James Hawkins: Autonomous teams at PostHog

Merry Christmas! And welcome back to This Year in Work!

Today we’re back with Part 2 of our 2025 highlights series, and this time it’s all about our guest interviews.

If you’re new here, welcome along. This is Truth, Lies & Work, the award-winning podcast where behavioural science meets workplace culture. Brought to you by the HubSpot Podcast Network.

⭐ Our Favourite Guest Interviews of 2025

Steve Carse — Work Should Be Fun

Episode 181: https://truthliesandwork.com/episodes/181

We kicked things off with King of Pops founder Steve Carse, who turned a layoff into a $10M ice-pop empire built on one radical belief: work should be fun.

Andrew Palmer — Fall in Love With the Problem

Episode 217: https://truthliesandwork.com/episodes/217

Then came an absolute pinch-me moment for both of us: talking to Andrew Palmer, senior editor at The Economist and host of the Boss Class podcast.
James Hawkins — Chaos, Autonomy and Building Better Teams

Episode 189: https://truthliesandwork.com/episodes/189

Al’s pick was James Hawkins, co-founder of PostHog — the dev tools company that ditched managers and meetings in favour of tiny autonomous teams.
Dr Marie-Hélène — The Science of Strategic Resilience

Episode 171: https://truthliesandwork.com/episodes/171
TEDx talk link: “Crossing the River: Resilience in the Age of AI” - https://youtu.be/JEdr2cvHF5M?si=OB07KHvgSjldYKmg

Leanne’s pick was Dr MH, who reframed resilience as a state — not part of your personality. It moves, fluctuates, and can be strengthened through movement, nutrition, sleep, and relationships.

💬 Listeners’ Choice Award 2025

Elina Teboul — Feminine Intelligence and the Future of Leadership

Episode 197: https://truthliesandwork.com/episodes/197

Your messages, comments and LinkedIn posts made this one clear.
Elina Teboul, executive advisor and author of Feminine Intelligence, challenged assumptions about power, masculinity, intuition, balance and the psychological patriarchy. Whether listeners agreed or disagreed wasn’t the point — the episode sparked reflection everywhere, which is exactly what great conversations do.

🥇 Most Downloaded Expert Episode of 2025

Dr Enya Doyle — The Workplace Rules No One Explains

Episode 175: https://truthliesandwork.com/episodes/175

No surprises here.
The episode you downloaded most — and shared most quietly — was with Dr Enya Doyle, the harassment and inclusion specialist known online as The Harassment Doctor.

This was a true masterclass in navigating messy, awkward and sometimes frightening management moments.
From appearance standards to ageing workforces to tricky inclusion issues, Dr Enya cut through the nonsense with clarity, humour and absolute precision. A must-bookmark episode for every manager.

🎧 Episodes Mentioned Today

• Ep 181 — Work Should Be Fun with Steve Carse
  https://truthliesandwork.com/episodes/181

• Ep 217 — Andrew Palmer on Better Bosses
  https://truthliesandwork.com/episodes/217

• Ep 189 — James Hawkins: Autonomous Teams & Faster Delivery
  https://truthliesandwork.com/episodes/189

• Ep 171 — The Science of Resilience with Dr Marie-Hélène
  https://truthliesandwork.com/episodes/171

• Ep 197 — Feminine Intelligence with Elina Teboul
  https://truthliesandwork.com/episodes/197

• Ep 175 — The Workplace Rules No One Explains with Dr Enya Doyle
  https://truthliesandwork.com/episodes/175

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Connect with us:
LinkedIn — https://www.linkedin.com/company/truthlieswork
Al — https://www.linkedin.com/in/thisisalelliott
Leanne — https://www.linkedin.com/in/meetleanne
Email — hello@truthliesandwork.com
Book a chat — https://savvycal.com/meetleanne/chat