190. Dr. Erin Hurley: How Curiosity Protects Energy, Trust, and Psychological Safety
Assumptions feel efficient in high-pressure environments, but this conversation makes the case that they often cost physicians far more time, energy, and connection than they save.
Through stories from clinical leadership, family life, and coaching, the discussion explores how negativity bias shapes interpretation, why curiosity interrupts unnecessary conflict, and how a simple pause can create the conditions for psychological safety and trust. The episode makes the case for slowing down long enough to ask better questions, protect already-limited emotional bandwidth, and develop stronger relationships at work and at home.
Key Takeaways To Listen For
- Negativity bias may be protective, but in modern medicine it often turns incomplete information into unnecessary stress and disconnection.
- A brief pause before reacting can prevent a small misunderstanding from becoming a much larger emotional and relational drain.
- Curiosity changes the tone of hard conversations by replacing blame, defensiveness, and judgment with openness and clarity.
- Psychological safety grows when people feel safe to share and tell the truth without fear that it will be used against them.
- Protecting energy includes reducing the mental and emotional drain caused by conclusions we jump to before we have the full picture.
"The more you can create psychological safety and the more you can bring in curiosity, the more relationship building and rapport you're building, and that's going to lead to trust." — Dr. Erin Hurley
Connect With Us
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