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The Human Risk Podcast

The Human Risk Podcast

By: Human Risk
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People are often described as the largest asset in most organisations. They are also the biggest single cause of risk. This podcast explores the topic of 'human risk', or "the risk of people doing things they shouldn't or not doing things they should", and examines how behavioural science can help us mitigate it. It also looks at 'human reward', or "how to get the most out of people". When we manage human risk, we often stifle human reward. Equally, when we unleash human reward, we often inadvertently increase human risk.

To pitch guests please email guest@humanriskpodcast.comCopyright Human Risk Science Social Sciences
Episodes
  • Phil Dobson on Cognitive Leadership

    Phil Dobson on Cognitive Leadership
    Apr 4 2026
    We tend to assume that if we’re working hard, we’re working well. But what if that isn’t true?

    Episode Summary
    My guest on this episode is Phil Dobson, author of The Brain Book and founder of Brain Workshops, about what he calls 'cognitive leadership': using neuroscience and psychology to help people sustain performance, think more clearly, and navigate uncertainty. Phil explains how a broken ankle led him from music and sales into hypnotherapy, neuroscience, and leadership development, and why he believes most of us are never properly taught how our brains actually work.

    In a wide-ranging discussion, we explore the difference between productivity and effectiveness, why attention may be our most valuable asset, and how modern working life often undermines flow, creativity, and good decision-making. We also discuss stress, workload, digital distraction, the limits of measurement, and what organisations get wrong when they try to manage people as if more time always equals more value.

    Discover how leaders can create better conditions for thinking, resilience, creativity, and change; and why understanding the human brain matters far beyond the workplace.

    Episode Summaruy
    • why most of us are taught far too little about how our brains work
    • Phil’s unusual route from musician to hypnotherapist to neuroscience-based leadership adviser
    • the difference between being productive and being effective
    • why self-employment sharpened Phil’s focus on impact rather than activity
    • how experimentation, iteration, and reflection shape better ways of working
    • the distinction between fun and fulfilment
    • flow states and why modern life makes them harder to access
    • the growing importance of attention in a world of distraction
    • why stress management has to include workload management, not just breathing techniques
    • how rest, breaks, and so-called “unproductive” time often drive insight and creativity
    • why measuring people too narrowly can damage performance
    • how understanding the brain helps leaders navigate change and uncertainty
    • why improving human decision-making matters not just for performance, but for reducing costly mistakes
    AI-Generated Timestamped Summary
    00:00 — Introduction: busyness vs effectiveness
    02:00 — Phil’s journey into cognitive leadership
    07:00 — Productivity vs effectiveness (and the 80/20 shift)
    12:00 — Experimentation, habits, and fulfilment
    17:00 — Flow, focus, and attention under pressure
    22:00 — Attention as a critical (and under threat) asset
    27:00 — Why knowing isn’t the same as doing
    31:00 — Rethinking productivity: energy, creativity, and insight
    36:00 — The neuroscience of better thinking (default mode network)
    40:00 — Measurement, management, and leadership challenges
    45:00 — Human performance beyond the workplace
    50:00 — Human error, decision-making, and risk
    55:00 — Evolving work: shorter weeks and smarter working
    58:00 — Leading change with a brain-based approach
    01:03:00 — Final reflections and closing

    Relevant Links
    Phil's website - https://phildobson.com/

    Brain Workshops - https://brainworkshops.co.uk/

    Phil on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/brainworkshops/

    The Brain Book - https://www.amazon.com/Brain-Book-Smarter-Concise-Advice/dp/1910649732
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    1 hr and 10 mins
  • Professor Mark Stoyle on The Western Rising of 1549

    Professor Mark Stoyle on The Western Rising of 1549
    Mar 22 2026
    What lessons does a religious protest that led to an uprising in 1549 have to do with human risk?

    At first glance, not very much. It’s easy to see it as a distant historical event — something about religion, kings, and a very different world. But as my guest, Professor Mark Stoyle explains, the Western Rising of 1549 is far more than that. It’s a powerful example of what happens when authority imposes change without understanding how people will react.

    Episode Summary
    This episode started on a train journey to Exeter, where I was due to give a talk. Looking for a local story to make my presentation more relevant, I stumbled across a battle that had taken place just outside the venue in 1549. The more I read, the clearer it became that this wasn’t just history, it was a case study in compliance, behaviour, and unintended consequences.

    Guest Profile
    Mark is a historian and leading expert on what he calls the Western Rising of 1549. In this conversation, we explore how sweeping religious changes imposed by those in power triggered resistance, how small incidents escalated into a major rebellion, and why identity, belief, and emotion played such a critical role. Along the way, we discuss how history is written (and biased), why changing language can provoke outrage rather than acceptance, and what this story reveals about leadership, risk, and human behaviour today.

    AI-Generated Timestamped Summary
    00:00 – Introduction: a compliance failure in 1549
    01:00 – The train journey to Exeter
    02:00 – Discovering the rebellion
    04:00 – Why this is a human risk story
    05:15 – Introducing Professor Mark Stoyle
    07:30 – Setting the historical context
    10:00 – Power, authority, and instability
    13:30 – What triggered the rising
    17:00 – Why language change caused outrage
    22:00 – Early resistance and local incidents
    25:00 – The tipping point: violence begins
    29:00 – How the rebellion spreads
    33:00 – The siege of Exeter
    37:00 – How history is written by the victors
    41:00 – Crushing the rebellion
    45:00 – Cultural consequences and language loss
    48:00 – Lessons for today
    52:00 – Polarisation and modern parallels
    57:00 – Final reflections In this episode we discuss

    Key Topics
    • Why imposed change can trigger resistance
    • How small incidents escalate into major crises
    • The role of identity, belief, and emotion in decision-making
    • Why language and culture matter in compliance
    • How authority can misjudge human behaviour
    • The dangers of polarisation and “us vs them” thinking
    • Why compromise becomes impossible in extreme positions
    • How history is shaped by those who win
    • The unintended consequences of leadership decisions
    • What a 16th-century rebellion teaches us about modern risk
    Guest Profile
    Mark Stoyle is Professor of History at the University of Southampton. He specialises in Tudor rebellions, the English Civil War, and the history of witchcraft. Originally from Devon, his work on the Western Rising of 1549 draws on decades of research and a deep personal connection to the region where these events took place.

    Links
    The Western Rising of 1549, Mark's book - https://yalebooks.co.uk/book/9780300276886/the-western-rising-of-1549/

    Mark's University of Southampton profile page - https://www.southampton.ac.uk/people/5wyxqy/professor-mark-stoyle

    Mark's publisher profile: - https://www.worldturnedupsidedown.co.uk/team/mark-stoyle/
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    1 hr and 5 mins
  • Jeffrey Ludlow on What A Sign Is...

    Jeffrey Ludlow on What A Sign Is...
    Mar 14 2026
    What exactly is a sign? At first glance, that might sound like a strange question. Signs are everywhere: telling us where to go, what to do, what not to do, and sometimes what might happen if we ignore instructions. But as my guest, Jeffrey Ludlow Saentz explains, signs are much more than bits of information on walls or beside roads.

    Episode Summary
    Jeffrey is a signage designer who works on complex buildings and environments around the world — airports, offices, museums, and other places where helping people find their way really matters. He’s also the author of A Sign Is..., a fascinating book exploring the history, meaning, and cultural significance of the signs that shape our everyday behaviour.

    In this conversation, we explore why good signage is often invisible, how buildings “speak” to us through wayfinding systems, and what signs reveal about power, trust, and human behaviour. Along the way we discuss hacked traffic signs, casino design, airport navigation, and why something as simple as an arrow carries centuries of history.

    AI-Generated Timestamped Summary
    00:00 – Introduction: why signs are more interesting than they first appear
    03:00 – How Jeffrey became a signage designer
    04:00 – The challenge of helping people navigate complex buildings
    07:00 – What actually is a sign?
    09:00 – Why “everything can be a sign”
    11:00 – The power dynamics behind signage and authority
    13:00 – How designers observe signage in the real world
    14:30 – Cultural differences in wayfinding and navigation
    19:30 – Why Jeffrey wrote A Sign Is..
    22:00 – The fascinating history of fire safety signage
    24:00 – Curiosity and the stories hidden behind everyday signs
    27:00 – Hacked construction signs and unexpected messages
    31:00 – Trust, authority, and information on signs
    35:00 – Advertising, nudging, and attention
    36:00 – Information overload and competing signals
    39:00 – The learned language of signs and symbols
    41:00 – Why good signage is “invisible” when it works
    43:00 – Airports, trust, and wayfinding design
    46:00 – How people become signage designers
    47:30 – How casinos, airports, and museums use signs differently
    50:00 – The psychology of navigation
    54:00 – Why signage can’t work perfectly for everyone
    57:00 – Why wayfinding is an art rather than a science
    01:02:00 – Jeffrey’s book A Sign Is and where to find it
    01:04:00 – What signs might look like in the future In this episode we discuss

    Key Topics
    • Why signage is a form of behavioural communication
    • How buildings “talk” to people through wayfinding systems
    • The psychology of navigation and spatial awareness
    • Why good signage is invisible
    • How casinos deliberately make navigation harder
    • Why museums minimise signs while airports maximise them
    • The cultural differences in how places are navigated
    • What hacked traffic signs reveal about trust in authority
    • Why signs act as nudges that shape behaviour
    • The limits of signage when designing for large groups
    • How digital navigation may change our relationship with physical signs
    About Jeffrey
    Jeffrey Ludlow is a signage and wayfinding designer and founder of Point of Reference Studio, a design practice specialising in signage systems, environmental graphics, and branding for public environments. Trained as an architect, Jeffrey’s work sits at the intersection of architecture, graphic design, and behavioural psychology — helping people navigate complex spaces more intuitively. He is the author of A Sign Is, a book exploring the cultural, historical, and behavioural significance of the signs that surround us.

    Links
    Jeffrey's book 'A Sign Is...' - https://oroeditions.com/product/a-sign-is

    Point of Reference, the Madrid-based studio Jeffrey founded - https://pointofreference.studio/
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    1 hr and 5 mins
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