When contracts hide misconduct, it’s not policy—it’s a cover-up.

What do NDAs, forced arbitration, and emotionally manipulating teenagers have in common? Sadly, more than you'd hope. Kim, Jason and Amy rip the lid off the corporate culture of hush-hush harm, legal gymnastics and why emotional manipulation is a feature—not a bug—in some marketing strategies. They dig into the story behind Careless People by Sara Wynn-Williams, the book someone definitely doesn’t want you to read, and expose how companies use contracts to silence the truth and protect power—not people. From creepy ad targeting to leaders who dodge accountability like it’s dodgeball, the crew gets real about why “just business” is a lazy excuse for bad behavior. Kim even owns up to the time she played the NDA game—and why she’ll never do it again. Because real leadership doesn’t mean covering your ass—it means doing the damn right thing, even when it costs you.

Get all of the show notes at RadicalCandor.com/podcast.

Episode Links:

Chapters:
(00:00:00) Introduction
Kim, Jason, and Amy introduce the topic of NDAs and forced arbitration.
(00:02:11) Why Careless People Matters
The impact of NDAs and the importance of supporting the author.
(00:03:17) Understanding Forced Arbitration
A breakdown of arbitration and its role in silencing workplace harm.
(00:06:20) Emotional Targeting at Facebook
A disturbing passage about targeting vulnerable teens.
(00:09:43) Harm, Silence, and Scapegoats
The role of toxic cultures and fear play in keeping employees silent.
(00:17:40) The Measurement Problem
How profit-driven metrics ignore the human harm they cause.
(00:22:14) Loyalty vs Integrity
Balancing between professional loyalty and moral responsibility.
(00:26:29) Kim’s NDA Regret
A candid story of using an NDA to silence an employee.
(00:32:40) Building Better Systems
Strategies for leaders to design accountability into workplace culture.
(00:34:42) A Better Way Forward
Why transparency and early action are more effective than silence.
(00:38:02) Culture Is Design
How treating culture like a product helps fix systemic issues.
(00:39:49) Radical Candor Tips
Tips for eliminating NDAs, ending forced arbitration, and building trust
(00:41:30) Conclusion

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Institutional Courage

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