In this episode of The SAFE Leader Podcast, Mark McBride-Wright is joined by Mehmet Baha, founder of Solution Finder and keynote speaker and trainer on AI fluency, leadership and psychological safety. Drawing on a career that has taken him from conflict resolution and the United Nations to Facebook’s early European headquarters and his own consultancy, Mehmet explores what psychological safety really looks like in practice, why command-and-control leadership can undermine it, and how leaders can create more space for people to speak up, experiment and learn. The conversation also looks at the growing role of AI at work, the risks of outsourcing too much thinking to technology, and why human judgement, trust, connection and care will become even more important as automation continues to accelerate.

In this episode of The SAFE Leader Podcast, Mark McBride-Wright speaks with Stephanie Eynon, Head of Standards Makers Engagement and Inclusion at BSI, about the often unseen influence standards have on our everyday lives and why inclusion needs to be built into them from the start. Stephanie shares her unconventional career journey, her work advancing gender-responsive and inclusive standards, and how asking the right questions can lead to better outcomes for everyone. From PPE that doesn’t fit to widening participation in standards development, they explore the connection between inclusion and safety, the power of curiosity, and how standards can become a practical tool for lasting societal change.

In this episode of The SAFE Leader Podcast, Mark McBride-Wright is joined by technology entrepreneur and author Richard 'RJ' Kedziora to explore the intersection of technology, leadership and human performance. RJ reflects on more than three decades working with software, data and AI, sharing how technology is transforming healthcare, why human judgement and responsibility still matter, and how leaders can use innovation to make a meaningful difference. He also discusses the ideas behind his book Productive Harmony, including why managing energy can be more important than managing time, the risks of constantly trying to do more, and the role empathy plays in effective leadership.

In this episode of The SAFE Leader Podcast, Mark McBride-Wright speaks with Marcia Ore, a diversity, equity and inclusion consultant, executive coach, mediator and former police sergeant with more than four decades of leadership experience. Marcia reflects on her 30-year policing career, the importance of planning and adapting throughout your career, and the realities of working in organisations where stated values do not always match lived experience. The conversation explores representation, psychological safety, accessibility, leadership courage, curiosity and the need to embed inclusion across every part of an organisation rather than treat it as a separate initiative.

In this episode of The SAFE Leader Podcast, Mark McBride-Wright is joined by software engineer, technology leader and entrepreneur Edward Aslin to explore what good technical leadership really looks like in a fast-changing world. Edward reflects on his early experiences in business, the lessons learned from failure, and a career spent helping organisations untangle technical debt and build more sustainable software systems. He also shares his perspective on the reality behind the AI hype, how artificial intelligence is changing software engineering, why senior judgement and accountability matter more than ever, and how greater self-understanding has shaped his own career.

In this episode of The SAFE Leader Podcast, Mark McBride-Wright sits down with Eric Guthrie, attorney, author and emerging technology strategist, to explore what leadership looks like in a world being reshaped by technology, regulation and changing expectations around inclusion. Eric shares his journey from law and corporate leadership into consulting, blockchain and academia, and explains why he believes diversity and inclusion should be embedded into business operations rather than treated as a standalone HR initiative. The conversation also dives into blockchain, cryptocurrency, AI, the challenge of law keeping pace with innovation, and why leaders need to keep learning if they want to stay relevant in a rapidly changing world.

In this episode of The SAFE Leader Podcast, Mark McBride-Wright is joined by ESG and social performance leader Isobel O’Connell to explore what responsible leadership looks like when major projects, communities, regulation and commercial pressures collide. Drawing on more than 20 years of experience across Canada, the Middle East and international markets, Isobel shares why governance is critical to making ESG meaningful, how organisations can build trust through genuine stakeholder engagement, and why psychological safety should sit alongside physical safety in the workplace. They also discuss Indigenous participation, human rights in supply chains, the importance of assurance over glossy reporting, and why you do not need a leadership title to lead.

In this episode of The SAFE Leader Podcast, Mark McBride-Wright speaks with dystopian fiction writer T.A. Thompson about risk, experience, decision-making and what happens when the knowledge we rely on disappears. Drawing on more than a decade in commercial insurance, T.A. explores how a worst-case-scenario mindset shaped his writing, why people often fail to listen to those with more experience, and what can be lost when knowledge is not passed between generations. The conversation also touches on creativity, feedback, self-doubt, persistence and the challenge of balancing a corporate career with the ambition to build something of your own.