I’vve been a Business Therapist and coach working with founders, entrepreneurs, and business owners for 10 years now and it’s been an enlightening ride.
Along the way, I’ve kept adding tools to my kit: learning new coaching techniques, integrating clinical skills like EMDR, and training with mentors like Brené Brown.
I love learning, and I read a lot.
What’s stayed consistent is the reaction I get when people learn about my area of expertise: one part fascination, one part hesitation.
My work explores how childhood trauma impacts entrepreneurship. Sharing that with others is often a “pick-your-own-adventure” experience.
The Common Pattern
A common response?
Someone hears what I do, then recommends a book or article by someone doing “something similar.”
Similar but with a recurring theme:
They don’t call it trauma.
I usually smile, thank them, and read the book anyway. And without fail, I find that the author is talking about trauma. They may not say the word, but the adaptive behaviors, nervous system responses, and limiting patterns they describe all point to it.
Call a Thing a Thing
Here’s the thing: I’m a big believer in calling a thing a thing. That’s been my mantra and my mandate.
I’ve pushed back when asked to reword or soften the language because “trauma” isn’t sexy enough. I still feel that way.
And I’m also open. Open to new ideas, new models, and new ways to help people build emotional agility and resilience. Because our nervous systems, our pasts, and our patterns don’t disappear just because we’re running a business.
If anything, entrepreneurship brings them into sharper focus.
Enter Shatterproof
Recently, I started reading Shatterproof by Dr. Tasha Eurich (thanks to another recommendation), and I have to say:
I like it. A lot.
I’ll be incorporating some of her frameworks into my work with clients. She’s smart, her models are practical, and her insights resonate.
But here’s that thing again…
She, like so many others, dives right into emotional healing. She may not lead with “trauma,” but her path includes reckoning with your triggers, shadow needs, and old wounds.
That part is non-negotiable.
You Can’t Bypass This
So, when someone tells me about a new idea or book that’s “just like what you do—but without the trauma talk,” I smile. I take the recommendation.
And I know I’m about to read another approach that, whether they admit it or not, addresses childhood wounding as part of the path to thriving.
Let’s be clear I respect Dr. Eurich.
I’ve trained with and collaborated alongside leaders like Brené Brown. I’m not dismissing their work. In fact, I’m stoked to see more and more of them naming what’s really going on.
They’re starting to say the quiet part out loud:
You can’t bypass your emotional reality and expect sustainable success.
Because at the core of every high-achiever, founder, or visionary I’ve worked with, there’s a human.
And every human has a history.
When we name that truth and work with it instead of around it we stop building brittle success.
We start becoming shatterproof for real.
If you’re a founder or leader looking to grow without bypassing the emotional work I bring evidence-based tools and trauma-informed strategies to help you lead with clarity, integrity, and resilience.
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