Trauma-Informed Leadership and Workplace Culture Insights

If you want to improve outcomes at your organization, then focusing on improving workplace culture through trauma-informed approaches is...

Leadership is about so much more than just making decisions or managing a team; true leadership requires fostering trust, showing...

Change triggers the brain’s threat response, especially in high-stress systems. Learn the neuroscience behind resistance and how trauma-informed leaders reduce fear, build buy-in, and create sustainable change.

When I introduce mindfulness to organizations, people usually think of deep breathing. While breathing and meditation are methods of...

Emotional intelligence is a superpower in today's workforce. And, leaders need to prioritize their social-emotional skills if they hope...

What does healing look like? We often think the answer will be sold to us in pretty packaging, but the truth is that healing requires...

Trauma-informed change is a revolutionary approach that acknowledges the far-reaching impact of trauma on individuals, communities,...

Attachment styles can help us understand how our trauma impacts our relationships—and what we can do about it. I work with many...

Whether you’re considering your romantic, platonic, or professional relationships, knowing these 7 characteristics of a healthy...

Use these 9 ready-to-say phrases to build trust and psychological safety at work—plus when to use each one and what to avoid so it lands well.

People are always asking me: what do I do to heal my trauma? And people are always disappointed when I tell them the answer. Why? Because...

We often discuss feelings, cultural practices, and relationships in trauma-informed systems change—but don’t let that fool you. Trauma is a science, and our emotional experiences can have lasting physiological and neurological impacts. In the realm of trauma-informed care and systems change, understanding the close connection between trauma and the brain is pivotal. Whether you work with populations who are at a high-risk of exposure to trauma or you yourself are healing from

If you’re someone who’s always looking for one more trauma-informed resource to add to your toolkit, you’re in luck. This list of 15 trauma-informed tools includes great coping strategies, mindfulness exercises, and grounding activities. Practical Trauma-Informed Tools for Resilience and Executive Functioning When we’re stuck in our trauma, we can’t access our executive functioning. It’s why we sometimes act in ways that don’t make sense (or in ways we’re not proud of). No ma

Of all the trauma-informed phrases I use, “yes, AND” might be the most common. “Yes, AND” represents a way of thinking that is essential...

This blog discusses self-harm and suicide, which can be sensitive topics to many readers. Please establish your safety before reading, including your mental, psychological, emotional, and safety. Self-harm is a topic that's often discussed in hushed tones, if at all. When we talk about this common warning sign for crisis (which often goes hand in hand with passive or active suicidal ideation), many people’s minds immediately jump to the more extreme forms of self-destructive

Safety is a crucial topic for trauma-informed systems, and understanding how your community defines safety is no small task. If I asked...

No matter what model you use, SAMHSA or Sanctuary, safety is a core value of trauma-informed care. Safety is arguably one of the most important pillars (if not THE most important pillar) of shifting towards a trauma informed approach. Here’s why. This isn’t the first time we’ve talked about the importance of safety at work , and it won’t be the last! Trauma-informed change is centered on the concept of trauma healing, and safety is crucial to healing. Actually, that might be

If we want to create real change, we have to zoom way out to look at the issues, solutions, and goals from a systems perspective. We also...

As a trauma-informed consultant, I work with trauma-informed phrases and ideas every day—and here are some of the most common phrases you'll hear me say. Start here: Want the full set of trauma-informed tools for leaders? Visit our Trauma-Informed Leadership Toolkit for scripts, boundary phrases, regulation tools, and practical next steps. These seven phrases distill some complex trauma-informed topics into understandable and actionable phrases that can help you embed the T

Also referred to as compassion fatigue, vicarious trauma is a major contributor to chronic stress, especially for those who work with populations at a higher risk of trauma, such as social workers, healthcare workers, therapists, educators, and emergency workers. Vicarious trauma, aka compassion fatigue, is one of the most visible signs of trauma in our workforce. Compassion fatigue, aptly named, is a sort of tiredness and apathy that comes from expending our compassion on ot