Meet Dawn
Pioneer in the Trauma-Informed Workplace Movement
LinkedIn Learning Instructor
2021 TEDx Jacksonville Speaker
Prosci® Certified Change Management Practitioner
Certified Mental Health First Aid Instructor
My Why
I am a recovering public sector and non-profit executive, a LinkedIn Learning instructor, and a TEDx speaker. I do not sugar coat or side-step how the intersection of my unresolved early childhood experiences contributes to how I show up as an executive leader, as a peer, as a friend, as a partner, and as a mother. I own it. As a high profile executive, it’s important that I use my platform to be open about my own mental health challenges, so others don’t feel they are going through their challenges alone.
It all came to a head in 2020 when my inability to self-regulate the daily fight and flight responses caused by the organization’s acceptance of authoritative leadership and public disruption while leading a local COVID response led me to make an irrational and sudden decision to resign from my executive position after only five months of relocating from another state for this career changing opportunity.
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An emotional and stress-induced decision I would regret for years.
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I was told by recruiters I would never see the c-suite again.
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My career was dead.
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I thought, well maybe, I should be dead too.
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Today, I have zero regrets for stepping down from that role and feel in doing so may have literally saved my life in the end. Falling from grace so publicly provided me the opportunity to go radio silent, reflect, rebuild and start the process of rewiring my nervous system with grace.
During this time, I just couldn’t imagine being the only leader going through such workplace upheaval. Where is the support? How can I help others who may be going through the same thing? In 2020, the term “Trauma-Informed Leadership” was nowhere to be found on Google’s search engine. I set out to change that by starting a trauma informed workplace movement. Leveraging my leadership expertise, my network, my tenacity, and my own story, I launched a campaign to create 1M Trauma-Informed Leaders in America by 2031. Today, there are hundreds, maybe even thousands of Google entries on the topic and my work is consistently ranked in the top three in Google searches. My campaign has reached over 50,000 leaders globally; I have a TEDx Talk, two LinkedIn Learning courses, the only trauma-informed leadership certificate course in the state of Florida through the University of North Florida, a validated Employee Experiences Questionnaire, and six national standards for evidence-based learning and development.
This work has profoundly impacted my community and across the globe by guiding leaders through trauma recovery, particularly in workplace settings. Drawing from my personal journey, healing and professional work, one defining experience was my 2023 solo pilgrimage along the Camino de Santiago, a 270-kilometer spiritual trek from Porto, Portugal, to Santiago, Spain. This journey, both physically, emotionally and spiritually transformative, allowed me to process personal adversity, reflect on my resilience, and reframe my purpose. The lessons of endurance, self-discovery, and renewal from the pilgrimage now inform my relationships with my family and friends and my relationships in the workplace and my leadership approach, helping others navigate mental health challenges with intentionality and strength. As a pioneer in trauma-informed leadership space, I use this experience to mentor executives and organizations, equipping them with the tools to foster psychologically safe workplaces and to remind them they are not alone.
I am still a work in progress with my mental health, but I have found prosperity in my mind, my spirit and in my heart. I own my story, and I help others do the same- especially other leaders and organizations ready to make transformational personal and professional change.
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