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 thenkeep scrolling for all the useful links.
pea, soupers. Were back this week. It's a cup of soup, a short episode where I look at the challenge of change. And why we keep hitting the snooze button on what we'd really like to achieve. This episode is inspired by a paper by friend of the show, Ian Tyndall from the University of Chichester and Ruth Ann Feld from the Chicago School of Professional Psychology.
You'll hear me cover various things in this episode from an example of an HR leader responsible for the rollout of our wellbeing program. looking at the workplace as a system of reinforcement, recognizing that behavior doesn't happen in isolation.
and illustrating how acceptance and commitment therapy can support behavior change at work.
[:
Before we dive in, let's scoot over to the news desk. Those P supers with enhanced noticing skills might have spotted that we'd been off the air since August. The summer break kind of ran away with itself. Sadly, my dear dad known to many listeners as Big G has been facing a variety of health challenges since his 90th birthday In May.
conversations are a bit like [:
And then by mutual agreement, we step back out into the corridor of everyday routines. Each return to that poorly lit room feels a little more familiar. we revisit old themes, uncover new insights. And alongside the sadness, there's deep appreciation, love, and even humor. on one of our recent visits to that room, dad asked me, do you get nervous before delivering a workshop?
My answer was, hell yeah, sometimes more than others. That led me to reflect again on the values I try to bring into my work How many of those qualities are gifts from both my mom and dad, but that's the subject for another episode.
at keeps me going is that my [:
So if you do fancy having a chat about potential work or coaching, please do get in touch. I am available and we can set up a conversation One thing coming up soon that I'm excited about is a live q and a session I'll be doing on Thursday the 23rd of October with a fabulous Joe Oliver at Contextual Consulting. You can join me for this 90 minute session where we'll discuss strategies for introducing act to organizations, how to get buy-in with leaders, how you can use ACT to inform your stance as a facilitator and how to take those first steps.
You can submit your questions in advance and I think it'll be a fun, informative, and lively session. You'll find a link in the show notes to reserve your place.
So for now, get a brew on and have a listen to my reflections on change.
[:
by Tyndall and Rael.
Let's start with a scene that might sound familiar. Meet Chris, an HR leader and an organization responsible for the rollout of our Wellbeing at Work program. there are mindfulness workshops, a job crafting handbook, yoga classes, step counting competitions, and much more.
f their screens working late [:
research shows that most of us already know the behaviors that help us thrive, whether it's exercise, setting boundaries, eating well, sleep hygiene, and connecting with others. Those behaviors can also include tackling that tricky report, submitting invoices or expenses, preparing that important presentation and having that difficult conversation.
at's flagged as urgent. That [:
of course. It's never less busy tomorrow. So even when a company says, take care of yourself, our behavior system says, sure, right after I finish this report, here's another truth from behavioral science. Workplaces are systems of reinforcement. Every behavior helpful or unhelpful is shaped by its consequences in that system.
when we try to do something [:
This Dear Listener, is where ACT comes in.
Acceptance and commitment therapy is designed to cultivate psychological flexibility. That is the ability to stay open, present, and guided by our values. Even when it's uncomfortable. When we're psychologically flexible, we can notice our thoughts and emotions without getting trapped or derailed by them.
Let's go back to Chris's workplace. One of her team members, Tom wants to speak up about burnout, but keeps thinking if I say something, I'm gonna look weak. That thought isn't the problem. It's normal. the issue is cognitive fusion.
when we treat that thought as a literal truth. In ACT, we learn to diffuse from our thoughts to see them as words, not facts. once Tom notices that thought, he can use a technique from act by putting a phrase in front of it. And that phrase would be, I notice that I'm having the thought that.
[:
and by applying this technique, it can help Tom get a bit of space between himself and that thought and recognize it for what it is. Not a hundred percent true and not a hundred percent worthy of his full attention. He then has the space to act on his values of honesty and care for the team and raise their issue of burnout.
that small shift from avoidance to values led action. It's like the engine of change.
hing, to dodge, the guilt of [:
It's not about being fearless, it's about being willing. So that's what Chris eventually tried in their team. Instead of another wellness campaign, they started a weekly values in action conversation. Each person picked one small behavior linked to their values, like leaving on time to be with their family and practice, noticing the thoughts that got in the way.
at first. People joked about it, but over time something shifted. It became more normal to talk about inner barriers and support each other's values, LED goals.
't just tell employees to be [:
So it's saying, imagine how good you'll feel having energy at 4:00 PM if you take that lunchtime walk instead of, you'll burn out if you don't exercise. Creating reinforcement systems that reward behaviors aligned with those values, we celebrate leaving on time when that supports balance making space for mindfulness or reflection in the flow of daily work, not just in special workshops. I think of it as a pause and I distinguish between a macro pause and a micro pauses.
the macro pause could be a regular Friday diary appointment where we reflect on the week, how we've expressed our values and look forward towards the coming week. And then there's the micro pause getting used to catching ourselves in flight and if necessary, adjusting our trajectory depending on the context in which we find ourselves.
And don't [:
Here's a small, practical example that captures all these principles. It's one I've introduced in a fair few workplaces.
at an agency in the public service. Leaders were noticing that meetings were draining energy and focus. they introduced a two minute arrive and notice ritual. At the start of each meeting, everyone paused.
Took a breath and silently noted, what's one thing on my mind right now and what do I want to stand for in this meeting? At first it felt awkward, but after a few weeks, people reported fewer interruptions, more thoughtful dialogue, and less post-meeting fatigue. Why? Because that ritual helps people diffuse from their automatic thoughts and reconnect with their values, collaboration, respect, and presence.
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So let's just look back at the key takeaways. Change fails when consequences are too distant, or systems reward. The Old Behaviors Act helps by building psychological flexibility, awareness, openness, and values-based action. Sustainable work-based change means aligning reinforcement and culture with values, And finally start small. One conversation, one mindful pause. One. Values based action at a [00:13:00] time.
Ross: That's it. Peace supers my reflection on the challenge of change in the bag. you'll find the show notes for this episode at People Soup Captivate fm or wherever you get your podcasts. If you like this episode, we'd love it if you told us why. You can email that to people soup dot pod@gmail.com. And on the socials, I'm still posting on Instagram at People Soup, and I'm on LinkedIn too, as well as a new account on Blue Sky.
Just search for my name. Now more than ever, you can help me reach more people with the special people, soup ingredients, stuff that could be really useful for them. So please do share, subscribe, rate, and review. Thanks to Andy Glenn for his spoon magic and Alex Engelberg for his vocals.
But most of all, dear listener, thanks to you, look after yourselves, peace supers and bye for now.
