Authentic Ewe® Podcast

What if psychological safety isn’t only something an organisation or leader gives you?In this episode of the Authentic Ewe® Podcast, Penelope Aiken is joined by psychologist, executive coach and bestselling author Dr Adam Dorsay to explore connection, meaning, strengths and a different way of thinking about psychological safety.Adam is the author of Super Psyched: Unleash the Power of the 4 Types of Connection and Live the Life You Love, which explores four areas of human connection: ourselves, other people, the world around us and something greater.Their conversation raises a question at the heart of the developing HUMAN LENS® methodology:Have we focused so heavily on what organisations and leaders should do to create psychological safety that we’ve overlooked the importance of helping individuals understand what they need, meet some of those needs for themselves, and communicate those needs to others?Penelope and Adam explore:why psychological safety is both environmental and internalthe importance of locus of control when circumstances around us feel unsafewhy people need different things in order to feel psychologically safethe relationship between safety, challenge and growthwhy psychological safety needs to be demonstrated and practised, not simply talked abouthow job crafting can create greater meaning and connection to workintrinsic motivation versus external rewardshow VIA Character Strengths can help people understand what matters to themwhy organisations may need to give people a “menu” of possibilities when asking what they need to feel safe, rather than expecting them to know immediatelyIt’s a conversation about giving people greater agency without removing the responsibility organisations and leaders have to create healthy, psychologically safe environments.And it provides an important piece of the research informing HUMAN LENS® — Authentic Ewe’s developing methodology for creating workplaces where people feel safe to be their authentic selves.Learn more about Dr Adam Dorsay:https://dradamdorsay.comExplore Super Psyched:https://dradamdorsay.com/super-psyched-book-page/Listen to Adam’s SuperPsyched podcast and learn more about his work:https://dradamdorsay.comExplore Authentic Ewe®:https://www.authenticewe.comListen to the Authentic Ewe® Podcast:https://shows.acast.com/authentic-ewe-podcastApple Podcasts:https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/authentic-ewe-podcast/id1835334323Hosted by Penelope Aiken | Authentic Ewe®HUMAN is what people need. LENS is how we create it.

In this special bonus episode of the Authentic Ewe® Podcast, Penelope Aiken asks Jeffrey Allen two questions at the heart of authenticity and psychological safety:What do you need to feel safe to be your authentic self?And what can you do to help someone else feel safe to be theirs?Jeffrey shares his perspective on self-judgment, unconditional love, compassion and the importance of creating space for other people to be who they are.His reflections offer a powerful reminder that feeling safe to be ourselves often starts with how we relate to ourselves — and how much judgment we bring into our relationships with others.This conversation also connects closely with the thinking behind HUMAN LENS® and its focus on understanding what people need to feel safe to be their authentic selves.

In this episode of Authentic Ewe, Penelope Aiken is joined by Minette Norman, speaker, author and former tech executive, for a powerful conversation about what it really takes to create workplaces where people feel safe to be their authentic selves.Together, they explore Minette’s five plays for inclusive leadership: communicating courageously, mastering the art of listening, managing your reactions, embracing risk and failure, and designing inclusive rituals. Through the lens of psychological safety, authenticity and human-centred leadership, this conversation asks an important question: what changes when we remember that CEOs, leaders and employees are all human too?Penelope also introduces the HUMAN LENS™ as a way of thinking about the conditions people need in order to feel safe, valued and able to contribute fully at work.This episode is a reminder that leadership is not about having all the answers. It is about listening, staying open, being brave enough to get it wrong, and creating cultures where people can be honest, human and connected.In this episode, we explore:Why courageous communication matters in leadershipHow deep listening creates trust and psychological safetyWhy leaders need to manage their reactions, especially in hard momentsThe role of humour, humility and humanity at workHow risk, failure and inclusion are connectedWhy rituals matter in shaping cultureHow leaders can create workplaces where people feel safe to be their authentic selves Learn more about Minette Norman: https://www.minettenorman.com Connect with Minette on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/minettenorman Explore The Psychological Safety Playbook: https://thepsychologicalsafetyplaybook.com/ Explore The Boldly Inclusive Leader: https://www.minettenorman.com/boldlyinclusiveleader Learn more about Authentic Ewe: https://www.authenticewe.com

n this episode of Authentic Ewe, Penelope speaks with Blake Proberts, founder of Acorn PLMS, about why organisational learning is broken and why performance reviews are often “trash”.Together they explore how capability frameworks, clearer role expectations and everyday coaching can turn learning and performance development into something more meaningful, human and useful.This conversation connects strongly with Authentic Ewe’s HUMAN LENS™ framework — showing how psychological safety is built through clarity, purpose, feedback and the everyday conversations that help people feel safe to be their authentic selves at work.

In this episode, Penelope speaks with Beth Rudden, CEO and co-founder of Bast AI and author of AI for the Rest of Us. Beth shares why there is an alternative to black-box AI, why wisdom matters when using AI, and how the best systems should augment humans rather than control them. Together, they explore explainable AI, bias, leadership, values, reciprocity, and why human connection still matters most in an increasingly technological world. A thoughtful conversation about clarity, kindness, power, and what responsible AI really looks like in practice. 

What really drives conflict, silence, burnout, and sudden resignations at work?In this powerful conversation, Benjamin Fry unpacks the story of the nervous system and why so many workplace reactions have nothing to do with performance, capability, or attitude—and everything to do with unfinished threat responses stored in the body.Drawing on ideas from his book The Invisible Lion, Benjamin explains why humans overreact, underreact, freeze, fawn, or suddenly flee workplaces they once loved.Together, we explore:Why workplaces amplify nervous system dysregulation—especially where hierarchy existsThe difference between shutdown vs containment, and why “appropriate reactions” build trustHow boundaries are not about controlling others—but about caring for your own nervous systemWhy psychological safety isn’t about being “nice,” but about feeling safe enough to stay regulatedHow leaders can spot dysregulation in real time—and slow moments down before they escalateWhy listening is often more regulating than anything you can sayBenjamin also explains the origin of the Invisible Lion metaphor—why behaviour only makes sense when we understand the unseen context behind it—and how workplaces can stop leaving people alone with their lions.This episode is essential listening for leaders, HR, OD practitioners, and anyone who wants to build cultures where people don’t just perform—but feel safe enough to stay, speak, and be themselves.Explore Benjamin Fry’s work🌐 Website: https://benjaminfry.co.uk/🔗 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/benjamin-fry📘 The Invisible Lion (book): https://www.amazon.com/dp/1910919246

In this episode of the Authentic Ewe Podcast, I sit down with Dave Snowden, founder of The Cynefin Company. Dave challenges the mainstream view of psychological safety, framing it not as comfort but as a signal system that reveals risks, patterns, and trust gaps in complex organisations.We explore how leaders can use Cynefin, SenseMaker®, safe-to-fail experiments, and trios to navigate uncertainty and create authentic workplaces where people can thrive.Links: Cynefin resources | Cynefin framework | SenseMaker® subscription | Premium Membership | Dave Snowden on LinkedIn

In this episode of The Authentic Ewe Podcast, I sit down with Debbie Nicol — one of the world’s most recognised experts in The Leadership Challenge.Deb shares a powerful truth most leaders forget:You can’t just do leadership. You have to be a leader people want to follow.We explore:• What separates “doing leadership” from being a leader• Why credibility and consistency matter more than tactics• How the Five Practices of Exemplary Leadership work in real life• The link between DISC behaviour and leadership effectiveness• Why executive presence is misunderstood — and how Deb reframes it through Presence Pro• How disconnection shows up in workplaces, and what real leaders do differently• The behavioural shifts that turn managers into trusted, influential leadersThis conversation is grounded, practical and deeply human — a must-listen for leaders who want their influence to actually land.🔗 Resources MentionedPresence Pro – Executive Presence Self-Assessment (Free)https://presencepro.ai/The Leadership Challenge – Kouzes & Posnerhttps://www.leadershipchallenge.comDebie Nicol on LinkedInhttps://www.linkedin.com/in/debbienicol/