This opening session helps you participate in the summit in a way that honors your nervous system—without pressure to “keep up.” You’ll learn a simple pacing plan (before, during, and after sessions) so you can absorb what matters, integrate what you learn, and leave with takeaways that actually stick.

Burnout isn’t a personal failure — it’s often a nervous system response to systems moving faster than humans were designed to handle.

In this grounded, justice-centered talk, Felice Upton explores why “more tools for individuals” can’t compensate for environments that never slow down — and what trauma-wise leaders can do to create space for clarity, care, and real change. You’ll leave with simple, practical ways to pause, name activation, and respond with steadiness instead of urgency.

When systems move too fast, many leaders blame themselves for not being able to carry more. In this session, you’ll learn a TraumaWise capacity-mapping approach to assess what’s sustainable, name what’s asking for support, and make clear decisions about what to keep, pause, or delegate—without shame. You’ll leave with a practical filter for leading with clarity and care.

Many leaders have been trained in trauma-informed care — but still ask the same question: What does real implementation actually look and feel like day to day?

In this practical session, Chuck Price breaks down trauma-informed culture as “how you do your thing,” offering concrete examples of what changes in hallways, meetings, leadership rhythms, and team expectations when safety and trust become the foundation.

In high-performance cultures, silence is often treated as strength — but the body keeps the score. In this talk, Ed Cohen explores how workplaces can unintentionally reward suppression, fueling burnout, chronic stress, and disconnection.

You’ll leave with a humane leadership reframe and practical ways to build cultures rooted in trust, candor, and safe connection.

Many of us learned to “mask” at work—shaping ourselves into what feels safest, most acceptable, or most rewarded.

In this conversation, Morgan Hannaleck explores how trauma and disconnection from the body can lead to survival masks, and how reclaiming the self begins with safe spaces, small experiments, and values-aligned living. You’ll leave with gentle, practical ways to notice your body’s cues, build self-trust, and advocate for the conditions that help you thrive.

In a culture that rewards endurance, many high-achieving people are quietly forcing their way through exhaustion—trying to “heal” like it’s another deadline. Malaysia H. Harrell explores why the body cannot heal through pressure, urgency, or willpower, and how healing becomes possible when we shift from force to safety.

You’ll leave with a compassionate reframe and practical language shifts that help you measure capacity—not just output—and return to your body’s pace.

If you’ve ever known what to say at work—but your body tightened, your chest got heavy, and the moment passed—this session is for you.

Somatic Experiencing therapist Bobby Newell explains why work stress isn’t a personal failure, but a nervous system adaptation to urgency and constant demand. You’ll learn the SHIFT framework for regulating in real time (emails, meetings, difficult conversations) so you can respond with intention—without quitting your job.

Felt-safety isn’t a vibe—it’s a pattern of signals people absorb through tone, timing, clarity, consent, predictability, privacy, follow-through, and repair. This session helps leaders identify the hidden “safety cues” that shape behavior long before anyone names what’s wrong.

You’ll leave with simple ways to reduce unnecessary threats and build a workplace where people can actually breathe.

What if “peace at work” isn’t lowering standards — but building the regulation and safety needed for real accountability, collaboration, and creativity? In this powerful session, Troy Love reframes workplace dysfunction through the lens of nervous system activation and attachment wounds, showing how safety erosion leads to self-protection, silence, and disengagement.

You’ll leave with clear culture signals to watch for — and practical shifts leaders can make to build a workplace where people can stay human under pressure.

Many of us were taught that healing means “moving on,” being positive, or forgetting what happened — but trauma lives in the “after,” and grief often goes unnamed.

In this talk, Maria Belanic offers a compassionate reframe: healing isn’t forgetting, it’s learning to carry what happened in a way that becomes livable. You’ll receive a gentle, practical framework for holding grief with honesty, self-compassion, and permission to be exactly where you are.

Many workplaces swing between harsh accountability (fear-based) and avoidant niceness (clarity-free).

This session offers a trauma-informed middle path: how to address performance, boundaries, and conflict with dignity—so standards don’t cost belonging. You’ll leave with language and structure for feedback, follow-through, and repair that strengthens connection instead of breaking it.

Grief isn’t just about death — it’s the emotional “umbrella” that can follow any significant loss or life change, including trauma.

In this session, certified grief educator Heidi Dunstan teaches what grief can look like (emotionally and physically), and offers clear guidance on what to say—and what not to say—so we can show up with compassion instead of minimizing, fixing, or disappearing.

What if the most powerful culture-change tool in your workplace isn’t a policy — but a creative, empathy-rooted experience that helps people feel seen, safe, and capable? In this session, Thomas R. Wilson shares how creativity (storytelling, play, writing, collaborative decision-making) can build trust, strengthen community voice, and improve real-world skills.

You’ll leave with practical ways to design programs and group spaces that honor dignity, reduce shame, and turn conflict into connection.