Steve Andrews

Welcome! I am a speaker, author, and independent researcher exploring the science of feeling safe, why it really matters, and how it shapes our lives and the world around us. Through research, writing, and speaking, I explore why humans think, feel, and act as we do, and how that understanding can help us create the conditions for a kinder, safer world.

Felt-Safety

The science of feeling safe and why it really matters.

My work explores how felt-safety shapes predictable patterns of human behavior and social organization, from individuals to global systems, across time and place.

Why do we think, feel, and act as we do? Why do people sometimes behave in ways that seem contrary to their own needs, values, and interests? Why do we create relationships, institutions, and societies that so often make life harder for one another? And why, despite everything we have learned about ourselves and the world, do we continue to struggle with so many of the same human problems?

My primary vehicle for exploring these questions is my Felt-Safety Hypothesis, an integrative theoretical framework drawing on neurobiology, anthropology, psychology, human development, sociology, and other fields to investigate the relationships between neurobiological felt-safety, human behavior, and social organization.

Rather than continuing to approach human behavior primarily as something to control, what might become possible if we organized our relationships, communities, institutions, and societies around a better understanding of what humans need to feel safe?

  • Residence Seattle, WA, USA
  • Presentations Given 178
  • Countries Spoken In 2
  • States Spoken In 33
  • Topics Include felt-safety · human behavior · neurobiology · child development · trauma · neurodiversity and disability · relationships and belonging · social organization · systems thinking
  • Audiences Include individuals and families · students and educators · researchers and academics · healthcare and mental health professionals · disability communities and advocates · business and organizational leaders · policymakers · community organizations

Testimonials

Highlights

Keynote Speaker
Sacramento, CA

37th Annual Cal-TASH Conference

Presented on my Neuro-Social Model of Emotional Wellbeing through the lens of disability

Presenter
Online

Autism Explained Conference

Presented on my Neuro-Social Model of Emotional Wellbeing through the lens of the Autistic experience

Panelist
Tacoma, WA

Infant and Early Childhood Development Conference

Topic: Practices that Promote Community Participation

Speaker
Online

Data Platform Mental Health and Wellness Day 2024

Presented: Bringing Your Inner Child to Work Day

Guest Lecturer
Long Beach, CA

Cal-State Long Beach

Spoke with education graduate students on transitioning after high school

What I Do

Keynotes

Engaging, thought-provoking presentations that challenge familiar assumptions about human behavior and invite audiences to reconsider how we understand ourselves, one another, and the world around us.

Writing

Books, essays, and research notes that examine the science, questions, and evidence behind the Felt-Safety Hypothesis, with the depth and nuance that complex human problems deserve.

Speaking and Education

Talks, workshops, and interactive learning experiences that help participants understand and apply the science of felt-safety to their own lives, relationships, and professional practices.

Collaboration and Consulting

Working directly with researchers, educators, organizations, and communities to investigate questions, develop ideas, and address specific challenges through shared inquiry and scientific understanding.

Software Engineering

Human-Centered. Passionate Technologist.

I've spent more than 25 years designing and building software, working with organizations ranging from small businesses to Fortune 500 enterprises. My experience spans complex enterprise systems, integration and automation, accessibility, and user experience, with a particular interest in making technology simpler, more intuitive, and more useful to the people who depend on it.

These days, much of my development work focuses on building browser-based tools for research, learning, knowledge organization, and exploring complex information. I continue to take on selected software engineering and consulting projects on a limited basis, particularly where my experience can help solve difficult problems or make technology more accessible and usable.

I believe that simple doesn't mean easy any more than complex means hard. My approach is to understand the underlying problem and distill complexity into elegant, straightforward solutions. I'm passionate about writing clean, maintainable code and building intuitive, accessible technology designed for the human experience.

  • Residence Seattle, WA, USA
  • Open To Select projects and collaborations
  • Affiliations Microsoft MVP Alumni (4x), ASP Insiders
  • Expertise Includes C# · integration and automation · dataflow · UX and accessibility · cognitive accessibility · middleware · refactoring · legacy code upgrades · code conversion · code recovery · code assessments · Umbraco
  • Work Experience Includes Microsoft · Coca-Cola Enterprises · Merck · NASA JPL · Sungard (now FIS) · SEI Investments · DevExpress · Tai Software
  • Bugs Ever Zero (just kidding, that's why we test)
  • ESM Platform more info

What I Do

Research and Knowledge Tools

Building browser-based tools for organizing knowledge, exploring complex information and relationships, and supporting research and learning.

Software Engineering

Designing, building, maintaining, and improving software, with extensive experience in C#, .NET, complex systems, and legacy modernization.

Integration and Automation

Connecting systems, simplifying workflows, and reducing the complexity and repetitive work created by disconnected technologies.

Accessibility and User Experience

Designing interfaces that are understandable, intuitive, inclusive, and usable by people with different needs and ways of interacting.

Prototyping and Experimentation

Turning ideas into working applications, testing approaches, and developing solutions to problems that don't yet have obvious answers.

Technical Collaboration and Consulting

Working with teams and organizations on architecture, complex engineering challenges, accessibility, and practical software improvements.

Blog

RSS

Categories

Contact

Seattle, WA, USA

Available in the
United States and
Remote Worldwide

How Can I Help You?

I'm always interested in connecting with people who share my curiosity about human behavior, felt-safety, science, and the possibility of building a better world. I also welcome inquiries about speaking, collaboration, writing, research, and selected consulting opportunities.