In this episode, Mary Conquest speaks with Subena Colligan, former safety leader in the US Air Force and Kimberly Clark, who is now an EHS transformation coach and consultant. She holds a bachelor's and master's degree in Occupational Health and Safety, is the vice chair of the board for Global EHS Credentialing and founded her business, S. Coligan Coaching in 2021.

Subena has experienced burnout firsthand and now dedicates her worklife to helping safety professionals move from surviving to thriving. She shares her personal experience of burnout and provides practical tips on prevention and recovery - at both an individual and organizational level.

She believes that the safety profession is especially susceptible to burnout because HSE professionals are so selfless, often don’t consider themselves as employees and have limited opportunities to work from home.

Subena describes the six different causes of burnout and stresses the importance of organizations focusing on prevention. She highlights the benefits of agile strategies to help team members thrive and introduces the concept of an energy inventory to maximize positive workplace experiences.

Safety professionals are urged to prioritize their own wellbeing and not work too many hours - it’s the quality - not quantity - that matters!

The self-leadership book recommended by Subena:

The Four Agreements — don Miguel Ruiz

The book on strategy Subena recommends:

Good Strategy/Bad Strategy: The difference and why it matters: Amazon.co.uk: Rumelt, Richard: 9781781256176: Books

Subena’s coaching consultancy:

Management Consulting for EHS Transformation - subenacolligan

Subena Colligan on LinkedIn:

(4) Subena Colligan, CIH, CSP | LinkedIn

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