When Business Breaks the Brain: 10 Norms That Undermine Nervous System Safety

“The nervous system needs space between stressors.” In this episode of Business is Human, Rebecca Fleetwood Hession explores 10 common business practices that undermine nervous system safety, sabotaging performance, connection, and well-being at work. These issues arise not from malicious intent but from outdated norms that have gone unchallenged. Through neuroscience, faith, and lived experience, Rebecca reveals how back-to-back meetings, vague metrics, micromanagement, and rapid change keep teams stuck in fight-or-flight mode, draining creativity and trust. In this episode, you’ll learn:Why safety is the foundation for growth and great decision-makingHow common business norms activate threat responses and how to replace themPractical shifts you can make to restore trust and build sustainability Things to listen for: (00:00) Intro (00:47) Creating a safe working environment (03:06) 10 business norms undermining nervous system safety (04:44) Norm 1: Back-to-back meetings (07:33) Norm 2: Always-on culture (09:11) Norm 3: Ambiguous expectations (11:05) Norm 4: Public performance reviews (12:53) Norm 5: Rewarding overwork (14:39) Norm 6: Lack of context and transparency (16:15) Norm 7: Fixing people instead of systems (18:06) Norm 8: Ignoring emotional signals (19:06) Norm 9: Over-indexing on control (20:43) Norm 10: Celebrating rapid change (22:06) Reflecting on workplace practices Connect with Rebecca: https://www.rebeccafleetwoodhession.com/