About Dr. Heffner

Dr. Heffner helps leaders create psychologically safe teams to thrive and achieve extraordinary business results.

Dr. Heffner's work around psychological safety and leadership development is not just for "natural" leaders or perfect teams; he spent his career helping real people in real organizations navigate uncertainty, conflict, and change. Many leaders who once believed they had to "have it all together" or "leave their real selves at home" discovered that authenticity and psychological safety are not soft ideals; they are the very foundation of sustainable performance and trust. 

Through his coaching, training, and speaking, Dr. Heffner emphasizes his core values about authenticity and psychological safety within leadership teams, including:

1. Authentic leadership is not optional; it's essential. Leaders don't need to be flawless; they need to be genuine. Owning your values, your story, and even your mistakes creates the conditions for others to show up honestly, too. 
2. Psychological safety is the soil where performance grows. High expectations and accountability only work long-term when associates feel safe to speak up, ask for help, and share bad news early. Safety is not the opposite of performance, but the pathway to it. 
3. Culture is built in everyday moments, not just big initiatives. The small choices, such as how one responds to feedback, how one handles disagreement, and who gets invited into the conversation, either strengthen or erode psychological safety. Leaders practice their values in these ordinary, daily interactions. 
4. Every voice matters, but leaders need to lead by example. Everyone on a team contributes to culture, yet leaders carry a special responsibility to model vulnerability, curiosity, and respect. When leaders go first by listening, admitting what they don't know, and inviting dissent, gives permission for others to do the same. 
5. Real change is a journey, not a one-time event. Psychological safety and authentic leadership aren't built in a single workshop or conversation. They're developed through consistent reflection, learning, experimentation, and repair when things go wrong. 

This work and this site exist to support you in creating leadership teams where they feel safe, seen, and able to do their best work without leaving their humanity at the door. 

When he isn't coaching or facilitating workshops, Dr. Heffner is continually studying, teaching, and refining practical tools to help individuals and organizations turn the promise of psychological safety and authentic leadership into a lived, everyday reality. 

Why Work with Dr. Heffner

Working with Dr. Heffner means partnering with someone who cares as much about how people feel at work as what they achieve. His approach lives at the intersection of psychological safety, authentic leadership, and real-world results designed for leaders and teams who want more than a motivational speech. They want lasting change.

Real-World Leadership Impact

Dr. Heffner works with executives, emerging leaders, HR, L&D, and cross-functional teams who need both psychological safety and performance. His coaching and programs are built for leaders facing real pressures, real constraints, and real people—not theoretical case studies.

From Theory to Practice

Grounded in research on psychological safety and authentic leadership, his work turns big ideas into everyday habits: how you run meetings, give feedback, respond to mistakes, and handle disagreement. Leaders leave with language, tools, and practices they can use immediately.

Step-by-Step Growth

Change doesn’t happen all at once. Dr. Heffner breaks psychological safety and leadership development into clear, manageable steps—helping leaders move from insight to action without feeling overwhelmed. Each session builds on the last, creating steady, sustainable growth.

Human-Centered & Authentic

At the core of his work is a simple belief: people do their best work when they can show up as their full, authentic selves. Dr. Heffner’s coaching, training, and community resources honor the whole person (i.e., their values, stories, strengths, and struggles) so leaders don’t just learn new skills; they become more grounded, genuine, and trusted.

If you’re ready to build teams where people feel safe to speak up, take risks, and grow, partnering with Dr. Heffner is a powerful place to start.