Experience: Analysing Newsmakers

Experience
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Each week, psychologist Peter Kinderman and communications expert Hilary Jeffs pick a news story and work out what's actually going on underneath it.

Episodes

  1. 4d ago

    There Is No Right Way to Grieve | death rituals, the Bush case and farewell to Bill Oddie

    We start light this week, with identity and where you are from: Peter refereeing whether someone from Wilmslow really counts as a Mancunian (his ruling is that if she thinks she is, she is, and it would be rude to say otherwise), and the surprisingly touchy question of what grandparents want to be called. Then the French wildfires take us somewhere bigger: why we find it so hard to care about people who are not born yet. Peter reaches for Camus and lands somewhere useful. You cannot really picture those future generations, so do not try. Ask instead what principles you want to live by now, and make each small decision one you can be proud of. Mia Mottley, the Barbadian Prime Minister, gets a well-earned mention as one of the great communicators on climate. The Robert Bush case, the Hull funeral director jailed for what he did to hundreds of grieving families, leads into why death rituals matter so much, why there is no correct way to grieve, and why remembering that we are mortal can help us live better. Peter tells us about the cemetery chapel project he has just joined. We finish with a tribute to Bill Oddie, who has died at 85. That takes in his openness about depression, Peter’s long argument with the idea of mental illness as a simple brain disease, and the science of laughter, which turns out to be far more about the people around us than the joke itself. Our Concept of the Week is confirmation bias, sharpened by algorithms and chatbots that are only too happy to tell you that you were right. The Triple T is a single question: what do I actually want here? Mia Mottley, Prime Minister of Barbados at the Opening of the #COP26 World Leaders Summit A heads up: this episode covers death, grief and mental illness. Please take care if any of that is difficult for you. LIKED THIS ONE? Please leave us a review wherever you are listening. It takes a minute and it genuinely helps other people find the show. Got a question, a comment, or a story you want us to put on the couch? Write to us at hello@experiencepodco.com. New episodes land every week. Website: https://www.experiencepodco.comSpotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/033Qpocb5a1TC3KNyN7YptApple: https://podcasts.apple.com/podcast/experience/id6791528666

    There Is No Right Way to Grieve | death rituals, the Bush case and farewell to Bill Oddie

  2. Jul 27

    The Adult in the Room | Ossoff vs Hegseth, Natalie Fleet and Burnham’s Trump problem

    This week is all about names, and how much they give away before you have said a word. Peter takes us through what a name signals about class and background, and why a gender-neutral one quietly helps women at the CV stage. Then three headlines: Senator Jon Ossoff questioning Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, a masterclass in staying calm and letting the facts do the damage; Natalie Fleet stepping down as safeguarding minister, and what being "triggered" really means; and Andy Burnham letting Trump use UK bases to strike Iran, which turns into a conversation about standing up to a bully without making everyone else pay for it. New this week: the "clearly, not really" klaxon, for when one of us reaches for a bit too much hyperbole. Thanks to Dylan for spotting the first one.This episode discusses sexual violence and trauma. Please take care if that is hard for you.CONCEPT OF THE WEEKAuthenticity, and the trust that grows out of it. There is a line, usually put on Groucho Marx, that if you can fake sincerity you have got it made. It lands because we rely on reading other people honestly. We build trust by working out what someone is really like and then acting on it, whether that is trusting a Prime Minister to negotiate in our interest or trusting a friend to get your daughter home safely from a festival. Being yourself is how other people learn they can count on you, and as Hilary puts it, you are the best possible you and a rubbish version of anyone else. THE TRIPLE TWhen you are stuck or on the spot, ask a question. It is the move underneath the whole Ossoff interview, and it works just as well at a party as it does in a Senate hearing. If the conversation stalls or the nerves kick in, an open question hands the floor back to the other person and takes the pressure off you. And if someone puts you on the spot, you can always ask them why they are asking. One catch: it does not work in a media interview, which is exactly why Hegseth had nowhere to hide. Please leave us a review wherever you are listening. It takes a minute and genuinely helps others find the show. Got a question, a topic, or a "clearly, not really" moment where we got carried away? Write to us at hello@experiencepodco.com.

  3. Jul 20

    What Number 10 Does to You | Burnham's first day, Kerr's record and the money myth

    We recorded this one at nine o'clock on a Monday morning, a few hours before Andy Burnham walked into Number 10 as the country's fifth Prime Minister in five years. So we spent most of it asking what that job actually does to a person: whether you can stay yourself once you are in it, how you build a cabinet that will argue with you rather than nod along, and why so much of the answer sits with the team and the civil service around you. Along the way we get to Josh Kerr's mile world record and whether visualising a result really works, Claudia Winkleman admitting she was too nervous to enjoy her own chat show, FTSE 100 bosses on 130 times the average wage, and the rather uncomfortable evidence about money and happiness. We finish on hope, and why it works better than fear when you are trying to talk to people. CONCEPT OF THE WEEK Mirror neurons. Peter is sceptical that there is one dedicated neuron sitting there copying other people, but the brain scan evidence is solid: watch someone do something and your own brain lights up in ways that echo what they are doing. It is a good part of why humans learn so well by watching, and a reminder that we are social animals whether we like it or not. THE TRIPLE T The 5-4-3-2-1 technique, for when you are stressed or overwhelmed. Sit still and work through your senses. Five things you can see, four you can feel, three you can hear, two you can smell, one you can taste. The point is the attention rather than the senses. We have very little conscious control over our heart rate or our breathing, but we can choose where to point our attention, and doing that on purpose settles everything else down. If you lose your place halfway through, start again at five. That is part of the exercise. LIKED THIS ONE? Please leave us a review wherever you are listening. It takes a minute and it genuinely helps other people find the show. Got a question, a comment, or a story you want us to put on the couch? Write to us at hello@experiencepodco.com. New episodes land every week. Website: https://www.experiencepodco.comSpotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/033Qpocb5a1TC3KNyN7YptApple: https://podcasts.apple.com/podcast/experience/id6791528666

  4. Episode 1

    Coming Soon...

    A taste of what Experience sounds like: Hilary Jeffs and Peter Kinderman taking a headline and working out what's really driving it. Hilary's from communications, Peter's a clinical psychologist, and they don't always agree, which is the whole point. Links: 📖 Full show notes & more: experiencepodco.com ✉️ Get in touch: hello@experiencepodco.com

Trailer

About

Each week, psychologist Peter Kinderman and communications expert Hilary Jeffs pick a news story and work out what's actually going on underneath it.

Information

  • Creator
    Experience
  • Years Active
    2026
  • Episodes
    4
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © 2026 Experience Podcast Co