#22 - Sally Calder: Building Respectful Workplaces, Trusting Instincts, and Being Brazen

In this episode of the Natural Genius podcast, Sam Bell speaks with Sally Calder, CEO and Co-Founder of RespectX, about leadership, courage, and creating workplaces where people can genuinely thrive.Sally has spent decades working across government, human services, consulting, and organisational culture. After many years as a partner at KPMG leading culture, diversity and inclusion work, she made a bold decision to leave and build a new technology platform aimed at addressing one of the most persistent challenges in workplaces: making it safe for people to speak up.RespectX was born from that conviction.In this conversation Sally reflects on the golden thread across her career, the importance of trusting instinct, and why leaders must learn to make complex challenges simple and compelling.She also shares the design principles behind RespectX and the real-world impact the platform is already having in organisations across Australia.This episode explores:• Leadership courage, culture change, • How individuals and organisations create safe and respectful environments where people can do their best work• Why trusting your instinct can shape a career• The “golden thread” that only becomes visible when you look back• Leaving a successful partnership to start a new venture• Why respectful workplaces matter for performance and wellbeing• The story behind founding RespectX• Five design principles for safer workplace reporting• Making the complex simple and the simple compelling• The role of courage in culture change• Why the next generation may finally shift workplace culture for the betterChapters01:04 Sally’s career journey and the “golden thread”05:18 Trusting instinct and saying yes to opportunities09:02 Creating workplaces that enrich people12:24 The story behind founding RespectX18:16 Designing a safer reporting platform23:27 Early adopters and building the RespectX movement27:23 Measuring trust and workplace safety31:10 Real examples of culture change in organisations36:12 Channeling rage into constructive change40:29 Leadership lessons: making the complex simple44:10 The responsibility of leaders to set clear standards47:00 RespectX as a movement for cultural change49:23 Closing reflectionsGuest linksSally Calder: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sallycalderRespectX: https://www.respectx.com.au/Shey Newitt (RespectX Co-Founder): https://www.linkedin.com/in/shey-newitt-phd-70200b33/About Natural GeniusThe Natural Genius podcast explores how people discover and express their natural strengths, instincts, and contributions.Through conversations with leaders, thinkers, builders, and practitioners across many fields, the podcast explores the signals that guide meaningful work and the choices that shape a life.More at https://naturalgenius.com.auCreditsHosted by Samantha (Sam) Bell in Violet Town and Melbourne, 4 March, 2026.Produced at the Violet Town and Peregian Beach offices, 4 – 16 March, 2026.