Do you ever find yourself spiralling from a simple work annoyance into a full-blown story about a colleague's character or intentions? You’re not alone. In this eye-opening episode of Your Permission to Pause, Jo Cowlin cracks open the (often unspoken) reality of rapid-fire judgment in workplace dynamics. She shares how we can often leap from observing a missed deadline from a colleague to making it personal, and why this pattern quietly sabotages team performance, creativity, and wellbeing.

Through Jo’s real-life insights from her years of coaching, you’ll learn why your brain is hardwired to make up stories, how to catch yourself before you spiral, and, crucially, what you can do to change the cycle for yourself and your team.

Here are the Highlights:

00:00 Introduction: Improving team dynamics

04:35 Brains quickly create narratives, which aided survival historically

08:58 It often isn’t personal; we need to separate facts from emotion

14:34 Defending against imagined threats can damage relationships

17:42 Break the judgment cycle by being more self-aware

20:07 Separate facts from interpretations and replace certainty with curiosity

22:49 Challenge your assumptions by considering alternative explanations

25:54 Reflect on reactions, communicate early, and manage internal sensations.

30:49 Foster a team culture of trust and safety by encouraging open communication and personal accountability

33:12 Presence enables less judgmental reactions

37:10 Create a team culture of psychological safety and learning, not judgment.

Meet your host Jo Cowlin

Jo Cowlin keeps it real.

Some people might like to call her ‘a motivational people development expert’ but Jo would rather you didn’t.

Jo is a no-nonsense, straight-talking northerner

She is also a transformational coach, facilitator and game changer. She has a passion for results and is dedicated to helping leaders realise their aspirations without compromising their wellbeing.

She dares individuals to be different by eliminating corporate BS, life coaching, and hand-holding, and instead encourages breaking through barriers to gain clarity and step into personal power for a life without limits.

Resilience and a proactive approach to mental wellbeing is at the core of all of her work which is predominantly aimed at helping leaders and their teams refocus, regroup and rapidly adjust to change. With a background in pharmaceutical leadership and expertise across various sectors, she offers coaching and leadership programs tailored to individual and organisational needs.

When Jo isn’t transforming company cultures, you’ll find her managing her 3 teenage girls’ busy social calendars. She’s a dab hand in the kitchen and true to form, loves to keep her food real. And if she isn’t doing either of those you will find her out in nature walking her dog or lifting a barbell in the gym.

Find out more about Jo here: https://jocowlin.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jocowlin/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jo-cowlin/