Illusion of Safety – Details, episodes & analysis

It's the 3rd part of our series where we look at how impostor syndrome and learning how to say "no" are two sides of the same coin. You know the feeling—the nagging doubt that you’re not as competent as others think you are, or the fear that you’ll be exposed as a fraud at any moment. It's a real struggle for many professionals, and it can impact everything from your confidence to your career trajectory. Sometimes, it even makes us say "yes" to things that may be too much to handle.

Establishing boundaries isn’t just about saying "no". It’s about creating a sustainable work life that fosters productivity and personal satisfaction. Easier said than done? Absolutely. Allison, Josh and Gabe talk about how they've experienced the interaction between impostor syndrome and learning to not overcommit, and how that can help busy safety professionals at any point in their careers.

In this 2nd episode of our 3-part series, we dive into the art of saying "no" and why overcommitment can sneak up on safety professionals. If you've ever found yourself juggling too many tasks, feeling overwhelmed, or struggling to balance the opportunities and priorities of work life (and everything else!) this episode is for you! Join us as we figure out why we have a tendency to overcommit and why "just say no" is easier said than done when it comes to the safety profession!

Jennifer McNelly, CAE, CEO of the American Society of Safety Professionals (ASSP) joins us for this episode of the Illusion of Safety podcast.

Jennifer is a CEO with a bias toward action. She is also a Gallup-Certified Strengths Coach. Jennifer explains Clifton StrengthsFinder and highlights the power of building strengths in partnership/community.

Gallup CliftonStrengths

American Society of Safety Professionals

Our guest on this episode of the Illusion of Safety is Ren Lu You. Ren is the CEO of Frontline Data Solutions, which makes software tools for health and safety professionals. His company works with small startup operations all the way up to large multi-nationals in oil & gas, chemical, manufacturing, and other heavy industries.

Free EHS Templates from Frontline

This episode is sponsored by Frontline Data Solutions. Frontline Data Solutions started in 1999, with the goal to make health and safety professionals' jobs easier. They create recordkeeping tools for tasks like incident management, contractor onboarding, training programs, and equipment monitoring.

We kick off this episode with a communication game, then are joined by our guest, Hazel Meda. Hazel Meda is the Internal Communications Manager at Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Inc. She shares her top guidelines to ensure your communications are strategic, effective, and efficient.

Hazel's framework for communication: ASSET - audience centered, simple, short, engaging, and tidy.

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Y'all. This episode is a party.

We are joined by Alexis Armstrong, founder of Peggy Workwear and the Smoko Podcast. Alexis is a STEAM and Trades advocate, a geologist, and participated in the International Ocean Discovery Program (IODP) aboard the deep-sea drill ship, the Joides Resolution.

Peggy Workwear

@peggyworkwear on Instagram

IODP Joides Resolution

The Smoko Podcast

The Smoko Podcast on YouTube

 Learn more about Alexis’ favorite rock: Ooid

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This week, we are joined by Rosa Antonia Carrillo, MSOD. She is the President of Carrillo and Associates, Inc, a consulting firm focused on organizational effectiveness, leadership development, and team development. Rosa has over 25 years of experience transforming safety cultures. She is a widely published author and inspirational leader. We hope you enjoy this thoughtful, care-focused conversation about the current landscape of the safety profession.

OHS Voices from the Resistance - Order Here!

Rosa's Author Bookshelf - Amazon

Carrillo & Associates, Inc. 

Sam Goodman's Book: 10 Ideas to Make Safety Suck Less

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Matthew Herron, MS, PE, CSP, CPE joins us for a conversation on engineering and safety. Matt is currently the Lead Safety Engineer at Southwest Research Institute, a BCSP Ambassador, and the ASSP Region III Vice President.

We discuss how an engineering mindset emphasizes prevention through design. Matt also gives advice on how to communicate with all levels of an organization and how to find mentorship for new safety professionals.

February 18-24, 2024 is Engineers Week, with this year's theme being, "Welcome to the Future" - we think this episode is a perfect introduction to kick off Engineers Week and to encourage others to consider STEM fields!

Engineers Week | National Society of Professional Engineers (nspe.org)

To celebrate Engineer’s Week (EWeek) the ASSP Engineering Practice Specialty is offering a special promo code to join the Engineering Practice Specialty for FREE!!!

Promo Code: 242ENGPS

Offer: 1 Free Engineering Practice Specialty ($20 value) and for those new to ASSP, the $25 App Fee is waived ($45 total value). Dates Valid: February 1, 2024 – March 31, 2024

Article that Matt mentions during the episode: "Keeping Employees Alive and Well" by Farman A. Moayed

In 2023, BCSP announced they will now require 0.5 points from ethics courses every recertification cycle. This got us thinking... what does it mean to be ethical? Are ethics and morality connected? Can we trust our "gut"?

We are joined by an expert in the field, Rachel Whitman Rotch, PhD. Rotch is a Senior Analyst and Visiting Assistant Professor at Auburn University. She developed the "Ethics and Professional Issues" course for Auburn University's industrial and organizational psychology master's program (which is the program Allison is currently enrolled in). We hope you enjoy this discussion, and leave asking more questions about behaviors, organizational culture, and ethics.

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Jessie Singer is a journalist, keynote speaker, and the author of "There Are No Accidents: The Deadly Rise of Injury and Disaster -- Who Profits and Who Pays the Price," a Slate, Fortune Magazine, Mother Jones, and The Economist best book of the year. Her writing appears in the Washington Post, The Atlantic, The Nation, Bloomberg News, New York magazine, The Guardian, and elsewhere. Jessie is an expert in safe systems, injury prevention, harm reduction, and the ongoing rise in "accidental" death.

You can read more of Jessie's work and order her book here: https://jessiesinger.com/

Illusion of Safety is a biweekly podcast, focused on creating a collective of professionals dedicated to bringing passion, community, and fun to the safety industry. Follow us on LinkedIn, subscribe/follow the show on your favorite podcast platform, and leave a review on Apple Podcasts. Thank you for listening!