What better way to find out how the Safety Profession can continue to iterate and develop than by hanging out with Pam Walaski, CSP, FSSP? Pam chats with us about how far the safety profession has come and where it can still continue to evolve. Whether you're trying to breathe new life into a tired safety program or starting from scratch with something new, Pam has some great wisdom to share. It's clear that Pam has a deep love for worker safety, both in her role as the President of the American Society of Safety Professionals and in her own personal life and hobbies.

Of all the guests we've had on the show, Domini Montgomery has the most unique workplace. Domini works in safety and risk management at the Saint Louis Zoo where she works with the amazing people who care for incredible animals. Beyond the obvious hazards and risks inherent in working with live animals, Domini has focused on the mental and psychological safety of the many teams at the zoo in order to build a culture where everyone can perform at the highest level. Even though workplace safety and risk management in a zoo or aquarium is a niche area of expertise, there are many lessons from Domini that can apply to any workplace, regardless of how adventurous.

Sustainability. It's one of those cool terms that can be exciting, encouraging, but scary and confusing at the same time. Let's start with the basics: what does it even mean? And just because the "E" in EHS stands for "Environmental" does that mean that safety professionals know what to do when it comes to sustainability? It's a tricky subject and that's why we have Catryna Jackson, CEM on this episode. Catryna helps us explore why understanding sustainability and environmental impact is so important for organizations and why it doesn't have to be nebulous and daunting. In the end, safety professionals are in a unique position to help their organizations implement environmentally conscious practices that are helpful for the company and the environment. Check out these great resources: SASB: material topics by industry Global Reporting Initiative: Get started learning about KPIs and material topics. They also have online learning available through the GRI Academy International Society of Sustainability Professionals: learn from others who are specializing in the field of sustainability and even pursue certifications in this area

Oftentimes people focus on what went wrong in a situation and try to keep those things from happening again, especially when it comes to workplace safety. But there's a whole other side of the story that guest, Tanya Conole, likes to explore, which is what went right. Could we make worker safety even better by having conversations around what went well and acknowledging that it's part of the story? Tanya is a certified OHS professional, auditor and host of the podcast "A Win for Safety" that you can listen to HERE

"Looks like someone has a case of the Mondays..." But what if it's not just happening on Mondays? You see it in your coworkers or maybe you see it in yourself. Do people just not care about their work? Dr. Jessica Kriegel joins us to talk about why caring about the work is so critical and why it's hard for people to do it. As a data scientist specializing in workplace culture, she dives into the roles of leadership in creating a positive culture of caring that not only improves worker satisfaction, but can improve profitability and production, too. Jessica shared her message as a keynote speaker at the 2024 American Society of Safety Professionals (ASSP) annual conference and even delivered a TEDx presentation on the topic. You can view Jessica's TEDx presentation ("How to get people to give a sh*t") here Learn more about Jessica and connect with her on LinkedIn here  

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!

"Got no time for fake ones, just sip some Cristal with these real ones..."   But many of us feel like the fake ones. Let's talk about imposter syndrome! Allison, Josh and Gabe explore the pervasive feeling of imposter syndrome and why many people can feel like frauds regardless of their achievements. In the first of a three-part series, the gang talks about how they've personally experienced imposter syndrome and how it's manifested in different areas of their lives. Experiencing imposter syndrome can be difficult, but maybe there's actually a positive side to it that can drive people to succeed. Whether you're struggling with feelings of inadequacy in your work or just curious about this common experience, this is a great episode to get you thinking about the ups and downs of this issue that hits many professionals.   If you're curious about some of the concepts explored in this episode, check out "Hidden Potential" from our dear friend* Adam Grant. *He responded to two of our emails, so we're friends now. Obviously we're huge fans.

Dave Rosenbluth joins the show on this episode to talk about the growing number of manufacturers bringing women's personal protective equipment to the market! It's challenging to break into the field, but by working together in awesome ways--like with the Alliance of Women's Safety Apparel Manufacturers ("awesome"...get it?)--they can bring more awareness and options to the women in the workforce who need this PPE!

On this episode, we chat with Malcolm Staves, Global Vice President for Health and Safety at L'Oreal, about how the company's culture of safety has evolved through the "hummingbird theory", which encourages small, consistent efforts from every worker to drive substantial improvements. Malcolm discusses the use of custom, in-house safety programs tailored to the company's culture, versus generic off-the-shelf solutions. His leadership and focus on employee engagement have made safety a core value at L'Oreal. Across the globe, at work or at home, Malcolm demonstrates that it's possible for everyone to make a change, no matter how small.   Connect with Malcolm on LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/malcolm-staves-fiirsm-ficheme-7a89077 Watch Malcolm's TEDx talk about "Being the Hummingbird": https://youtu.be/ArvnHLdoxzI?si=DqHqPuavzUqwiH2e  

When Tim Page-Bottorff enters the chat, you can count on Star Wars analogies and solid truths being explored. This episode delivers exactly that as Tim shares his personal and professional views on mentoring and why it's important for the safety professional. Done well, mentoring can have a profound positive impact on the mentor and mentee. It can be difficult to get started, but Tim shares some ways that people can get started with "full circle" mentoring in the safety profession.

We get to chat with Holly Burgess, Technical Lead for Industrial and Chemical Safety at the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) about her journey into the safety profession and what ignites her passion in this field. Get fired up for this wild discussion where we explore Holly's safety career, resources from the NFPA and find out how many puns Josh can cram into one episode. You can connect with Holly on LinkedIn HERE and be sure to drop her a fire safety pun to add to her collection from this episode! To learn more about the NFPA, visit www.nfpa.org To see what Holly's so excited about with NFPA LiNK, click HERE

Get ready - we tackle challenging questions and explore mental health, following the conclusion of Mental Health Awareness month in May.   Leslee Montgomery is our guest on this episode. She is a professional counselor, wellness and safety specialist, mental health advocate, speaker, and educator working in the construction industry. She is the founder and CEO of Humanology Partners. National Council for Mental Wellbeing Humanology Partners

Ben Andrew, Ed.D, CSP joins us for this episode of the Illusion of Safety. Ben began his safety career in the Navy and is currently the Chief of Safety & Emergency Managment at the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. Ben is also a BCSP (Board of Certified Safety Professionals) Ambassador. We discuss the benefits of obtaining BCSP certifications, his career in safety, and his research on transitioning from the miliary to civilian work. Connect with Dr. Ben Andrew on LinkedIn and subscribe to his weekly newletter, "Sunday Night Reignite". BCSP: Board of Certified Safety Professionals

Sarah Bogner, CSP joins us for our 20th episode of the Illusion of Safety! Sarah has 20 years of expereince in the safety profession and currently works as the Manager of Environmental Health & Safety at Contra Costa Water District. She holds a BA in Environmental Studies and a MS in Environmental Management from the University of San Francisco. Sarah shares her "day in the life" working in the water industry, as well as her best recommendations for staying organized. Thank you for listening to our 20th episode! We hope you subscribe to the show, leave a review, and share the podcast with a friend.

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. If you enjoy our show, share it with a friend! Share it online with your network! Follow/subscribe to make sure you never miss an episode.

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 Remember, subscribe/follow our show and leave a review. This helps more people hear about the Illusion of Safety. Thank you for listening!

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 Please follow/subscribe to the show, leave us a review, and share with a friend - this helps more people hear this podcast. Thank you!

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. If you are enjoying the show, please follow us on your favorite podcast platform, leave a review, and share with a friend. This helps more people hear the show, and we so appreciate it!

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! 

A new year celebration episode filled with spice monikers, random questions, and hilarity. We hope this episode kicks off the new year with some fun. We are grateful to have you as a listener! Subscribe to the show to make sure you don't miss the amazing guests we have lined up in 2024.

The Illusion of Safety turns 10 episodes old! Allison, Josh and Gabe look back at how the journey began and the lessons learned along the way. From insightful conversations with incredible guests to delving deep into diverse topics related to safety (and even some that aren’t), each episode has been a step towards building a collective of professionals that strive for greater learning and growth! Thank you for being part of this wonderful adventure. Here’s to many more episodes filled with inspiration, knowledge and meaningful conversations! Remember to follow/add the show and leave a review - it means a lot and will make it easier for IO Safety to reach more listeners. Thank you!

Beth Welmaker, Executive Director of Environmental Health and Safety at Nova Southeastern University, joins us for this episode of the Illusion of Safety podcast. We discuss building trust in new work environments, emerging technologies in safety, research safety dynamics, and advice for people considering a career in lab safety and for those interested in leading a professional networking society. Learn more about CSHEMA: https://www.cshema.org/ Connect with Beth on LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/beth-welmaker-821b646 Beth's Book Recommendations: Tom Lake by Ann Patchett The Servant Leader by Kenneth R. Jennings and John Stahl-Wert Mindset: The New Psychology of Success by Carol S. Dweck Clear Thinking: Turning Ordinary Moments into Extraordinary Results by Shane Parrish

Let’s give thanks…for this episode on gratitude! The gang gets some time with Emily Elrod, President and founder of Workzbe. She explains the science behind gratitude and explores how it can affect our productivity, satisfaction with our work and even how we interact with others. From looking at our brain chemistry when we experience gratitude to the increases in productivity and financial benefits that come out from connecting with people, gratitude has a multitude of benefits for individuals and teams. Get those pens and paper ready…you’re going to want to take notes! To learn more about what Emily is doing with Workzbe, check out their website at www.workzbe.com!

Rachel Walla-Housman, CSP, CIH joins us for this episode of the Illusion of Safety. Rachel is the founder of Ally Safety. Ally Safety’s brand is “Safety training made entertaining” and her training videos and toolbox talks have become the marker for exciting safety content in our industry. Rachel shares her wisdom and experience around creating content, building a personal/business brand, and making safety interesting (because it is!). Links: Ally Safety: @ally_safety https://allysafety.com/ https://www.youtube.com/@AllySafety Excavation Safety (with cake!): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_-6HnDQbE6Q In case you are also inspired to match your nail polish to your chainsaw chaps: https://intothegloss.com/2014/05/best-neon-nail-polish/ Harvard Business Review articles on personal branding - https://hbr.org/2022/02/whats-the-point-of-a-personal-brand, https://hbr.org/2022/09/how-to-build-your-personal-brand-at-work And as always, connect with us on LinkedIn and subscribe/follow the show on this podcast platform.  

When you’re a professional that’s always “on call” in your work, how do you find time to take a break?  The Illusion of Safety gang kicks around the topic of taking breaks from work to rest, why it’s important and whether it’s possible to actually do it. Links: Adam Grant’s episode about the importance of taking vacations: https://spotify.link/DAjT5SY40Db You know you want to swim with these majestic creatures on your next vacation: https://www.bahamas.com/experiences/official-home-swimming-pigs

Allison, Gabe, and Josh explore how sports fandom can translate to the safety profession: Let's play a game: Sports Lingo, Taylor Swift lyric, or Safety Topic? What does fandom look life? How do we identify and/or own the safety profession? Moving from "I" to "We" Defining Significance Why we are passionate about building a collective. Share your wins and loses #bethestatuteofliberty Connect with us on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/illusion-of-safety-podcast Subscribe/follow the show on your favorite podcast platform and leave a rating and review on Apple Podcasts - thank you!

We talk with Scott Cuthbert and Jamie Young, co-founders of Safeopedia, about our favorite digital safety conference: Safety Connect! From the amazing speaker lineup to the networking to the year-round access, Scott and Jamie talk with us about what attendees can expect at this year’s premier online conference. Secrets about the conference are spilled left and right in our first international episode, so you don’t want to miss this! Notes and Links: Want to sign up for Safety Connect? Of course you do! Check out www.safetyconnect2023.com to register, see the full conference agenda, and even see some intro videos from the speakers. We'll see you "there" October 3-5, 2023! Check out a ton of safety resources from www.safeopedia.com Huge shoutout to Holly Burgess for being an awesome safety pro, and all around fun person to know! Connect with her on LinkedIn at linkedin.com/in/holly-burgess-csp-ssgb-0235202 to learn more about her work with the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA).

On this episode, Subena Colligan, CIH, CSP joins us, as our inaugural podcast guest. We are honored and grateful for the conversation we get to share. We discuss working with authenticity, identifying our values, finding joy, and leaving a legacy. Notes: Subscribe to Subena’s newsletter, “Mindful Strategy”, here: https://www.linkedin.com/newsletters/6874736792231276544/ Check out EHS Tranformation Consultants, Veteran-Owned OEHS Consulting Firm: https://ehstransformation.com/ The CROWN Act: The CROWN Act was created in 2019 by Dove and the CROWN Coalition, in partnership with then State Senator Holly J. Mitchell of California, to ensure protection against discrimination based on race-based hairstyles by extending statutory protection to hair texture and protective styles such as braids, locs, twists, and knots in the workplace and public schools. https://www.thecrownact.com/ McKinsey & Company article from April 5, 2021, “Help your employees find purpose – or watch them leave” - https://www.mckinsey.com/capabilities/people-and-organizational-performance/our-insights/help-your-employees-find-purpose-or-watch-them-leave Occupational Health Psychology (OHP): https://www.cdc.gov/niosh/topics/ohp/default.html The Surgeon General’s Framework for Workplace Mental Health and Well-Being: https://www.hhs.gov/surgeongeneral/priorities/workplace-well-being/index.html Leadership and Job Demands-Resources Theory: A Systemic Review: https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2021.722080/full Information on Alfred Nobel and the Nobel Prize: https://www.nobelprize.org/alfred-nobel/alfred-nobels-life-and-work/ Rate, review, and subscribe to the show on your favorite podcast platform. Use #IOSafety when sharing about the show or this episode. Check out our website: http://iosafetypodcast.com/ and follow us on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/illusion-of-safety-podcast/