A World of Difference
A World of Difference

The Self-Trust Recession: Why Brilliant Professionals Go Unheard and How to Change That with Neelu Kaur

03 June 2026 49:06 Lori Adams-Brown

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About this episode

What if the silence in your meetings has nothing to do with confidence and everything to do with culture? Organizational psychologist Neelu Kaur joins Lori Adams-Brown to decode the invisible operating systems shaping how professionals communicate, advocate for themselves, and lead across cultures and organizational hierarchies.

IN THIS EPISODE:

  - What the "self-trust recession" is and why it matters for global leaders right now

  - The paradox at the heart of corporate America: individualistic society, yet over-indexed workplaces

  - Why "just speak up" is incomplete advice when power dynamics are involved

  - The Abilene Paradox: how teams end up agreeing to decisions nobody actually wants

  - The difference between assimilation and adaptability at work and why organizations are getting it wrong

ABOUT NEELU KAUR:

Neelu Kaur is a global keynote speaker, organizational psychologist, and author of Be Your Own Cheerleader: An Asian and South Asian Woman's Cultural, Psychological, and Spiritual Guide to Self-Promote at Work. She partners with Fortune 500 companies to build transformative leadership cultures, holds a Master's in Social and Organizational Psychology from Columbia University, and is a certified NLP master practitioner.

TIMESTAMPS:

  00:00 - Introduction and Neelu's cross-cultural background (India to the US)

  04:00 - The self-trust recession: outsourcing inner authority in the age of AI

  08:00 - The I vs. We paradox in corporate America

  12:00 - Assimilation vs. adaptability in hiring and onboarding

  18:00 - Psychological safety and cultural assessments in executive teams

  22:00 - Inclusion at work events: safety, restraint, and belonging

  26:00 - Speed culture vs. strategic depth: the cost of always being on autopilot

  36:00 - The Abilene Paradox and how groupthink silences the room

Join us for the exclusive bonus episode on Patreon with Neelu.

FIND NEELU KAUR AT:

  Website: https://www.neelukaur.com

  Book: Be Your Own Cheerleader (available where books are sold)

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