Psychological Safety in Derby and Beyond
Reflecting on #MyWholeSelf Day 2025, I am reminded of the profound impact that embracing our authentic selves can have on personal wellbeing, workplace culture, and team performance.
Psychological safety is about feeling that your voice is welcome, your ideas are valued, and you belong. Whether in a workplace in Derby, across industries, or within high-performance teams, creating an environment where people feel safe to speak up, contribute, and be themselves is the foundation of inclusion, connection and collaboration.
The Significance of My Whole Self Day
Initiated by Mental Health First Aid (MHFA) England, #MyWholeSelf Day is an annual campaign dedicated to fostering workplace environments where individuals feel safe and empowered to bring their whole identity to work. This includes aspects like background, sexuality, religion, gender, health, and mental health.
The 2025 campaign, observed on March 11, placed a new emphasis on psychological safety, recognizing its crucial role in:
- Enhancing mental health
- Encouraging inclusion, feeling valued and trust
- Boosting collaboration and performance in teams
These are key elements in any workplace, but especially important when running a psychological safety team debrief, where open, honest, and constructive conversations can make the difference between learning and growth or fear and disengagement.
For businesses wanting to create or strengthen psychological safety, I deliver a Team Debrief day designed to build trust, create open dialogue, and enhance team performance. Learn more here.
A Personal Turning Point
My journey towards embracing my whole self began one dark evening on a Search & Rescue helicopter training sortie. At the time, I was just grateful for not having to be winched onto a small boat moving in moderate seas, due to fuel and time pressures my crew was experiencing. But I later realised that this was a defining moment – one which taught me about self-belief, resilience, and owning who I truly am.
There was a time when I felt compelled to prove myself – to others, but more importantly, to myself. Like many, I used to view discussing mental health as a real problem and a sign of weakness. However, as I started sharing my experiences more openly, I discovered something unexpected: strength.
The world didn’t stop turning. People didn’t judge me—they supported me and tole me ‘It’s OK to feel like this’. And as they did, something powerful happened: others started opening up too. I wasn’t alone. We all have mental health. The more I talked about it, the stronger I felt—and the safer others felt to do the same. This is the power of normalising conversations about mental health!
The Power of Openness and Psychological Safety
Talking openly about mental health and psychological safety has transformed not only my own experience but also how I support and work with teams.
When teams embrace openness, it fosters an environment where:
- People feel safe to share concerns, ideas, and mistakes.
- Trust deepens, and team collaboration strengthens.
- Mental health becomes a priority, not an afterthought.
I now work with businesses across Derby and beyond to create workplace cultures that embed psychological safety—ensuring teams can thrive, perform, and grow. Real progress starts when we increase our own self-awareness and what our unique brain needs to feel safe. The recent breakthroughs in Neuroscience really help with this.
Psychological Safety and the Importance of a Team Debrief
One of the most effective ways to strengthen team resilience and create a psychologically safe workplace is through a structured psychological safety team debrief.
A team debrief provides key takeaways for team members:
- Brain Operating Principles
- Shared Language and Understanding
- Profile Debrief (Personal and Team)
- Awareness and Insight (Personal and Team)
- Implementation Tools and Strategies
- Commitments (Personal and Team)
Psychological safety is the key to happy, high-performing Teams. Find out more and book your session here.
Encouraging Others to Join the Movement
Although #MyWholeSelf Day has passed, its principles remain more relevant than ever. Businesses, Mental Health First Aiders (MHFAiders®), and leaders across Derby can take action now by sharing their own #mywholeself selfie, sharing some of their own experiences which they feel comfortable sharing openly and encouraging open conversations about mental health and workplace wellbeing.
Final Thoughts: Creating a Future Where Psychological Safety Thrives
Embracing your whole self is an ongoing journey, filled with learning and growth. While I don’t have all the answers, my experiences allow me to support, guide, and encourage others on their own path.
By fostering psychological safety in our workplaces, we empower people to be their best selves. When people feel safe, they relax, collaborate, and innovate—leading to higher performance and stronger teams.
The brain-based Psychological SAFETY™ model developed in Neuroscience is the best way I know to facilitate your team to experience the same kind of psychological safety I knew when I was flying on Rescue Helicopter Operations.
Take Action Today
Business leaders: If you’d like to provide Mental Health Awareness training for all your people or you’re ready to embed psychological safety into your workplace, or if you’d like to learn more about running a psychological safety team debrief, email chinwag@andyelwood.com
💡 Join one of our free monthly webinars: https://www.andyelwood.com/webinars/
💬 Explore our Psychological Safety Team Debrief service: https://www.andyelwood.com/psychological-safety/team-debrief/
