Trauma-Informed Leadership and Workplace Culture Insights

As trauma-informed leaders, we often confront individuals who misunderstand (or are completely unaware of) systemic and institutionalized...

February is Black History Month, so this week, we’ve curated a reading list for trauma-informed leaders to increase their cultural humility while honoring and celebrating Black authors. Although this reading list is inspired by Black History Month, February isn’t the only time we should think about Black History in America. For trauma-informed leaders especially, the legacy of slavery in America shouldn’t be a seasonal fad—it should be something we are consistently aware of a

Most of the time when we talk about trauma, our minds go to individual trauma: the trauma that we or someone we know has personally experienced. Some people might share their trauma with someone else, like a sibling. But there are also many collective experiences of trauma, such as systemic racism, an environmental disaster, or a school shooting. In each of these instances, the communities affected experience collective trauma. Today, we’re going to explore a unique type of c

This Monday, people across the US will celebrate Martin Luther King Jr. Day to mark the achievements of the Civil Rights Movement, which...

Download this newsletter as a printable PDF: Monthly Reflections For many, December is a month full of festive holiday activities and gratitude. It can also be a month that triggers us into our trauma responses. As we walk along our healing journey, we often see others who have not chosen healing. This experience can be deeply frustrating, especially when we care for those people. And, during the holidays, feelings of loneliness may increase. When we look back at this month,

Use these 11 trauma-informed boundary phrases to say no, pause conflict, set work-hour expectations, and protect wellbeing without escalating tension.

We’ve all heard it: “our team is a family.” Organizations across every industry use this language. From non-profits to corporate teams, the idea that our working relationships should be as close-knit as our familial ones has become embedded into cultural norms—and even some of our mission statements. But “The Corporate Family” isn’t all it’s cracked up to be. This news might be hard for some of you to hear: calling your work team a family is not a trauma-informed practice. I

Committing to trauma-informed work can be a real challenge. Most trauma-informed practices involve cultural changes and large-scale...

Download this newsletter as a printable PDF: Monthly Reflections November is over, and there is a lot to be grateful for. There were also many stressors. Let's take a moment to let both be true and acknowledge all of the feelings we experienced this November. Make space for your frustration, elation, anger, sadness, and joy. They all have a home within you, and your inner experience is valid, no matter what is happening or how tumultuous it may seem. Your feelings are valid.

All human beings are born with a capacity for empathy, but ultimately, empathy is a learned behavior—much like language. Just as language...

Understand the four pillars of emotional intelligence and how they show up in real workplace behavior. Includes practical examples for leaders, supervision conversations, and team communication under pressure.

Trauma-informed care is like an umbrella that encompasses the social determinants of health, social-emotional learning, and actionable solutions to create real change. I think a lot of people don’t understand this yet. Understandably, when people hear “trauma-informed,” they’re confused. If you’re not already informed about the impacts of and solutions to widespread trauma in our society, it’s hard to imagine what type of information relates to trauma. So, let me frame it wit

In the trauma-informed care space, we often reference trauma-informed values. While we can refer to values within the TIC space broadly, there are specific models that we teach our clients, including SAMSHA’s 6 Guiding Principles and the Sanctuary 7 Commitments. The values outlined in these guides provide structure for organizations new to trauma-informed care, and they’re an essential piece of the work for any trauma-informed leader. So, we’re going to explore these values i

Download this newsletter as a printable PDF: Monthly Reflections As October ends and Halloween marks the transition into November, we may be quick to plan for the holidays. However, I urge you to set aside time to reflect on your wins this month. What did you learn? How did you grow? Did you rest or discover a new coping skill? Celebrating your wins, no matter how small they may seem, is a step on your trauma-informed journey toward wellness. Looking Ahead For many, the holid

Organizational restructuring is often on the table when companies decide they need transformational change. And when organizations take on the major change of trauma-informed implementation, many of them also decide to change their organizational layout. When we talk about organizational structures through a trauma-informed lens, we often focus on moving away from a hierarchal structure and toward a flat structure—but those are not our only two options. There are 5 other orga

Last week, we discussed how to recognize trauma states at work. The classic fight, flight, freeze, and appease trauma responses can reveal themselves in subtle ways, and other lesser-known trauma states can plague professional environments. Now that we know how to spot when someone is stuck in survival mode at work, it’s time to talk about how to help someone get out of that mindset. Today, we’ll explore the answer to the question: how can we respond to someone when they’re

If you asked me what the single most important aspect of trauma-informed implementation is, I’d say it’s much more complex than that. But then I’d say safety at work . To be fair, there are a lot of moving parts when we aspire to create safety at work. It’s not an easy task to undertake. From encouraging employees to develop individual safety plans to creating a comprehensive organizational safety plan , truly establishing safety at work can take years to achieve. It’s a lot

Download this newsletter as a printable PDF: Monthly Reflections In August, many of us prepared for or began the 22-23 school year as we balanced personal, professional, and cultural stressors. Whether you worked through loss, reflected on your past, began a new journey, or processed the collective trauma of military conflict and restricted abortion access, now is the time to recognize the growth you accomplished. Be proud of yourself and celebrate your wins. Looking Ahead As

What's the difference between listening and hearing? We can’t control what we hear. Hearing is second nature. Listening requires focus....

If you’re familiar with the trauma-informed space, you know that we often talk about the experience of feeling seen, heard, and valued. We talk about creating space at the table for everyone, practicing vulnerability to strengthen relationships, and holding ourselves accountable when we make mistakes. These are all great topics to discuss, but it can prove challenging to distill these larger ideas into practice. But, when we talk about apologizing, we wrap all of these comple