Psychologically Speaking with Leila Ainge – Details, episodes & analysis

"Snails, Distractions, and the Neuroscience of Drift"

In this episode, we explore the surprising connection between spontaneous thoughts, and achieving your goals. Leila delves into how distractions and daydreaming can fuel creativity and productivity. Whether you're tackling New Year’s resolutions or just trying to stay focused, discover why mind-wandering might be the secret to success—and how to embrace it without getting lost in negative rumination. Plus, a tale of erratic gardening, greenhouse adventures, and tips for starting fresh with curiosity and spontaneity.

In this episode of Psychologically Speaking, Leila Ainge explores the unique psychological phenomena surrounding the liminal space between Christmas and New Year, discussing how our perception of time shifts during this period. She delves into the relationship between memory and goal setting, emphasizing the importance of understanding individual differences in how people visualize time and set goals for the new year. Through research insights, she highlights the significance of writing down goals and the impact of memory on our future planning.

Own the Digital Room

Style coach Samantha Harman joins Leila for a candid, empowering discussion on looking good and feeling confident. Samantha shares her experiences of impostor phenomenon, from using fashion as armour in her early journalism career to now helping ambitious women style their way to self-assurance. Leila provides insights from her own fascinating research on how entrepreneurs grapple with feeling like frauds. This episode offers a thoughtful perspective on using clothing as a vehicle to owning your worth and finding your inner confidence. A must-listen for anyone seeking to feel as bold as they look.

Find Samantha online here: https://www.thestyleeditor.co.uk/ / @styleeditoruk / Find Samantha on LinkedIn ‘Samantha (The Style Editor) Harman’

Listen to Samantha’s podcast, ‘Own the room’ (previously ‘the nothing to wear’ podcast)

Citations and references

Flugel, J. C. (1933). The psychology of clothes. The Sociological Review, 25(3), 301-304.

Adam, H., & Galinsky, A. D. (2012). Enclothed cognition. Journal of experimental social psychology, 48(4), 918-925.

Jones, M. G., Lee, T., Chesnutt, K., Carrier, S., Ennes, M., Cayton, E., ... & Huff, P. (2019). Enclothed cognition: Putting lab coats to the test. International Journal of Science Education, 41(14), 1962-1976.

https://www.bps.org.uk/research-digest/enclothed-cognition-brushes-well

Connect with Leila online at www.leilaainge.co.uk and subscribe to her newsletter for psychological insights direct to your inbox.

Psychologically Speaking is produced by Buckers at Decibelle Creative / @decibelle_creative  

Leila Ainge delves into the digital rooms where women entrepreneurs lurk, to discuss the relationship between impostor phenomenon and psychological safety. With the insight and expertise of Christina Clark and Laura Stearn from Workculturati, this conversation unravels the benefits of lurking behaviour, visibility pressures, comparison traps, and the elusive promise of level playing fields in online communities.

Uncover the three core themes identified in Leila's research and join the conversation as Christina and Laura lend their expertise on psychological safety, DEI, and the cultivation of online environments which foster vibrant, equitable communities.

This episode is an absolute must listen for anyone leading or participating in online spaces, looking for actionable insights on creating cultures that empower, rather than inhibit, the entrepreneurial spirit.

Connect with Leila online at https://www.leilaainge.co.uk/ and find her on Linkedin and Instagram @leilaainge

Learn more about Christina and Laura’s work and  Workculturati at https://www.workculturati.com/ 

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Mentioned in the podcast

• Amy Edmondson
• Timothy Clark

Psychologically Speaking is produced by Buckers at Decibelle Creative / @decibelle_creative

In the Age of Visibility, Who's Really Watching? Examining Imagined Audiences and Imposter Feelings in Online Entrepreneurship (Psychologically Speaking)

This episode delves into the digital landscape, where imposter feelings aren't mere shadows, but thriving companions for online entrepreneurs, particularly women. Join psychologist Leila Ainge as she unpacks the concept of "context collapse" and its profound impact on their success.

Through insightful examples from her research (shared anonymously, of course!), Leila reveals the hidden anxieties and coping strategies used by these online business owners. Explore the powerful role of language in navigating the challenges of visibility and competition in the digital sphere.

Here's what you'll discover:

• How "context collapse" blurs the lines between online and offline worlds, fueling imposter feelings.
• The unique challenges faced by female entrepreneurs in the digital age.
• The crucial role of language in navigating online spaces

Connect with Leila online at www.leilaainge.co.uk and subscribe to her newsletter for psychological insights direct to your inbox.

Psychologically Speaking is produced by Buckers at Decibelle Creative / @decibelle_creative  

Unmasking the "Imposter": Why Self-Doubt Isn't Your Fault, It's the System's

Forget "syndrome," psychologist Leila Ainge is calling imposter feelings what they truly are: a pervasive phenomenon fueled by the digital age. Leila's groundbreaking research, featuring interviews with successful entrepreneurs, reveals the surprising culprits behind your self-doubt – online comparisons, relentless competition, and the pressure of constant visibility.

Dive deep with Leila, as she empowers you to recognize these external forces for what they are: the fuel for your inner critic. This insightful opening episode of Psychologically Speaking is a breath of fresh air for anyone who's ever been crippled by self-doubt. Join Leila as she reframes the narrative and rewrites the rulebook on conquering the "imposter" within.

Connect with Leila online at www.leilaainge.co.uk and subscribe to her newsletter for psychological insights direct to your inbox.

Psychologically Speaking is produced by Buckers at Decibelle Creative / @decibelle_creative  

What's Psychologically Speaking all about?

In this captivating trailer for her new podcast Psychologically Speaking, meet psychologist Leila Ainge.

Leila provides a tantalising preview of her own ground-breaking research on impostor phenomenon. Drawing on fascinating insights from entrepreneurs, Leila is on a mission to revolutionise our understanding of feeling like a fraud. From busting myths to uncovering surprising upsides, Psychologically Speaking promises jargon-free deep dives into the nuances of Leila's favourite thing: the fascinating world of human behaviour.

Follow Psychologically Speaking and join Leila and her guests to learn how you can harness impostor experiences to excel in work and life.

Find Leila online at www.leilaainge.co.uk

Sign up to Leila's newsletter https://www.leilaainge.co.uk/newsletter

Psychologically Speaking is produced by Buckers at Decibelle Creative @decibelle_creative

In this reflective conversation, Leila explores the themes of regret, uncertainty, and unfinished business as they relate to personal growth and decision-making.

Drawing inspiration from Dickens' A Christmas Carol, she discusses how psychological 'ghosts' can guide us in making better choices. Leila emphasizes the importance of embracing uncertainty, the potential of regret as a motivator, and the necessity of accepting imperfection in our lives. Through her own experiences, she illustrates how tackling unfinished tasks can lead to a sense of relief and momentum, while also acknowledging that not everything needs to be completed immediately. Ultimately, she encourages listeners to recognize their psychological ghosts and use them as tools for progress rather than obstacles.

In this episode I'm joined by Collette Philip who runs multi award-winning anti-racist brand and strategy consultancy, Brand By Me. Brand by Me help organisations harness the power of brand strategy to embed anti-racism, drive equity and tackle injustice.

In the first half of the podcast we hear from Collette about social justice, social responsibility through the work of her consultancy, we discuss what this means for small and micro businesses and Collette leads by example sharing how she's audited her own consultancy which is now in it's eighth year, and how you can do the same.

In the second half we start to think about online spaces, racism, psychological safety and positionality (and why this is more helpful than thinking of privilege), and we do this by taking a look the words one of my black participants used to describe being 'pushed up a ladder' and how harmful ultra visibility can be for black women in online spaces when leaders expect minoritised people to work for free to effect change.

This is honestly such a brilliant conversation, with metaphors about sharks, scarcity mindset and much more.

Collette and I mention the following people, and reccomend their books and blogs as further reading

Skin In The Game by Nassim Nicholas Taleb

Nova Reid on substack

Sway by Pragya Agarwal

Scarcity by Sendhil Mullainathan and Eldar Shafir

You can also find Collettes blog 'Doing the work' over on substack

For more psychological insights and to connect with Leila Ainge, visit www.leilaainge.co.uk  and follow her on Instagram @leilaainge / Linkedin  and substack

Psychologically Speaking is proudly produced by Buckers at Decibelle Creative www.decibellecreative.com / @decibelle_creative /

In this episode Leila is in conversation with Ayo Abbas, award-winning built environment Marketing Consultant, Speaker and Trainer at Abbas Marketing, talking about all things visibility in online spaces and communicating techincal information.

Ayo and Leila describe how they met at the DIFTK (Doing it for the kids) networking event just before the pandemic, and got chatting over their experience of working in engineering spaces.

Ayo describes her approach to work, cometitiveness, networking, and the digital marketing model that combines online and offline elements. Ayo shares how she approaches comparison in online spaces, how it has been helpful and how she dials messages down when it is less helpful.

They explore privacy, digital footprints and taking a deeper dive behind vanity metrics, and the challenge in knowing how much messaging people actually put out vs what we see and how often.

You can connect with Ayo on linkedin https://www.linkedin.com/in/ayoabbas/

Link to the industry article that Ayo mentions in the chat https://www.bdonline.co.uk/opinion/the-architecturual-profession-is-in-trouble-collective-action-is-needed-to-fix-it/5127644.article

Context behind the comments made around women and anger vs men and anger at the following links

https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2019/may/11/women-and-minorities-claiming-right-to-rage

https://psycnet.apa.org/record/2009-17981-006

Can and angry woman get ahead? https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/18315800/