Illusion of Safety

"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...

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 benefit...

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 maki...

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 majes...

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...

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 epis...

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...