People Soup

Ross McIntosh
  • 5.0 (10)
  • Management
  • Updated Weekly

Grounded in behavioural science, with practical ideas you can actually use. The name People Soup comes from a quote by Abraham Maslow: "A first-rate soup is more creative than a second-rate painting." I've always loved that idea because creativity isn't confined to art. It shows up in how we live, work, lead and relate to one another. Work often feels like a soup: a rich, sometimes bewildering mix of people, personalities, decisions, pressures, relationships and unexpected challenges. Every day we're trying to make sense of the ingredients in front of us. Behavioural science doesn't make work simple, but it does give us better ways of responding to complexity. It offers practical ideas, evidence-based tools and skills that help us respond more effectively—to ourselves, to other people and to the situations we face. That's what People Soup is all about. Whether it's a conversation with a guest or a short solo episode, People Soup explores how behavioural science—and particularly Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT)—can help us lead and work with greater intention, developing the psychological flexibility and practical wisdom to navigate whatever life throws our way.

  1. 32m ago

    Quick Spoon: You can be kind to yourself AND ambitious

    Being kind to yourself doesn't mean lowering your standards. In this People Soup Quick Spoon, Dr Amanda Super challenges the idea that self-compassion and ambition are somehow incompatible. Amanda shares what she learned from comparing her experience of her Master's degree with her doctorate ten years later, after developing self-compassion. She was still ambitious. Still driven. Still wanting to achieve. But she wasn't doing it at the cost of herself. So perhaps the question isn't whether we should be ambitious or self-compassionate. Perhaps we can be kind to ourselves AND ambitious. As Ross reflects: “Self-compassion doesn't necessarily mean asking less of ourselves. It might mean changing the way we ask it.” Try this: Think about something you're currently working hard to achieve. Ask yourself: “What would being kind to myself look like in this context?” And then: “Can I take one small step towards that?” This Quick Spoon comes from Ross's conversation with Dr Amanda Super about self-compassion, ambition, boundaries, recovery and being human at work. #PeopleSoup #QuickSpoon #SelfCompassion #Psychology #Leadership

    Quick Spoon: You can be kind to yourself AND ambitious

  2. 2d ago

    Quick Spoon: What do I need right now?

    When something difficult happens, we can move very quickly from what's happened to what we're going to do about it. An email we don't like.Something someone says that gets under our skin.A difficult or overwhelming situation. And suddenly we're going from 0 to 100 in nanoseconds. In this People Soup Quick Spoon, Dr Amanda Super offers a remarkably simple question: “What do I need right now?” Ross explores what might happen if we create a little space before we react. The answer might be: taking a breakseeking some supporthaving a difficult conversationor simply taking a couple of deep breaths before doing anything at all. Here's something to try: The next time you notice yourself becoming stressed, frustrated or overwhelmed, pause before you react and ask yourself: “What do I need right now?” A small question that might change what happens next. This Quick Spoon comes from Ross's conversation with Dr Amanda Super about self-compassion, ambition, boundaries, recovery and being human at work. People Soup: Real conversations about work, leadership, and being human — grounded in behavioural science, with practical ideas you can actually use. If this episode resonated with you, please consider following People Soup, leaving a rating or review, or sharing it with someone who might find it useful. Every recommendation helps more people discover practical, evidence-based conversations about work, leadership and being human. Full episode here - Can you be ambitious and self-compassionate? Dr Amanda Super - People SoupConnect with Amanda on LinkedInAbout Amanda's book - "A Year of Self-Compassion: Finding Care, Connection and Calm in Our Challenging Times"Amanda's website Here's the People Soup Website. And you can subscribe to the People Soup YouTube Channel here. Visit Ross' Website. Connect with Ross on LinkedIn People Soup on Instagram which also features plenty of Ross' photos of the Andalusian life.

    Quick Spoon: What do I need right now?

  3. 5d ago

    Quick Spoon: What would you say no to if you cared about yourself?

    We often think of boundaries as something we put in place to manage other people's demands. But what if a boundary is actually an act of compassion towards ourselves? In this People Soup Quick Spoon, Dr Amanda Super describes boundary setting as a “radical act of self-compassion”. She talks about including ourselves in our own circle of compassion, rather than trying to be all things to all people and paying the price ourselves. Ross also brings in the idea of fierce self-compassion: sometimes compassion isn't about being softer. Sometimes it's about being firmer, protecting ourselves and saying no when we need to. Here's something to try: Think of something you're doing that's costing you more than you can afford to give. Ask yourself: “If I genuinely cared about myself here, what would I say no to?” And then notice what gets in the way. A short reflection from Ross's conversation with Dr Amanda Super about self-compassion, ambition, boundaries, recovery and being human at work. People Soup: Real conversations about work, leadership, and being human — grounded in behavioural science, with practical ideas you can actually use. If this episode resonated with you, please consider following People Soup, leaving a rating or review, or sharing it with someone who might find it useful. Every recommendation helps more people discover practical, evidence-based conversations about work, leadership and being human. Full episode here - Can you be ambitious and self-compassionate? Dr Amanda Super - People SoupConnect with Amanda on LinkedInAbout Amanda's book - "A Year of Self-Compassion: Finding Care, Connection and Calm in Our Challenging Times"Amanda's website Here's the People Soup Website. And you can subscribe to the People Soup YouTube Channel here. Visit Ross' Website. Connect with Ross on LinkedIn People Soup on Instagram which also features plenty of Ross' photos of the Andalusian life.

    Quick Spoon: What would you say no to if you cared about yourself?

  4. Sep 8

    Quick Spoon - What if you spoke to yourself like a friend?

    When something goes wrong, it's easy to add another layer of difficulty by being hard on ourselves. What's wrong with me? I should be able to handle this. Why can't I cope? In this People Soup Quick Spoon, Dr Amanda Super recalls a nurse telling her: “You're being very hard on yourself.”That comment helped Amanda discover self-compassion — and it got me thinking about how differently we sometimes speak to ourselves compared with the way we'd speak to someone we care about. So here's something to try: Imagine a close friend is in the same situation as you. What would you say to them? How would you speak to them? What tone would you use? And then ask yourself: What would it be like to speak to myself in the same way? A small exercise — but potentially a useful way to notice how we treat ourselves when things get difficult. This Quick Spoon comes from my conversation with Dr Amanda Super about self-compassion, ambition, boundaries and being human at work. Listen to the full conversation on People Soup. People Soup: Real conversations about work, leadership, and being human — grounded in behavioural science, with practical ideas you can actually use. If this episode resonated with you, please consider following People Soup, leaving a rating or review, or sharing it with someone who might find it useful. Every recommendation helps more people discover practical, evidence-based conversations about work, leadership and being human. Full episode here - Can you be ambitious and self-compassionate? Dr Amanda Super - People SoupConnect with Amanda on LinkedInAbout Amanda's book - "A Year of Self-Compassion: Finding Care, Connection and Calm in Our Challenging Times"Amanda's website Here's the People Soup Website. And you can subscribe to the People Soup YouTube Channel here. Visit Ross' Website. Connect with Ross on LinkedIn People Soup on Instagram which also features plenty of Ross' photos of the Andalusian life.

    Quick Spoon - What if you spoke to yourself like a friend?

  5. Sep 6

    Can you be ambitious and self-compassionate? Dr Amanda Super

    What if being kinder to yourself doesn't make you less ambitious — but helps you work, recover and live more sustainably? In this episode of People Soup, I talk to Dr Amanda Super, an occupational and coaching psychologist, author and founder of Creating Compassion. Amanda specialises in self-compassion and compassionate leadership, working with organisations across the public, private and not-for-profit sectors. Amanda's own journey into this work is fascinating. At 19, she had flunked her A-levels and was struggling with her confidence. Psychological support helped change the trajectory of her life. Years later, when she became seriously unwell and needed major surgery, a nurse pointed out something Amanda hadn't recognised herself: "You're being very hard on yourself." That moment led Amanda to discover self-compassion — and ultimately changed both her personal life and professional direction. In our conversation, we explore: What self-compassion actually means — and what it doesn't meanWhy we're often caught between threat and drive, with too little access to recovery and soothingHow workplace culture can reinforce perfectionism, productivity and the pressure to keep goingThe three elements of self-compassion: mindfulness, common humanity and self-kindnessWhether it's possible to be ambitious and self-compassionate at the same timeHow self-compassion can help us develop healthier boundariesWhat Amanda means by fierce self-compassionThe costs of constantly criticising ourselvesAmanda's practical RAIN exercise for difficult momentsWhy recovery is productiveAnd why self-compassion might simply give us permission to include ourselves as well as everybody else. There's also a lovely conversation about Amanda's choice of walk-on music, Here Comes the Sun by The Beatles — a song that reminds her of her grandmother and represents the movement from darkness towards warmth, hope and light. A practical idea from Amanda When you notice you're having a strong emotional response to something, pause and ask: What do I need right now? Amanda also introduces RAIN: R — Recognise what's happening A — Allow the feeling to be present I — Investigate what's triggered the response N — Natural awareness And then, in Amanda's self-compassionate version: Recognise that anyone would find this difficult, and ask, How can I be kind to myself right now? She also leaves us with a simple reminder, recovery can be productive. People Soup: Real conversations about work, leadership, and being human — grounded in behavioural science, with practical ideas you can actually use. If this episode resonated with you, please consider following People Soup, leaving a rating or review, or sharing it with someone who might find it useful. Every recommendation helps more people discover practical, evidence-based conversations about work, leadership and being human. Connect with Amanda on LinkedInAbout Amanda's book - "A Year of Self-Compassion: Finding Care, Connection and Calm in Our Challenging Times"Amanda's website Here's the People Soup Website. And you can subscribe to the People Soup YouTube Channel here. Visit Ross' Website. Connect with Ross on LinkedIn People Soup on Instagram which also features plenty of Ross' photos of the Andalusian life.

    Can you be ambitious and self-compassionate? Dr Amanda Super

  6. Jul 31

    Quick Spoon: Give yourself permission to stop

    I'm taking a short break from People Soup during August. Before I do, I'd like to leave you with one final invitation. Give yourself permission to stop. Not forever. Perhaps for ten minutes. An afternoon. Or even a few weeks. In this final People Soup Quick Spoon before the summer break, Ross McIntosh reflects on what happens when we pause—and what we might notice if we resist the urge to keep going. Here's something to try Give yourself permission to stop something. Then simply notice what shows up. Perhaps it's the urge to stay productive.Perhaps it's the thought: "I should be doing something."Or perhaps you'll notice something you couldn't see because you were too busy carrying on. People Soup will return in September. Thank you for listening, watching, sharing and being part of the conversation. People Soup: Real conversations about work, leadership, and being human — grounded in behavioural science, with practical ideas you can actually use. If this episode resonated with you, please consider following People Soup, leaving a rating or review, or sharing it with someone who might find it useful. Every recommendation helps more people discover practical, evidence-based conversations about work, leadership and being human. Recover on purpose: the holiday matrix - People SoupDownload the holiday matrix here Here's the People Soup Website. And you can subscribe to the People Soup YouTube Channel here. Visit Ross' Website. Connect with Ross on LinkedIn People Soup on Instagram which also features plenty of Ross' photos of the Andalusian life.

    Quick Spoon: Give yourself permission to stop

  7. Jul 26

    Quick Spoon: If your holiday had a soundtrack?

    If your holiday had a soundtrack, what would it be? Music has an extraordinary ability to transport us back to particular moments in our lives. In this People Soup Quick Spoon, Ross invites you to use that deliberately: choose one song that represents not simply where you're going, but how you'd like to be while you're there. Curious? Present? Connected? Here's something to try Choose one song and play it each morning during your holiday. Then, months later, when you hear it by chance, pause for a moment. Perhaps it won't just remind you where you were. Perhaps it'll remind you who you were. What song would you choose?

    Quick Spoon: If your holiday had a soundtrack?

  8. Jul 23

    Quick Spoon: The holiday that changed nothing

    Have you ever unpacked your suitcase and, within three days, felt as though you'd never been away? Recovery isn't simply about taking time away from work. What we do with that time matters too. In this People Soup Quick Spoon, Ross invites you to think about what you might bring home from your holiday—other than souvenirs and dirty washing. Perhaps it's reading for ten minutes. Walking after dinner. Leaving your phone in another room. Here's something to try Before your holiday ends, ask yourself: What's one thing I'd like to bring back with me other than souvenirs? Don't just bring home memories. Bring home one new way of living. People Soup: Real conversations about work, leadership, and being human — grounded in behavioural science, with practical ideas you can actually use. If this episode resonated with you, please consider following People Soup, leaving a rating or review, or sharing it with someone who might find it useful. Every recommendation helps more people discover practical, evidence-based conversations about work, leadership and being human. Recover on purpose: the holiday matrix - People SoupDownload the holiday matrix here Here's the People Soup Website. And you can subscribe to the People Soup YouTube Channel here. Visit Ross' Website. Connect with Ross on LinkedIn People Soup on Instagram which also features plenty of Ross' photos of the Andalusian life.

    Quick Spoon: The holiday that changed nothing
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About

Grounded in behavioural science, with practical ideas you can actually use. The name People Soup comes from a quote by Abraham Maslow: "A first-rate soup is more creative than a second-rate painting." I've always loved that idea because creativity isn't confined to art. It shows up in how we live, work, lead and relate to one another. Work often feels like a soup: a rich, sometimes bewildering mix of people, personalities, decisions, pressures, relationships and unexpected challenges. Every day we're trying to make sense of the ingredients in front of us. Behavioural science doesn't make work simple, but it does give us better ways of responding to complexity. It offers practical ideas, evidence-based tools and skills that help us respond more effectively—to ourselves, to other people and to the situations we face. That's what People Soup is all about. Whether it's a conversation with a guest or a short solo episode, People Soup explores how behavioural science—and particularly Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT)—can help us lead and work with greater intention, developing the psychological flexibility and practical wisdom to navigate whatever life throws our way.

Information

  • Creator
    Ross McIntosh
  • Years Active
    2018 - 2026
  • Episodes
    250
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © 2026 Ross McIntosh. All rights reserved.
  • Show Website
    People Soup

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