How did it make sense?

On today’s episode of How did it make sense I am joined by Nathalie Lasselin, a filmmaker, technical diver, explorer, and someone who dives where most people wouldn’t even go looking. Nathalie’s story starts with an ambitious expedition called Urban Water Odyssey , a 44-mile dive along the St. Lawrence River with a large support team. The plan was meticulous, the team trained, and everything seeme...

Today on How Did It Make Sense? I’m joined by Steve Smith, a kindred spirit and expert in outdoor education and safety. Steve has spent decades in the outdoor education and safety world, worked across wilderness programs, Outward Bound, and the Student Conservation Association, helping people navigate the tricky balance between risk and learning. He’s also the author of Safety Science for Outdoor...

In this episode, I’m joined by Sabine, a former midwife and flight attendant turned consultant, as we explore the hidden human factors at play in healthcare, specifically in the labour ward. Sabine’s research shines a light on the power dynamics between midwives and obstetricians, how professional identity shapes behaviour, and why normality and safety are not the same thing. We discuss how discou...

In this powerful episode of How Did It Make Sense? , I speak with Justin Featherstone MC leadership consultant, former Army officer, and mountaineer. Justin shares an extraordinary account of survival after being trapped in a crevasse on Mont Blanc, this conversation dives deep into what happens when the unthinkable occurs and how leadership, trust, and human connection make all the difference. Ju...

What happens when someone tests your emergency plan—and no one’s ready? In this episode of How Did It Make Sense? , I speak with Marcus Dimbleby, ex-RAF Wing Commander and now partner at Effective Direction, about the moment he walked into an ops room and triggered the crash alarm on purpose. We unpack how critical thinking, red teaming, and stress testing systems reveal the hidden flaws in safety...

In this episode of How Did It Make Sense? I sit down with Chris Davies, co-founder of Volaria Performance, to dig deeper into the idea of blaming up versus blaming down . Chris shares a story from his military aviation days – a high-pressure scenario involving rapid descents, rotor overspeeds, and a well-intended but misguided fine imposed by leadership. It’s a classic example of where human error...

In this episode of How Did It Make Sense? , I speak with Aaron Potash about a tragic diving incident in Monterey. A struggling student, a distressed instructor, and a beach full of bystanders—why did no one step in? This story raises important questions about how we recognise and respond to distress in high-risk environments. We explore the bystander effect, training gaps, and Immersion Pulmonary...

In today’s episode of How Did It Make Sense? I sit down with two fellow Lund University graduates, Liam Duggan and Natia Ellis, to dig into the realities of police use of force and the critical role of second-story analysis. We start by dissecting a high-stakes policing scenario—a mental health crisis escalating to a fatal police shooting. The media-driven first story often simplifies these events...

A planned electrical job. A misidentified live cable. A workplace accident that could have been fatal. What really happened, and what can we learn from it? In this episode of How Did It Make Sense? , I am joined by Ken Mudd, a seasoned health and safety expert with over 25 years of experience across multiple industries. Together, they unravel the complex reality behind what seemed like a simple wo...

A state-of-the-art Navy frigate collides with an oil tanker in clear conditions—so how could no one on board see it coming? In this episode of How Did It Make Sense? , I sit down with human factors expert Kristian Gould to unpack the second story behind the high-profile 2018 collision of the Norwegian frigate Helge Ingstad . While the media fixated on blame and human error, Kristian reveals how th...

My best friend was killed but why would someone drive a vehicle down a pedestrian walkway? The answer isn’t as simple as you might think. In this episode of How Did It Make Sense? , I sit down with investigative journalist and author Jessie Singer to challenge the way we think about accidents. Inspired by her book There Are No Accidents . Jessie shares the story of her best friend’s death, a so-ca...

When your airway kit gets vomited on mid-procedure, things get a whole lot harder—especially in a high-stakes, high-pressure medical emergency. In today’s episode on How Did It Make Sense, I’m joined by Eoin Walker from the World Extreme Medicine Forum, and we’re diving into one of the toughest cases of his career—a failed airway intervention that turned into an emergency tracheotomy. The patient...

When a big organisation acquires a small, thriving SME, it should be a perfect match—right? Not always. In this week's episode of How Did it Make Sense, I sit down with Ann Stow, Chartered Psychologist and founder of Humanise Work, to unpack the real story behind a merger that went wrong. Within months, key leaders had resigned, culture had collapsed, and trust was shattered. But what really drove...

"If only they'd followed the rules"—a phrase we hear all too often in health and safety. But what if the story isn't that simple? In this episode of How Did It Make Sense? , I chat with safety expert Stephen Harvey to uncover the second story—the deeper, more complex reality behind incidents. Stephen shares his journey from mechanic to safety advocate after a near-fatal workplace accident and refl...

If we don’t test all the code, entire global systems can go down—and it’s not as simple as it seems. In this episode I speak with Colette Alexander, Director of Site Reliability Engineering at HashiCorp, about software failures, risk in software testing, and resilience in engineering. They dive deep into the CrowdStrike outage, exploring why skipping tests in software releases can have catastrophi...

Learn how engineers and leaders turn breakdowns into breakthroughs to foster learning, resilience, and innovation. Today I am joined by Chad Todd a seasoned SRE Manager at CrowdStrike with over 20 years of experience in the tech industry. Chad shares with us a a detailed account of a recent system incident, breaking it into the first story—what happened at the surface—and the second story, which u...

In this episode, I chat to Human Organizational Performance Manager James Newman. James dives into a memorable story from his days in the nuclear industry, where a seemingly simple task—replacing O-rings during a refueling outage—escalated into a high-stress situation. With incomplete briefings, unexpected challenges, and mounting pressure, James and his team had to think on their feet to avoid cr...

In this episode, I am joined by Becky Ray, founder of Culture Kick, to explore how context, culture, and unseen dynamics lead to decisions that might, on the surface, seem irrational. Becky shares a gripping story of a technician working under an unsupported load, leading to a devastating injury. Together we unpack how systemic pressures, missing processes, and organizational norms shaped the cond...

In this episode, I explore a striking story with Andy Barker, a strategic leader with decades of global experience. Together, they examine a workplace incident where quick judgments labelled an action as “stupid”—a worker losing fingers after grabbing a running machine belt. But as Andy reveals, the story is far more complex. He digs into organizational pressures, systemic failures, and cultural p...

In this episode of How Did It Make Sense? , we explore the deeper story behind a scaffolder’s dismissal for violating fall protection rules near an active edge. While the surface narrative suggests a simple case of rule-breaking, the second story reveals a web of personal challenges, organizational dynamics, and overlooked systemic issues. My guest, David Wollage, a New View safety coach, shares h...

Today I am joined by Ben Cattaneo, founder of The Decision-Making Studio, to explore the fascinating world of decision-making under uncertainty. Ben shares a compelling first story about an organization entering the Chinese market, drawn by opportunity but ultimately facing challenges they didn’t foresee. It’s a classic case of a simple narrative—“they didn’t understand the market”—but as we unpac...

In this episode, I'm joined by Mike Mason, an experienced fast-jet pilot, flight instructor and The Human Diver trainer, to explore the often-overlooked complexity of human factors in high-risk environments. Mike brings a fascinating perspective, blending his experience in the Royal Air Force and his passion for diving, to shed light on how decisions are made under pressure. We dive into a reporte...

Today, I’m joined by Ben Goodhart, founder of Magpie Human Systems, a consultancy working in high-stakes industries like aviation, energy, and healthcare. Ben’s background as a pilot, accident investigator, and lifelong adventurer makes him uniquely qualified to dig into the nuances of risk and reward, and he does so with humor, insight, and honesty. In this episode, Ben shares some fantastic stor...

In this episode, I had the absolute pleasure of sitting down with Ken Wylie, an incredible adventure educator and risk management expert from Vancouver Island. Ken’s story is one of transformation, resilience, and learning from the toughest experiences life can throw at us. Ken shares his journey from a young adventurer passionate about the mountains to his work in human hazard management. We dive...

In today’s episode Gareth and Abhijith delve into the complexities of maritime safety, focusing on the audit process and its implications. They discuss the dichotomy between first and second stories in safety management, emphasising how audits often fail to capture the true dynamics of operations at sea. The conversation highlights the challenges faced by auditors, the influence of regulations on...