Renee Robson

We’ve been talking a lot about culture in professional sport lately. About what gets normalised, what gets overlooked - and what happens when the interests of the team or organisation become more important than the people within it. I keep thinking about how much of this happens outside professional sport too.

Trauma results from intensely stressful experiences that overwhelm our capacity to respond effectively. Peter Levine defines trauma as what happens when too much happens too fast too soon: when overwhelming experiences cannot be processed and integrated, particularly in the absence of an empathic witness or support.

Mission-led work often creates a metabolic cost that impairs executive function. By applying stress-response literacy to organisational design, boards can move beyond martyrdom toward sustainable performance. Trauma-informed leadership is a strategic asset for creating a regulated, effective culture of care.