Psych Health and Safety Podcast

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 the psychosocial risks, how she involved members of the workforce from all over Australia in the process, and how this helped to support executive decision-making around priorities and resource allocations for risk mitigations.

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 outcomes (hint: rumours of a lack of evidence have been greatly exaggerated). Ben then goes on to discuss the statistical barriers to demonstrating relationships between psychosocial factors and safety outcomes.

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 exclusive audience Q&A, where Rob answers questions submitted by audience members.

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 do to create work that helps people thrive (without burning them out). Practical, evidence-backed, and full of sharp insights for anyone serious about psychosocial safety at work.

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 Start Risk Assessment, and the use of technology to improve accessibility of customised eLearning.

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 experiences as a retailer.

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 symptoms of burnout in others, and how to approach a conversation. Ben then goes on to share insights and strategies for employers to consider in managing and preventing burnout.

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 health outcomes? Does a 4-day work week lead to worse organisational outcomes?

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 job design that appear to be more important for the mental health of Navy personnel.

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 workers (and a more general audience) on what can be done at an organisational-level and individual-level to protect psychological health from psychosocial hazards that can’t be eliminated, including consideration of the hierarchy of controls.

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 you’ve ever wondered whether work can (or should) be more than just a way to earn a living, this conversation will challenge your thinking and offer fresh insights into finding fulfilment beyond productivity.Learn more about Dr Mark Fabian:Find his book Beyond Happy here: harpercollins.com.au/9781835010501/beyond-happyLearn more about him via his website: sites.google.com/view/markfabian/homeContent Warning: This episode contains explicit language.

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 thought leaders and trailblazers including Mary Ann Baynton, Chris Jones, Wade Needham, Dr I. David Daniels, Kanae Dyas, Dr Anna Cody, and Elizabeth Broderick, and case studies on international approaches to psych health and safety, and bringing HR and WHS together. Missed the conference but wish you didn't? Don’t worry, you can catch up on every session and experience PHSCON 2025 on demand - See our website for details: psychhealthandsafetyconference.com/post-conference-access/