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#371 It's Not Workload. It's Thoughtload — Dr. Liane Davey
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What if what’s really wearing you out isn’t your to-do list, but the hidden burden of everything your mind is juggling at once?
In this episode of Being Human, Richard Atherton talks with Dr. Liane Davey, an organisational psychologist, New York Times bestselling author, and co-founder of 3COze Inc. Liane has spent more than thirty years studying what helps teams succeed and what causes them to quietly fall apart. Her new book, Thoughtload: Manage the Madness and Free Your Team to Do Great Work, began with a moment on stage when someone in the audience challenged the idea that workload was the main problem. Liane paused during her talk and said for the first time, "It's not the workload that's killing us — it's the thought load." That line caught the room and launched the idea.
Thoughtload is the hidden cost that affects how you perform and show up at work. It comes from growing mental demands, an emotionally unsettled world that follows you into the office, and the idea that you shouldn’t take time to recharge.
We talk:
Why "priorities" had no plural
The invisible tax on your focus
Emotions vs. feelings at work
Energy as a renewable resource
The 15-minute overwhelm fix
Links: Liane DaveyThoughtload (book + resources)Liane on LinkedIn
16 May 2026
#370 Has Feminism Delivered? - Carrie Gress
▶️ Connect with Richard on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/richardatherton-firsthuman/
What if the movement meant to free women has actually made them less happy, and people have struggled to discuss it?
In this episode of Being Human, Richard Atherton talks with Carrie Gress, a philosopher, co-founder of The Theology of Home, and author of eleven books, including The End of Woman: How Smashing the Patriarchy Has Destroyed Us. Carrie, who has a PhD in philosophy, originally planned to write a short chapter on first-wave feminism. Instead, she spent four years discovering how its roots are closely linked to socialism, the occult, and a view of womanhood shaped more by envy than by freedom.
She links Mary Wollstonecraft's call for equality to the consciousness-raising methods used in Mao's China, revealing a history that is new to many people. Her argument is not against women. Instead, she argues for restoring what feminism has quietly removed: the unique strengths women bring to families, workplaces, and culture when they embrace their own identity.
We discuss:
The hidden origins of feminism
Why women are less happy now
Motherhood as feature, not flaw
The false binary no one questions
What men really love about women
Links:
Carrie Gress / The Theology of HomeThe End of Woman (Book)Carrie’s Substack
8 May 2026
#369 From Refugee Camp to CEO — What 40 Jobs Taught Him About Leadership - Ali Mahlodji
▶️ Connect with Richard on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/richardatherton-firsthuman/
Have you ever thought that the hardest things you’ve faced might actually be preparing you for the life you’re meant to live?
In this episode of Being Human, Richard Atherton talks with Ali Mahlodji, CEO of futureOne, keynote speaker, five-time author, and guest lecturer at the University of Cambridge.
As a toddler, Ali found himself in a refugee camp in Austria. At 13 he started stuttering and didn’t stop until he was 22. He left school early, worked more than 40 jobs ranging from floor cleaner to carpenter, and taught himself software engineering using library books. After 70 application letters to OG Silicon Valley giant, Sun Microsystems, Ali lands himself his first tech role. What made the difference for him was something his mother did every day, no matter how tough things got: she told him she loved him just as he was. Not for his grades or achievements, but simply for being himself. Now, through futureOne’s Heroes programme, he helps people in 40 countries break free from old patterns. In this conversation, he shares why, with AI on the rise, doing this inner work is more important than ever.
We discuss:
Escaping Iran aged 2
Dealing with his father's mental breakdown
Getting his break in Tech
Building a start-up and exiting
Recovering from burnout and building futureOne
Links: Ali's WebsitefutureOne
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Steven Young
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