In this powerful episode of The Workplace Therapy Podcast, Scott Arrieta, CEO of Unity & Company is joined by Dr. Ur Barzel — a leading expert in organizational change, high reliability organizations (HROs), and systems thinking.

Together, they explore how organizations in high-risk industries like healthcare, aviation, and the military achieve low error rates not by eliminating human mistakes, but by building environments that promote psychological safety, systemic learning, and continuous improvement.

Through real-world examples — including the case of nurse RaDonda Vaught, tragic system failures in amusement parks, and the evolution of aviation safety protocols — Dr. Barzel illustrates why blame cultures fail and how leaders can cultivate just cultures that truly fix root causes.

Whether you’re leading a hospital, a startup, or a Fortune 500 company, the lessons in this conversation are clear:

• Blame doesn’t fix broken systems.

• Fear kills innovation and transparency.

• Leadership begins with creating environments where people can speak up safely — and learn together.

If you're ready to move beyond surface-level fixes and lead lasting change, this is an episode you won’t want to miss.

In this timely and compassionate episode of The Workplace Therapy Podcast, Scott Arrieta and co-host Dr. Sarah Gould sit down with Anna Pinkerton, a world-renowned trauma specialist and founder of Kindness Informed Leadership. With over 30 years of clinical experience, Anna brings deep insight into the psychological toll of chronic stress, burnout, and trauma in leadership—and how kindness isn’t a weakness but a revolutionary act of resilience.

Together, they explore:

• How untreated trauma shows up in leadership

• The signs of chronic stress and early-stage burnout

• Why traditional productivity-driven cultures are breaking people

• The false dichotomy between kindness and accountability

• Practical frameworks for healing and supporting ourselves and our teams

• The power of vulnerability, presence, and emotional regulation in high-stakes environments

Anna’s message is clear: Kindness is not about being nice—it’s about being brave, present, and connected. This episode is a must-listen for anyone in leadership who wants to build a culture that sustains people, not just profits.

In this heartfelt and thought-provoking episode of The Workplace Therapy Podcast, host Scott Arrieta sits down with Marcia Donziger, founder and CEO of Vital Biz Consulting, to explore how workplace culture can be both a healing force and a strategic driver of business results.

Marcia shares her personal journey—from being diagnosed with ovarian cancer in her 20s to founding MyLifeLine, a nonprofit that helped cancer patients stay connected with their support networks. She later transitioned into organizational consulting, driven by her belief that care, connection, and trust are essential for people and companies to thrive.

Together, Scott and Marcia unpack:

• The Culture CARES framework (Commitment, Appreciation, Respect, Engagement, and Safety)

• Why psychological safety and trust are the foundation of high-performing teams

• How to transform culture one business unit at a time, even without executive buy-in

• The emotional and strategic impacts of mass layoffs—and how to navigate them with humanity

• Why employee experience is not a soft skill—but a business driver

• The role of leaders as culture carriers and examples of real-world impact

Listeners will walk away with a renewed sense of what's possible when organizations make care a cornerstone of their leadership strategy.