion
In this episode, I look at how self-compassion can help us navigate organisational change - one of the most common, and often most difficult, experiences we face at work. I start with a quick recap of what self-compassion actually is (and isn't): mindful awareness of our difficulties, a sense of...
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Ep 219: Comparison or compassion?
In this episode, I explore why we compare ourselves to others at work, and what to do when those comparisons leave us feeling worse rather than better. I unpack the evolutionary roots of social comparison, why comparing ourselves to people we don't know well (rather than those close to us) tends…
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Ep 218: Self-compassion with Dr. Fiona Jane Meechan
In this episode, Richard is joined by an expert in self-compassion for a discussion about this all-important skillset. Richard and Fiona Jane Meechan discuss why self-compassion can be tough to develop, even when we can be compassionate to others. They look at some of the simple ways we can bring...
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Ep 217: Self-care - it's not what you think
Last time, we looked at the benefits of doing less to support our self-care. In this episode, I tackle five of the most common misconceptions about self-care - which I've encountered from coaching and training clients over the years. From the idea that it's just pampering or an occasional treat…
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Ep 216: Self-care - the power of less
In this episode, we take a look at an aspect of self-care that's often overlooked: the impact of doing less, not more. Often, when we discuss a need for self-care, my clients' minds turn to new activities, new routines... new stuff. They can easily visualise a 'need' to somehow squeeze even more...
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Ep 215: You are not your task list
In this episode, the final of three looking at how we use our productivity tools, I discuss the humble task list. It has the potential to bring clarity and a sense of accomplishment. At the same time, it can lead to overwhlem, confusion and a sense of failure. It's all in how we think about what...
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Ep 214: Does your calendar reflect what matters?
Following on from last episode's exploration of intentional use of productivity tools, this episode we take some time to look at calendars. When used intentionally and with care, a calendar can provide valuable structure and a plan for investing your limited time, attention and energy. However…
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Ep 213: The right tool for the job
In this episode, we take a look at the role that productivity tools play in our ability to get stuff done at work. Don't worry - this isn't an episode reviewing all the latest apps! But rather, we look at the essential categories of tools needed for the typical knowledge worker. Somewhere to…
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Ep 212: Connection and disconnection in remote teams
Richard is joined by Pilar Orti and Brie Caggiati , co-authors of 'Connection and Disconnection in Remote Teams', a book that grew out of a season of the 21st Century Work Life podcast. They discuss the misconceptions that exist about remote work (and co-located office work!) and the role that...
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Ep 211: Reflecting, on a continuum
In this third episode exploring the benefits of reflection, I take a look at how reflection can exist on a continuum of time and complexity. From a few moments in between meetings through to taking the time to review the week, month or even year gone by! It needn't be an enormously time-consuming...
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Ep 210: Help! What do I do with this feedback?
In this second part of our focus on reflection and self-awareness, we take a look at the role of feedback. While it's not always comfortable to ask for - or receive! - feedback from our colleagues can make a valuable contribution to self-awareness and personal development. Others' perspectives…
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Ep 209: Making time for reflection
In this episode, we take a look at a key element of personal development and growth: reflection. While so many of us feel we're too busy to engage in reflection, or worry that it's too time-consuming, this episode illustrates that we can start with tiny steps and grow from there. But it's not…
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Ep 208: From procrastination to proactivity
In this, the final episode in our mini-series on procrastination, Richard is joined by fellow psychologist Dr. Joe Gray for a conversation about workplace proactivity - and how it can be a useful antidote to our procrastination habit. Joe explains the different ways we can be proactive, while…
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Ep 207: Tackling your procrastination habit
Last time, we explored procrastination, its origins and how it impacts our wellbeing, productivity and relationships. In this second part of our three-part review of procrastination, we look at how much psychological discomfort can lead us to delay taking helpful action. We look at some of the...
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Ep 206: Your secret procrastination habit
In this first episode of a three-part series, we take a look at the origins of procrastination, how it can show up, and the impact it can have on our wellbeing, relationships and performance at work. Rather than being some kind of moral failing, procrastination is essentially part of being a…
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Ep 205: It's not just 'bouncing back'!
Building on our last episode, when we looked at how organisations can misinterpret resilience at work, this time we look at how individuals can expand their perspective on resilience. There are so many misconceptions when it comes to resilience. That it's just about keeping going, persistence,...
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Ep 204: Resilience - it's not the answer to everything!
The topic of the month over on WorkLifeSpark, our online personal development community, is resilience. So for the next couple of episodes, we're going to take a look at this concept. In particular, why it's not the panacea or answer to all organisational problems. In this first episode, we look…
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Ep 203: It's never too late for a fresh start
In this episode, I take a few minutes to remind us all that we can make a fresh start on any day of the year. There's nothing particularly magical about January 1st! So if your attempts at change since New Year's Day haven't been fruitful, it's never too late to try again. But rather than simply...
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Ep 202: Culture isn't a Pinterest board!
Welcome back for the first of our episodes for 2026 🎉 In this episode, Richard is once again joined by business psychologist Kara Daley. This time, it's for a discussion on the wide-ranging topic of organisational culture. What exactly is it? Why can it be so hard to pin down and change? And…
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Ep 201: Wrapping up for a fresh start
Hello and welcome to the final episode of My Pocket Psych for 2025. In this brief episode, I take a look ahead to the benefits of side-stepping unhelpful messages about the New Year, and how small changes, personal experiments and a fresh start might be what we all need instead. No matter what...
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Ep 200: I'm still here!
In this special celebratory 200th episode, we turn the tables: Richard is in the hot seat and interviewed by friend of the show, Ross McIntosh. Ross asks Richard about the origins of the show, what he learnt over 199 episodes, how he's changed and what lessons he'd share with others. We look at...
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Ep 199: Coping for leaders
Richard is once again joined by fellow psychologist Ross McIntosh to discuss the importance of coping with difficulties and setbacks - especially when it comes to leadership roles. They outline the inevitability of challenges and the importances of using healthy and sustainable coping strategies…
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Ep 198: Self-care for leaders (and everyone else!)
In this episode, Richard is joined by colleague and fellow psychologist Ross McIntosh for a discussion about the importance of self-care for leaders. Given the tough roles leaders occupy, maintaining a focus on their wellbeing is key. Richard and Ross look at common misunderstandings about...
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Ep 197: The Intercultural Aspects of Leadership
In this episode, Richard is joined by Dr. Austin Tay, a chartered psychologist with significant experience of working across cultures in the fields of assessment, leadership development and coaching. Together, they explore why leaders benefit from intercultural awareness, why it's important not…
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Ep 196: The role of coaching in leadership development
This episode focuses on the important role that good quality coaching can play as part of structured leadership development. As part of a leadership programme, coaching allows the participants to explore new concepts and practice bringing them to life, to work on barriers to behavioural change…
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Ep 195: How to maintain a focus on your development
Following on from the last episode, where I discussed how to get the most from your experience on a development programme, this time I ask: once the programme is over, how do you keep focused on your development? How do you avoid letting your new knowledge and skills wither on the vine? How do…
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Ep 194: How to get the most from your leadership development programme
And we're back! After a break to enjoy my summer holiday in Japan, My Pocket Psych is back with a focus on how to get the most from your involvement in a leadership development programme. We look at the importance of four key factors: mindset, engagement, reflection and application. These include...
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Ep 193: Taking my own medicine
After quite a few weeks focusing on self-care and coping - as topics for leaders - I realised I was at risk of neglecting my own self-care and planned holiday. So this short episode constitutes a bit of a reflection of sorts, as I consider how I can best disconnect from work while in Japan....
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Ep 192: Threats to leaders' wellbeing
In this episode, I take a look at some of the ways leaders' wellbeing is challenged. Stressors from the role of leadership, the culture of the organisation and from within the leader him/herself can combine to make the job much more difficult than it needs to be. I look at some of the sources of...
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Ep 191: When leadership development goes wrong
In this episode, as part of our Sustainable Leadership series, Richard explores some of the many ways that leadership development activities can fail to deliver. While it's often one of the most important people development investments an organisation can make, the results can fall of short of...
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Ep 190: Burnout - recognition and recovery
This is the second part of Richard's two-part interview with Dr. Richard Duggins, all about his work in treating burnout. You can find the first part of this interview here. In this episode, Dr. Richard Duggins explains the role of the workplace and workplace culture in employees' experiene of...
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Ep 189: Burnout - signs and symptoms with Dr. Richard Duggins
In this episode of our 'Sustainable Leadership' series, we explore the antithesis of sustainable work: professional burnout. Richard is joined by Dr. Richard Duggins, consultant psychiatrist and psychotherapist, who is known as the 'Doctor's Doctor' due to his work with physicians experiencing...
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Ep 188: Why leaders need to be emotionally literate
This episode of the podcast is based on a webinar we recently ran on the topic of emotional literacy. In this session, Dr. Richard MacKinnon and Ross McIntosh explain what sustainable leadership is, the role of emotional literacy in leadership, the risks of neglecting it and some simple ways to...
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Ep 187: Leadership and mental health
Welcome to another episode of My Pocket Psych, which is part of our ongoing 'Sustainable Leadership' series. In this episode, Richard is joined by clinical and coaching psychologist Dr. Petra Gwilliam, to discuss the importance of mental health when it comes to leadership. We've previously looked...
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Ep 186: Why leaders need to be psychologically flexible.
Continuing our theme of the importance of Sustainable Leadership, this episode is a little bit different. Earlier this month, I facilitated a webinar with my good friend and collaborator Dr. Rachael Skews. It was the first of our new series of free monthly webinars on the topic of Sustainable...
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Ep 185: What is 'Sustainable Leadership'?
This episode is the first in a new series where we'll unpack all aspects of leadership, leadership development and the wellbeing and performance of leaders. In this episode, Richard is joined by Dr. Wayne Mullen, an experienced leadership development expert, to set the scene, outline our…
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Ep 184: Wellbeing - have you tried doing...less?
In this episode, we wrap up our 'Thriving at Work' focus on wellbeing by asking a simple question: when it comes to improving your health and wellbeing, have you considered actually doing less? So much of the advice we get about our wellbeing implies the need to do more of something: new foods…
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Ep 183: Wellbeing is about moving towards what matters
In episode 181, I explained how getting clear on what matters - our values - can be a great place to start when we want to improve our wellbeing. This time round, I look at the benefits of putting these values into action and being more intentional about our actions. Instead of framing our…
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Ep 182: Dealing with challenges at work using Psychological Flexibility
I recently spoke at the Health and Wellbeing at Work conference in Birmingham on supporting employees to overcome challenges and setbacks. On the back of lots of positive feedback, I decided to record an episode outlining the main points I shared with delegates on the day, to share with a wider...
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Ep 181: Wellbeing - it starts with values
In this episode, we look at why it's so important to be clear on our values when making changes to improve our wellbeing. Values help us make authentic changes, help us persist when we don't feel like it, and give us an opportunity to take values-based action on a daily basis. Values remind us of...
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ABOUT THIS SHOW
My Pocket Psych is all about the psychology of the workplace. Each episode, we'll examine the world of work and explore a topic through the lens of psychology. Wellbeing, productivity, careers, relationship management. We'll aim to give listeners tips to help improve their experience of work - moving from surviving to thriving! My Pocket Psych is brought to you by WorkLifePsych Ltd and hosted by Dr. Richard MacKinnon, a Chartered Psychologist and coach.
HOSTED BY
Dr. Richard A. MacKinnon
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Frequently Asked Questions
How many episodes does My Pocket Psych have?
My Pocket Psych currently has 100 episodes available on PodParley. New episodes are automatically indexed when they're published to the podcast feed.
What is My Pocket Psych about?
My Pocket Psych is all about the psychology of the workplace. Each episode, we'll examine the world of work and explore a topic through the lens of psychology. Wellbeing, productivity, careers, relationship management. We'll aim to give listeners tips to help improve their experience of work -...
How often does My Pocket Psych release new episodes?
My Pocket Psych has 100 episodes. Check the episode list to see recent publication dates and frequency.
Where can I listen to My Pocket Psych?
You can listen to My Pocket Psych on PodParley by clicking any episode. We provide an embedded audio player for direct listening, and you can also subscribe via your preferred podcast app using the RSS feed.
Who hosts My Pocket Psych?
My Pocket Psych is created and hosted by Dr. Richard A. MacKinnon.
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