S2E6: The Human-Centered Audit—Where Are You Now?

Episode Description

What if policies could actually feel like care? 💛

In this episode of Gather at the Well, Lindsey Fuller invites us to rethink how we show up for our teams. Through the policies we write and live by. Drawing from her own experience, Lindsey unpacks the evolution of her organization’s “corrective progression” policy, showing how even the trickiest processes can be reimagined as tools for growth, not punishment.

With heart and practicality, she introduces a simple but powerful framework that places every policy into one of three buckets: care, conditions, and corrections. You’ll hear why listening deeply, surveying your team, and designing policies rooted in trust can shift your culture from reactive to restorative.

Come for the insights, stay for the breathwork 🧘—this episode is a reminder that policies don’t have to be dusty documents. They can be living, breathing reflections of the kind of workplace we’re all trying to build.

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Download the transcript here

Affirmations:

• "One step at a time is enough for me."

• "I am worthy of healing centered policies."

• "We deserve policies that help not harm."

• "I am brilliant."

• "I can lead this effort."

Powerful Quotes

"Folks want to work for orgs that work for them."

1. "Change is hard, but it doesn't have to be traumatic."

2. "Restorative practices aren’t just another item on your plate. They are the plate."

3. "We do not have a staffing shortage in schools. We have a staffing crisis."

4. "I will take a strong B plus and an A from my team. I don't want them giving 100%."

5. "It's everyone's responsibility to create and sustain policies and cultures that do no harm."

6. "Your budgets communicate your priorities and your policies are an extension of that protection."

7. "We can't wait for a leader to save or liberate us. We hold so much power within our organizations."

8. "Shame and guilt are already heavy enough, so be good on purpose."

9. "Each year's handbook is a time capsule of my own efficacy as a leader and of the state of being inside of this organization."

10. "If you're giving your all to a company that can't even return basic care, we're out of balance."

11. "If you hold things in, you'll get sick."

12. "Let these people go home and still have something for their families."

13. "We do not have to restart, retrain, re-onboard every single year, losing the institutional knowledge."

14. "Community building beyond happy hours is critical."

15. "One of the worst feelings as an educator is when you look up and you feel like you're missing your own kids' journey."

16. "There's an upfront cost and investment to re-charting your policies, but the long-term impact and reward is absolutely worth it."

17. "Middle management gets a bad rap, but they're a key lever in generating, establishing and upholding human-centered policies."

18. "Policies are living and fluid."

19. "We need to be mindful of the fact that some of your employees may be in recovery, may have former traumas."

20. "Your team is entitled and deserving of workplace conditions that are healthy."