"Just create psychological safety by telling your team it's okay to make mistakes!" Everyone nodded. I felt my stomach tighten. Because I remembered being that employee - the one whose manager said all the right things, then subtly punished every misstep.
When you've been on both sides of the desk - both the employee hoping for safety and the leader trying to create it - you have a perspective most leadership development programs don't address.
In this episode, I explore what it's like to lead as a trauma survivor, including:

The gap between what leaders think they're communicating and what trauma survivors actually hear
Why popular leadership advice often falls flat (or causes harm)
The dual perspective advantage: what survivor leaders see that others miss
What we have to navigate that traditional leaders don't
Leading from integration, not despite your trauma history

If you're a leader carrying your own trauma history, this episode is for you.
TIMESTAMPS:
0:00 - Hook: When Leadership Training Misses the Mark
0:30 - The Problem: When Leaders Don't Know What They Don't Know
4:00 - What Sounds Good But Falls Flat
4:00 - "We Have an Open Door Policy"
5:15 - "Mistakes Are Learning Opportunities"
6:30 - "Take Care of Yourself"
7:45 - "I'm Here to Support You"
11:00 - The Dual Perspective Advantage
15:30 - What We Have to Navigate That Traditional Leaders Don't
18:30 - Leading From Integration, Not Despite Trauma
21:00 - Moving Forward: Your Dual Perspective Is Your Superpower
22:00 - Join the Waitlist for Leading at the Nervous System Level
Ready to lead from integration? Join the waitlist: https://resilientcareeracademy.myflodesk.com/tilwaitlist

When you're ready, here are 3 ways I can help you grow your career journey:

1. Free trauma-informed career development resources from my website! Visit https://www.cyndibennettconsulting.com for always up-to-date tips.
2. Ready to build a fulfilling career with trauma-informed support? Join The Resilient Career Academy Learning Community, where trauma survivors support each other, share resources, and develop career resilience in a safe, understanding environment
3. Ready for personalized trauma-informed career coaching? Explore my range of virtual coaching packages designed for different stages of your career journey. Visit my website to find the right support for where you are now. [Visit my website: https://www.cyndibennettconsulting.com/1-on-1-coaching]

DISCLOSURE: Some links I share might contain resources that you might find helpful. Whenever possible I use referral links, which means if you click any of the links in this video or description and make a purchase we may receive a small commission or other compensation at no cost to you.

Three months after the toxic executive left, Maya had hired an excellent replacement and implemented new policies. So why were her strongest performers resigning? Why was the team angrier than ever?

Because she didn't understand the real timeline for healing from toxic leadership.

In this episode, I break down the actual phases teams go through when recovering from toxic leadership - and why things often get worse before they get better. This is essential information for any leader navigating team recovery.

We explore:

* Month 1-2: Shock and suspicious relief (and why early improvement is misleading)
* Month 3-4: Delayed response and regression (when things seem to fall apart)
* Month 5-6: Rebuilding trust through pattern recognition
* Month 7-9: Integration and sustainable culture building

What makes the difference between teams that heal and teams that stay fractured

If you're supporting a team through recovery from toxic leadership, this episode will help you understand what you're seeing and how to respond.

TIMESTAMPS:
0:00 - Hook: When Things Get Worse After Toxic Leadership Leaves
0:30 - The Problem: Expecting Linear Recovery
4:00 - Month 1-2: Shock and Suspicious Relief Phase
6:30 - Month 3-4: Delayed Response and Regression Phase
11:00 - Month 5-6: Rebuilding Trust Through Pattern Recognition
14:00 - Month 7-9: Integration and Sustainable Culture Building
16:30 - What Makes the Difference: Core Elements
20:00 - Moving Forward: Timeline to Transformation
22:00 - Join the Waitlist for Leading at the Nervous System Level

Ready to support your team's recovery with trauma-informed leadership? Join the waitlist: https://resilientcareeracademy.myflodesk.com/tilwaitlist

When you're ready, here are 3 ways I can help you grow your career journey:

1. Free trauma-informed career development resources from my website! Visit https://www.cyndibennettconsulting.com for always up-to-date tips.
2. Ready to build a fulfilling career with trauma-informed support? Join The Resilient Career Academy Learning Community, where trauma survivors support each other, share resources, and develop career resilience in a safe, understanding environment
3. Ready for personalized trauma-informed career coaching? Explore my range of virtual coaching packages designed for different stages of your career journey. Visit my website to find the right support for where you are now. [Visit my website: https://www.cyndibennettconsulting.com/1-on-1-coaching]

DISCLOSURE: Some links I share might contain resources that you might find helpful. Whenever possible I use referral links, which means if you click any of the links in this video or description and make a purchase we may receive a small commission or other compensation at no cost to you.

Sarah arrives at 7 AM every morning, stays past 7 PM most nights, and delivers ahead of schedule. Marcus stays calm during every crisis. Both are high performers. Both are also quietly struggling with trauma responses that masquerade as professional excellence.

In this episode, I break down how fight, flight, freeze, and fawn responses disguise themselves as your most valued workplace behaviors - and what leaders need to understand about the difference between authentic excellence and survival-based performance.

We explore:

* When intensity reads as leadership (but is actually hypervigilance)
* When productivity masks avoidance through constant motion
* When calm conceals emotional disconnection and dissociation
* When people-pleasing powers performance (at tremendous cost)
* What creates space for optimal functioning vs. effective survival

If you're a leader who wants to support sustainable excellence in your team, this episode is for you.

TIMESTAMPS:
0:00 - Hook: High Performance That's Actually Survival
0:30 - When Survival Looks Like Success
4:30 - The Four Trauma Responses at Work
4:30 - Fight Response: When Intensity Reads as Leadership
6:00 - Flight Response: When Productivity Masks Avoidance
7:30 - Freeze Response: When Calm Conceals Disconnection
9:00 - Fawn Response: When People-Pleasing Powers Performance
13:00 - Creating Space for Optimal Functioning
13:30 - Building Psychological Safety That Actually Works
14:45 - Redefining Performance Metrics
16:00 - Supporting Regulation Without Requiring Disclosure
17:00 - Developing Trauma-Informed Leadership Capacity
18:30 - Moving Forward: From Recognition to Response
20:30 - Join the Waitlist for Leading at the Nervous System Level

Ready to lead at the nervous system level? Join the waitlist for my Trauma-Informed Leadership Coaching Intensive: https://resilientcareeracademy.myflodesk.com/tilwaitlist

When you're ready, here are 3 ways I can help you grow your career journey:

1. Free trauma-informed career development resources from my website! Visit https://www.cyndibennettconsulting.com for always up-to-date tips.
2. Ready to build a fulfilling career with trauma-informed support? Join The Resilient Career Academy Learning Community, where trauma survivors support each other, share resources, and develop career resilience in a safe, understanding environment
3. Ready for personalized trauma-informed career coaching? Explore my range of virtual coaching packages designed for different stages of your career journey. Visit my website to find the right support for where you are now. [Visit my website: https://www.cyndibennettconsulting.com/1-on-1-coaching]

DISCLOSURE: Some links I share might contain resources that you might find helpful. Whenever possible I use referral links, which means if you click any of the links in this video or description and make a purchase we may receive a small commission or other compensation at no cost to you.