Unpacking Psychological Safety: The Key to Inclusion and Belonging in the Workplace

New DEI After 5 episode live now

We’ve all heard the terms: psychological safety, belonging, trust. They get tossed around in company town halls, folded into DEI statements, and dropped into leadership training decks. But let’s be real — most of what gets said about them barely scratches the surface.

In this week’s episode of DEI After 5, I go beneath the buzzwords.

Psychological safety isn’t about being “nice.” It’s not just about making people feel good. It’s about creating the kind of culture where people aren’t punished — directly or indirectly — for being honest, asking questions, making mistakes, or challenging the status quo. It’s the fertile ground where belonging and trust actually have a chance to grow.

And yet, too often I see organizations trying to build belonging without doing the hard work of fostering safety. Or trying to build trust while still leading with secrecy and control. (Let’s talk about those “secret squirrel conversations.”)

Here’s what I unpack in this episode:

* Why psychological safety must come before belonging or trust can take root

* How micro-moments — like who gets cut off in meetings or whose ideas get traction — shape the culture more than any policy ever could

* What it looks like when psychological safety becomes performative

* How leaders can begin to repair trust and model the safety they want their teams to feel

* Why ongoing, real-time feedback (not just surveys) matters

If you’re a people leader, a change agent, or just someone who wants to help shape a healthier workplace culture — this episode is for you.

We also explore what it means to slow down, assess the health of your team, and ask the right questions about how your people are really doing. Because the truth is, safety doesn’t live in the mission statement. It lives in the day-to-day experiences of your team.

As always, I’d love to hear what resonates — drop your thoughts in the comments or share how psychological safety is (or isn’t) showing up in your workplace.

Until next time,~Sacha

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