In this episode of VibeMakers: Conversations with Culture Activators, I sit down with my friend and mentor, Ali Merchant, author of The All-In Manager, to explore how great leaders create cultures where people feel safe to speak up, disagree, and stay curious.

Ali has spent decades leading and coaching managers across the world’s biggest brands. His leadership philosophy is simple but radical: safety creates voice, voice creates value, and value drives performance.

We dig into:

💬 Why psychological safety is the foundation for voice and innovation

🧩 How to move from command and control to care and connect

💡 The Pixar-inspired “rules of candor” exercise any team can use in 20 minutes

⚡ Why resistance isn’t defiance—it’s data (and how to use it to fuel change)

❤️ The difference between tough love and true care in leadership

🔥 How burnout signals a cultural problem, not a personal weakness

Ali shares practical frameworks for turning discomfort into dialogue and dissent into innovation. He challenges leaders to “farm for dissent,” seek opposing views, and treat resistance as a cultural health indicator, not a threat.

If you’ve ever wrestled with how to make feedback feel safe, how to manage conflict without chaos, or how to spot burnout before it’s too late—this episode is your playbook for leading all in.

📘 Learn more or grab the book at allinmanager.com

👉 Follow Ali on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alimerchant/