A Pause and Holiday Reflections

Speaker A: Foreign. Welcome back to the Safety Gambit Podcast. I'm your host, Lindsay Polis. On this podcast, we explore the risks we take as humans and the culture of safety we create at home and at work. As a result, the Safety Gambit invites you to take a more curious and holistic approach to transforming the culture of safety in your own life, including bringing awareness to the impact of our safety decisions, the safety of our workplaces, the emotional and physical safety of our spaces, and the overall philosophy of safety. Today's episode is going to be a little different and it's reflective, it's a bit personal and a, uh, soft landing into the holidays. After three years of great conversations, insights and stories from all the incredible people who have shared this space with me and with you, I've decided to actually press pause on the podcast while I reimagine its purpose and direction. After a little reflection, I wanted to spend a few minutes together to talk about something that's always been at the heart of the Safety Gambit. The connection between our mental safety, our physical safety, and the everyday risks we take without even noticing them. And since we're heading into the holiday season, an incredibly joyful yet often stressful time, it really felt like the perfect moment to bring those ideas together. Let's start with reflection. When I started the Safety Gambit, I knew I wanted to explore the risks humans navigate every day. At work, at home, in our communities, and and how we make choices that shape the culture of safety around us. I feel like this is such an important conversation and one that people. It's almost like a light bulb moment when I bring it up. What I didn't expect was how deeply these conversations would shape me. Over the past three years, I've had the privilege of speaking with people who care deeply about the intersection of safety, humanity and well being. Safety leaders, mental health advocates or entrepreneurs, parents, researchers, and people who have lived through moments that fundamentally shifted how they view risk. Each guest has taught me something different. Starting with safety isn't a checklist, it's a mindset. And I already knew this, but I love it when people confirm that during our conversations. Next is that psychological safety is just as real and important as the PPE we wear. Then that being human, messy, imperfect, learning as we go is part of the job. And last, that the stories we tell shape how others understand and navigate risk. I've been so inspired, challenged and energized by all of these conversations, and I hope you have too. I freaking love talking all things safety and risk. And when somebody like I Said has a light bulb moment. It just confirms why I like talking about this and why I wanted to start the safety gambit. And while I have many more stories I could share right now, I feel pulled to pause, step back, and let space open for whatever comes next. I want to rethink where the safety gambit goes and how personal hazard assessments evolve and how I can continue helping people create safer, more sustainable lives physically, mentally and emotionally. So think of this not as a goodbye, but a rest stop. Okay, let's dive into looking at holiday safety through the gambit lens, which actually I call out safety gambits all the time, so I love just being able to share this with you. So since this show has always been about decision making and risk intelligence, let's talk holiday safety through that same lens. And holidays are full of tiny gambits if you really think about it. Little risks we take without even thinking twice. We rush, we multitask, we get distracted. We're juggling excitement, obligations, emotions, travel, social events, exhaustion, all while we're pretending December is just regular life with some twinkle lights. This is a perfect recipe for safety shortcuts. So here are a few holiday safety gambits I want to invite you to notice the season. So the first one is the mental load gambit. You know the one, the endless planning, remembering, hostessing, coordinating, buying, wrapping, cooking, uh, cleaning. So now when this episode comes out, you may be wrapping this up and you might be starting to settle in. Or you could just be in full swing going into a weekend pre holiday. When our mental bandwidth is stretched thin, our situational awareness shrinks. That's when we miss the step stool wobbling, the spilled drink, the overloaded outlet, the kid who just climbed that thing they weren't supposed to climb. So this year, check your mental hazard assessment. What can you let go of? Who can help you? Ask for help. Ask for those resources to step up where do you need buffers? Do you need more time for you? Do you need more space? Do you need more sleep? Just let that sink in for a little bit. Okay? Our second holiday gambit is the, uh, it will only take a second gambit. This is an all year round gambit, but especially here in the holidays. Climbing the chair instead of grabbing the ladder, carrying too many bags at once. I already do both of those all year long. Running out to the store, even though you, you're overtired. I also do that one. Lighting candles near decorations just for tonight. Okay, I don't do that one. I do keep an eye out for that. So We've all done these things, but our bodies and our brains are not in peak condition in December. Fatigue, stress, and emotion change our risk tolerance, sometimes dramatically and sometimes after it's too late. The third holiday gambit is the connection gambit. Holidays can be beautiful, but also isolating and emotionally heavy. And psychological safety matters here, too. Maybe this year, check in with somebody you know is struggling or give yourself permission to step away when a, uh, gathering feels overwhelming or set a boundary you've been avoiding. Connection is a safety practice. Disconnection can be a hazard. Okay. My fourth holiday gambit is the travel gambit. Weather, fatigue, expectations, distractions, impatience. This is a big one. And I always tell myself I never go back to the Midwest during this time because there's always a blizzard. Well, this year I am headed back for a very exciting event after the new year, so. So I am already setting low expectations. I've planned in some buffer for weather. So you really need to think about this from how does this drain your mental safety and your physical body? Whether you're driving across town or flying across the country, just remember, your risk profile changes when your stress level rises. So pause, breathe, slow down to speed up. Right way. With those great safety holiday safety gambits, I want to leave you with a simple three question personal hazard assessment you can use anytime this season. The first question is, what is my state physically and mentally right now? Am I tired? Am I rushed? Stressed? Distracted? Excited, overwhelmed? And what do I need to do in this moment? The second question is, what's the environment asking of me? Are you in a crowded room? Are you in a busy kitchen? Is there a slippery driveway? Is there an emotional family moment? Is there a long travel day? Think about all of these things as you're assessing your mental and physical health this holiday season. The third question is, what can I do to reduce the risk without sacrificing the moment? Can I slow down? Can I ask for help? Can I take a break? Should I step away? Should I say no? Should I move something or delegate? These small decisions really, really matter. And a lot of times which I just learned is that our stress in one moment of the day actually started many moments earlier, maybe even in the morning, for something happened that happened in the evening. So how are you setting yourself up for success that day? They are the gambits that we're going to take throughout this holiday season. They are the choices that make holidays safer, calmer, and more meaningful. All right, let's talk about what's next for the safety gambit. So what happens now we're pressing pause. We're stopping at a rest stop. Well I don't have all the answers yet and that's really the point. I'm giving myself space to reevaluate the purpose of this podcast, how it supports the work that I do and what the next chapter of personal hazard assessments look like. If you've been listening from the beginning or even if this is your first episode, thank you so much. Truly if you're new it is so meaningful to me. Thank you for being here, for being curious, for being part of this conversation about safety and humanity and believe me, I am excited for what comes next. I just need a moment to breathe between chapters as we head into the holidays. I hope you protect your joy, your energy, your boundaries and your well being. Slow down, stay present, stay safe inside and out and I'll see you on the other side of this pause.