For three weeks straight, I drove to work with my heart pounding before anything had even happened. Three practical self-regulation tools you can use at your desk, plus an honest look at when self-regulation is not the answer.

Most leadership content teaches what to do. The work that runs underneath all of it is the state your body is in when you walk into the room. Your nervous system as a leader sets the ceiling for what your team can access: their creativity, their honesty, their willingness to take risks. Three practices a trauma-informed leader can start using this week to lift the ceiling.

Most organizations have some version of a wellness program in place. Access to an Employee Assistance Program (EAP). A discount on a gym membership. Maybe a few wellness webinars on the calendar each year. These benefits are well-intentioned and worth having. They are also not enough on their own to move the needle on the burnout, exhaustion, and quiet disengagement that so many leaders are seeing on their teams right now. Here is the gap, and some things you can do as a lead