Episode 52: Trauma-Informed Leadership: A New Approach with Guest Carolyn Swora

In the latest episode of Plenty for Everyone, we dive deep into the transformative world of trauma-informed leadership with guest Carolyn Swora.  Carolyn is a mom of two, scholar, author, podcaster, and former corporate leader renowned for her impactful work on trauma-informed care. This engaging discussion sheds light on Carolyn’s journey from trauma to leadership insights and explores how integrating mindfulness and compassion into leadership can significantly impact workplace culture. 

Tune into this episode as we explore: 

• What is Trauma-Informed Leadership? Trauma-informed leadership is an approach that recognizes the widespread impact of trauma and understands potential paths for recovery. It emphasizes seeing the whole person in a leadership context, acknowledging that past traumas can influence current behaviors and interactions of people and how they interact with others. Through her profound personal and professional experiences, Carolyn illustrates how leaders can adopt an approach to foster a more supportive and understanding workplace environment by being mindful of the trauma employees might carry. In doing so, leaders can create a culture of safety, trust, and mutual respect.
  
  
• Carolyn's Journey: From Personal Trauma to Leadership Insights: Carolyn's story is heart-wrenching and inspiring. After losing her husband to cancer while pregnant, she embarked on a journey of self-discovery and healing. This personal tragedy led her to explore the depths of trauma and its impact on the human psyche. She offers some great tools for leading others with empathy and understanding.
  
  
• Integrating Mindfulness and Compassion into Leadership: The conversation gets deep quickly when we discuss the tension between striving for excellence and practicing self-acceptance. Carolyn shares how she advocates for integrating physiological and psychological safety in the workplace, and we explore how listening to one's body can enhance decision-making, communication, and overall performance.
  
  
• Shaping Workplace Culture through Trauma-Informed Practices: We discuss how trauma-informed practices can shape and improve workplace culture. Specifically, Carolyn points out the need for leaders to be aware of their employee's varying nervous system states and how they can do so. 

As always, thanks for subscribing, reviewing, and sharing the podcast.  You can learn more about Carolyn, including her podcast, books, and new projects, here. 

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