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The hardest workplace conversations rarely go well by accident.
They go well because leaders have built trust, created clarity, and learned how to handle human moments before the crisis arrives.
In this episode of At Work, Under Pressure, Jessi Beyer sits down with Sara Stowe of True Terpenes to talk about psychological safety, difficult conversations, performance feedback, leadership development, mental health first aid, and what it means to support employees without pretending HR is therapy.
Sara shares how her background in theater shaped the way she reads subtext, looks for truth beneath the surface, and approaches people challenges with empathy and curiosity. She also reflects on how mental health first aid training prepared her to respond when an employee experienced a serious and highly visible workplace crisis.
In this episode, Jessi and Sara discuss:
- How theater training translates into empathy, truth-seeking, and better HR judgment
- Why termination should never be framed too casually as a “gift”
- How weekly one-on-ones create the foundation for hard conversations
- Why specific, observable feedback is more useful than vague criticism
- How neuroscience, psychological safety, and collaboration improve performance discussions
- What mental health first aid gave Sara when a real workplace crisis occurred
- Why mental health support affects retention, safety, trust, and the bottom line
This episode is for HR leaders, managers, executives, and anyone responsible for giving feedback, navigating employee crises, or creating a workplace where people feel safe enough to speak up.
Because psychological safety is not built in the five minutes before a difficult conversation.
It is built in everything that happens before it.
