Illusion of Safety

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...

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 ep...

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...

"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 r...

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 traj...

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...

"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 impos...

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...

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 of...

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 w...

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 connec...

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 Coun...

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 tran...

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 th...

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 Safet...

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 Fro...

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 ou...

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 You...

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 conversati...

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 mento...

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...

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 e...

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!...

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...