Mind the Gap: Why Knowing Isn’t the Same as Doing

Psychologically Speaking with Leila Ainge

In this episode, I share a small but eye-opening story that begins with a single word: lacuna. What started as a moment of academic frustration turned into a reflection on the way we, as adults, often skim rather than fully engage — with words, ideas, and even our own decisions.

I explore how our reading habits reflect something deeper: a psychological tendency to stay safe, to avoid uncertainty, and to hold ourselves back from fully stepping into new knowledge. Drawing on research around word retrieval, loss aversion, and socioemotional selectivity theory, I unpack what it means to sit in the space between knowing and doing – and why that space seems to grow as we get older.

From my experience hosting Psych at the Mic for the British Psychological Society, to reading hilarious bedtime stories with my nine-year-old, I reflect on how curiosity, language, and even self-doubt shape the way we learn, lead, and show up in the world.

This is an episode for anyone who’s ever felt overwhelmed by information, unsure whether they “know enough,” or stuck between intention and action. It’s also a quiet nudge to slow down, ask questions, and give ourselves permission to still be learners – even in the middle of our careers.

Whether you're skimming, overthinking, or saying yes to too much (guilty!), there's something in here for you.

www.leilaainge.co.uk