The Human Loop explores what happens at the intersection of human performance and emerging technology. Each episode unpacks how modern leaders can operate at their best while AI transforms the way we work.
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What happens when a leader discovers someone is crossing a line and has five days before they're publicly recognized for their work?
In this episode of The Human Loop Podcast, Saeed Bor, founder of Embedded Ops and 15-year recruitment veteran, takes on a live Decision Sprint that tests his values, speed, and leadership instincts under pressure.
Plus, Saeed shares a real-world example of a leader handling a line-crossing moment with speed and conviction, and we unpack what it means to lead as a Catalyst.
If you're building teams, managing change, or navigating tough calls as a founder or operator, this episode is packed with honest insights you can apply today.
Chapters
00:00 Meet Saeed — Embedded Ops & 15 Years in Recruitment
03:37 The Lonely Founder Myth
05:00 Building Your Network as a Business Strategy
06:27 Why Human Connection Still Wins in an AI World
09:12 Getting Buy-In: Understanding What People Actually Want
11:30 Everyone's Selfish — And That's Okay
14:10 The Decision Sprint Begins
18:23 The Trust Card: Someone's Crossing a Line
19:16 Saeed's Answer — Values, Speed & Accountability
23:00 Can a Line Ever Be Un-Crossed?
25:27 A Real-World Example of Leaders Acting Fast
27:44 What If You're the Outside Consultant?
29:59 Indecision Is Worse Than a Wrong Decision
31:33 The Score Reveal & Leaderboard
32:00 Breaking Down the Scorecard
34:37 The Catalyst Archetype — What It Means to Lead This Way
Powered By Atherio, Real-time leadership wisdom for every manager - https://www.getatherio.com
Connect with The host - Ben Stocken: https://www.linkedin.com/in/benstocken
The 48-hour Leadership Rule for Solving Problems Fast: Zac & Jack
Wednesday, May 27, 2026 • Duration 29:19
What happens when a founder is forced to make a high-stakes leadership decision in real time?
In this episode of The Human Loop Podcast, Zach and Jack from We Have A Meeting take on a live leadership challenge designed to test strategic thinking, communication, and decision-making under pressure.
The conversation dives into:
Why motivation goes beyond money
Building high-performing teams through ownership
The “48-hour rule” for solving problems fast
How founders stay calm when competitors make aggressive moves
Why asking better questions creates stronger leaders
Plus, Jack is put through a live “Decision Sprint” and scored on his leadership response in real time.
If you’re a founder, leader, operator, or building a team, this episode is packed with practical leadership insights you can apply immediately.
Chapters
Chapters
00:00:00 Intro & Meet the Founders
00:00:49 Leadership Lessons Learned in 5 Years
00:02:49 Working Apart as Co-Founders
00:04:38 The Leadership Decision Sprint Begins
00:07:25 The Competitor Crisis Scenario
00:08:57 Jack’s Live Leadership Response
00:13:40 Staying Calm Under Pressure
00:14:17 Real Story: Competitor Bought Their Brand Search Term
00:16:46 The Power of the “Pre-Mortem”
00:18:31 The “One Big Thing” Leadership System
00:19:14 The 48-Hour Rule Explained
00:22:21 The 3 Questions Every Employee Must Answer
00:24:21 Leadership Score Revealed
00:25:41 Where the Leadership Response Fell Short
00:27:24 Communication vs Clarity in Leadership
00:28:30 Final Thoughts & Future Challenge
Check out "We Have a Meeting" with Zac & Jack: https://www.wehaveameeting.com
Powered By Atherio, Real-time leadership wisdom for every manager -https://www.getatherio.com
Connect with The host - Ben Stocken: https://www.linkedin.com/in/benstocken
How AI Is Transforming Service-Based Businesses: Paul Clarke
Wednesday, March 18, 2026 • Duration 42:36
In this episode, I sit down with Paul, founder of Ookkee, to talk about how modern service businesses are evolving, the role of AI in day-to-day operations, and what it really means to build an efficient, future-proof company.
We dive into how Ookkee operates as a bookkeeping business, how AI is being integrated into their workflow, and why the real opportunity isn’t replacing people, but enabling better decisions, faster delivery, and more value for clients. We also explore how the industry is changing and what founders need to understand to stay competitive.
If you’re building a business or trying to figure out how AI actually fits into your operations, this one’s right up your street.
Connect with Paul - https://www.linkedin.com/in/paulclarke-ookkee
Check out ookkee - https://www.ookkee.co.uk
Powered By Atherio, Real-time leadership wisdom for every manager - https://www.getatherio.com
Connect with The host - Ben Stocken :https://www.linkedin.com/in/benstocken
Weekly Loop: The Leadership Crisis Behind the AI Boom
Wednesday, March 11, 2026 • Duration 09:37
In this weeks round up I discuss the critical issues facing leadership today, including high stress levels among managers, the importance of talent density, and the challenges of AI integration in organisations. He emphasizes the need for real-time engagement, effective change management, and empathetic leadership to navigate these complexities.
Chapters
Chapters
00:00:00 Introduction to The Weekly Loop
00:00:28 The Leadership Stress Crisis
00:01:07 Why Middle Management Matters More Than Ever
00:02:17 Talent Density and Protecting Business Margins
00:03:12 Real-Time Employee Engagement
00:03:39 The Long-Term Stress Leaders Have Faced Since 2020
00:04:11 How Leaders Should Handle Constant Change
00:05:04 Why CEOs Believe Their Jobs Depend on AI
00:05:41 Why 95% of AI Pilots Fail
00:06:29 The Change Management Mistake Companies Make
00:07:26 The Change Equation: Why People Resist Change
00:08:18 Closing the Knowing–Doing Gap
00:09:04 The Risk of Losing Your Best Leaders
00:10:02 Why Talent Density Will Define Winning Companies
Powered By Atherio, Real-time leadership wisdom for every manager - https://www.atheriohq.com
Connect with The host - Ben Stocken :https://www.linkedin.com/in/benstocken
How Smart Founders Are Using AI to Win: Ezra Chapman
Wednesday, March 4, 2026 • Duration 49:02
In this episode, I sit down with Ezra, entrepreneur and multi-business founder to talk about leadership, failure, systems, and the real impact AI is about to have on modern businesses.
After being forced to shut down 65–70% of his group in 2019, Ezra rebuilt with a sharper focus on structure, accountability, and long-term competitive advantage. We explore why most founders are thinking about AI wrong, what actually creates a moat in today’s landscape and why systems matter more than chaos when scaling.
If you're building a company or trying to stay competitive in an AI-driven world, this one's right up your street!
Chapters
Chapters
00:00:00 Systems Thinking Starts at Home
00:02:00 Leadership Lessons from Childhood
00:05:45 Chaos vs Systems in Early-Stage Founders
00:08:35 Why Founders Secretly Love the Mess
00:09:23 The Collapse: Shutting Down 65–70% of the Group
00:11:10 Accountability at Your Lowest Point
00:12:00 Why Failure Makes Better Entrepreneurs
00:26:01 The AI Question Most Businesses Aren’t Asking
00:27:42 The Real Moat: Data, Relationships & Expertise
00:30:40 Brand, Memory & The Human Advantage
00:43:19 Optimising Humans, Not Replacing Them
00:44:48 Turning AI Into Competitive Leverage
00:46:00 From Recruiter to Talent Solutions Architect
Connect with Ezra - https://ezrachapman.com
Powered By Atherio, Real-time leadership wisdom for every manager - https://www.getatherio.com
Connect with The host - Ben Stocken :https://www.linkedin.com/in/benstocken
The Mission that Drives Me: Ben Stocken
Wednesday, February 25, 2026 • Duration 03:35
I’m Ben, founder of Atherio and my mission is simple: enable the performance and wellbeing of 10 million managers in the next three years.
In this episode, I share why managers have one of the toughest jobs in business, why most don’t get the support they need, and how we’re bridging the gap between knowing what good leadership looks like and actually doing it.
From elite sport with England national rugby union team to working with global organisations, I’ve seen what makes teams flourish and what causes them to fail.
If you care about building high-performing teams without burning people out, this one’s for you.
Powered By Atherio, Real-time leadership wisdom for every manager - https://www.getatherio.com
Connect with The host - Ben Stocken :https://www.linkedin.com/in/benstocken
How AI can Impact Your Work Life Balance: Nikki Foster
Wednesday, February 18, 2026 • Duration 38:45
In this week’s episode of the Human in the Loop podcast, I sit down with Nikki, Managing Director of Ferox Partners, to explore what AI really means for recruitment, leadership, and the future of work.
We unpack how AI can drive speed and efficiency in hiring without losing the human relationships that build trust, culture, and performance. From cultural fit versus skill set, to offshoring, early-career development, and burnout in lean teams.
We then delve into the need for businesses to adapt to continuous change and the critical role of resilience and adaptability in maintaining high performance without leading to burnout.
Chapters
Chapters
00:00:00 Introduction & Lunch at Lashings
00:02:30 Ferox Partners & Running Lean with AI
00:06:00 AI in Recruitment: Efficiency vs Human Judgment
00:10:30 Cultural Fit vs Skillset: What Really Matters?
00:14:45 Will AI Replace Human Roles?
00:19:30 Trust, Emotion & The “Bad Sandwich” Analogy
00:23:30 On-Site Client Work & The Value of Human Insight
00:29:00 Offshoring vs AI: The Future of Recruitment Models
00:36:00 Entry-Level Jobs & The Impact of AI on Early Careers
00:41:30 Education, MBAs & Preparing Graduates for AI-First Workplaces
00:47:00 Parental Responsibility & Work Ethic in the Next Generation
00:52:00 Burnout, Lean Teams & Manager Capability
00:57:00 Risk, Development & The Future of Leadership
Connect with Nikki - https://www.linkedin.com/in/nikki-foster-21014223/
Powered By Atherio, Real-time leadership wisdom for every manager - https://www.getatherio.com
Connect with The host - Ben Stocken :https://www.linkedin.com/in/benstocken
The Impact of Reactive Fixes on Your Business: Lily Kyriacou
Wednesday, February 11, 2026 • Duration 40:20
In this week's episode I sit down with Lily Kyriacou to discuss the challenges of reactive fixes in business, particularly in the context of team dynamics and performance. Lily shares her experiences at Amdaris, where she observed that traditional approaches to problem-solving were inadequate in a rapidly changing environment.
We then delve into the need for businesses to adapt to continuous change and the critical role of resilience and adaptability in maintaining high performance without leading to burnout.
Chapters
Chapters
00:00:00 Introduction to Business Challenges
00:01:23 The Impact of Reactive Fixes
00:05:32 Understanding Team Dynamics
00:10:18 The Importance of Adaptability
00:12:13 Exploring Solutions for Resilience
00:19:52 Identifying Key Behaviors in Teams
00:25:34 The Shift from Skills to Job Identities
00:30:08 Reinventing How We Approach Our People
Connect with Lilly - https://www.linkedin.com/in/lilykyriacou
Powered By Atherio, Real-time leadership wisdom for every manager - https://www.getatherio.com
Connect with The host - Ben Stocken :https://www.linkedin.com/in/benstocken
Amplifying Project Management with AI: Ruth Oates
Wednesday, February 4, 2026 • Duration 36:45
In this week's episode, Ruth and I discuss the importance of strategic planning for 2026, emphasising the need for business leaders to reflect on past performance and set clear goals. We explore the integration of AI in the construction industry, highlighting its potential to enhance efficiency and safety. Ruth also addresses the challenges of adopting AI, advocating for treating it as a team member and ensuring proper training for employees.
Chapters
Chapters
00:00:00 Strategic Planning for the New Year
00:03:13 AI in the Construction Industry
00:10:01 Integrating AI as a Team Member
00:16:59 Enhancing Project Management with AI
00:21:20 The Future of AI in Construction
00:30:21 Transforming Construction Through Data and Automation
Connect with Ruth - https://www.linkedin.com/in/ruth-oates-864b2b3/?originalSubdomain=uk
Powered By Atherio, Real-time leadership wisdom for every manager - https://www.atheriohq.com
Connect with The host - Ben Stocken :https://www.linkedin.com/in/benstocken
The Weekly Loop: The Power of Purpose & AI growth in Businesses
Wednesday, January 28, 2026 • Duration 10:33
In this episode of the Human Loop podcast, I discuss two main topics: the importance of understanding one's purpose in leadership, inspired by a podcast featuring Tony Robbins and Alex Hormozi, and the rising adoption of AI in the workplace, as highlighted by a recent Gallup study.
Chapters
Chapters
00:00:00 Exploring Leadership and Purpose
00:03:50 The Rise of AI in the Workplace
Watch the conversation with Tony & Alex referenced here: https://youtu.be/xz-ymFOhBAE?si=YZxtgVx_Y7JxGdK7
Study Mentioned: https://app.e.gallup.com/e/es?s=831949997&e=4411946&elqTrackId=efd74c1a1b7a40299e524d6e5aa03bea&elq=8a49383f2812429785f47237c625512f&elqaid=16041&elqat=1&elqak=8AF5FB05DB48FD93D787A44BE55A195E925B0FF358E0599887B460C22E481365422F
Powered By Atherio, Real-time leadership wisdom for every manager - https://www.atheriohq.com
Connect with The host - Ben Stocken :https://www.linkedin.com/in/benstocken
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