Podcasts · Thriving Minds with Alberto Zandi

Former British Intelligence Officer: The Truth About Real World Spies! - Gavin Stone | E58

5 Feb 2026 · 1 h 34 min · S1 E58

This week Alberto sat down with Gavin Stone, a former British intelligence officer with over two decades of experience working across government agencies and international intelligence operations.

Gavin shares what life inside the intelligence world actually looks like, how spies are recruited, trained, and deployed, and why the real work is nothing like the movies.

This episode you will learn:

• How intelligence officers detect lies and stress in real conversations

• Why body language should be read in clusters, not isolated gestures

• How persuasion and manipulation actually work

• Why people are easier to influence when emotions are activated

• How governments and organisations shape narratives

• How to think more critically and protect yourself from manipulation

This is a rare look inside the psychology of intelligence, trust, and influence, and how these skills apply to everyday life.

Follow Gavin:

https://www.instagram.com/gavin_stone1/

https://www.linkedin.com/in/gavin-stone-146ab1240

https://www.facebook.com/gavinstoneauthor/

Read Gavin's latest books:

https://www.amazon.co.uk/stores/author/B015HWIKGG

#GavinStone #AlbertoZandi #SpyPodcast #IntelligenceOfficer #BodyLanguage #Lying #MI6 #CIA #TruthOrLie #Polygraph #HumanPsychology #CovertOps

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The episode on the publisher’s site ↗ (opens in a new tab)