In this episode, I chat with Michelle and explore how her cultural intelligence was shaped through lived experience and why it matters in the world of safety. Michelle draws on her upbringing as the daughter of Dutch immigrants, her early experiences of different cultures through travel, and her involvement in working across diverse industries and workforces, Michelle shares how culture quietly influenced trust, communication, and decision-making at work.

From learning to adapt her natural directness and creating psychologically safe environments for workers from different cultural backgrounds, Michelle also had to navigate culture shock as she moved from one organisational settings to another. Our conversation challenges some of the long-held assumptions in health and safety practice.

This episode reminds us that safety isn’t just about systems and compliance, it’s about people. And if we want better outcomes, we need to get better at understanding them.

Key Takeaways

• Self-awareness is the starting point – Understanding how your communication style is received by others is critical to building trust and influence. 
• Those with perceived power must adapt – Safety professionals and leaders carry responsibility to adjust their approach to suit the needs of others, not the other way around. 
• Culture goes beyond ethnicity – Organisational culture, upbringing, life experience, and context all shape how people interpret risk and respond to safety. 
• Surface signals can be misleading – Smiles, silence, and agreement don’t always mean understanding or wellbeing, there’s often more beneath the surface. 
• Listening is a skill that needs to be developed – Effective safety practice requires listening beyond words to understand intent, context, and unspoken concerns.