We’re kicking off the 2025 Cosmic Conference with an opening keynote you won’t want to miss.

In this episode, Marilyn Zakhour, CEO & Founder of Cosmic Centaurs, introduces this year’s theme and makes the case for why systems thinking is an essential skill for leaders navigating complexity.

Over the past year, many leaders have shared how they feel stuck in firefighting mode, solving urgent problems only to see the same issues resurface. What these stories reveal isn’t a failure of leadership, but of the systems we rely on.

In her keynote, Marilyn explores how shifting from heroic problem-solver to systems architect can liberate leaders from recurring challenges and open the way for decisions that are not just effective, but also scalable and sustainable.

This episode also sets the stage for a six-week journey across Dubai, Riyadh, Abu Dhabi, Beirut, and online where the Cosmic Conference will dive deeper into how leaders can sense, influence, and redesign the systems they lead in.

📅 September 15 – November 4, 2025
📍 Dubai • Riyadh • Abu Dhabi • Beirut • Online

What if the key to unlocking bold ideas, honest feedback, and high performance wasn’t talent or experience—but psychological safety?

In this special episode marking Cosmic Centaurs’ 5th anniversary, our founder Marilyn Zakhour is joined by two remarkable guests: Sandra Salame, founder of Siira, and Sander Hoeken, co-founder of the Fearless Organization Scan and collaborator of Prof. Amy Edmondson (Harvard Business School), the pioneer of psychological safety.

Together, they demystify psychological safety—not as a soft skill, but as the soil in which high-performing teams grow. Drawing from lived experience, regional insights, and global data, this episode covers:

• 🧠 The origin and evolution of psychological safety, from Amy Edmondson to Google’s Project Aristotle
• 📊 Why psych safety isn’t just a feel-good concept, but a measurable driver of performance (50% more revenue in some sales teams!)
• 🧩 How psychological safety is often misunderstood in hierarchical or fast-changing environments—and how to reframe it
• 🔧 Practical behaviors, team rituals, and leadership habits that build safety and trust, without sacrificing accountability
• 🌍 What makes psychological safety different in culturally diverse and rapidly transforming regions like the GCC

💬 Whether you're a seasoned leader or an individual contributor, this conversation offers tools, stories, and insights you can start applying tomorrow. Because building a better team starts with creating a space where people feel safe to speak up—and strong enough to challenge the status quo.

✨ Bonus: Hear how Cosmic Centaurs, Siira, and the Fearless Organization are partnering to bring a localized, evidence-based approach to psychological safety across the region.

🔗 Don’t forget to:

• Try the Fearless Organization Scan for your team (linked in the episode notes)
• Download the Cosmic Centaurs psych safety brochure

What if the key to more engaged employees isn’t a new incentive program, but something much more human?

In this episode, Marilyn Zakhour and Dr. Constance Noonan Hadley take you behind the scenes of their three-year research journey on team rituals—work that led to their widely read Harvard Business Review article.

Together, they unpack the data that proves rituals boost team commitment, psychological safety, and job satisfaction—and they share personal stories from the research process, including what surprised them most along the way.

From childhood traditions to corporate rituals that actually work, this conversation is both insightful and deeply personal. Plus, don’t miss the rapid-fire round, where Marilyn and Connie challenge each other with unexpected questions about their collaboration.

Tune in to learn:
✔ What makes a team ritual truly meaningful
✔ How rituals shape human connection at work
✔ The hardest part of researching and implementing rituals
✔ What Marilyn and Connie really think about certain team traditions

If you’ve ever wondered how to build a culture of trust, engagement, and connection, this episode is for you.