Why Your Silence Is Killing Your Career (And What To Do About It)

Most professionals aren't held back by a lack of skills or ambition; they're held back by conversations they're not having. In this episode, Bola sits down with culture strategist and author Gustavo Razzetti to unpack one of the most expensive problems in the modern workplace: conversational debt. Drawing on 25 years of facilitating high-stakes conversations with Fortune 500 leaders at companies like Mars, Microsoft, and Merck, Gustavo reveals why psychological safety alone isn't enough, what false harmony is doing to your team culture, and how professionals can build the conversational agency needed to actually move their careers forward. His new book, Forward Talk (IdeaPress, May 2026), is already being called essential reading by Amy Gallo of Harvard Business Review and Daniel H. Pink. Whether you're mid-career, in leadership, or just tired of leaving meetings feeling unheard — this episode is your playbook.