The Trauma Inspired Leader

“I want to take a moral inventory. Not just look at stuff that I’ve done. I got to own up to that. I got to recognize that stuff. But I want to look at what has motivated that, and specifically the fears. ‘What was I afraid of? How did I build those resentments? Why did I engage in those behaviors? What was I trying to escape from?’ You know, not being comfortable in my own skin” (P12).

“I liked going out into the shitty neighborhoods and talking to people who were miserable in one way or another. I believed people had stories. My colleagues sat in the newsroom and didn’t want to go because there was no story there. They were missing major stories. The story is out there, under the common people. I would routinely find sources for stories that were overlooked, because I was looking” (P2).

“My job as a leader is to constantly remind people (and I’m one of those people) who they are. There’s a good chance that when people remember who they are, then they know what to do. So, it’s not telling people what to do. Its, ‘Do you know you are loved? Do you know you are worthy of belonging? There’s nothing you need to do to earn your place. It’s already yours.’ It’s the who before do. Know who you are before you know what to do” (P10).

“Once you get spirituality, there’s a dignity, love, and caring that you can add to even the most unpleasant thing. They’re going to remember this the rest of their life, but it’s going to be done in a manner that is respectful and loving to that person and an understanding of what it’s doing to them. Somehow, I can convey that to them. As a leader, I used to not be able to bring the spiritual into my day. I didn’t feel comfortable. I feel very comfortable now. I refuse to pretend it doesn’t exist. As I become more deeply spiritual, I was able to reconcile and become this whole person” (P13).