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What if we stopped treating trauma like a forbidden topic and started treating it like a leadership skill set? 

That’s the spark for a candid, practical conversation with physician and public health expert Kemia Sarraf on how to show up for others—and ourselves—when life overwhelms. 

We unpack a core distinction that changes everything: traumatic stress exposure is inevitable; trauma is what happens inside us afterward. That gap is where agency lives.

We talk about why two people can share the same moment and walk away affected in very different ways, and how good intentions can still cause harm when we rush to fix, offer platitudes, or go silent. The alternative is deceptively simple: presence over prescription. Admit uncertainty. Replace grand gestures with small, steady check-ins that actually land.

The throughline is hopeful and actionable: capacity can be built, leaders can protect their teams without losing themselves, and organizations can reduce burnout, turnover, and moral injury with trauma‑responsive practices. 

Kemia Sarraf is a doctor, public health expert, founder of Lodestar, and a thought leader on the impact of traumatic stress exposure on professionals and first responders. She also serves as adjunct faculty at Southern Illinois University School of Medicine. 

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Producer / Editor: Neel Panji

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