The SAFE Leader with Mark McBride-Wright

In this episode of The SAFE Leader Podcast, Mark McBride-Wright is joined by Mehmet Baha, founder of Solution Finder and keynote speaker and trainer on AI fluency, leadership and psychological safety. Drawing on a career that has taken him from conflict resolution and the United Nations to Facebook’s early European headquarters and his own consultancy, Mehmet explores what psychological safety rea...

In this episode of The SAFE Leader Podcast, Mark McBride-Wright speaks with Stephanie Eynon, Head of Standards Makers Engagement and Inclusion at BSI, about the often unseen influence standards have on our everyday lives and why inclusion needs to be built into them from the start. Stephanie shares her unconventional career journey, her work advancing gender-responsive and inclusive standards, and...

In this episode of The SAFE Leader Podcast, Mark McBride-Wright is joined by technology entrepreneur and author Richard 'RJ' Kedziora to explore the intersection of technology, leadership and human performance. RJ reflects on more than three decades working with software, data and AI, sharing how technology is transforming healthcare, why human judgement and responsibility still matter, and how le...

In this episode of The SAFE Leader Podcast, Mark McBride-Wright speaks with Marcia Ore, a diversity, equity and inclusion consultant, executive coach, mediator and former police sergeant with more than four decades of leadership experience. Marcia reflects on her 30-year policing career, the importance of planning and adapting throughout your career, and the realities of working in organisations w...

In this episode of The SAFE Leader Podcast, Mark McBride-Wright is joined by software engineer, technology leader and entrepreneur Edward Aslin to explore what good technical leadership really looks like in a fast-changing world. Edward reflects on his early experiences in business, the lessons learned from failure, and a career spent helping organisations untangle technical debt and build more su...

In this episode of The SAFE Leader Podcast, Mark McBride-Wright sits down with Eric Guthrie, attorney, author and emerging technology strategist, to explore what leadership looks like in a world being reshaped by technology, regulation and changing expectations around inclusion. Eric shares his journey from law and corporate leadership into consulting, blockchain and academia, and explains why he...

In this episode of The SAFE Leader Podcast, Mark McBride-Wright is joined by ESG and social performance leader Isobel O’Connell to explore what responsible leadership looks like when major projects, communities, regulation and commercial pressures collide. Drawing on more than 20 years of experience across Canada, the Middle East and international markets, Isobel shares why governance is critical...

In this episode of The SAFE Leader Podcast, Mark McBride-Wright speaks with dystopian fiction writer T.A. Thompson about risk, experience, decision-making and what happens when the knowledge we rely on disappears. Drawing on more than a decade in commercial insurance, T.A. explores how a worst-case-scenario mindset shaped his writing, why people often fail to listen to those with more experience,...

In this episode of The SAFE Leader Podcast, Mark McBride-Wright speaks with executive coach, facilitator and former engineering leader Sally Twisleton about the shift from technical expertise to intentional leadership. Drawing on her 18-year career at Rolls-Royce and her work through Assemble Coaching, Sally reflects on leading experienced technical teams, learning that leaders do not need to have...

In this episode of The SAFE Leader Podcast, Mark McBride-Wright speaks with Tim Hudson, one of the world’s leading thinkers on risk management, safety culture and organisational learning. Tim challenges the idea that safety culture is simply a ladder to climb, arguing instead that organisations need the right cultural fit for the risks they face. From the dangers of firefighting and blame to the v...

In this episode of The SAFE Leader Podcast, Mark McBride-Wright speaks with Traci Quinn, CEO of Pink Hats Construction and Development Group, about a remarkable journey from nursing and entrepreneurship to incarceration, rebuilding and community transformation. Traci shares how her experiences with the justice system reshaped her sense of purpose and inspired her to create opportunities for people...

In this episode of The SAFE Leader Podcast, Mark McBride-Wright speaks with Simon Barber, one of the UK’s most experienced leaders in the energy and nuclear sectors. Drawing on more than three decades across nuclear safety, major infrastructure, consultancy and executive leadership, Simon explores why safety must start with the individual, how leaders shape culture through their everyday behaviour...

In this episode of The SAFE Leader Podcast, Mark McBride-Wright speaks with Jane Hatton, founder of Evenbreak, about disability inclusion, fairer recruitment, and why workplaces need to be designed around real human beings rather than unrealistic expectations. Jane shares the story behind Evenbreak, the value of lived experience, and the barriers that still prevent disabled people from accessing a...

In this episode of The SAFE Leader Podcast, Mark McBride-Wright speaks with Rachael Haynes, workplace wellbeing strategist and founder of Big Picture Lab, about what it really takes to create healthier, more human organisations. Rachael shares why wellbeing cannot sit as a standalone initiative, and why leaders need to move upstream to understand the conditions, systems and behaviours shaping peop...

In this episode of The SAFE Leader Podcast, Mark McBride-Wright speaks with Michael Toguchi, Chief Strategy Officer at Tectonic, about why digital transformation is ultimately about people, trust and leadership, not just technology. Mike shares insights from 25 years working with mission-driven organisations, exploring how better systems, governance and AI readiness can reduce complexity, support...

In this episode of The SAFE Leader Podcast, Mark McBride-Wright speaks with Robert Mahoney, founder and CEO of TVTP Solutions, about what it really takes to build safer organisations and communities. Drawing on his experience across emergency management, federal agencies and prevention work, Robert explores why safety cannot rely on reaction alone and why relationships, coordination and trust are...

In this episode of The SAFE Leader Podcast, Mark McBride-Wright speaks with Dr Meghan Waldron, educator, advisor and founder, about the power of education to change lives. From teaching in high-needs schools near Washington, DC, to supporting students in healthcare pathways and building a tutoring business focused on writing, Meghan reflects on what it means to help learners find confidence, resil...

In this episode of The SAFE Leader Podcast, Mark McBride-Wright is joined by Dr Zafra Lerman, chemist, educator, human rights advocate and founder of the Malta Conferences. Together we explore Zafra’s extraordinary journey from a childhood shaped by relentless curiosity to a global career using science as a force for peace. She reflects on the mentors who shaped her path, her groundbreaking work i...

In this episode of The SAFE Leader Podcast, Mark McBride-Wright is joined by Jay Jacobson, entrepreneur, author, funeral professional and service-led business owner, for a wide-ranging conversation about leadership, presence and the power of small human moments. Jay shares how early experiences, from delivering newspapers to building businesses, shaped his understanding of responsibility, trust an...

In this episode of The SAFE Leader Podcast, Mark McBride-Wright is joined by engineer, author and science communicator Dr Lucy Rogers for a conversation about curiosity, creativity and the many unexpected paths an engineering career can take. Lucy reflects on her early fascination with making things, the teachers and experiences that helped shape her journey, and how her career evolved from mechan...

In this episode of The SAFE Leader Podcast, Mark McBride-Wright is joined by Michael Bach, internationally recognised inclusion, diversity, equity and accessibility expert, author and speaker. Michael reflects on his unconventional journey from child actor to global DEIA leader, sharing how his early work in activism, his time at KPMG, and his leadership of the Canadian Centre for Diversity and In...

In this episode of The SAFE Leader podcast, Mark McBride-Wright sits down with Anna Burgan for a conversation about leadership, workplace culture, and what really happens when people are forced to choose between success and wellbeing. Anna shares her personal journey through career change, motherhood, and the realities of navigating systems that often say the right things about inclusion but fail...

In this episode, Andrew Brümmer joins Mark McBride-Wright to challenge traditional ideas of leadership and explore why the future belongs to those who can think, adapt, and empower others. Drawing on his experience as a global operator and advisor, Andrew shares how leaders can move beyond control, avoid decision paralysis, and build teams that think independently rather than rely on constant dire...

In this episode of The SAFE Leader Podcast, Mark McBride-Wright is joined by technologist, entrepreneur, and systems thinker Stephanie Sylvestre, whose career spans global corporations, public service, and community impact. From her early ambitions growing up in Belize to leading transformation in organisations like Burger King and The Children’s Trust, Stephanie shares how her work has always cen...

In this episode of The SAFE Leader Podcast, Mark McBride-Wright speaks with dyslexia researcher, educator and keynote speaker Russell Van Brocklen, whose life took an unexpected turn after being failed at university because of his dyslexia. What followed became a mission to transform how we understand literacy, learning and neurodiversity. Russell shares the personal story that drove him to challe...