The Chief Psychology Officer

Hosted by Dr Amanda Potter CPsychol

Business Management

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Latest episode

Jun 2026

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EN-GB

About the show

Exploring the topics of workplace psychology and conscious leadership. Amanda is an award-winning Chartered Psychologist, with vast amounts of experience in talent strategy, resilience, facilitation, development and executive coaching. A Fellow of the Association for Business Psychology and an Associate Fellow of the Division of Occupational Psychology within the British Psychological Society (BPS), Amanda is also a Chartered Scientist. Amanda is a founder CEO of Zircon and is an expert in leadership in crisis, resilience and has led a number of research papers on the subject; most recently Psychological Safety in 2022 and Resilience and Decision-making in 2020. With over 20 years’ experience on aligning businesses’ talent strategy with their organizational strategy and objectives, Amanda has had a significant impact on the talent and HR strategies of many global organizations, and on the lives of many significant and prominent leaders in industry. Dr Amanda Potter can be contacted on LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/amandapotterzircon www.theCPO.co.uk

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60 recent

June 1, 202628 min

Ep 95 Cognitive Dissonance: When Your Brain Calls Bias Intuition

Send us Fan MailIn this episode of The Chief Psychology Officer, Dr Amanda Potter and Kristian Lees-Bell explore cognitive dissonance, the mental discomfort we feel when our beliefs, values, and behaviours do not align. From everyday choices to high-pressure leadership decisions, they discuss why the brain often rushes to reduce discomfort by rationalising, justifying, or reframing decisions, even when those decisions may not be the most effective.Amanda and Kristian also examine how cognitive dissonance influences decision-making, bias, self-awareness, and workplace behaviour, particularly during periods of stress, ambiguity, and organisational change. They explore the links between cognitive dissonance, confirmation bias, anchoring bias, optimism bias, and resilience, highlighting why leaders need to create space for reflection rather than defaulting to the path of least resistance.This practical conversation offers insight into how we can notice cognitive dissonance, challenge our assumptions, and make better decisions by becoming more honest with ourselves about the gap between what we believe and how we behave.Episodes are available here https://www.thecpo.co.uk/ To follow Zircon on LinkedIn and to be first to hear about podcasts, publications and news, please like and follow us: https://www.linkedin.com/company/betalent-by-zircon/ To access the research white papers mentioned in this and other podcasts, please go to: https://www.betalent.com/research For more information about the BeTalent suite of tools and platform please contact: Hello@BeTalent.com

May 11, 202634 min

Ep 94 Connection Intelligence w. John N Cooper

Send us Fan MailIn this episode of The Chief Psychology Officer Podcast, Dr Amanda Potter and Caitlin Cooper are joined by occupational psychologist and Chief Connection Officer John Cooper to explore why human connection is essential to performance at work.Together, they discuss why great teams are not built through harmony alone, but through the quality of connection that allows people to challenge, support, trust, and understand each other. John shares why the “chemistry” between people matters, and Amanda reflects on how this connects to psychological safety, belonging, resilience, and the environments organisations create.The conversation also explores how AI and new ways of working may be changing the way we connect. As work becomes more efficient, remote, and technology-enabled, there is a risk that we turn to tools before we turn to each other.This episode asks an important question for leaders and organisations: are we building in the conditions for people to continue to build trust, strengthen relationships, and perform well together?Tune into Episode 94: Why Great Teams Need Friction with John Cooper.Episodes are available here https://www.thecpo.co.uk/ To follow Zircon on LinkedIn and to be first to hear about podcasts, publications and news, please like and follow us: https://www.linkedin.com/company/betalent-by-zircon/ To access the research white papers mentioned in this and other podcasts, please go to: https://www.betalent.com/research For more information about the BeTalent suite of tools and platform please contact: Hello@BeTalent.com

April 20, 202645 min

Ep 93 Stop fixing people: start fixing work with Jo Yarker

Send us Fan MailEp 93 Stop fixing people: start fixing work with Jo YarkerWhat does it take to sustain performance over time?In this episode of the Chief Psychology Officer podcast, Dr Amanda Potter is joined by Professor Jo Yarker to explore how organisations can create healthy working environments that support both wellbeing and performance.Many organisations invest in resilience and wellbeing initiatives, yet still struggle with burnout, disengagement, and declining performance. This conversation challenges why and where organisations may be focusing on the wrong solutions.Rather than placing responsibility on individuals, this episode explores the role of organisational systems, leadership behaviour, and work design in shaping employee health and resilience.Key themes include: Why sustainable performance depends on healthy work, not just resilient individuals The shift from reactive wellbeing initiatives to proactive prevention How leadership and line managers influence employee health and performance The impact of workload, clarity, and consistency on resilience The IGLU framework. understanding how individual, group, leader, organisational, and external factors interact Why health should be treated as a core business outcome This episode is for HR leaders, senior executives, and organisations looking to reduce burnout, improve employee wellbeing, and build environments where people can perform consistently under pressure.Because sustainable performance is not driven by effort alone. it is enabled by healthy work.Episodes are available here https://www.thecpo.co.uk/ To follow Zircon on LinkedIn and to be first to hear about podcasts, publications and news, please like and follow us: https://www.linkedin.com/company/betalent-by-zircon/ To access the research white papers mentioned in this and other podcasts, please go to: https://www.betalent.com/research For more information about the BeTalent suite of tools and platform please contact: Hello@BeTalent.com

March 30, 202645 min

Ep 92 Master Your Inner Critic w. Adam Smith

Send us Fan MailIn this episode of The Chief Psychology Officer Podcast, Dr Amanda Potter and Caitlin Cooper are joined by Adam Smith, a mindset and behavioural change coach, to explore the inner critic, negative self-talk, and the language we use to describe ourselves.Adam shares his personal story and explains how our thoughts, labels, and belief systems can shape confidence, resilience, behaviour, and performance. The conversation looks at how unhelpful self-talk develops, why familiar patterns can keep us stuck, and how changing our language can help us build healthier habits and a more constructive mindset.This episode covers:how to recognise and manage your inner criticthe impact of negative self-talk on confidence and wellbeingwhy labels and belief systems matterhow language shapes behaviour and resultspractical ways to reframe thoughts with more helpful languagehow curiosity, gratitude, and self-compassion support changeIf you are interested in resilience, confidence, mindset, leadership psychology, or improving the way you speak to yourself, this episode offers practical and powerful insights. Episodes are available here https://www.thecpo.co.uk/ To follow Zircon on LinkedIn and to be first to hear about podcasts, publications and news, please like and follow us: https://www.linkedin.com/company/betalent-by-zircon/ To access the research white papers mentioned in this and other podcasts, please go to: https://www.betalent.com/research For more information about the BeTalent suite of tools and platform please contact: Hello@BeTalent.com

March 9, 2026Episode 9149 min

Ep 91 Why Decisive Leadership Demands Clarity, Not Speed

Send us Fan MailDecisiveness is not speed; it is clarity. We explore how top teams make better choices by slowing the front end of the process, framing the real problem, agreeing decision criteria, and then committing with pace. Joined by leadership coach Mark Herbert, we unpack the human side of decisions—how dopamine, mood and pressure change what feels obvious, how halo and horns biases skew judgment, and why similarity bias keeps boardrooms comfortable but wrong.We get practical about building cognitive diversity you can actually use. Mark shares simple moves that shift thinking on demand: invite an external provoker, seat the newest voice next to the most senior, or create distance by asking be someone else, be somewhere else, be sometime else. We also dive into decision styles, moving beyond self-awareness to self-engagement—understanding how your pace, risk stance and intuition land on others, and how to turn friction into value. Visual team profiles, thinking hats, and clear contracting help teams replace circular debates with crisp outcomes.The heart of our conversation is a meta-skill: decide how to decide. Before arguing options, align on reversibility, ownership, criteria and authority. Are we voting, seeking consensus, or does a single decision-maker hold the D? That simple ritual prevents flip-flopping, reduces rework, and boosts follow-through. We look at why extremes in style are potential superpowers when respected, how environment shapes attention and thought, and where AI fits—great for speed and options, but still not relational. Thoughtful leaders use AI as input and keep values, context and commitment firmly human.Mark also lifts the lid on his seven-step decision masterclass, where leaders from different industries bring live dilemmas and practice better thinking in a calm, outdoor setting designed to reduce noise and increase attention. The result is a repeatable way to make choices under uncertainty without losing pace or people. If this conversation helped sharpen your approach, follow and subscribe for more human-centred leadership insights, share it with a colleague who shapes big calls, and leave a quick review to tell us what you’ll try first.Episodes are available here https://www.thecpo.co.uk/ To follow Zircon on LinkedIn and to be first to hear about podcasts, publications and news, please like and follow us: https://www.linkedin.com/company/betalent-by-zircon/ To access the research white papers mentioned in this and other podcasts, please go to: https://www.betalent.com/research For more information about the BeTalent suite of tools and platform please contact: Hello@BeTalent.com

February 16, 202638 min

Ep90 Leading with Humanity in the Age of AI w. Simon Defoe of Vodafone

Send us Fan MailAI is rapidly reshaping how organisations operate, make decisions, and develop talent. But as technology accelerates, what happens to the human skills that drive performance?In this episode of The Chief Psychology Officer Podcast, Dr Amanda Potter and Angela Malik are joined by Simon Defoe CPsychol, Learning and Performance Senior Manager at Vodafone, to explore the intersection of AI, psychological safety, and leadership.Drawing on expertise in organisational psychology, resilience, and decision making, the conversation moves beyond technical hype to focus on what matters most for HR and business leaders. How do we integrate AI into talent strategy without eroding accountability, critical thinking, or human judgement? What are the risks of bias amplification? And how can leaders protect belonging, trust, and performance in an increasingly automated world?The discussion examines AI in HR, human centred leadership, board level decision dynamics, organisational resilience, and the role of psychological safety in enabling innovation without losing ownership.For leaders navigating digital transformation, workforce change, and AI enabled performance, this episode offers a grounded and practical lens on keeping organisations both technologically advanced and deeply human.Episodes are available here https://www.thecpo.co.uk/ To follow Zircon on LinkedIn and to be first to hear about podcasts, publications and news, please like and follow us: https://www.linkedin.com/company/betalent-by-zircon/ To access the research white papers mentioned in this and other podcasts, please go to: https://www.betalent.com/research For more information about the BeTalent suite of tools and platform please contact: Hello@BeTalent.com

January 26, 202641 min

Ep89 The Real Science of Psychological Safety with Professor Adrian Furnham

Send us Fan MailIf you’ve ever wondered whether psychological safety is a soft sentiment or a hard performance driver, this conversation brings the receipts. With Professor Adrian Furnham and Dr Amanda Potter, we unpack what psychological safety really means, how to measure it well, and why trust—not cleverness—predicts whether people speak up, challenge ideas, and share hard truths when it counts.We go beyond the generic “I feel safe” survey item and show how short, validated psychometrics turn a fuzzy concept into a practical dashboard leaders can use. You’ll hear how factor models, convergent and divergent validity, and predictive links tie safety to outcomes like performance, commitment, burnout, and turnover. We explore the human layer too: why secure attachment supports voice, how avoidant and anxious patterns reduce candour, and where personality nudges behaviour without defining destiny. Expect clear answers to tricky questions about anonymity, 360 pitfalls, and how a single leadership change can swing team safety in a week.We also dive into the traps of groupthink and the quiet tax of imposter moments, drawing lines between silence, poor decisions, and missed ideas from people closest to the work. Then we get practical: why a 20‑item pulse beats two vague questions, how to spot meaningful variance within teams, and what to do when trust is thin. From resilience training to structured dissent (pre‑mortems, red teams, rotating devil’s advocate), we lay out habits that make candour safe and useful.If you want a culture where people tell you what you need to hear, not what they think you want to hear, this is your playbook. Subscribe, share with a manager who needs it, and leave a review telling us one behaviour that makes you feel safe to speak up.Episodes are available here https://www.thecpo.co.uk/ To follow Zircon on LinkedIn and to be first to hear about podcasts, publications and news, please like and follow us: https://www.linkedin.com/company/betalent-by-zircon/ To access the research white papers mentioned in this and other podcasts, please go to: https://www.betalent.com/research For more information about the BeTalent suite of tools and platform please contact: Hello@BeTalent.com

January 5, 202640 min

Ep88 What If Employers were Legally Responsible For Your Wellbeing?

Send us Fan MailA million more people are now economically inactive for health reasons than just a few years ago, and once an employee has been on sick leave for a year or more, the chance of returning drops to around 3%. That is not a wellness statistic. It is a warning light for businesses, communities and the economy and it is the spark for this conversation with Poppie Foakes, Director of Product and Innovation at the Retail Trust, and our Chief Psychology Officer, Dr Amanda Potter.We unpack how prevention beats crisis by design. Poppie explains how the Retail Trust supports a dispersed, shift‑based workforce with tools that actually fit real lives: de‑escalation and resilience training for frontline abuse, virtual GPs that work around rotas, online CBT, and financial coaching that targets the number one anxiety driver in retail. We dig into the evidence, linking preventive investment to lower absenteeism, reduced presenteeism, and fewer leavers critical in a sector where replacing a colleague can cost around £5,000. We also explore why health inequalities persist between head office and store teams, and how simple changes in access and language can close that gap.The conversation gets practical. We share the three culture levers that keep people, fair pay, a strong line manager relationship, and clear purpose and show how they map to psychological safety. Poppie takes us inside their data engine: happiness assessments that generate personal action plans, platform analytics that surface early risk, and emerging agentic AI that recommends targeted campaigns by role, region or demographic. We talk about the Keep Britain Working Review and a future where employers are incentivised or mandated to handle prevention, potentially shrinking a £15 billion annual burden on benefits and healthcare that could rise to £25 billion by 2030.If you lead people, manage a store, or shape HR strategy, you will come away with actionable ideas: train line managers to signpost not shoulder, normalise de‑escalation skills for every frontline worker, make financial education part of culture, and put colleague sentiment on the agenda next to sales. And if you are personally feeling the strain, you will hear small, realistic habits to set boundaries, protect energy, and find one daily moment of joy that keeps you steady.Enjoyed the conversation? Follow and subscribe, share this episode with a colleague who needs it, and leave a quick review so more leaders can build healthier, happier, high‑performing teams.Episodes are available here https://www.thecpo.co.uk/ To follow Zircon on LinkedIn and to be first to hear about podcasts, publications and news, please like and follow us: https://www.linkedin.com/company/betalent-by-zircon/ To access the research white papers mentioned in this and other podcasts, please go to: https://www.betalent.com/research For more information about the BeTalent suite of tools and platform please contact: Hello@BeTalent.com

December 15, 2025Episode 8745 min

Ep87 Why Today’s Leaders must be both Ruthless and Caring with Amy Walters Cohen

Send us Fan MailComplexity is rising, expectations are colliding, and the old playbook is running out of pages. We sit down with author and applied researcher Amy Walters Cohen to unpack the core idea behind her book Ruthlessly Caring to understand how leaders can deliver more value when they replace either-or choices with both-and mindsets that match today’s messy reality.We start by mapping the megatrends shaping work for example, ageing populations, climate pressure, AI, regulatory shifts, and why they demand a step change in how we decide, communicate, and execute. From there, we break down five paradox mindsets that help leaders hold tension without freezing: ruthlessly caring (making hard calls with real compassion), confidently humble (projecting credible direction while admitting what you don’t know), politically virtuous (coupling ethics with savvy influence), ambitiously appreciative (sustaining high standards with renewal and gratitude), and responsibly daring (protecting the enterprise while innovating with smart guardrails).Amy shares practical ways to find the sweet spot for each paradox, not a bland compromise, but just enough of both poles to work under pressure. We talk psychological safety, radical candour, and how senior behaviour sets unwritten rules faster than any policy. You’ll hear how to diagnose overplayed and underplayed tendencies, why team diversity helps but doesn’t replace personal growth, and how to start with small, targeted habits that compound into culture change. Whether you lead a regulated function, a fast-scaling team, or a complex portfolio, you’ll come away with a sharper language for trade-offs and a toolkit for better decisions.Enjoy the conversation? Subscribe, leave a quick review, and share this episode with a leader who’s balancing tough choices this week. Your feedback helps more people find thoughtful, evidence-based leadership content.Episodes are available here https://www.thecpo.co.uk/ To follow Zircon on LinkedIn and to be first to hear about podcasts, publications and news, please like and follow us: https://www.linkedin.com/company/betalent-by-zircon/ To access the research white papers mentioned in this and other podcasts, please go to: https://www.betalent.com/research For more information about the BeTalent suite of tools and platform please contact: Hello@BeTalent.com

November 24, 2025Episode 8629 min

Ep86 From Tragedy to Resilience: How Forgiveness Shaped Martyn's Law

Send us Fan MailResilience emerges from the most unthinkable circumstances in this powerful conversation with Figen Murray OBE, whose son Martyn was killed in the 2017 Manchester Arena bombing. What follows is an extraordinary story of transformation through grief, forgiveness, and purpose-driven advocacy.Figen shares the raw reality of how her life changed in "the split second it took for a suicide bomber to detonate a bomb" - not just losing her son, but also her identity as a psychotherapist. With disarming honesty, she describes her initial "zombie-like state" and the profound shift in her worldview that made it impossible to continue her therapeutic practice.The conversation takes a remarkable turn when Figen reveals her decision to publicly forgive the bomber just weeks after the attack. Despite facing intense criticism and online trolling, this act of forgiveness "cleansed my heart and soul" and aligned with her core values. Her powerful insight that "a sour mind creates a sour body" illuminates the physical and emotional toll of carrying hatred.What truly distinguishes Figen's journey is how personal tragedy transformed into a legislative mission. After discovering alarming security gaps at venues 18 months post-attack, she launched a six-and-a-half-year campaign that culminated in Martin's Law - now requiring mandatory security measures at venues hosting 200+ people across the UK. Through governmental changes, pandemic disruptions, and political opposition, Figen found that "every knockback made me even more resilient, more determined and stronger."Perhaps most moving is Figen's work with young people, having spoken to over 32,000 students about online dangers and the importance of values like kindness and compassion. When asked what motivates her tireless advocacy, her answer is heartbreakingly simple: "Having my son's ashes on a bookshelf at home is a really good motivator."This conversation offers profound insights into human resilience, the healing power of purpose, and how even the darkest tragedy can catalyze positive change when approached with courage and compassion. Join us for this deeply moving exploration of how one woman's grief became a gift of safety for millions.Episodes are available here https://www.thecpo.co.uk/ To follow Zircon on LinkedIn and to be first to hear about podcasts, publications and news, please like and follow us: https://www.linkedin.com/company/betalent-by-zircon/ To access the research white papers mentioned in this and other podcasts, please go to: https://www.betalent.com/research For more information about the BeTalent suite of tools and platform please contact: Hello@BeTalent.com