You were really good at your job, somebody noticed, and you got promoted into safety. You learned as you went and got good at it... but somewhere along the way, you built a bubble around yourself. When the only way you know how to do safety is the way it's done in your building, it's really hard to see what's possible for you.

Maybe the pay is low. Maybe the job stopped challenging you. Or maybe you already know it's time to move on, and you just don't have the confidence to take that next step.

That confidence doesn't show up while you're inside the bubble. In this episode I walk you through the 4 C's of Confidence (and why "fake it till you make it" actually stalls you), how to build a braggable track record of results, how to get outside your bubble, and how to set your own bar. Plus how Rhett and Wesley stepped outside theirs and landed $35,000 and $50,000 raises.

Full show notes: https://thesafetygeek.com/145

Links Mentioned:

• Free Safety Career Journey Quiz
• Safety Leadership Roadmap Session
• Episode 144: How to Sell Safety Like a Marketer
• Episode 143: How to Get Leadership to Actually Listen
• Episode 142: Stop Being a Department of One

Thank you for taking the time to listen to this episode. If you liked it, be sure to share it with your best safety friend. It's a goal of The Safety Geek to elevate the role of the safety manager, and that is why I share tips and resources on how you can manage your safety program more effectively.

Visit the website at https://TheSafetyGeek.com 

Subscribe to the YouTube Channel at https://www.youtube.com/c/safetygeek 

Sign up for the Safety Leadership Newsletter, where I share exclusive tips, content, forms, and templates at https://TheSafetyGeek.com/Newsletter 

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LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/brye-sargent/ 

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Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/thesafetygeek/ 

You had the regulation AND the data. You explained it clearly... and a manager still looked at you and said, "We're not going to do that right now." So you explained it again. A little louder, with a few more citations. And nothing changed.

It took me years to figure out that people act on what they believe, and a citation rarely changes a belief. So whether you signed up for it or not, you're selling safety... to employees, supervisors, and your leadership team. In this episode I break down 3 strategies marketers use to shift a belief, including the 7-11-4 rule. And I'll show you how to use the 5 minutes you get in the management meeting to finally get the buy-in you've been asking for.

Full show notes: https://thesafetygeek.com/144

Links Mentioned:

• Free SMIS Guide
• Safety Leadership Roadmap Session
• Episode 143: How to Get Leadership to Actually Listen

Thank you for taking the time to listen to this episode. If you liked it, be sure to share it with your best safety friend. It's a goal of The Safety Geek to elevate the role of the safety manager, and that is why I share tips and resources on how you can manage your safety program more effectively.

Visit the website at https://TheSafetyGeek.com 

Subscribe to the YouTube Channel at https://www.youtube.com/c/safetygeek 

Sign up for the Safety Leadership Newsletter, where I share exclusive tips, content, forms, and templates at https://TheSafetyGeek.com/Newsletter 

Follow me @

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheSafetyGeek 

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/brye-sargent/ 

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/safety_brye/ 

Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/thesafetygeek/ 

You walk into a management meeting with something that actually matters. A hazard, a training gap, a piece of equipment that's going to hurt somebody. And you watch their eyes glaze over. You get a nod, maybe a "we'll look at it," and then nothing happens.

They do care about people getting hurt. They just don't believe it's going to happen this quarter, and the risk they can put a number on wins every time. In this episode I break down why leadership tunes safety out, and the 3 moves that get you heard in that room.

Full show notes: https://thesafetygeek.com/143

LINKS MENTIONED

• Free SMIS Guide
• Safety Leadership Roadmap Session

Thank you for taking the time to listen to this episode. If you liked it, be sure to share it with your best safety friend. It's a goal of The Safety Geek to elevate the role of the safety manager, and that is why I share tips and resources on how you can manage your safety program more effectively.

Visit the website at https://TheSafetyGeek.com 

Subscribe to the YouTube Channel at https://www.youtube.com/c/safetygeek 

Sign up for the Safety Leadership Newsletter, where I share exclusive tips, content, forms, and templates at https://TheSafetyGeek.com/Newsletter 

Follow me @

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheSafetyGeek 

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/brye-sargent/ 

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/safety_brye/ 

Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/thesafetygeek/ 

Every inspection, every policy, every training, every near-miss follow-up routes back to you, and the to-do list never ends. You're the department of one.

Being overwhelmed in safety isn't a time management problem. It's a design problem. In this episode I break down how you became the department of one, and the three moves that get you out.

Full show notes: https://thesafetygeek.com/142

LINKS MENTIONED

• Free SMIS Guide
• Safety Leadership Roadmap Session

Thank you for taking the time to listen to this episode. If you liked it, be sure to share it with your best safety friend. It's a goal of The Safety Geek to elevate the role of the safety manager, and that is why I share tips and resources on how you can manage your safety program more effectively.

Visit the website at https://TheSafetyGeek.com 

Subscribe to the YouTube Channel at https://www.youtube.com/c/safetygeek 

Sign up for the Safety Leadership Newsletter, where I share exclusive tips, content, forms, and templates at https://TheSafetyGeek.com/Newsletter 

Follow me @

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheSafetyGeek 

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/brye-sargent/ 

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/safety_brye/ 

Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/thesafetygeek/ 

You were taught to know the regulations cold, enforce the rules, and catch what people are doing wrong — and that training is exactly what is capping your career. In this episode Brye names the safety cop trap, shows why compliance only ever buys you surface behavior instead of real buy-in, and tells the story of the wall she hit when her own team started hiding things from her. This is the belief shift the rest of the series is built on.

Read the full show notes at: https://thesafetygeek.com/141

Links Mentioned:

• Download the free SMIS Guide
• Book a Safety Leadership Roadmap Session
• Episode 140: The Rockstar Safety Executive Roadmap

Thank you for taking the time to listen to this episode. If you liked it, be sure to share it with your best safety friend. It's a goal of The Safety Geek to elevate the role of the safety manager, and that is why I share tips and resources on how you can manage your safety program more effectively.

Visit the website at https://TheSafetyGeek.com 

Subscribe to the YouTube Channel at https://www.youtube.com/c/safetygeek 

Sign up for the Safety Leadership Newsletter, where I share exclusive tips, content, forms, and templates at https://TheSafetyGeek.com/Newsletter 

Follow me @

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheSafetyGeek 

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/brye-sargent/ 

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/safety_brye/ 

Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/thesafetygeek/ 

This episode lays out the complete roadmap from safety manager to safety executive, starting with why safety gets handed all the responsibility and none of the authority. It breaks down the three things every safety lead actually wants (money, status and job security), the three things standing in the way (overwhelm, being ignored and a lack of confidence), and the Safety Management Cycle and Safety Influencer System that close the gap. Listeners will learn why compliance-based safety can never reach zero, and why influence rather than enforcement is what builds a safety career.

 Read the full show notes at: https://thesafetygeek.com/140 

Links Mentioned:

• Download the free SMIS Guide
• Safety Leadership Academy
• The Artificial Authority Trap

Thank you for taking the time to listen to this episode. If you liked it, be sure to share it with your best safety friend. It's a goal of The Safety Geek to elevate the role of the safety manager, and that is why I share tips and resources on how you can manage your safety program more effectively.

Visit the website at https://TheSafetyGeek.com 

Subscribe to the YouTube Channel at https://www.youtube.com/c/safetygeek 

Sign up for the Safety Leadership Newsletter, where I share exclusive tips, content, forms, and templates at https://TheSafetyGeek.com/Newsletter 

Follow me @

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheSafetyGeek 

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/brye-sargent/ 

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/safety_brye/ 

Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/thesafetygeek/ 

This episode explores the critical importance of women's PPE safety and how properly fitting gear transforms workplace safety for women in the trades. It covers the risks of ill-fitting PPE, the true costs to organizations, and practical strategies to select and implement tailored safety solutions. Listeners will learn how to foster a safety culture that supports women and the future trends shaping women's workwear safety.

 Read the full shownotes at: https://thesafetygeek.com/139 

Links Mentioned:

• Red Wing Shoes

Time Stamps

• 00:00 Why Women’s PPE Fit Is a Safety Issue (Not Style)
• 01:48 Meet Tito Warren & Why This Topic Matters
• 03:06 Tito’s Global Safety Journey: Building Standards from the Ground Up
• 04:36 Women Entering the Trades Worldwide: What Tito Sees Internationally
• 07:32 The ‘Shrink It and Pink It’ Era—and Why It Had to End
• 08:43 Designing PPE ‘For Her’: How Red Wing Builds Fit the Right Way
• 10:19 Real-World Risks of Ill-Fitting PPE: Boots, Gloves, and Snag Hazards
• 14:56 The Business Case: Cost, Comfort, Productivity, and Compliance
• 20:46 Safety Culture Wins: Companies That Invest in the Best Gear
• 22:47 Getting Leadership Buy-In: Red Wing as a Partner, Not Just a Vendor
• 24:05 Leverage Suppliers as Safety Partners (Standards, Labs & Credibility)
• 26:06 Building a Safety Culture in Any Industry (Oil & Gas Lessons)
• 27:45 Align PPE to Hazard Assessments: Fit, Form, Function
• 28:55 The Future of PPE: Everyday Wear, More Comfort, More Compliance
• 33:11 Stop Buying Cheap PPE: Value, Risk, and Making Educated Choices
• 36:24 Fit Matters: Get Properly Fitted & Test PPE Before the Jobsite
• 39:31 Footwear as a Foundation: Long-Term Body Health & Injury Prevention
• 41:34 Respect & Inclusion: Why Women’s PPE Matters for Morale and Safety
• 42:45 Final Wrap-Up: How to Connect with Red Wing & Partner Up

Thank you for taking the time to listen to this episode. If you liked it, be sure to share it with your best safety friend. It's a goal of The Safety Geek to elevate the role of the safety manager, and that is why I share tips and resources on how you can manage your safety program more effectively.

Visit the website at https://TheSafetyGeek.com 

Subscribe to the YouTube Channel at https://www.youtube.com/c/safetygeek 

Sign up for the Safety Leadership Newsletter, where I share exclusive tips, content, forms, and templates at https://TheSafetyGeek.com/Newsletter 

Follow me @

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheSafetyGeek 

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/brye-sargent/ 

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/safety_brye/ 

Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/thesafetygeek/ 

This podcast explores the challenges with traditional safety goal setting and presents ethical strategies that focus on controllable actions. Learn how reframing safety goals with a data-driven, action-oriented approach can improve safety culture and reduce workplace injuries. Gain insights into best practices for setting measurable safety goals and fostering accountability at all organizational levels.

Links Mentioned:

•  Safety Leadership Academy
• Atomic Habits by James Clear

Timestamps

• 00:00 Introduction to Safety Goals
• 01:11 Reflecting on the Past Year
• 02:55 The Problem with Traditional Safety Goals
• 04:53 Ethical and Control Issues in Safety Goals
• 11:31 Actionable Steps for Effective Safety Goals
• 16:51 Setting Personal and Organizational Goals
• 25:40 Conclusion and Looking Forward

Thank you for taking the time to listen to this episode. If you liked it, be sure to share it with your best safety friend. It's a goal of The Safety Geek to elevate the role of the safety manager, and that is why I share tips and resources on how you can manage your safety program more effectively.

Visit the website at https://TheSafetyGeek.com 

Subscribe to the YouTube Channel at https://www.youtube.com/c/safetygeek 

Sign up for the Safety Leadership Newsletter, where I share exclusive tips, content, forms, and templates at https://TheSafetyGeek.com/Newsletter 

Follow me @

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheSafetyGeek 

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/brye-sargent/ 

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/safety_brye/ 

Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/thesafetygeek/ 

This episode explores how traditional safety program structures limit engagement and offers a step-by-step guide to redesign roles and processes. Discover strategies to redistribute responsibilities, strengthen supervisor safety capabilities, and create meaningful employee participation. Learn why building influence over authority leads to sustainable safety improvements and how to measure continuous progress.

Read the full show notes at https://thesafetygeek.com/137

Links Mentioned:

• Artificial Authority Trap
• Solving the Leadership Accountability Problem

Timestamps:

• 00:00 Introduction: The Importance of Supervisor Involvement in Safety
• 00:57 Greeting and Personal Anecdote
• 01:23 Defining the Role of Frontline Supervisors in Safety
• 03:06 Challenges Faced by Supervisors
• 03:52 Tip 1: Integrate Safety into Daily Tasks
• 06:14 Tip 2: Combine Safety with Quality and Operations
• 08:32 Tip 3: Shadow Supervisors Regularly
• 09:51 Tip 4: Empower Employees
• 13:25 Tip 5: Conduct Regular Supervisor Meetings
• 17:27 Conclusion and Call to Action

Thank you for taking the time to listen to this episode. If you liked it, be sure to share it with your best safety friend. It's a goal of The Safety Geek to elevate the role of the safety manager, and that is why I share tips and resources on how you can manage your safety program more effectively.

Visit the website at https://TheSafetyGeek.com 

Subscribe to the YouTube Channel at https://www.youtube.com/c/safetygeek 

Sign up for the Safety Leadership Newsletter, where I share exclusive tips, content, forms, and templates at https://TheSafetyGeek.com/Newsletter 

Follow me @

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheSafetyGeek 

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/brye-sargent/ 

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/safety_brye/ 

Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/thesafetygeek/ 

This post shares five practical strategies to enhance supervisor accountability in safety management without overwhelming them. Learn how to integrate safety into existing workflows, engage employees in safety tasks, and use regular safety huddles to foster a culture of safety excellence. These tips help reduce incidents, improve productivity, and build sustainable safety practices from the frontline up. 

See the full show notes at https://thesafetygeek.com/136

Time Stamps:

• 00:00 Introduction: The Importance of Supervisor Involvement in Safety
• 00:57 Personal Greeting and Seasonal Remarks
• 01:23 Defining the Role of Supervisors in Safety
• 03:06 Challenges Supervisors Face with Safety Tasks
• 03:52 Tip 1: Integrate Safety into Daily Tasks
• 06:14 Tip 2: Combine Safety with Quality and Operations
• 08:32 Tip 3: Shadow Supervisors Regularly
• 09:51 Tip 4: Empower Employees to Lead
• 13:25 Tip 5: Conduct Regular Supervisor Meetings
• 17:27 Conclusion and Call to Action

Thank you for taking the time to listen to this episode. If you liked it, be sure to share it with your best safety friend. It's a goal of The Safety Geek to elevate the role of the safety manager, and that is why I share tips and resources on how you can manage your safety program more effectively.

Visit the website at https://TheSafetyGeek.com 

Subscribe to the YouTube Channel at https://www.youtube.com/c/safetygeek 

Sign up for the Safety Leadership Newsletter, where I share exclusive tips, content, forms, and templates at https://TheSafetyGeek.com/Newsletter 

Follow me @

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheSafetyGeek 

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/brye-sargent/ 

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/safety_brye/ 

Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/thesafetygeek/