Ep 15 Trauma informed business practices

If you interact with other humans in any way in your business - clients, collaborators, partners, staff - then you will be interacting with trauma and its impacts.

A human centered business is a trauma informed one. There is lots of research and documentation to support and outline how to be trauma informed in the clinic room and around service provision.

But when I went searching for how to be trauma informed in the running-the-business side of things I came up blank....and so I created my own framework.

In this episode I'm introducing the six principles of trauma informed business practices.

Let's dive in.

Links, resources & mentions

• The importance of relationships in your business (Episode 12)

• Trauma informed space holding with Katie Kurtz Ep 30 Dietitian Values Podcast

Episode Transcript

Laura Jean 0:13

Hello, and welcome back to the dietitian values podcast. Let's talk trauma informed, and particularly as it relates to running, or building a trauma informed business. Now as a dietitian, working with other humans, as I'm sure you are working with or as a minimum interacting with other humans in or outside your work. What I have built an understanding around or what I've built an appreciation for is trauma, the understanding of trauma, and how it impacts on humans. The inevitable impact of humans and the inescapable kind of knowledge that most humans are managing or particularly, I know in the work that I've done with the non diet space with women and their relationship with food - most of the women I've worked with in that space were managed managing or had experience or had managed trauma. And trauma is something that, you know, having a trauma informed practice was something that was is still and was really important for me to cultivate when my focus was more on working with humans around their relationship with food, now it's still important because i still interact with humans. In all of my work. And so if you can relate, if, if, creating a trauma informed practice is something that you're interested in or something you've been working on or just something that's on your radar, what I would like to talk with you today about is how do we continue that, how do we build on that and create trauma informed businesses, because the reality is, is how you show up in the clinic room in the interactions you have one on one with the humans you want to work with should be the same as how you show up in your business.

So to give an example, when I first started out in business, particularly learning about online business. One of the tactics that was always used was scarcity manufactured scarcity, you know, a countdown timer deadline, a limited number of spaces, and a lot of these tools that were promoted were arbitrary it was about creating scarcity because scarcity is a driver for humans to take action. It never really sat with me I never liked it and I never did it to be honest. Often I would kind of have like this really like what I call authentic trust base scarcity, which wasn't really scarcity, but just the truth like I only have x-spots, or the program starts tomorrow so you need to sign up by now versus the kind of real push push. Now, scarcity tactics in business, work and they work because humans have an inbuilt driver to take action when scarcity is around, and we see this play out in non diet, if you work in the non diet space around restriction and the impact that then has on somebody's relationship and interaction with food. And so, when I started to look at like this 30, You know the bigger picture view about what was going on and around trauma, particularly when I started thinking about it from a business perspective, not just in a clinic perspective. One of the things I was often working with women around was removing or reducing scarcity around in their relationship with food so that that wasn't a trigger. And so then to actually utilise, what I saw was to utilise that then as a tool to make somebody take action to work with me or in my business was just so out of alignment with my personal values, and so it always felt Yuck, and then I kind of had a framework I suppose to see why that was. So I just wanted to give you that example to kind of show how sometimes how the practices in our clinic you know we, it's really important that if we're practising in one way, in our clinic, you know if that's important to our values to practice in one way, then we want to do it across the board in our businesses, and in our life because truly there is no disconnect, there is no like separate values that you run as a human out in the world and then you show up in your businesses in a separate set of values, because if you're doing that then it'd be bloody exhausting. So, let's not get into a big conversation about values of course because I love to have those. But let's talk about trauma informed business and what I'd just like to introduce you today to is the concepts, the principles that I've been building and kind of wrapping words around on what I see as a trauma informed business, so this is my work. This is my, my kind of what I've put together from thinking about trauma informed practice in the clinic, and then how and then thinking about the tactics or strategies in business, thinking about the values I want to bring to business and then building my own principles for a trauma informed business.

So I don't have any references for your further information because there's this is my little thought nugget. I thought for plant growing from seed here for me. And what I would like to do though is continue to share with you how this plays out. And of course continue to support you to build your own trauma informed business. So my six principles that I have come up with around, what are the sort of foundation principles of a trauma informed business.

So the first one is understanding trauma and its impact. to be trauma informed, you need to know what trauma is, and the impact it can have on humans, becauseif it's something you want to integrate into your business then you need to know what it is and why it's important, you know what the impact is of not actually taking into account, trauma, when we think about the strategies and tools and techniques we use in business, so understanding trauma and its impact. Number two is aiming to do less harm. So it would be great if we could do no harm, but we're humans and we're humaning with other humans, and we will do harm. What we can aim for which I think is a much more realistic goal is to do less harm, and the other benefit of aiming for less harm. Firstly, it's more realistic, but also is that when we, when we think of it around less harm rather than no harm, it automatically creates a space where we can repair where we can learn and grow and do better. You know that. Excellent quote from Maya Angelou Know better do better, where we can create a space for that. If we're thinking of doing no harm, and then we do harm. It's a lot harder to then have that space of repair because the goal was actually not to harm. And so now we're so focused on the harm that's occurred and the shame and the judgement that comes with that. Whereas if we can acknowledge that harm will happen, we are doing our gosh darn, you know our darndest to do less harm, we create a space where we're actively working on it as well, and where we are open to repair and growth when harm does happen. And so that's number two, aim to do less harm.

Number three is to centre choice and autonomy, yours but particularly for the humans that you want to work with as well. So within the way you sell within the way your offer, You know offer options and ways of working with you, is to create space for choice and autonomy for the humans that you want to work with so they can make a choice, not so they're not sort of, you know, to use a kind of very manipulative weird like trapped or they don't feel kind of coerced into making a decision. And look, if you think about your own interactions with online, It's not just online but any kind of business, you know there's often those times when we get a bit pushed or forced into making a decision where we get up sold on something that we didn't really want. And so a trauma informed business centres choice, and centres autonomy, so it gives the humans that you want to work with it gives them enough information, it gives them enough space to make the choice that they want to make gives them the information to make it with their eyes open so that their choices and their autonomy is acknowledged and respected. So number three is centre choice and autonomy.

Number four is embed inclusion. So, a trauma informed business is a space of inclusion, and that is inclusion from cultural from a lot of, any diversity or any difference that you want to think of it could be something like you know An example could be something like having an image description on a social media account, a transcription on a podcast, It could be around using pronouns or, you know, sharing your pronouns to create a space around that. One thing I will add in which, like I'm not wrapping too many words around these principles but just sharing with them, with today. A part of embedding inclusion and creating less harm around inclusion is ensuring that we have the necessary training, and the necessary information and education around actually creating an inclusive space and holding inclusive space, because if we're signalling to people that we're inclusive, that we include that we're inclusive like that's just use non binary in let's think about gender inclusion if we signal to people that we are gender inclusive, and we can absolutely be gender inclusive, as humans, but if we are signalling that our service is gender inclusive, Without the training, the understanding and appreciation of what is actually creates a gender inclusive space, then we can do harm. So what's really important and I think all of these intertwine but I think particularly embedding inclusion, we need to make sure that we are doing less harm that any inclusion efforts that we are using an in particularly inclusion efforts that are signalling to groups of people that our space is for them. We need to make sure that we're equipped with the skills and with the training and knowledge to actually back that up. So, because we don't want to be signalling inclusion for humans, and then doing harm. So we can absolutely still signal that we are inclusive. But I think it's just probably like a nuance there is around when we're signalling to the humans we want to work with if we're saying that we have a space for humans with a particular diversity, or a diverse background then we do need to make sure we're backing that up with our own training and understanding of what that involves. Absolutely, we can still say that like, you know, as a human, I am far out, you know, 100%, inclusive of all humans, but like using the gender example I'm 100% inclusive of gender, all genders, all inclusions, you know, whatever, and however, that shows up for a human, and I truly believe that there is, there isn't a binary and that gender is so much bigger than we even understand probably. However, in my services, I would not, for me personally be signalling to somebody that I can support them, through like to use eating, you know, in the in the non diet in the eating disorder space you know because fits, use that as an example, I wouldn't be signalling to somebody that I provide eating disorder treatment and non diet approach strategies to support somebody through that their issues around maybe how gender and body dysmorphia, and their relationship with food and their body comes up, you know through that gender lens, because I don't have training in that and I don't have the level of education that I would feel comfortable that I would be creating a safe, you know, a space that did less harm. So, that is just an example a personal example. But I just wanted to add that because I think that's a really important piece to add to the whole to the embedding inclusion. We don't want to signal, our spaces are for people that were not ready and able to support.

So number five, focus on relationships, so I've talked about this ad nauseum. I'll keep talking about it, and I'll link to the podcast episode I did on relation, the importance of relationships in building in business, in the show notes, but focusing on relationships is essential for a trauma informed business because to be trauma informed we're recognising that there's a human, we're interacting with humans and we're bringing all of our stuff, and that trauma is held and healed within relationship, and that relationships are essential in business but also to create trauma informed business that we see the humans, as humans, not as numbers not as sales, not as followers not as conversions, but humans N equals one, equals one human. So five focus on relationships and number six, share power, it's a big one. traditional business models are embedded in a power over dynamic, traditional health models are embedded in a power over dynamic, and it's time we change that and tore that shit down and created a space where power is shared where we're talking about power with, we're talking about power to, and we're talking about power within. And so where power is shared between you as the business owner clinician, whichever hat you're wearing, and anyone that you're interacting with. So sharing power is a huge one, and it's creating a space where we are basically burning down the power over model, and sharing power with sharing power to like you know creating power to and creating power within our communities in within our relationships and within our interactions in our businesses. So that is number six share power.

So to recap them. We've got our six principles of a trauma informed business which is number one understand trauma and its impact. Number two, aim to do less harm. Number three centre choice and autonomy. Number four, embed inclusion. Number five focus on relationships and number six, share power. So they're the principles that I have come up with, and look, maybe they will change and grow as I continue to you know wrap some more words and thoughts around it. And I would like to share further with those how I see, you know practical ways we can consider them ways they can play out in our business. but I would love to hear your thoughts on these, these principles do they resonate with you? What kind of space of business that they can create so to me, when I'm thinking about a business, particularly my values based business, it is really that whole concept of human centred, where the humans involved are centred in the business, that's the humans that I'm working with, and that's me, as a human in my business and centering humans and respecting humans and allowing, creating spaces for all humans to show up as themselves which is my big picture vision for the world, particularly with dietitians is to create a space where dietitians can show up as their full authentic selves to show up as being human. To do that we need to, I need to recognise and this why it's really important to me is that humans, humans are impacted by and humans are experiencing and have experienced trauma. And if I want to create a space where humans can show up as themselves where humans can show up in a space where they feel supported, where they feel seen, heard and known, then it's essential to me that it is a trauma informed space. I can't guarantee safety to any other human being. But I can create a space where I do less harm where I share power, where I recognise them as being humans and focus on our relationship, where I make sure that they are, feel and are included, where their choice and autonomy is centred, and that is the principles of my concept of a trauma informed business. And the truth is, if we want to do, if we want business to be done differently if we want to see different ways of doing business in different types of business, then we need to do it differently. If you have been holding back from business, or feeling stuck in your business because you can't see a way for doing business to align with the values that you hold to align with the way that you want to be a human, because what you've seen in traditional businesses is tactics that just leave you cold that don't feel aligned with you that that actually you have, have done harm to you or that you can see that they're not strategies that even you know that they just don't align with you, they make you feel some sort of way, maybe it's icky maybe it's just they make you feel resistant or stuck. know, it's not you, and, and that we can do it differently, we just have to find different ways of doing it. And so, if you, if this resonates I would love to hear your thoughts on a trauma informed business practice and the principles I've presented did they align. Are there any other principles that you would see being important in a trauma informed business or in your trauma informed business. Come over to at dietitian values on Instagram and find the podcast episode pic and leave me a comment, leave a comment for the community because I would love to continue this conversation, or if you feel a little bit shy, then of course, always feel free to reach out via de DM, because my DMs are always open. And I'd also just love to say to if you feel like you would like support around this, if you love the idea of a trauma informed business but don't know where to start, then absolutely reach out, I provide one to one support for non diet dietitians and other helping and healing professionals who want to do business differently who want to create businesses that do less harm that share power that embed inclusion that centre choice and autonomy that create spaces that understand trauma and its impacts. And so if that's you, and you want more support around that, then absolutely reach out, you can go to dietitianvalues.com either let's work together space where you can find out about that where you can book a short discovery call which I call it. Are we a good fit, call, or hit me up with a DM over at dietitian values. Okay, don't forget to come and let me know your thoughts because I'm really keen to hear them. And until next time, I'll leave you with that episode, and I will talk to you soon. Okay, Bye for now.

Transcribed by https://otter.ai