Trauma-Informed Care in Business:
The Root of Sustainable, Ethical Practice
What You’ll Learn in This Post
What trauma-informed care really means in business.
How it aligns with activism and anticapitalism.
What it looks like across your workflow: from sales to sessions.
Specific actions for coaches, artists, and healers.
Common mistakes and how to course-correct.
Why this work is ongoing and what makes it worth it.
When we talk about trauma-informed care, many people immediately think of therapy or crisis response. But what if we reimagined this lens as a foundation for our businesses? Especially for those of us working in wellness, the arts, or coaching, where the emotional body and identity are often at the forefront—trauma-informed care isn’t optional. It’s a responsibility. And when rooted in anticapitalist values, it becomes a profound tool for justice, equity, and sustainable impact.
In our work at LarkFlow Posse, this is not a trend or a marketing angle. It’s a commitment to building businesses that heal, rather than perpetuate harm. And truthfully? It’s not always easy.
I (Brook, holistic business and emotional body mapping coach) want to be honest with you: I’ve made plenty of mistakes. Despite trying so hard to stay out of hustle culture and capitalism’s grasp, I’ve found myself caught in it—burned out, urgent, or focused on metrics instead of care. It’s not about getting it right every time. It’s about noticing when we’ve veered off course and gently returning. That’s what makes our work honest. We’re always learning. And that’s what we offer you too.
What Does Trauma-Informed Actually Mean?
Trauma-informed care is the practice of recognizing the widespread impact of trauma—and using that understanding to create safe, supportive spaces for healing, growth, and connection.
In business, this looks like:
Being mindful of how urgency, scarcity, and pressure show up.
Offering choice, consent, and transparency in every process.
Acknowledging that everyone brings lived experiences into your space.
Creating structure and boundaries that help others feel emotionally safe.
It also means acknowledging our own trauma, triggers, and conditioning as business owners. If we’re not tending to ourselves, we risk perpetuating the very harm we’re trying to dismantle.
Why It’s Tied to Anticapitalism & Activism
Capitalism thrives on urgency, productivity, and scarcity. It rewards disconnection and punishes slowness. But trauma-informed care invites the opposite: presence, empathy, rest, choice, and community accountability over individualistic success.
To be trauma-informed is to be political. To center people’s humanity—especially the most marginalized—is an act of resistance.
Whether you're queer, trans, neurodivergent, disabled, BIPOC, or a survivor—you know that safety is not always a given. Building a business that holds space for complexity is radical. And necessary.
Black and white photo of a woman being held and looking directly at the camera.
Where to Apply Trauma-Informed Practices in Business No Matter Your Industry
Let’s walk through your workflow and see where care can be woven in:
1. Social Media & Marketing
Avoid triggering language like “you’re doing it wrong,” “10x now,” or “no excuses.”
Use opt-in strategies instead of manipulative urgency.
Name your sliding scale or accessibility model clearly.
Don’t shame people for not buying. Ever.
2. Sales & Discovery Calls
Frame sales as an invitation, not a pressure point.
Ask if people want feedback instead of assuming they do.
Offer flexible follow-up options and written copies of info.
3. Client Onboarding
Use simple, clear intake forms that allow nuance.
Share what people can expect (timelines, boundaries, support).
Ask about needs: Are they neurodivergent? Need breaks? Trauma-informed language?
4. Session Flow or Offer Delivery
Offer opt-out language: “Would you like to go here?”
Allow for breaks, off-camera options, or rescheduling.
Center co-regulation if your work is emotional or intense.
5. Follow-Up and Offboarding
Provide closure and resources, not just a thank you.
Share ways to re-engage or reflect.
This isn’t about being perfect. I’ve missed these steps before. But every time I noticed and adjusted, something softened. That softening is the medicine.
🌿 TRAUMA-INFORMED BUSINESS PRACTICES BY INDUSTRY
🎨 Arts Business (e.g., artist, creative educator, gallery owner)
1. Trauma-Informed Language in Marketing
Avoid language that shames, pushes urgency, or capitalizes on scarcity.
Instead of: “Only 3 spots left, don’t miss out!”
Try: “Take the time you need. When you’re ready, this is here for you.”
2. Consent in Sharing
Always get written permission before sharing someone's artwork or story, even if it was shared in a workshop or group space.
Offer the option to remain anonymous when showing testimonials or results.
3. Decompression Space in Classes or Workshops
Build in a 5–10 minute quiet art break or journaling prompt after deep creative prompts.
Let people opt out of sharing at the end without explanation.
4. Pricing Transparency + Sliding Scale
Publish a clear explanation of your pricing model (why it costs what it costs, what it supports).
Offer a range or pay-what-you-can tickets to workshops, and name the real value without shame.
5. Decolonizing Art Critique
Offer feedback as collaborative reflection instead of hierarchical evaluation.
Normalize process over perfection: “This is what moved me when I experienced your work” instead of “You should fix this.”
🧘♀️ Wellness Business (e.g., bodyworker, yoga teacher, herbalist)
1. Informed Consent in All Practices
Explain what you're going to do before you do it—especially important in hands-on work.
Say: “Is it okay if I touch your shoulders?” or “Would you like hands-on adjustments today?”
Give opt-out options in every modality.
2. Environment Accessibility
Soft lighting, unscented or natural smells, and low sound stimuli are ways to help people feel safe.
Have chairs, bolsters, and grounding tools available for bodies of all sizes and mobility levels.
3. Gender-Inclusive + Culturally Respectful Language
Use language that respects gender and cultural context: “Welcome all bodies and identities,” or “Let’s check in with our bodies in a way that honors where we’re from and how we move through this world.”
4. Prep Clients for Emotional Release
Let clients know ahead of time that bodywork or breathwork may bring up emotion.
Example: “Sometimes the body holds old stories. If you cry or feel something shift, you’re not doing it wrong—it’s okay to feel here.”
5. Scheduling With Capacity in Mind
Don’t overbook yourself. Leave space between clients for integration and energy recovery.
Make that part of your business values: “I take fewer clients to be more present with each one.”
🧠 Coaching Business (business coaching, emotional/mindset coaching, somatic coaching)
1. Slow Onboarding
Allow clients to ease into the process. Send intake forms ahead of time with options to skip questions.
Offer a gentle call or a written check-in before the first session.
2. Client Autonomy in Sessions
Let clients guide what they want to focus on, even if you have a structure.
Ask often: “Would you like to go deeper into this today, or circle back next time?”
3. Coaching with Compassion
Use language that validates: “That makes so much sense given what you’ve experienced,” instead of “What’s blocking you from success?”
4. Transparent Sales Process
Remove high-pressure or manipulative tactics like fake deadlines or over-promising.
Instead, you can say: “Here’s what this work involves. Here’s how I support people. Let me know if it feels aligned.”
5. Accessibility in Content
Offer written, audio, and visual versions of coaching tools or resources.
Give summary notes after each session if possible—especially helpful for neurodivergent folks who process differently.
🌍 Root Values to Embody Across Any Business
Consent is ongoing – not a one-time form.
Transparency reduces trauma – let people know what’s coming next.
Grace for yourself and others – mistakes will happen; accountability is part of healing.
Sustainability is justice – overextending to serve isn’t noble, it’s extractive.
Community over competition – healing is never done alone.
Mistakes We Make (And Can Heal From)
Thinking we’re too “woke/educated/informed” to cause harm.
Believing we must do everything right to be ethical.
Over-giving to the point of burnout.
Assuming trauma-informed care is only for therapists/specialists.
The truth is, we all cause harm. And we all deserve grace. What matters is that we’re willing to listen, shift, and repair. Especially as coaches, artists, and wellness practitioners.
I’ve had to pause offerings/even my business at times, refund clients, and have uncomfortable conversations. But I’ve also built deeper trust, longer relationships, and more aligned community by being honest about my process.
Tips to Start Embedding Trauma-Informed, Anticapitalist Practices:
Audit your client flow: Where are the power dynamics? Where can you offer choice?
Make your pricing transparent. Include a why if you offer sliding scale.
Let clients know they can say no. That’s a gift.
Build in rest cycles. Use moon phases, seasons, or your own body.
Get supervision or peer support. We weren’t meant to hold this all alone.
Resource: Decolonizing Wealth Project
This work is about more than your brand—it’s about changing how we hold power and money. This project offers books, tools, and guidance for organizations and entrepreneurs working toward equity. Check out their somatic classes here.
Final Words
If you’re reading this, you’re already doing it. You’re caring. You’re noticing. You’re willing to hold complexity.
That’s what we need more of. Not perfection—but presence.
I helped build LarkFlow Posse with my collaborators because I knew healing and business had to be in a relationship. Not as a way to hustle toward ease, but as a way to anchor into justice and care.
Thank you for doing this work alongside us.
Let’s grow something sustainable together—rooted in truth, nurtured by compassion.
—Brook Woolf