Comfy Chairs

About Comfy Chairs

Where professionalism meets imperfection. The Well-led Podcast invites leaders to explore the space where the need to get results meets the reality of managing people. Discover how to demonstrate care, support, and grace for your team–because the workplace needs human leaders. https://www.one23ltd.com Formerly the comfy chairs podcast.

Publisher

WRKdefined Podcast Network

Category

business · technology

Language

en

Explicit

No

First episode

16 Jul 2023

Latest episode

29 Sept 2026

Latest episodes

130 episodes in the feed.

1. 

   29 Sept 2026

   Creating the conditions

   What does it take to create an environment where people can thrive? We close the quarter by connecting authenticity, creativity, and safety to the conditions people need to perform. Our guest, Scott Harvey draws on his experience in law enforcement and hostage negotiation to share his thoughts on rapport, clear feedback, and the conversations leaders sometimes avoid. He also shares his CALM framework: control emotions, ask good questions, listen actively, and motivate the desired action. Choosing grace does not remove standards or consequences. It shapes how a leader responds when someone is learning, struggling, or has made a mistake. The latest companion toolkit is available now. Request your copy at https://www.one23ltd.com/toolkits Subscribers receive the monthly toolkit automatically, along with updates on new episodes, resources, and upcoming offerings from onetwentythree ltd. Key takeaways Choosing grace means giving people permission to be themselves, experiment, and fail while keeping clear standards. Rapport grows through time and attention. It makes honest conversations more possible. Avoiding a difficult conversation can leave someone without the clarity they need. Care sometimes requires an awkward conversation. In a tense conversation, manage your response, ask questions, listen, and then work toward action. Responding to human needs and inevitable mistakes with respect is a basic responsibility of leadership. Timestamps 00:03 Choosing grace: authenticity, creativity, and safety 04:16 Meet Scott Harvey 08:28 Prevention, mistakes, and a gracious response 13:10 Why rapport matters 18:03 Relationships are leadership work 22:07 Physical, financial, and psychological safety 25:30 Choosing the awkward conversation 33:13 Scott’s CALM framework 45:41 Staying steady for someone else 48:30 Silence Kills and the meaning of silence 53:00 Care as a matter of respect Keywords choosing grace, leadership, thriving at work, rapport, psychological safety, difficult conversations, feedback, communication, authenticity, creativity, Scott Harvey, CALM framework, The Well-led Podcast

2. 

   22 Sept 2026

   Make choice visible

   What does it take to make work safer for people? In this lesson for effectiveness, Kate Johnson closes the month’s discussion of safety with three lessons drawn from conversations with Stephanie Lemek, Dr. Benjamin Ritter, and Jessica Donahue. She considers physical, financial, and psychological safety, then offers a practical method leaders can use: name what a job or assignment requires, and make the employee’s available choices equally clear. The latest companion toolkit is available now. Request your copy at https://www.one23ltd.com/toolkits Subscribers receive the monthly toolkit automatically, along with updates on new episodes, resources, and upcoming offerings from onetwentythree ltd. Key takeaways Safety is a condition that allows people to do their best work. Physical, financial, and psychological safety respond to human frailty, material needs, and human error. Employees learn whether work is safe from a leader’s actions, especially when something goes wrong. Leaders can acknowledge uncertainty and mistakes without giving up competence or accountability. Leaders cannot guarantee safety, but they can tell the truth, set boundaries, and make room for choice. Clear requirements and visible freedom help people work with confidence. Timestamps 00:01 — Safety as a leadership responsibility 05:18 — Three lessons about safety at work 10:50 — Making choice visible in everyday work Keywords workplace safety, physical safety, financial safety, psychological safety, leadership responsibility, employee choice, self-leadership, trauma-informed leadership, clear expectations, accountability

3. 

   15 Sept 2026

   Safety has to be there

   Safety is not simply a workplace benefit. It is a pre-existing condition that makes authenticity, creativity, critical thinking, and strong performance possible. In this episode, Kate Johnson talks with Jessica Donahue, founder of Adjunct Leadership Consulting, about what physical, financial, and psychological safety look like at work—and why all three are under pressure. Drawing on Jessica’s experience as a trauma-informed workplace leader, they explore how past experiences shape present-day responses to uncertainty, organizational change, and the loss of choice. They also examine why authenticity should never require complete exposure, how autonomy helps people regulate their nervous systems, and why leaders must model the candor they expect from others. The conversation offers practical ways to foster safety, including setting clear boundaries, explaining business decisions, acknowledging what you do not know, responding constructively to mistakes, advocating for employees’ financial needs, and planning support for managers responsible for delivering difficult news. Listen for a thoughtful conversation about creating workplaces where people can learn, contribute, and do their best work without being asked to perform vulnerability or pretend that uncertainty does not affect them. The latest companion toolkit is available now. Request your copy at https://www.one23ltd.com/toolkits Subscribers receive the monthly toolkit automatically, along with updates on new episodes, resources, and upcoming offerings from onetwentythree ltd. Key takeaways Safety is a pre-existing condition for authenticity, creativity, critical thinking, and effective performance. Workplace safety includes physical, financial, and psychological safety. These forms are interconnected rather than separate. Authenticity does not require complete visibility or vulnerability. Being reserved can also be authentic. Leaders should not require employees to perform authenticity, vulnerability, or risk-taking to prove that they belong. When people feel threatened, their nervous systems make it more difficult to think critically, solve problems, and do their best work. Choice and autonomy can help restore a sense of control, particularly for people whose previous experiences involved having choices taken away. Leaders should distinguish clearly between the choices employees can make and the responsibilities that are part of their roles. Psychological safety grows when leaders admit mistakes, acknowledge what they do not know, and respond to problems without shame or punishment. Leaders should not make promises they cannot keep during uncertain circumstances. Honest limits are more trustworthy than false reassurance. Managers can support financial safety by understanding compensation systems, building relationships with decision-makers, and presenting credible business cases for their employees. Timestamps 00:00 Meet Jessica Donahue 01:10 A trauma-informed approach to work 02:23 Safety as a leadership skill 06:19 Authenticity can include holding back 11:40 Three forms of workplace safety 13:22 Why workplace safety is under pressure 21:21 Safety, stress, and performance 30:27 Restoring safety through choice 40:41 How leaders model psychological safety 50:33 Advocating for financial safety Keywords workplace safety, psychological safety, trauma-informed leadership, employee well-being, leadership transparency, workplace autonomy, financial safety, nervous system regulation, authentic leadership, organizational trust

Who has been a guest on Comfy Chairs

Names identified in recent episode analyses. Showing up to five guests.

• Sarah Harris
• Charlie
• Emily Barnett
• Justin Clifford

Reach and audience

Public platform figures. Ratings count people who left a rating, not total listeners.

Apple Podcasts (US)

5.0 / 5

4 ratings

Spotify

5.0 / 5

1 ratings

Podcast Authority Score: 60 / 100

A composite of feed quality, social presence, YouTube performance and engagement. Read the methodology.

Quality

78

Social presence

90

YouTube

0

Engagement

60

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Guest appearances

Books guests

Based on episode analysis; this does not confirm that the show is currently accepting guests.

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