How to Create Brave Spaces That Unlock Your Team’s Performance

Most leaders think psychological safety means making people comfortable. Hacia Atherton disagrees. In this episode she joins Dr. James Bryant to make the case for brave spaces instead — environments where people speak up, challenge ideas, and show up without shrinking. Hacia shares how culture problems show up in your numbers first, why poor leadership rarely comes from bad intentions, and what emotional mastery actually looks like in practice. Her perspective is shaped not just by her work with organizations, but by six months in a hospital bed learning to reframe everything.