How to Lead While Hearts Are Breaking

“How do we build trust when the ground is already shaking?” asks clinical psychologist and anti-racism leader Dr. Roxy Manning. Alongside relational neuroscience expert Sarah Peyton, Roxy challenges how most workplaces handle grief, trauma, and disruption—especially during layoffs. Together with Rajkumari Neogy, they explore what it really takes to lead with emotional integrity in moments of rupture.

In this first part of this three-part episode, we go deep on trust and inclusivity—two words that often get surface-level treatment in corporate culture. From rethinking how organizations approach layoffs to integrating mourning into team rituals, this conversation offers a radical reframe: what if being human was a leadership skill?

Tune in to learn: 
• How to navigate layoffs without destroying trust
• Why trauma must be named, not outsourced to therapy
• Ways to ritualize grief and celebration in workplace culture
• The cost of avoiding emotions—and the power of resonance

This is not about performative empathy. It’s a call to redesign leadership from the inside out—so people feel seen, valued, and held, even in the hardest moments.
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Then, Now & Tomorrow, an original podcast series by ibelong
Is it possible to feel safe at work? Neurobiology expert Rajkumari Neogy absolutely thinks so. Join us for conversations that will blow your mind as we explore what it takes to foster inclusive leadership and cultivate resonant cultures in the workplace.

Watch or listen on YouTube, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

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Credits
Produced by Flowship
Creative Director: Annabel Mangold
Original Music Composer: Dario Valderrama
Rajkumari's wardrobe styling courtesy of Gene Hiller (http://www.genehiller.com)

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Meet ibelong
At ibelong, we've developed a neurochemical approach that solves for workplace exclusion and conflict. We study workplace scenarios that lead to dissatisfaction and have built a framework to understand why people are feeling undervalued, and how to change it.

Learn more at http://www.ibelong.com.