Ace of Pentacles

Ep. 35 | Beyond Psychological Safety with Dr. Claire Green-Forde

In this conversation with Dr. Claire Green-Ford, we explore what psychological safety requires, why safety is experienced differently across identity and role, and how leaders can create cultures that honor people's humanity, boundaries, contributions, and well-being. Dr. Claire Green-Forde, LCSW—The Culture & Well-Being Architect™—is a mental health executive, leadership strategist, transformational speaker, and Founder & CEO of Dr. Claire SPEAKS!™. Her strategic advisory and thought leadership firm partners with senior leaders and executives across high-impact organizations, including healthcare systems and social impact institutions. With more than 20 years of experience across behavioral health, healthcare, government, and mission-driven systems, Dr. Claire works at the intersection of leadership, organizational culture, and well-being. She helps leaders address the root causes of workplace harm by examining leadership behaviors, power dynamics, and how culture and policy are operationalized day to day. Through keynotes, leadership development workshops, and short-term strategic advisement, she blends neuroscience, research, human behavior insight, and systems-level strategy to help leaders build trust, strengthen teams, improve retention, reduce organizational risk, and drive innovation and profitability. Guided by her proprietary L.E.A.D. with C.A.R.E.™ framework and the belief that Work Shouldn't Hurt™, her mission is to help leaders build workplaces worthy of the people inside of them™. Company Website: www.drclairespeaks.com [https://www.drclairespeaks.com] LinkedIn Profile: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dr-claire-green-forde/ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/dr-claire-green-forde/] IG: @dr.clairespeaks

Ep. 34 | The Leadership Rehearsal Room with Donnacadh O'Briain

Many people talk about leadership theoretically. We also tend to teach it as if it were a theory. But leadership is a practice and a hard one to master. In this episode, I chat with someone who is helping people learn leadership as a practice, not just ideas, step-by-step guides, and frameworks. Donnacadh O'Briain is an Olivier and Offie Award-winning Director and creative leader working all across the Experience Economy, with a 20-year habit of delivering exceptional results. An expert in story and narrative, he works extensively as a creative director & strategist as well as a writer, narrative designer and experience designer. His career has seen me leading on everything from musicals and West End Comedy, to large scale attractions for families, to creating innovative learning projects for major companies and educational institutions. With a diverse list of partners and clients that runs across several industries and includes the likes of The Royal Shakespeare Company, Asahi, Wells Fargo and Hasbro. You can connect with Donnacadh on LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/in/donnacadh-o-briain-35788837/].

Comparison Culture

As we grow up, we intentionally leave behind traditions that don't suit us. We might reject holidays, rituals, belief systems, and even language that we grew up with. But we carry something with us our whole lives that our parents unknowingly gift us: the habit of comparison. And we'll abandon the rituals that seem outdated, but we won't abandon the outdated comparison scripts. So we move through our lives measuring ourselves against others, weighing our joy, our success, our worth against someone else's story. In this episode I share a story of something I observed at a park that got me thinking about when and why we start comparing ourselves and our lives to those around us.

Ep. 33 | Designing a Magical Life, One Move at a Time with Leon Simmonds

In this episode, we explore what it means to approach life and career with a sense of play, creativity, and intention. Joined by a magician and board game designer, we dive into the idea of life as a game - one that can be redesigned to create more joy, meaning, and "magical moments" in everyday experiences. We talk about how creativity naturally ebbs and flows, practical ways to reconnect with creativity when it feels out of reach, and how small shifts in perspective can transform the way you work, live, and create. This conversation is an invitation to stop simply going through the motions and start actively designing a life that feels engaging, expansive, and fun. Visit questinyboardgame.com [https://www.questinyboardgame.com] to join the adventure!

Lemons

In this episode, I share the story of an unexpected career move I made—hesitantly—during a challenging season of life. What I thought was a temporary thing ended up being the most beneficial move of my career. In this short bonus episode, I share the mindset and perspective that got me through it and propelled my career for the next decade to places I could not have ever imagined. If there's one thing I hope to inspire people to do more of, it's this: Lean into the uncomfortable, surprising, even disorienting life moments. Know that everything that is happening to you is actually happening for you.