What really causes catastrophic failure?

It’s rarely a lack of intelligence, data, or expertise.

More often, it’s silence, filtered truths, and decisions made at the edge of uncertainty.

In this episode of EDGE Talks, we speak with Rodney Rocha, former Chief Engineer at NASA and a central voice in uncovering the systemic failures behind the Space Shuttle Columbia disaster.

This is not a retrospective.

It’s a conversation about leadership under pressure, risk at the edge, and why organizations repeatedly fail to hear what they most need to know.

If you work in complex, high-risk systems—mining, energy, healthcare, aviation, infrastructure—this conversation is for you.

In this episode, Kathy Seabrook shares a global perspective on how safety, sustainability, and business performance intersect. She explains why safety cannot sit on the sidelines of strategy and why leaders need to understand risk in the same way the rest of the business does.

Kathy discusses the evolution of people sustainability, the economic forces reshaping the safety profession, and the importance of connecting culture, governance, and human performance to long term value creation. Her insights come from decades of experience across industries, continents, and boardrooms.

If you want a fresh and strategic look at where safety is headed and how it can drive real business value, this conversation will challenge your thinking and expand your perspective.

In this episode, Carole Smets shares a candid look at what it takes to transform safety inside a global organization. Drawing on her experience at Pernod Ricard, Carole explains why real safety performance begins with culture, not compliance, and why leaders must learn to listen, focus on risk, and create a space where people feel safe to speak up.

Carole also highlights the importance of diversity in decision making, the role of authenticity in leadership, and why every improvement starts with someone who is willing to “be the one” who drives change. She reflects on learning from failure, building momentum across teams, and creating a culture where safety is felt, not forced.

If you are interested in human performance, psychological safety, cultural transformation, or modern safety leadership, this episode offers practical wisdom and powerful perspective.