EPISODE · Sep 8, 2025 · 53 MIN
167 Dr Charles Camarda, Astronaut and Author: When Culture Becomes Catastrophic
from The Unlock Moment: find your purpose for leadership and life · host Dr Charles Camarda
You can’t fix what no one feels safe to say out loud. In this episode, I sit down with astronaut Dr Charles Camarda to explore the cultural roots of catastrophic failure ... and how even the most advanced organisations can lose their way. We talk about the moments that led to the Columbia tragedy, the silence that surrounded it, and what Charlie learned when he was removed from his role after speaking out. This is a conversation about what real leadership looks like in high-pressure environments. Not just launching missions - but creating space for truth, dissent, and critical thinking at every level of a team. Charlie Camarda is a former NASA astronaut, research engineer, and Director of Engineering. He’s spent nearly five decades working at the intersection of innovation and risk ... and he’s on a mission to help leaders learn from the failures we don’t talk about enough. The Unlock Moment is hosted by Dr Gary Crotaz, PhD — master interviewer, executive coach and author. Downloaded in over 140 countries. Sign up to The Unlock Moment newsletter at https://tinyurl.com/ywhdaazp Find out more at https://garycrotaz.com and https://theunlockmoment.com Also discover his other podcasts, The Box of Keys and Unlock Your Leadership. Follow, subscribe and leave a review wherever you get your podcasts — and connect with Dr Gary on LinkedIn for more leadership insights. Part of The Unlock Moment podcast family.
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You can’t fix what no one feels safe to say out loud. In this episode, I sit down with astronaut Dr Charles Camarda to explore the cultural roots of catastrophic failure ... and how even the most advanced organisations can lose their way. We talk about the moments that led to the Columbia tragedy, the silence that surrounded it, and what Charlie learned when he was removed from his role after speaking out. This is a conversation about what real leadership looks like in high-pressure environments. Not just launching missions - but creating space for truth, dissent, and critical thinking at every level of a team. Charlie Camarda is a former NASA astronaut, research engineer, and Director of Engineering. He’s spent nearly five decades working at the intersection of innovation and risk ... and he’s on a mission to help leaders learn from the failures we don’t talk about enough.
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167 Dr Charles Camarda, Astronaut and Author: When Culture Becomes Catastrophic
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