Truth, Lies and Work

What do late-night comedy writers know about trust, influence, and human connection that most business leaders don’t?

In this episode of Truth, Lies & Work, we’re joined by Beth Sherman — a seven-time Emmy-winning comedy writer who spent three decades in Hollywood writers’ rooms before taking what she learned into the world of business.

Beth has written for The Late Show with David Letterman, The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, Ellen, the Screen Actors Guild Awards, and the Oscars. Today, she works with leaders, sales teams, and organisations who want to build trust quickly, communicate with confidence, and connect more humanly at work.

This is not about telling jokes in meetings.

It’s about understanding why humour works, how truth creates connection, and why the most effective communicators are the most observant — not the funniest.

What you’ll learn in this episode


Why “truth is funny” — and what that reveals about trust and rapport


The difference between self-awareness and self-deprecation (and why confusing the two damages credibility)


How humour creates psychological safety without undermining authority


Why being human matters more as work becomes more automated and AI-driven


How observational humour helps in sales, leadership, presentations, and difficult conversations


Why you don’t need to be funny — you need to be emotionally intelligent and observant

Beth explains how comedians build instant rapport with strangers, and why those same principles are powerful in boardrooms, client meetings, and tense workplace moments.

Why this matters for leaders and teams

In a world where people can buy similar products, services, and solutions anywhere, relationships are the differentiator.

Humour, when used properly, signals:


Awareness of the room


Confidence without ego


Safety without softness


Humanity without oversharing

Beth’s work shows that humour isn’t about performance. It’s about connection — and connection is the foundation of trust, influence, and persuasion at work.

About our guest

Beth Sherman is a comedian, keynote speaker, and communication expert. She spent over 30 years writing comedy at the highest level before translating those principles into practical tools for business leaders.

Her upcoming book is published by Blue Goat Books.

🔗 Beth Sherman website: https://www.bethsherman.com/
🔗 Beth Sherman on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/beth-sherman/

🎧 Listen if you’re…


A leader who wants to build trust without forcing charisma


In sales or marketing and tired of scripts that feel inauthentic


Giving presentations and feeling pressure to “perform”


Curious about the psychology of humour and human connection


Navigating communication in an increasingly automated workplace

💬 Connect with Truth, Lies & Work


Website: https://truthliesandwork.com


Email: [email protected]


LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/truth-lies-and-work


Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/truthlieswork


Al Elliott: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alelliott/


Leanne Elliott: https://www.linkedin.com/in/leanneelliott/

🧠 Mental health support

If this conversation brings anything up for you or someone you care about:


UK & ROI: Samaritans — 116 123 | https://www.samaritans.org


US: Suicide & Crisis Lifeline — 988 | https://988lifeline.org


Australia: Lifeline — 13 11 14 | https://www.lifeline.org.au


Elsewhere: https://findahelpline.com

Welcome back to Truth, Lies & Work, the podcast where behavioural science meets workplace culture.

This week we’re exploring what employees and leaders are really looking for at work right now — and how it’s shaping leadership behaviour, burnout, employee wellbeing, and workplace culture.

🔥 Stories covered

Why are Gen Z leaving jobs so quickly?

According to a Fast Company article by Jeff LeBlanc, Gen Z workers aren’t job-hopping out of disloyalty. They’re growth hunting.

The research shows:


Nearly half of Gen Z plan to leave roles for better growth, not higher pay


86% won’t upskill without employer funding


43% feel too burnt out to learn outside work hours


Cost, not motivation, is the biggest barrier to development

This reflects a wider shift in workplace expectations. When organisations talk about growth but don’t support it structurally, people move on. Gen Z isn’t rejecting work — they’re rejecting stagnation.

🔗 https://www.fastcompany.com/91452297/the-rise-of-growth-hunting-why-gen-z-changes-jobs-so-oftengenz-job-hopping

Jeff previously joined Truth, Lies & Work to discuss Gen Z, burnout, and leadership psychology: https://truthliesandwork.com/episodes/207-what-happens-when-leaders-start-being-kind-with-jeff-leblanc

You can also explore his book Engaged Empathy Leadership for practical, science-backed management advice: https://www.amazon.com/Engaged-Empathy-Leadership-Redefining-Action-ebook/dp/B0FCGSC48C

Does complaining at work make teams less resilient?

Research highlighted by Stanford suggests that repeated complaining rewires the brain.

Over time:


Neural pathways linked to stress and threat detection strengthen


Baseline stress levels rise


Small irritations feel bigger


Negativity becomes automatic

For leaders, this matters. Teams that normalise constant complaining may unintentionally reduce resilience, decision-making quality, and psychological safety.

🔗 https://x.com/shiningscience/status/2013113758386987099

What employee wellbeing benefits actually reduce burnout?

After a LinkedIn post went viral, Slate introduced a $200 monthly cleaning stipend for employees.

Why this matters for employee wellbeing:


It removes friction instead of adding effort


It gives people time and mental space back


It supports carers and those under chronic time pressure


Research consistently links cluttered environments to higher stress

This reframes wellbeing away from “one more thing to do” and towards burnout prevention.

🔗 https://fortune.com/2026/01/15/company-adds-cleaning-services-as-employee-benefit-what-hr-leaders-can-learn/

🔥 Truth or Lie

Can you manifest success just by visualising it?

Lie — if it’s about imagining outcomes alone.Truth — when visualisation is used to plan actions and effort.

Psychology shows visualising the process increases follow-through. Imagining success without action often reduces motivation.
💬 Workplace Surgery — practical management advice

This week we answer:


What’s the earliest sign of burnout before someone admits it?


Is it genuinely hard to find a good manager?


If you hate your job and feel stuck, what’s the first practical step?

🎧 Coming up Thursday

We’re joined by Beth Sherman to explore how humour builds trust, rapport, and confident decision-making at work.

💬 Connect with Truth, Lies & Work


Website: https://truthliesandwork.com


Email: [email protected]


LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/truth-lies-and-work


Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/truthlieswork


Al Elliott: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alelliott/


Leanne Elliott: https://www.linkedin.com/in/leanneelliott/

🧠 Mental health support


UK & ROI: Samaritans — 116 123 | https://www.samaritans.org


US: Suicide & Crisis Lifeline — 988 | https://988lifeline.org


Australia: Lifeline — 13 11 14 | https://www.lifeline.org.au


Elsewhere: https://findahelpline.com

Most founders pride themselves on being “high-capacity”.
The person who can sell, operate, strategise, and firefight all at once.

But there’s a point where that strength quietly becomes the problem.

In this episode, Al and Leanne are joined by Dustin Hillis, a serial entrepreneur and executive coach who has led businesses from early-stage chaos through to $100m-plus scale, and is now building again at a much bigger level.

Dustin’s core message is simple, but uncomfortable:what gets you to your first milestone will not get you to the next one.

Unless leaders change how they work, think, and let go, they become the bottleneck that holds everything back.

This is a long-form, honest conversation about growth, power, systems, and the emotional reality of leadership that rarely gets talked about.

🔍 What you’ll learn in this episode


Why working harder eventually stops working, and what replaces it


How leaders unintentionally burn out their best people by turning them into “catch-alls”


Why systems don’t kill creativity, but reduce fear and create capacity


What actually changes at £1m, £10m, £100m and beyond


The power dynamics that quietly derail teams as money and authority increase


Why “pruning” underperformance is painful but essential for healthy cultures


How to stop being the centre of everything without losing control

Dustin acts as a guide through the messy middle of growth, grounded in lived experience rather than theory.

📘 About the book

Dustin is the author of Capacity: Building Your Business Bigger Than You, a practical exploration of how leaders build organisations that no longer depend on them to function.

🔗 Connect with Dustin


LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dustinhillis/


Website: https://dustinhillis.com

💬 Connect with the hosts


Al Elliotthttps://www.linkedin.com/in/alelliott/


Leanne Elliotthttps://www.linkedin.com/in/leanneelliott/

🎧 Connect with Truth, Lies & Work


Website: https://truthliesandwork.com


Email: [email protected]


LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/truth-lies-and-work


Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/truthlieswork

Have a workplace dilemma or question? Get in touch — it may feature in a future episode.

🧠 Mental health support

If this episode brings up difficult feelings, support is available:


UK: Samaritans — call 116 123 or visit https://www.samaritans.org


US: Suicide & Crisis Lifeline — call or text 988 or visit https://988lifeline.org


Australia: Lifeline — call 13 11 14 or visit https://www.lifeline.org.au


Elsewhere: https://findahelpline.com

January blues are back — but is Blue Monday actually real?
In this episode of Truth, Lies & Work, we explore wintering, career pivots, and what behavioural science really says about mood, motivation and burnout at work during January.

If the start of the year feels heavy, flat or strangely exhausting, you’re not alone. Instead of pushing harder, this week we ask a different question: what if slowing down is the smarter response?

🔥 Stories Covered

Word of the Week: Wintering
We unpack the idea of wintering, coined by author Katherine May, which reframes winter as a period of restoration rather than something to “power through”. Drawing on coverage in The Times and insights from clinical psychologist Dr Stephanie Fitzgerald, we explore why January might not be the time for big life changes — and how seasonal rhythms, cold exposure, warm food rituals and gentler movement can help regulate mood and energy.

Links:https://www.thetimes.com/life-style/health-fitness/article/january-blues-cure-wintering-tkxhxwkskhttps://katherine-may.co.uk/winteringhttps://www.penguin.co.uk/books/472162/the-gifts-of-winter-by-fitzgerald-dr-stephanie/9780241779576

When is it really time for a career pivot?
We look at new thinking on how to tell the difference between genuine readiness for change and endless rumination. With careers becoming less predictable and many people stuck in the “Big Stay”, we explore why job-hugging is rising — and how understanding your real strengths can help you spot when fit has genuinely broken down.

Link:https://www.fastcompany.com/91462109/how-tell-time-career-pivot

Mattel launches its first autistic Barbie
Mattel has introduced its first autistic Barbie, developed with the Autistic Self Advocacy Network. Thoughtful design choices around sensory comfort, communication and representation open up a bigger conversation about inclusion, neurodiversity and what people grow up seeing as “normal” — and how that shapes expectations at work.

Links:https://corporate.mattel.com/news/barbie-introduces-the-first-autistic-barbie-doll-championing-representation-for-children-through-playhttps://www.linkedin.com/in/jamie-cygielman-7a912412/

🧠 Truth or Lie: Is Blue Monday real?

Every January, we’re told there’s a single Monday that’s the most depressing day of the year. It sounds scientific. It feels believable. But does it stand up to evidence?

We break down where Blue Monday came from, what research actually says about winter mood, money stress, Mondays and post-holiday crashes — and where the idea falls apart.

Verdict:
Blue Monday as a specific date is a lie.
January strain and winter pressure are very real.

💬 Workplace Surgery

This week we answer:


What actually works in a company culture diagnostic beyond satisfaction surveys?


How do you build a genuinely high-performance team without burning people out?


If your policies support work-life balance but staff say otherwise, what’s missing?

🎧 Coming up Thursday

A brand-new expert interview with Beth Sherman, comedian and seven-time Emmy Award-winning writer, on how humour builds trust, rapport and confident decision-making at work.

📬 Get in touch with the show

Have a question for Workplace Surgery or feedback on the episode?


LinkedIn (Show): https://www.linkedin.com/company/truthlieswork


Al Elliott: https://www.linkedin.com/in/thisisalelliott


Leanne Elliott: https://www.linkedin.com/in/meetleanne


Email: [email protected]


Website: https://truthliesandwork.com/

💚 Mental wellbeing support

If you or someone you know is struggling, confidential help is available:


Samaritans (UK & Ireland): 116 123


Mind (England & Wales): 0300 102 1234


988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline (US): Call or text 988


Find A Helpline (Global): https://findahelpline.com/

This week on Truth, Lies & Work, Al and Leanne sit down with Dr Matt Poepsel, Marine veteran, author and the self-proclaimed Godfather of Talent Optimization at The Predictive Index. In a world shaped by burnout, uncertainty and rapid AI disruption, Matt argues that many organisations are facing a “hope crisis” – and it is quietly draining performance, motivation and leadership effectiveness.

What We Cover

Matt explains why hope is not fluffy positivity but a measurable psychological skill linked directly to job performance, resilience and team culture. Drawing on Snyder’s Hope Theory, he shows how two components – agency (belief you can influence outcomes) and pathways (seeing the concrete steps to succeed) – determine whether people stay engaged or slip into autopilot.

We also explore why so many teams are struggling: years of instability, constant change and leaders who unknowingly remove autonomy or fail to explain the path forward. Matt shares practical ways leaders can rebuild hope by creating clarity, showing people where they fit, and setting ambitious but achievable goals.

The conversation moves into modern leadership, where AI automates admin but heightens the importance of human connection, psychological safety and real alignment. Matt introduces his concept of Enlightened Leadership – a shift away from outdated command-and-control approaches toward a more selfless, purpose-driven model that balances technology with humanity.

If you lead people, manage teams or want to stay ahead in a rapidly changing workplace, this episode offers concrete actions to build engagement, performance and wellbeing in 2026 and beyond.


Why hope predicts job performance as strongly as intelligence


How burnout, bureaucracy and unclear goals quietly erode hope


The difference between hope, optimism and positivity


Why new beginnings generate motivation and why post-achievement crashes happen


How leaders can use agency and pathways to rebuild engagement


Why AI makes human leadership a competitive advantage


What Enlightened Leadership looks like in practice


How to measure hope inside your organisation


Why hope becomes contagious when leaders model it

Connect with Matt Poepsel

🌐 Website: https://mattpoepsel.com
💼 LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/in/mattpoepsel
🎧 Podcast: Lead the People – https://www.mattpoepsel.com/podcasts/lead-the-people

Connect with Al & Leanne

LinkedIn (Show): https://www.linkedin.com/company/truthlieswork
Al Elliott: https://www.linkedin.com/in/thisisalelliott
Leanne Elliott: https://www.linkedin.com/in/meetleanne
Email: [email protected]
Book a call: https://savvycal.com/meetleanne/chat
Website: https://truthliesandwork.com/

Mental Health Support

Samaritans (UK & Ireland) – 116 123Mind (England & Wales) – 0300 102 1234988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline (US) – Call or text 988Find A Helpline (Global) – https://findahelpline.com/