Why work feels so personal with Gabriella Braun

Why work feels so personal with Gabriella Braun

Author: Ross McIntosh May 18, 2026 Duration: 21:04

In this episode of People Soup, Ross is joined by consultant, psychoanalytic thinker, and author Gabriella Braun for a deeply human conversation about why work can feel so personal.

Drawing on her remarkable book All That We Are, Gabriella explores what really happens beneath the surface in teams, organisations, and leadership.

Together, Ross and Gabriella explore:

  • Why we can’t simply “leave our emotions at home”
  • How Gabriella’s experience as the child of immigrants shaped her ability to observe human systems
  • The leadership experience that left her “floundering”… and sparked a lifelong curiosity about organisational life
  • Why so many workplaces are carrying hidden distress
  • What leaders learned about vulnerability during COVID
  • Why psychoanalytic thinking has so much to offer the workplace
  • The deeply personal writing journey behind All That We Are
  • Why leaders may be helping their organisations choose between constructive and destructive forces every single day

And finally…

Why love may have a lot more to do with leadership than we often admit.

Originally released in 2023. Reimagined and re-edited for the new People Soup format in 2026.

People Soup: Real conversations about work, leadership, and being human — grounded in behavioural science, with practical ideas you can actually use.

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Ever wonder why we do the things we do, especially at work or when trying to lead others? People Soup digs into that question, but it doesn’t stop at theory. Each episode is built on a foundation of behavioural science, which means you’ll get more than just interesting stories-you’ll get a clearer understanding of the human ingredients that make up our daily interactions. The conversations here feel real and unscripted, often touching on the messy, rewarding, and sometimes frustrating experience of simply being human. You’ll find that this podcast operates at the intersection of our professional ambitions and our personal well-being, exploring how they influence each other in ways we might not immediately see. It’s for anyone who has left a meeting baffled by a colleague’s reaction, struggled to motivate a team, or just wanted to navigate their own goals with a bit more clarity and less friction. The ideas discussed are deliberately practical, designed to be used almost immediately, whether you’re looking to improve a process, a relationship, or your own mindset. Tune in for a blend of thoughtful analysis and actionable insight that aims to make the complex recipe of human behaviour a little easier to understand and work with.
Author: Language: English Episodes: 50

People Soup
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