The Safety Lab: An Interactive Workshop on Psychological Safety and Emotional Intelligence.
This is a Slush side-event, but everyone is welcome!
Why is psychological safety so hard to build, even in teams that value openness and trust? Neuroscience gives us a clue: our brains are wired to avoid discomfort, especially emotional discomfort. Yet psychological safety is an emotion, and we can’t create it without learning to work with our feelings.
In this workshop, you’ll discover what happens in the brain and body when emotions arise, why naming what we feel matters, and how emotional awareness transforms the way we connect and collaborate.
Join us for The Safety Lab, a two-hour interactive workshop designed for start-up leaders to explore psychological safety and emotional intelligence in a fast-paced, hands-on way.
Part 1: Discover the Science
First, we’ll explore how your brain works when you’re under pressure or working with others. You’ll learn:
How your brain tries to predict what’s coming and why that can trigger stress
How emotions are signals from your body—and what they’re really telling you
How naming your emotions more precisely can help you handle tricky team situations with more clarity and calm
Part 2: Enter the Lab
Then, put your skills to the test in our escape-room-style team challenge, where collaboration, insight, and emotional awareness are the keys to success. Working with fellow leaders, you'll face a simulated crisis that will challenge you to communicate clearly, prioritize under pressure, and maintain team cohesion when the stakes are high.
Who Should Attend?
This workshop is designed for anyone responsible for a team's performance and well-being in a high-growth environment, including:
Start-up founders and entrepreneurs
Managers and leaders in a corporate setting
People & Culture Leaders and L&D professionals
Emerging leaders and anyone stepping into a management role