Psych Health and Safety Podcast

In this episode, this group of some of the world’s foremost experts on psychological health and safety are back to share their observations about the field. This reunion is intended to serve as a check to see what has changed in the past four years across the four countries represented, and also as a send-off as Dr. Daniels transitions the podcast to its new name, “Psychological Safety USA podcast...

In this episode hosts Jason and Joelle welcome back Dr Kat Page, a workplace mental health expert and Chair of the upcoming Psych Health and Safety Conference (PHSCON 2026). Kat shares with listeners insights from her new book “Good Work”, a multi-year project that is now available to purchase. They then preview the key discussions that will take place at PHSCON on the themes of consultation, coll...

In this episode of the Psych Health and Safety podcast, hosts Jason and Joelle welcome back Wade Needham, a leader in investment governance and stewardship. The discussion focuses on the recent New Zealand High Court ruling on officer due diligence, exploring its implications for psychosocial risk management in Australia. Wade shares insights on integrating psychosocial safety into business operat...

In this episode, hosts Jason and Joelle chat with Graeme Cowan, Founder of WECARE365 and author of the recently published book Great Leaders Care. Graeme takes us through the key themes of his new book, drawn from the stories of people he has interviewed on his podcast, The Caring CEO. He shares practical steps that leaders can take to champion a culture of care and high performance. https://graem...

In this episode hosts Jason and Joelle chat with Rev. Dr. Mark Layson, Director, Disaster Recovery Chaplaincy Network at Charles Sturt University. They discuss a recent Industrial Relations Commission hearing involving an internal investigation into conduct, a Safe Work investigation into the investigation process, and improvement notices targeting the systems of work relating to the management of...

In this episode, Australian hosts Jason and Joelle chat with Peter Kelly, former UK podcast host and Founder of Being Real Workplace Mental Health Solutions. Peter was the Chair of the Drafting Committee for BS 30480 - Suicide in the workplace - Intervention, prevention and support for people affected by suicide, which was published in November 2025. Peter takes us through the drivers behind the G...

In this episode, hosts Jason and Joelle chat with Dr Tim Bednall, Organisational Psychologist and Head of Data Science at FlourishDx. Tim takes us through a recent validation study he conducted for FlourishDx's latest risk assessment tool, the Psychosocial Impact Assessment. Listen to this episode to understand what the new tool is, how the validation study was conducted and its findings, and othe...

In this episode, hosts Jason and Joelle chat with Julia Cohen, Managing Director at Catalyst Safety and Catalyst Coaching. Julia shares her experience of moving from Higher Education into a Not-for-Profit, the similarities and the differences between the two industries, and the process she undertook to help improve the organisation's understanding of the critical risks in its operations, including...

This is an episode for the safety nerds, the stats nerds, and the Fight Club fans. Hosts Jason and Joelle chat with Ben Hutchinson, host of the Safe As podcast, and prolific safety science communicator. We chat about Ben's work as a science communicator, then focus in on what he has found in his exploration of the research into the relationships between psychosocial factors and health and safety o...

In this episode, hosts Jason and Joelle chat with Dr Adrian Neal and Andrew Cooper from Aneurin Bevan University Health Board about their recently published book - Under Investigation. They talk about the current impacts of workplace investigations on individuals, wider teams, HR colleagues, and finances, and build a business case for doing workplace investigations differently.

In this episode, recorded live from the Psych Health and Safety Conference in June 2025, hosts Jason and Joelle chat with Rob Briner, Professor of Organisational Psychology at Queen Mary University of London. Rob breaks down what evidence-based practice means, what it looks like, and pitfalls for HR and WHS professionals to be aware of when considering interventions. This episode includes exclusiv...

In this live Psych Health and Safety Podcast recording from PHSCON 2025, Jason and Joelle interview world-renowned organisational psychologist Adam Grant to unpack what truly drives workplace mental health and why “wellbeing benefits” alone won’t fix broken systems. Together, they explore the power of good work design, the real causes of burnout, how toxic cultures take hold, and what leaders can...

In the final episode of the year, hosts Jason and Joelle reflect on the highlights and challenges of 2025, and discuss what's coming in 2026. They share some behind-the-scenes experiences from the Psych Health and Safety Conference 2025, along with a sneak peek of the line-up and venue for 2026. Other highlights from 2025 include the launch of the Psychosocial Safety Playbook, along with the Quick...

In this episode, hosts Jason and Joelle chat with Naomi Kemp, CEO and co-founder of Fr@nk Capability Leaders. Naomi explains what a critical business risk is, how that is different to a critical safety risk, and whether psychosocial risk belongs in either category. Naomi shares her views on how organisations can best manage psychosocial risk within a critical risk frame.

In this episode, hosts Jason and Joelle chat with Adam Nebbs, Postdoctoral Research Fellow at the Menzies Institute for Medical Research. Adam discusses the recently published research that formed part of his PhD, working with six organisations in a regional part of Australia as they translated ISO 45003 recommendations into tangible actions for implementation.

In this episode, hosts Jason and Joelle chat with Gareth Beck, Safety Wellbeing and Risk Business Partner at Z Energy, and Anton Hutton, retailer at Hattrick Services. They share their experiences in collaborating to implement a psychosocial safety management program of works within a unique working environment, with Gareth offering the perspective from Z Energy, and Anton providing his experience...

In this episode, hosts Jason and Joelle chat with Dr Michelle Smidt, Senior Research Assistant at ANU College of Business and Economics, and Queensland University of Technology. Michelle shares insights from her PhD research, where she explored whether employee perceptions about organisational wellbeing initiatives influenced whether those initiatives achieved their outcomes.

In this episode, hosts Jason and Joelle chat with Dr Ben Searle, an Organisational Psychologist with particular expertise in burnout and stress. Ben shares his own experience of burnout while working in academia, reflecting on the way symptoms presented that were not "textbook", and how that influenced his ability to understand what was happening. We discuss how listeners might recognise signs and...

In this episode, hosts Jason and Joelle chat with Dr Wen Fan, Associate Professor of Sociology at Boston College. We explore her recently published research into whether a 4-day work week impacts worker wellbeing. She gives us some answers to the big questions: How should organisations approach preparing to transition to a 4-day work week? Does a 4-day work week lead to better mental and physical...

In this episode, hosts Jason and Joelle chat with Dr Monique Crane, Founder of the Research Resilience and Training Systems team at Macquarie University. Monique joins us to talk about the research she has been conducting with the Australian Navy, exploring mental health trajectories across Navy deployments. We discuss the role of job design as a determinant of mental health, and the aspects of jo...

In this episode, hosts Jason and Joelle chat with Dr Megan Tranter, CEO and Founder of Purpose Pathfinders. We chat about her latest book, Clarity in Chaos - Lead with purpose in disruptive times. We explore the intersection between psychosocial safety and human sustainability, connection to purpose, and the role that leaders and employers can play in redesigning work to be a force for good.

In this special crossover podcast episode, the tables are turned as Bronwyn Milkins of the Mental Work podcast interviews normal co-host Jason van Schie on the topic of psychosocial hazards. In this lively conversation aimed at early career psychologists, they discuss what psychosocial hazards are and why they are important to manage. Jason provides practical guidance relevant for this group of wo...

What really makes work meaningful? In this episode, Jason and Joelle sit down with Dr Mark Fabian, Associate Professor of Public Policy at the University of Warwick and author of Beyond Happy. Together, they explore how work shapes our sense of purpose, the difference between self‑actualisation and self‑optimisation, and the often overlooked character traits that truly matter in the workplace. If...

In this episode, hosts Jason and Joelle chat with Liz Payne, Chair of the ACT/NSW College of Organisational Psychologists, and returning chair of the Psych Health and Safety Conference (PHSCON 2025). During this conversation, Liz, Joelle and Jason recap highlights from the PHSCON 2025. This included going over the live podcast recordings with Rob Briner and Adam Grant, the conversations had with t...

In this episode, hosts Jason and Joelle chat with returning guest Dr John Chan, managing director of Infinite Potential. John joins us to discuss the latest iteration of his annual publication, The State of Workplace Burnout. He shares what's similar and what's different to previous year's findings, and the main trends emerging in 2025. https://infinite-potential.com.au/the-state-of-burnout-2025