Navigating the New Wave of Organisational Fear and Burnout

Thursday, 29 May 2025

12:00 - 1:00PM AEST

In today’s climate of relentless change and rising pressure, fear and burnout are silently shaping workplace cultures - impacting wellbeing, performance, and long-term organisational success.

We invite you to join us in a facilitated session to face the uncomfortable truths of modern work. Fear is no longer just an emotional response - it’s embedded in structures, silences, and decision-making. Burnout isn’t an individual failing - it’s a cultural signal.

Join our expert panel as they unpack the neuroscience, psychology, and systems behind organisational fear and fatigue and share the courageous leadership practices needed to create sustainable performance.

Whether you're navigating change, rethinking culture, or leading through pressure, this session will equip you with the insights and language to shift your organisation from fear-based survival to human-centred performance.

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In this session, we will cover:

What is Organisational Fear

Explore how fear shows up in subtle workplace behaviours — from silence in meetings to risk-aversion in decision-making — and why it often goes unnoticed. Discover the first steps leaders can take to surface and address it.

Fear, Burnout & Performance

Understand how fear drives burnout and stalls performance. Fear-based environments increase stress, lower engagement, and create cultures of self-protection. Unpack the direct connection between psychological safety, wellbeing, and sustainable high performance.

Psychological Safety: The Real Performance Unlock

Dive into the science of psychological safety and its impact on creativity, learning, and resilience. Learn how safety enables people to show up fully, take smart risks, and drive meaningful change.

Leading for Safety, Trust & Performance

Gain actionable strategies to create environments where people feel safe to speak up, contribute, and grow. Walk away with practical steps to build trust, reduce fear-based behaviours, and unlock team potential.

Meet the Experts

Together Nicole Hercus, Chris Miran, Liz Gould and Christina Gerakiteys each bring unique expertise to the session.

Their collective expertise spans leadership development, performance psychology, organisational culture, innovation, and transformation—offering a rare blend of insight into the human side of business.

Nicole Hercus

Executive Coach and Leadership Development and Culture Change Specialist

Nicole is a leadership development and culture change specialist.

Nicole brings unique insight into human behaviour, systems, and relational intelligence. Nicole has developed expertise in working where there is heat – where conflict, tension, and fear have taken root and cultures are shaped by avoidance and reactivity.

Chris Miran

People and Culture Specialist, Transformation, Expert Facilitator and Executive Coach

Chris helps leaders unlock performance by addressing the underlying patterns holding them back. Chris supports leaders to cut through fear and complexity. He blends psychology and behavioural science to help organisations drive performance through trust, clarity, and courageous conversations.

Liz Gould

Registered Psychologist, Executive Coach, and Facilitator

Liz is a registered psychologist with over 20 years experience specialising in the areas of psychological wellbeing and its impact on quality of life and workplace performance. Liz holds a depth of experience in supporting and addressing mental health and trauma impacts on individuals, as well as coaching for individual personal development and executive and leadership coaching.

Christina Gerakiteys

Global speaker, CEO of UtopiaX, Futurist, Humanist and Emerging Tech Expert

Christina inspires leaders to create bold, human-centred change. As CEO of UtopiaX and Founder of IdeaSparx, she helps leaders harness artificial intelligence to unlock creativity, drive innovation, and create lasting impact. Christina is known for empowering emerging leaders to think big, act with purpose, and shape a better future.

As we navigate the complexities of today’s work environments, understanding and addressing organisational fear has never been more critical.

Fear - when left unchecked can quietly shape culture, stall performance, and erode trust. This session will offer a fresh perspective on performance by uncovering how fear shows up in everyday workplace dynamics, and how leaders can respond with courage, empathy, and clarity to build cultures where people feel safe, valued, and empowered to thrive.

Encountas will share their expertise and insights on:

How fear shows up in workplace culture

From decision-making and communication to power dynamics and conflict avoidance—learn to spot the hidden ways fear influences behaviour.  

The cost of fear-based leadership

Understand how fear impacts psychological safety, wellbeing, and performance—and why ignoring it can lead to burnout, disengagement, and high turnover.

Practical strategies to lead with courage

Discover tools to reduce fear-based behaviours, build trust, and create a culture where people feel safe, supported, and ready to perform at their best.

Who should join this event?

This event is designed for:

Senior
Executives

Managers &
Team Members

Chief People
Officers

People and Culture
Professionals

Organisational Development Specialists

Health & Wellbeing
Professionals

Click here to register