You could be trying your hardest to build psychological safety - and still be getting it wrong. Here’s why just one person feeling unsafe can quietly unravel your entire team.
In this Quick Win episode, I’m joined by clinical psychologist Sabina Read to unpack one of the biggest leadership mistakes I made last year: misunderstanding how psychological safety really works. We talk about how uneven safety erodes trust, and I share the exact tool my team now uses to make sure we catch culture issues early - before they snowball.
Sabina and I discuss:
- Why psychological safety must be universal, not just widespread
- The ripple effect of one team member feeling unsafe
- How safety gaps shift conversations into private whispers
- The ritual we now use to track team health every 6–8 weeks
- Why we focus on what’s working - not just what’s broken
Key Quote
“If just one person doesn’t feel psychologically safe, that can do a lot of damage to the whole level of trust within the team.”
Listen to the full episode with Sabina here.
Connect with Sabina via her website, Instagram, or check out her podcast Human Cogs.
My latest book The Health Habit is out now. You can order a copy here:
https://www.amantha.com/the-health-habit/
Connect with me on the socials:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/amanthaimber
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/amanthai
If you are looking for more tips to improve the way you work and live, I write a weekly newsletter where I share practical and simple to apply tips to improve your life. You can sign up for that at https://amantha-imber.ck.page/subscribe
Visit https://www.amantha.com/podcast for full show notes from all episodes.
Get in touch at amantha@inventium.com.au
Credits:
Host: Amantha Imber
Sound Engineer: The Podcast Butler
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