Episode Summary:

Welcome to Coaching Revealed, the podcast brought to you by the Institute of Coaching. In this special episode, we're highlighting a transformative keynote address from the Institute of Coaching's 2024 Annual Conference featuring Dr. Alisha Moreland-Capuia, the founder and director of the Institute for Trauma Informed Systems Change at McLean Hospital.

Dr. Moreland-Capuia emphasizes that safety isn't just psychological—it encompasses financial, physical, and spiritual safety. She defines trauma not by type, but by its neurobiological underpinnings: a fear-stress response that doesn't quite turn off. In addition to trauma, the impact of exclusion and isolation can be detrimental for individuals.

For helping professionals, Dr. Moreland-Capuia addresses the often-overlooked topics of burnout and secondary trauma. However, she offers hope through referencing a Stanford research study that indicated compassion heals the giver even more than the receiver, in reducing psychiatric symptoms, worry, and loneliness.

Dr. Moreland-Capuia introduces several practical frameworks for creating trauma-informed spaces. She distinguishes between success or hitting the target once and mastery which is improving accuracy over time while accepting imperfection. For trauma informed systems, striving for perfect commitment is more sustainable than perfection. She also emphasizes that organizations, like people, can be traumatized and can heal, particularly when given space to grow.

The keynote closes with actionable steps. For individuals and organizations looking to be trauma informed, start asking what you need to feel safe to do your job. Then act on the answers and model this behavior for others. Dr. Moreland-Capuia reminds listeners that the more we talk about safety, the better we can become at building the conditions for it.