The Trauma-Informed Lawyer

Curiosity as Resistance: Nonviolent Communication with Leonie Smith

Episode Summary

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 commitment to nonviolent communication.

Episode Notes

In this episode, Leonie and I explore:

• How systems of oppression show up in the everyday spaces we work and live in, and what it takes to name them honestly
• Identity and the dominant culture — what gets placed on us as Black and Brown people, and the ongoing work of pushing back and reclaiming our own sense of self
• Psychological safety as a precondition for trust — not a nice-to-have, but the ground everything else is built on
• Liberation and justice as ongoing practices we return to, rather than destinations we arrive at
• Trust as something built in relationship, tested in conflict, and repaired through honesty
• Nonviolent Communication as a path to learning more about the self, not only a communication skill
• Curiosity and compassion as the roots of meaningful connection — and why that matters more than arriving anywhere
• Where our two practices — trauma-informed lawyering and NVC — meet, and where they push each other further

Leonie Smith is a first-generation Canadian of Jamaican heritage and a certified Nonviolent Communication trainer through the Center for Nonviolent Communication (CNVC). She's the founder of three organizations: The Thoughtful Workplace, a coaching and consultancy practice building people-centred work cultures; People of Colour for Nonviolent Communication (POC4NVC), a network for Black, Indigenous, and People of Colour connected to principles of nonviolence; and Necessary Trouble Collective (NTC), which supports movement and activist communities in finding harmonious, sustainable ways of working toward shared purpose. With over two decades of senior management experience across communications, fundraising, and human resources in the nonprofit sector, Leonie brings a deep, practiced understanding of how systems either support or undermine the people inside them.

Connect with Leonie:

• Website: leoniesmith.ca
• The Thoughtful Workplace
• People of Colour for Nonviolent Communication (POC4NVC)
• Necessary Trouble Collective (NTC)

You can also view her talk in our video library from our 2026 JAT Summit titled, Speaking Hope: A NVC Approach: https://myrnamccallum.ca/video-library/