155. Fear, Trust and the Cost of Playing It Safe at Work – A Real Conversation with Prina Shah and Trina Sunday
Fear is quietly running many workplaces. It hides behind process, compliance, and so-called safety. In this episode, Prina Shah is joined by Trina Sunday, founder of Reimagine HR, for a candid and deeply practical conversation about fear, trust, leadership, and the human cost of risk avoidance at work.
Together, they unpack how fear shows up in leadership behaviours, why HR is often stuck in the middle, and how systems, not people, are frequently the real problem. This is an honest conversation about courage, accountability, and what it really means to lead with heart, not fear.
If you work in HR, lead people, or feel stuck in a system that values process over humanity, this episode will resonate.
What we cover:
- Why fear and trust sit at opposite ends of the employee experience
- How fear shows up as control, perfectionism, indecision and micromanagement
- The rise of compliance over courage in leadership
- Why avoidance is being mistaken for safety
- The capability gap in having difficult, human conversations
- How performance systems and structures reinforce fear-based behaviour
- Why restructures often treat symptoms, not root causes
- The problem with two-week “consultation periods”
- HR’s responsibility to influence, not retreat
- The cost of neutrality when humanity is required
- Rebuilding trust through micro moments, not grand gestures
- Why clarity, consistency and empathy matter more than policies
- False agreement, the HIPPO effect, and why silence is dangerous
- Legacy as a daily choice, not an end-of-career concept
- Moving from passenger to driver in your career
- Trauma, poly-crisis, and the emotional reality people bring to work
- Why courage does not come from workshops but from daily choices
About the Guest – Trina Sunday:
Trina Sunday is the founder of Reimagine HR and a fierce advocate for transforming the HR profession. Her work focuses on empowering HR leaders to be courageous change makers who lead with confidence, clarity, and humanity. Trina believes that changing HR is how we ultimately change workplaces and communities.
Send Prina a text to let her know how you'd change the workplace
If you are seeking professional advice or would like to change your company culture through training, consulting, speaking and coaching, get in touch with Prina Shah today. Email Prina.
For More Info on Prina Shah & her Services:
- SIGN UP TO PRINA'S NEWSLETTER WHERE SHE SHARES A HEAP OF PRACTICAL TOOLS MONTHLY-ISH https://www.prinashah.com/signup
- Grab a copy of Make Work Meaningful and start creating your own legacy at work and leave me a review. https://www.makeworkmeaningful.shop/book
- Subscribe to the Ways to Change the Workplace Podcast for more actionable insights. https://www.waystochangetheworkplace.com/
- Prina Shah LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/prinashah/
- Prina Shah Website - https://www.prinashah.com/
- Prina Shah Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/prina.shah/
Prina (Helping you find GREAT ways to change your workplace) Shah
