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Trauma-Informed Leadership and Workplace Culture Insights
Tools, language, and implementation guidance for leaders building safer, more accountable workplaces.
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Start With These!
Start here if you are leading culture change, supporting staff well-being, or navigating conflict. These three posts teach the core tools we use in training and implementation.
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Fight, Flight, Freeze, Fawn (Appease): Trauma Responses Explained
A clear trauma-informed guide to fight, flight, freeze, and fawn—workplace signs, what helps, what makes it worse, and how leaders can respond skillfully.
Shenandoah Chefalo
Sep 24, 20247 min read
Healing Through Mindfulness: Slowing Down & Asking for Help
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...
Shenandoah Chefalo
Apr 2, 20245 min read
9 Phrases That Build Trust at Work (What to Say, Not Just What to Do)
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.
Shenandoah Chefalo
Jan 30, 20244 min read
5 Secrets to Personal Growth No One Tells You
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...
Shenandoah Chefalo
Jan 23, 20244 min read
One Life-Changing Trauma Informed Approach You Can Implement Today
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...
Shenandoah Chefalo
Dec 12, 20234 min read
7 Subtle Self-Harm Strategies You Might Do
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
Shenandoah Chefalo
Dec 5, 20237 min read
5 Powerful Trauma-Informed Questions to Fuel Self-Exploration
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. There are tons of trauma-informed tools out there to help you integrate trauma-informed practices into your everyday life, and today we’re going to focus on powerful questions. Trauma-Informed Tools: Powerful Questions & TIC Coaching Powerful questions are a core component of trauma-inform
Shenandoah Chefalo
Apr 18, 20234 min read
7 Ways to Practice Active Listening and Become a Better Listener at Work
What's the difference between listening and hearing? We can’t control what we hear. Hearing is second nature. Listening requires focus....
Shenandoah Chefalo
Sep 27, 20225 min read
How to Apologize: Advice from a Trauma-Informed Expert
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
Shenandoah Chefalo
Sep 20, 20228 min read
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