Guest: Stephanie Lemek, Founder: The Wounded Workforce

Your staff are probably dealing with trauma: in the U.S. alone, 70% of adults faced at least one traumatic experience. Those experiences manifest in different ways in the workplace, from perfectionism to absenteeism. Our trauma reactions are as unique as our fingerprints.

Being a trauma-informed leader can help your team – and, ultimately, your organization. Guest Stephanie Lemek draws on her deep experience in HR to share how to shape a trauma-informed workplace.

Here's what Stephanie and host Maureen Metcalf cover:

1. The ways leaders can help team members deal with trauma…


2. …and the ways they shouldn’t – such as playing the role of therapist.


3. The seven principles of trauma-informed workplaces.

Other episodes you'll enjoy:

• Remote Work & Mental Well-Being with Dr. Gleb Tsipursky


• Informed Leadership: The Power of Trauma with Rachael Kelly


• Nurturing Peace from the Ashes of Violence with Hyppolite Ntigurirwa & Mike Hardy

For daily wisdom from our guests, be sure to follow us on LinkedIn. We’re on TikTok, Threads, and Twitter, too!

RESOURCES:  

To learn more about Stephanie’s work for trauma-informed workplaces, check her website at https://www.thewoundedworkforce.com.

More about CliftonStrengths, the assessment resource she mentioned, is available at https://www.gallup.com/cliftonstrengths/en/252137/home.aspx .

Her YouTube channel is The Wounded Workforce; you’ll find it at https://www.youtube.com/@TheWoundedWorkforce .

And the book Stephanie recommended is The Deepest Well by Nadine Burke Harris. It’s in paperback at https://amzn.to/3w5TS2t, and as an audiobook at https://amzn.to/3WoQWIO.

Our host Maureen Metcalf posts a newsletter every week on LinkedIn. You can subscribe here. 

Maureen’s latest book is Innovative Leadership & Followership in the Age of AI. You’ll find details about it at https://bit.ly/LeaderInAI. Her other 10 books are available on Amazon here. 

Books we’re reading for fun or personal development right now include:

• Everyday Ubuntu: Living Better Together, the African Way by Mungi Ngomane. Hardback (https://amzn.to/48Doh6j) and audiobook (https://amzn.to/48YCRF4)


• Nerve: Lessons on Leadership from Two Women Who Went First by Martha Piper & Indira Samarasekera. Paperback (https://amzn.to/3tOtzg4) and audiobook (https://amzn.to/41OYdT5)


• Jilly Truit murder mysteries by Beverley McLachlin:
  
  • Full Disclosure – https://amzn.to/46TxW6Q (paperback) https://amzn.to/46VDL3Q (audiobook)
  
  
  • Denial – https://amzn.to/46YCbhs (paperback) https://amzn.to/3GJc0AA (audiobook)
  
  
  
  


• Women and Leadership: Journey Toward Equity by Sherylle J. Tan & Lisa DeFrank-Cole

NOTE: As an Amazon partner, we may make a small commission from books you buy through these links.

-----------------------  

OUR PODCAST TEAM:  

Host & Executive Producer: Maureen Metcalf

Editor & Executive Producer: Dan Mushalko

Video & Graphics Editor: Devon Mushalko

Assistant Editor & Raconteur: Luigi Morelli

Booking Producer: Jenna Reik

CONNECT WITH US: 

YouTube: @InnovatingLeadership 

Threads: @innovativeleaders

X/Twitter/Whatever New Name It Has This Week: @IL_Institute 

LinkedIn: https://bit.ly/ILI-LinkedIn2 

TikTok: @innovativeleadership

Website: InnovativeLeadershipInstitute.com 

Loved this episode? Leave us a review and rating! 

-----------------------  

About Our Guest:  

Stephanie Lemek, with 16+ years of HR experience across diverse industries, founded The Wounded Workforce in 2023. Her mission is to cultivate trauma-informed workplace cultures. Observing a gap in support despite HR efforts, she embarked on creating solutions. Recognizing that over 70% of adults carry traumatic experiences into the workplace, she aims to equip leaders and HR professionals with tools to address these challenges. Stephanie's initiative stems from a passion for inclusivity and research, driven by a desire to ensure everyone has the necessary support to thrive in their professional environments.