Curiosity as Resistance: Nonviolent Communication with Leonie Smith

We don't talk enough about how the systems we work inside shape whether we ever feel safe enough to be honest — with ourselves or with each other. In this conversation, Leonie Smith and I talk about what it actually takes to build trust in spaces marked by systems of oppression, and why psychological safety isn't a soft add-on but the foundation everything else depends on. We get into liberation and justice as living practices, not abstractions, and how Nonviolent Communication becomes a tool for self-discovery as much as connection. We also talk honestly about identity — what it means to have grown up measured against a dominant culture, and the ongoing work of pushing back on what's been placed on us as Black and Brown people, and reclaiming our own sense of self from underneath it. Leonie brings a steady thread of curiosity throughout — this isn't about arriving anywhere, it's about staying in meaningful connection with each other, rooted in curiosity, compassion, and a real com...