Psychological Safety and Why is it Essential for an Inclusive Workplace, with Sacha Thompson

In this podcast episode, Dr. Jonathan H. Westover talks with Laura Maffucci about G-P's 2025 World at Work Report and the outlook for 2026. Laura Maffucci is G-P’s Head of HR, overseeing the global workforce, talent, and employee experience with a people-first mindset. She values diversity of thought as essential for a healthy workspace. In her 20+ year career in HR, Maffucci has spoken on global and national platforms about compensation, employee well-being and mental health. She’s a staunch advocate for the employee experience and creating a culture of inclusivity. Maffucci is passionate about the future of work, normalizing the value of work everywhere, and enabling employees globally to be their best selves and add value wherever they go and whatever they do. Check out all of the podcasts in the HCI Podcast Network!

In this podcast episode, Dr. Jonathan H. Westover talks with performance management, workplace dynamics, and employer liabilities. Mark F. Kluger practices exclusively in the area of labor and employment law on behalf of employers. For ten years, before founding Kluger Healey, LLC, he was Chairman of the Labor and Employment Department of one of New Jersey’s oldest law firms. Mark is a frequent speaker and writer on sexual harassment and discrimination avoidance, workplace diversity, performance management, union avoidance, and a myriad of other employment-related subjects and regularly conducts training sessions for employers on these critical topics. In addition, Mark has extensive experience in counseling employers on issues involving discipline and discharge, reductions in force, mergers and acquisitions, compliance with wage and hour, disability, COBRA, and family and medical leave laws. He regularly drafts all forms of employment policies and handbooks, severance agreements, employment contracts, non-competition and confidentiality agreements, and affirmative action plans. Mark also represents employers in collective bargaining, grievance arbitration, NLRB proceedings, and picket line issues. Mark graduated from Vassar College in 1984 and Cornell University Law School in 1987. He was an Adjunct Professor at Seton Hall Law School from 1991-1996 and served as a member and President of the Board of Education in North Caldwell, New Jersey from 2002-2008. Check out all of the podcasts in the HCI Podcast Network!

In this podcast episode, Dr. Jonathan H. Westover talks with Julia Bersin about the recent report out from the Josh Bersin Company, People Management in the Age of AI: The Rise of the Supermanager. Julia Bersin is currently Associate Director, Research at the Josh Bersin Company - studying people practices and technology that help companies transform work for the future. She has a background in B2B tech with a focus on demand gen & growth. She has experience managing multiple functions and teams and marketing to various industries and roles – including HR, TA, Customer Support & Revenue functions.  Check out all of the podcasts in the HCI Podcast Network!

In this podcast episode, Dr. Jonathan H. Westover talks with Sacha Thompson about psychological safety and why is it essential for an inclusive workplace. Sacha Thompson is the visionary founder behind The Equity Equation, a prestigious consultancy dedicated to fostering inclusive cultures. Based in the vibrant Washington, DC area, Sacha brings over two decades of diverse experience spanning the education, non-profit, and tech sectors to empower her clients. Check out all of the podcasts in the HCI Podcast Network!

In this podcast episode, Dr. Jonathan H. Westover talks with Chris Wong about how nonprofit leaders can engage and develop employees , despite a lack of resources. Chris Wong is a licensed therapist, executive coach, and co-host of The Art and Science of Difficult Conversations—a podcast for people who want to lead with more clarity, confidence, and courage... by leaning into the hard conversations.  With over 15 years of experience in the nonprofit and healthcare sectors, Chris specializes in helping purpose-driven leaders navigate messy transitions, fix dysfunctional teams, and lead culture change that actually sticks. He’s worked as a therapist, built leadership programs from scratch, and coached hundreds of leaders who were brought in to “turn things around” under pressure. Chris lives outside Boston with his wife and two kids, serves on multiple nonprofit boards, and runs Leadership Potential, where he coaches new nonprofit executives to lead through chaos and build high-performing, values-aligned teams. Check out all of the podcasts in the HCI Podcast Network!

In this podcast episode, Dr. Jonathan H. Westover talks with Jennifer Carlson about the role of apprenticeships in preparing the future workforce. Jennifer Carlson serves as the CEO of Apprenti. Apprenti is a non-profit, apprenticeship intermediary and workforce consulting organization that delivers a secondary pipeline of tech talent to address U.S. domestic digital skills shortages. A former business leader with AIG, Progressive and adjunct professor at Seattle University, Jennifer also serves on the Tech Councils of North America (TECNA) foundation board, and as an Advisory Board Member - Apprenticeships for America. Check out all of the podcasts in the HCI Podcast Network!

In this podcast episode, Dr. Jonathan H. Westover talks with Alexandria Agresta about why the workplace needs more fun! Disco balls. DJ decks. Dancing queens. Alexandria Agresta brings it all. As the World’s First DJing Speaker, she fuses the insight of a TED Talk with the electricity of a music festival to deliver her groundbreaking keynote, The Business Party. Her mission is simple: to spark the next wave of bold leadership and transform the workplace into a WOWplace, where possibility, creativity, and fun take center stage. Now, let’s get this party started! Check out all of the podcasts in the HCI Podcast Network!

In this podcast episode, Dr. Jonathan H. Westover talks with Francoise Brougher about rethinking the workforce of the future. Francoise Brougher is a pioneering technology leader with more than 25 years of experience scaling category-defining companies and driving AI-first business transformation. She currently serves as the Chief Executive Officer and Board Member at Pebl (formerly Velocity Global), where she is leading the company’s reinvention as an AI-first global workforce platform. Under her leadership, Pebl is reshaping the Employer of Record industry by combining 10+ years of compliance precision with AI-driven simplicity, speed, and transparency, empowering companies to hire and manage talent across 185+ countries. Francoise has a proven track record of building and scaling global organizations responsible for multi-billion-dollar revenue growth. She took both Square (2015) and Pinterest (2019) public as the executive leader of GTM strategy. Earlier at Google, she scaled SMB Global Sales and Operations into a 15B+ business, pioneering the application of machine learning to customer engagement. She currently serves on the boards of Qonto (Chair, Compensation Committee), Too Good To Go, and as a Board Observer at Alan. She started her career in Japan, working for L'Oreal in a manufacturing plant for three years, where she installed a Computer-Assisted Manufacturing System. After her MBA, she joined Booz Allen and Hamilton in Paris and San Francisco. Check out all of the podcasts in the HCI Podcast Network!

In this podcast episode, Dr. Jonathan H. Westover talks with leveraging spiritual and emotional intelligence at work. Yosi Amram Ph.D. is a licensed clinical psychologist, a CEO leadership coach, and a best-selling and award-winning author. Previously the founder and CEO of two companies he led through successful IPOs, Yosi has coached over 100 CEOs—many of whom have built companies with thousands of employees and revenues in the billions. In addition to working with individuals, Yosi works with couples interested in passionate, conscious relationships that serve their psycho-spiritual healing and growth. With engineering degrees from MIT, an MBA from Harvard, and a Ph.D. in Psychology from Sofia University, he is a pioneering researcher in the field of spiritual intelligence whose research has received over 1000 citations. As a C-Suite, Amazon, B&N best-selling author of the Nautilus Book Award Gold Medal-winning Spiritually Intelligent Leadership: How to Inspire by Being Inspired, Yosi is committed to awakening greater spiritual intelligence in himself and the world. Yosi is also the founder of several non-profits, including trueMASCULINITY.org, Engendering-Love.org, and AwakeningSI.org.  Check out all of the podcasts in the HCI Podcast Network!

In this podcast episode, Dr. Jonathan H. Westover talks with Jen Recla about leading with curiosity. As a leadership coach, trainer, and outdoor enthusiast, Jen Recla is on a mission to awaken passion, joy, and the spirit of adventure in every professional endeavor. With over 15 years of organizational development experience in leadership, coaching, and mentoring, she specializes in creating growth experiences that inspire and equip individuals and teams to maximize their value and impact. She leverages her top Gallup strengths of woo, maximizer, communication, futuristic, and arranger to make learning fun, bring knowledge to others, and inspire individuals to reach their full potential.  Check out all of the podcasts in the HCI Podcast Network!