Decoding the human condition with Milo Wilkinson

Aug 7, 2025

Milo Wilkinson, a globally recognized Behavioral Scientist with expertise in human behavior, crisis leadership, and predictive analytics, shares her sharp insights in a captivating discussion. She dives into why smart individuals often make irrational choices and highlights the essential role of belonging over mere psychological safety. Milo addresses the complexities of change, emphasizing empathy and responsibility while encouraging leaders to foster inclusive environments. She also introduces the 'My User Manual' concept, a unique tool for enhancing team communication and understanding.

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ANECDOTE

Five Layers of Communication

Milo uses a five-layer communication model with her husband to deepen conversations beyond surface answers.
Building to levels of questioning and shared silence enables more meaningful engagement about daily experiences.

ANECDOTE

Handling Ego with Calmness

Milo faced a challenging situation with a man dismissive during a behavioral leadership session in the Middle East.
She calmly invited him to participate fully, redirecting his resistance into engagement without confrontation.

INSIGHT

Hardwired Negativity and Change Fear

The brain is hardwired 73-75% for negativity, causing most people to instinctively fear change.
Fear comes from the perceived loss change represents, not change itself.

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Milo Wilkinson is a globally recognized Behavioral Scientist working at the intersection of human behavior, crisis leadership, and predictive analytics. With seven degrees across neuroscience, psychology, and criminal sciences, Milo brings rare depth to her roles as a high-performance coach, criminal profiler, therapist, and keynote speaker. Milo’s work spans boardrooms, locker rooms, and courtrooms—decoding everyone from executives to elite athletes to psychopaths. Known for her sharp wit and accessible insights, Milo makes complex behavior science both engaging and unforgettable. Whether you’re drawn to Milo or avoid eye contact, chances are… she already knows why.

During this episode of "Experts Unleashed," Atlassian's Dom Price chats with Milo about why smart people still make irrational decisions, the reason belonging is more important than psychological safety, and the power your thinking has on your body. They discuss how to deal with big egos and massive change, what it looks like to rewrite the scripts we run off each day, and why “fitting in” is the worst thing a person can do in an organization. Milo shows us that much of what we do and think is conditioned into us, but we can change the narrative with the right mindset.

They also discuss the "My User Manual" Play from Atlassian's Team Playbook. It's an exercise designed to help leaders share with their teams and teammates HOW they work. Think of it like this: when you buy a TV, it comes with a User Manual. But when you hire a human, there's no such helpful guidance. Milo takes us through her User Manual and shares her five levels of communication…and how she uses them with her husband!

More about Experts Unleashed:

The world feels full of thought leadership and frameworks, when we’re actually hungry for lived experience, science, and pragmatic insights. Experts Unleashed seeks out amazing minds from their specialty fields and brings them to you, to unleash their wisdom in a way that will help you put it in action. Each episode aims to educate, provoke, inspire, and then activate… to give you the confidence to try someone new.

In this episode:

My User Manual Play: https://www.atlassian.com/team-playbook/plays/my-user-manual

More about Milo Wilkinson: https://www.milowilkinson.com/

BrainWaves Charity: https://brainwaveshub.org/