Balancing Purpose & Safety ft. Larry Pearlman
How do you balance a career filled with purpose and passion while creating space for life’s personal joys? Safety consultant and founder of Safety and Consulting Associates, Larry Pearlman, joins Erica in this episode to explore just that. Larry reflects on his remarkable career spanning decades, the pivotal moments that shaped his path, and his current conundrum of balancing meaningful work with fulfilling personal ambitions.
Guided by Erica’s Career Equation framework, they explore how identifying strengths, focusing on passions, and shaping purpose-driven environments can help individuals thrive in their careers. From his unique career trajectory to insights about leadership and cultural change, Larry reveals the building blocks of a career that saves lives and drives impact.
Key Topics Discussed
1. The Conundrum
Larry’s challenge of balancing his lifelong passion for safety consulting with planning a fulfilling retirement.
How to maintain a sense of mission while redistributing time for travel, family, and other passions.
2. Larry’s Career Journey
From HR professional to external safety consultant—how pivotal moments, like insights from mentors, shaped his career trajectory.
Founding Safety and Consulting Associates and stepping into a trusted advisor role for clients across industries.
3. How Safety Consulting Saves Lives
Understanding risks in diverse industries, from oil refineries to aviation.
Examples of cultural transformations, such as improving safety behaviors and implementing new engineering processes to prevent accidents.
The joy of witnessing measurable impacts—like significant reductions in safety incidents at a global oil company.
4. The Career Equation in Action
Strengths: Building relationships, balancing social and technical risks, and creating impactful connections.
Passion: A legacy of teaching and continuous learning inspired by family values.
Purpose: Saving lives, protecting people from unseen risks, and creating a ripple effect of safety that reaches families and communities.
Environment fit: Varied work, mission-focused teams, meaningful relationships, and a continuous improvement mindset.
5. Redefining Success
Larry reflects on the hidden metrics of success in safety—knowing you’ve prevented accidents no one will see.
How meaningful work is deeply tied to relationships and trust within organisations.
6. Lessons for the Next Chapter
Larry’s insights on transitioning into a more balanced phase of life without compromising his legacy.
Using technology to teach and share knowledge in ways that allow more freedom and flexibility.
Inspiring Takeaways
“Safety is about stopping risks before they materialise, which means saving lives we’ll never even know about.” – Larry Pearlman
“The Career Equation helps us uncover the sweet spot where strengths, passions, and purpose meet.” – Erica Sosna
Actionable Insights
Identify your superpower—what you do uniquely well—and channel it into work that inspires you.
Shift your perspective about success by connecting purpose with long-term impact.
Make intentional choices about environments that help you excel and align with what matters most.
Resources & Links
Connect with Larry Pearlman on LinkedIn.
Learn more about Safety and Consulting Associates at www.safetyand.org.
Explore the Career Equation framework at www.thecareerequation.com.
Tune in to this enlightening episode with Larry Pearlman and discover how to build a career—and life—that balances purpose, passion, and personal fulfilment.