Returning to Us

Lauren offers a gentle reminder that pausing is not a disruption, but a necessary part of regulation and sustainable leadership. As the podcast takes a short break, she encourages listeners to consider where they, too, might need to slow down and create space for reset.

She shares a simple, accessible tool using sound based regulation like binaural beats or isochronic tones to help shift the nervous system from chaos to calm in just a few minutes. With an emphasis on both reactive and preventative use, the invitation is to build small, intentional moments of steadiness into daily life, supporting a more grounded and regulated way of showing up.

Sign up for the University of Pennsylvania Behavior Breakthrough Accredited Course

Learn about the Staff Sustainability System a proven system to reduce burnout at the root

Resources:

• The Behavior Hub Website
• The Calm App

Other related resources from Five Ives: 

Blog Post: 

• Why Traditional Employee Wellness Programs Fail (And What Works Instead)
• Survive Mode: Recognizing When Your Organization is in Crisis
• What are the Five Ives?

Podcast:

• Repair without Weakening Authority
• How Regulated Leaders Make Better Decisions in High-Stress Systems
• Leading Through Conflict Without Escalation
• Boundaries as Leadership Infrastructure
• Clarity as a Safety Cue
• Episode 2: Authority Without Fear
• Episode 1: What Stress Does to Decision Making
• The Pause Between Now and Next
• Leading From a Regulated Core
• When Culture Dysregulates
• Growth & Feedback Without Fear
• The Regulated Organization: What it Means to be a Regulated Organization

Our Online Programs: 

• Behavior Breakthrough
• Policing Under Pressure
• Board Governance Training
• University of Pennsylvania Behavior Breakthrough Accredited Course

Subscribe to our mailing list and find out more about Stress, Trauma, Behavior and the Brain!

• Check out our Facebook Group – Five Ives!
• Five Ives Website
• The Behavior Hub blog

If you’re looking for support as you grow your organization’s capacity for caring for staff and the community, we would love to be part of that journey.
 Schedule a free discovery call and let us be your guide

As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.

Repair is often where leadership breaks down, but it is also where trust is built. In this episode, Lauren walks through why rupture is inevitable in high stress environments and how avoiding it quietly erodes culture, connection, and accountability. Rather than weakening authority, thoughtful repair work signals emotional maturity, steadiness, and self awareness, qualities that strengthen leadership over time.

Through a simple, practical framework of naming the moment, owning your part, and re anchoring the expectation, this conversation reframes repair as a critical leadership skill. When done well, it lowers defensiveness, restores clarity, and allows teams to re engage without losing standards or direction.

Sign up for the University of Pennsylvania Behavior Breakthrough Accredited Course

Learn about the Staff Sustainability System a proven system to reduce burnout at the root

Other related resources from Five Ives: 

Blog Post: 

• Why Traditional Employee Wellness Programs Fail (And What Works Instead)
• Survive Mode: Recognizing When Your Organization is in Crisis
• What are the Five Ives?

Podcast:

• How Regulated Leaders Make Better Decisions in High-Stress Systems
• Leading Through Conflict Without Escalation
• A Fresh Look at the Five Ives Framework in the Workplace
• Boundaries as Leadership Infrastructure
• Clarity as a Safety Cue
• When Leaders Become the Stressor
• Episode 2: Authority Without Fear
• Episode 1: What Stress Does to Decision Making
• The Pause Between Now and Next
• Leading From a Regulated Core
• When Culture Dysregulates
• Growth & Feedback Without Fear
• The Regulated Organization: What it Means to be a Regulated Organization

Our Online Programs: 

• Behavior Breakthrough
• Policing Under Pressure
• Board Governance Training
• University of Pennsylvania Behavior Breakthrough Accredited Course

Subscribe to our mailing list and find out more about Stress, Trauma, Behavior and the Brain!

• Check out our Facebook Group – Five Ives!
• Five Ives Website
• The Behavior Hub blog

If you’re looking for support as you grow your organization’s capacity for caring for staff and the community, we would love to be part of that journey.
 Schedule a free discovery call and let us be your guide

As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.

This week, we’re revisiting a past episode of the podcast, The Regulated Team: Creating Cultures that Breathe. As recent episodes have explored sustainable authority and the shift away from urgency driven leadership, this conversation feels especially relevant. It expands those ideas beyond the individual, showing how regulation or dysregulation spreads across a team and shapes the culture as a whole.

Through the Five Ives framework, this episode reminds us that thriving organizations don’t just perform differently, they feel different. With a focus on co regulation, predictable rhythms, and simple rituals, it offers a practical look at creating environments that support steadiness, creativity, and long term sustainability.

Sign up for the University of Pennsylvania Behavior Breakthrough Accredited Course

Learn about the Staff Sustainability System a proven system to reduce burnout at the root

Other related resources from Five Ives: 

Blog Post: 

• Why Traditional Employee Wellness Programs Fail (And What Works Instead)
• Survive Mode: Recognizing When Your Organization is in Crisis
• What are the Five Ives?

Podcast:

• Why Accountability Feels Threatening
• How Regulated Leaders Make Better Decisions in High-Stress Systems
• Leading Through Conflict Without Escalation
• A Fresh Look at the Five Ives Framework in the Workplace
• Boundaries as Leadership Infrastructure
• Clarity as a Safety Cue
• When Leaders Become the Stressor
• Episode 2: Authority Without Fear
• Episode 1: What Stress Does to Decision Making
• When Culture Dysregulates
• Onboarding as Co-Regulation
• The Regulated Organization: What it Means to be a Regulated Organization

Our Online Programs: 

• Behavior Breakthrough
• Policing Under Pressure
• Board Governance Training
• University of Pennsylvania Behavior Breakthrough Accredited Course

Subscribe to our mailing list and find out more about Stress, Trauma, Behavior and the Brain!

• Check out our Facebook Group – Five Ives!
• Five Ives Website
• The Behavior Hub blog

If you’re looking for support as you grow your organization’s capacity for caring for staff and the community, we would love to be part of that journey.
 Schedule a free discovery call and let us be your guide

As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.

Lauren begins a new series on maintaining authority without escalation, focusing on why accountability can feel threatening in high-stress or trauma-exposed systems. When teams are already carrying chronic stress, even small moments of correction can activate the nervous system and trigger defensiveness, avoidance, or shutdown.

Rather than avoiding hard conversations, Lauren encourages leaders to understand these reactions as stress responses and approach accountability with clarity and compassion. When done well, accountability reduces ambiguity, strengthens trust, and supports healthier, more sustainable teams.

Sign up for the University of Pennsylvania Behavior Breakthrough Accredited Course

Learn about the Staff Sustainability System a proven system to reduce burnout at the root

Other related resources from Five Ives: 

Blog Post: 

• Why Traditional Employee Wellness Programs Fail (And What Works Instead)
• Survive Mode: Recognizing When Your Organization is in Crisis
• What are the Five Ives?

Podcast:

• How Regulated Leaders Make Better Decisions in High-Stress Systems
• Leading Through Conflict Without Escalation
• A Fresh Look at the Five Ives Framework in the Workplace
• Boundaries as Leadership Infrastructure
• Clarity as a Safety Cue
• When Leaders Become the Stressor
• Episode 2: Authority Without Fear
• Episode 1: What Stress Does to Decision Making
• The Pause Between Now and Next
• Leading From a Regulated Core
• When Culture Dysregulates
• Growth & Feedback Without Fear
• Onboarding as Co-Regulation
• The Regulated Organization: What it Means to be a Regulated Organization

Our Online Programs: 

• Behavior Breakthrough
• Policing Under Pressure
• Board Governance Training
• University of Pennsylvania Behavior Breakthrough Accredited Course

Subscribe to our mailing list and find out more about Stress, Trauma, Behavior and the Brain!

• Check out our Facebook Group – Five Ives!
• Five Ives Website
• The Behavior Hub blog

If you’re looking for support as you grow your organization’s capacity for caring for staff and the community, we would love to be part of that journey.
 Schedule a free discovery call and let us be your guide

As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.

In this final episode of the Leading Under Pressure series, Lauren reframes authority as nervous system stability rather than intensity or control. She explains how regulated leaders build trust through emotional predictability, consistency, and co-regulation instead of urgency and reactivity.

Sustainable authority, she argues, is not about being the strongest personality in the room, but the most steady, creating resilient teams where people can perform, speak honestly, and thrive long term.

Sign up for the University of Pennsylvania Behavior Breakthrough Accredited Course

Learn about the Staff Sustainability System a proven system to reduce burnout at the root

Other related resources from Five Ives: 

Blog Post: 

• Why Traditional Employee Wellness Programs Fail (And What Works Instead)
• Survive Mode: Recognizing When Your Organization is in Crisis
• What are the Five Ives?

Podcast:

• Leading Through Conflict Without Escalation
• A Fresh Look at the Five Ives Framework in the Workplace
• Boundaries as Leadership Infrastructure
• Clarity as a Safety Cue
• When Leaders Become the Stressor
• Episode 2: Authority Without Fear
• Episode 1: What Stress Does to Decision Making
• The Pause Between Now and Next
• Leading From a Regulated Core
• When Culture Dysregulates
• Growth & Feedback Without Fear
• Onboarding as Co-Regulation
• Policy as a Nervous System
• The Regulated Organization: What it Means to be a Regulated Organization

Our Online Programs: 

• Behavior Breakthrough
• Policing Under Pressure
• Board Governance Training
• University of Pennsylvania Behavior Breakthrough Accredited Course

Subscribe to our mailing list and find out more about Stress, Trauma, Behavior and the Brain!

• Check out our Facebook Group – Five Ives!
• Five Ives Website
• The Behavior Hub blog

If you’re looking for support as you grow your organization’s capacity for caring for staff and the community, we would love to be part of that journey.
 Schedule a free discovery call and let us be your guide

As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.

Lauren returns to the series on leading under pressure with a focus on navigating conflict without escalation. She reframes conflict as a nervous system event rather than simply a communication issue, explaining how stress activates threat responses around control, safety, and belonging. When leaders become dysregulated, they lose access to clarity and often default to avoidance, control, or appeasement.

She also explores what it looks like to stay grounded in tense moments through steady tone, clear boundaries, defined next steps, and meaningful repair when needed. Conflict is inevitable, but escalation is not when leaders choose regulation over urgency.

Sign up for the University of Pennsylvania Behavior Breakthrough Accredited Course

Learn about the Staff Sustainability System a proven system to reduce burnout at the root

Resources: 

The Body Keeps the Score by Bessel A. van der Kolk, M.D.

Other related resources from Five Ives: 

Blog Post: 

• Why Traditional Employee Wellness Programs Fail (And What Works Instead)
• Survive Mode: Recognizing When Your Organization is in Crisis
• What are the Five Ives?

Podcast:

• A Fresh Look at the Five Ives Framework in the Workplace
• Clarity as a Safety Cue
• When Leaders Become the Stressor
• Episode 2: Authority Without Fear
• Episode 1: What Stress Does to Decision Making
• The Pause Between Now and Next
• Leading From a Regulated Core
• When Culture Dysregulates
• Growth & Feedback Without Fear
• Onboarding as Co-Regulation
• Policy as a Nervous System
• The Regulated Organization: What it Means to be a Regulated Organization

Our Online Programs: 

• Behavior Breakthrough
• Policing Under Pressure
• Board Governance Training
• University of Pennsylvania Behavior Breakthrough Accredited Course

Subscribe to our mailing list and find out more about Stress, Trauma, Behavior and the Brain!

• Check out our Facebook Group – Five Ives!
• Five Ives Website
• The Behavior Hub blog

If you’re looking for support as you grow your organization’s capacity for caring for staff and the community, we would love to be part of that journey.
 Schedule a free discovery call and let us be your guide

As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.

In this earlier episode from Returning to Us, Lauren introduces the foundations of what would become the Five Ives framework, including the Five Ives continuum and the 4Ps (Policy, Practice, Practitioner, and People). Listening back now, this conversation serves as a helpful reminder of how workplace culture, leadership, and environment all play a role in regulation and healing.

Today, the 4Ps remain a core part of the Five Ives framework, supporting organizations in building awareness, strengthening culture, and creating trauma informed change. This episode offers a timely reminder of how these tools continue to guide meaningful, system wide impact. 

Sign up for the University of Pennsylvania Behavior Breakthrough Accredited Course

Learn about the Staff Sustainability System a proven system to reduce burnout at the root

Other related resources from Five Ives: 

Blog Post: 

• Why Traditional Employee Wellness Programs Fail (And What Works Instead)
• Survive Mode: Recognizing When Your Organization is in Crisis
• What are the Five Ives?

Podcast:

• A 5-Category Regulation Framework - Five Ives!
• Boundaries as Leadership Infrastructure
• Clarity as a Safety Cue
• When Leaders Become the Stressor
• Episode 2: Authority Without Fear
• Episode 1: What Stress Does to Decision Making
• The Pause Between Now and Next
• Leading From a Regulated Core
• Designing Rhythms that Regulate
• When Culture Dysregulates
• Growth & Feedback Without Fear
• Onboarding as Co-Regulation
• Policy as a Nervous System
• The Regulated Organization: What it Means to be a Regulated Organization

Our Online Programs: 

• Behavior Breakthrough
• Policing Under Pressure
• Board Governance Training
• University of Pennsylvania Behavior Breakthrough Accredited Course

Subscribe to our mailing list and find out more about Stress, Trauma, Behavior and the Brain!

• Check out our Facebook Group – Five Ives!
• Five Ives Website
• The Behavior Hub blog

If you’re looking for support as you grow your organization’s capacity for caring for staff and the community, we would love to be part of that journey.
 Schedule a free discovery call and let us be your guide

As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.

Lauren shares how clear boundaries serve as vital leadership infrastructure, helping regulate teams, reduce anxiety, and prevent burnout. She explains how predictable limits build psychological safety and support creativity and sustainable performance, while unclear boundaries lead to over-availability, resentment, and exhaustion.

She also offers practical guidance on system-level boundaries like response times, recovery periods, escalation protocols, and shared agreements, encouraging leaders to start by tightening just one boundary to support long-term sustainability for both themselves and their organizations.

Sign up for the University of Pennsylvania Behavior Breakthrough Accredited Course

Learn about the Staff Sustainability System a proven system to reduce burnout at the root

Resources: 

Clockwork by Mike Michalowicz
Gino Wickman

Other related resources from Five Ives: 

Blog Post: 

• Why Traditional Employee Wellness Programs Fail (And What Works Instead)
• Survive Mode: Recognizing When Your Organization is in Crisis
• What are the Five Ives?

Podcast:

• Clarity as a Safety Cue
• When Leaders Become the Stressor
• Episode 2: Authority Without Fear
• Episode 1: What Stress Does to Decision Making
• The Pause Between Now and Next
• Leading From a Regulated Core
• Designing Rhythms that Regulate
• When Culture Dysregulates
• Growth & Feedback Without Fear
• Onboarding as Co-Regulation
• Policy as a Nervous System
• Why Women in Leadership Micromanage
• The Regulated Organization: What it Means to be a Regulated Organization

Our Online Programs: 

• Behavior Breakthrough
• Policing Under Pressure
• Board Governance Training
• University of Pennsylvania Behavior Breakthrough Accredited Course

Subscribe to our mailing list and find out more about Stress, Trauma, Behavior and the Brain!

• Check out our Facebook Group – Five Ives!
• Five Ives Website
• The Behavior Hub blog

If you’re looking for support as you grow your organization’s capacity for caring for staff and the community, we would love to be part of that journey.
 Schedule a free discovery call and let us be your guide

As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.

Lauren explores why clarity is one of the most powerful safety cues a leader can offer in high-pressure systems. Rather than micromanagement, clear expectations help regulate the nervous system by creating predictability, reducing rumination, and allowing people to think, decide, and perform more effectively.

This episode also examines the cost of ambiguity, from burnout to disengagement, and offers guidance on providing clarity without over-detailing. Lauren invites leaders to reflect on where clearer structure could support greater psychological safety and sustainability at work. 

Sign up for the University of Pennsylvania Behavior Breakthrough Accredited Course

Learn about the Staff Sustainability System a proven system to reduce burnout at the root

Other related resources from Five Ives: 

Blog Post: 

• Why Traditional Employee Wellness Programs Fail (And What Works Instead)
• Survive Mode: Recognizing When Your Organization is in Crisis
• What are the Five Ives?

Podcast:

• When Leaders Become the Stressor
• Episode 2: Authority Without Fear
• Episode 1: What Stress Does to Decision Making
• The Pause Between Now and Next
• Leading From a Regulated Core
• Designing Rhythms that Regulate
• When Culture Dysregulates
• Growth & Feedback Without Fear
• Onboarding as Co-Regulation
• Policy as a Nervous System
• Why Women in Leadership Micromanage
• The Regulated Organization: What it Means to be a Regulated Organization
• Retain: Sustaining Staff, Culture, and Capacity
• Reset: Moving from Relief to Real Transformation

Our Online Programs: 

• Behavior Breakthrough
• Policing Under Pressure
• Board Governance Training
• University of Pennsylvania Behavior Breakthrough Accredited Course

Subscribe to our mailing list and find out more about Stress, Trauma, Behavior and the Brain!

• Check out our Facebook Group – Five Ives!
• Five Ives Website website
• The Behavior Hub blog

If you’re looking for support as you grow your organization’s capacity for caring for staff and the community, we would love to be part of that journey.
 Schedule a free discovery call and let us be your guide

As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.

In this episode, Lauren explores how leadership stress can quickly spread through a team and shape trust, communication, and performance. She reflects on how awareness of your own regulation is a core leadership skill and why noticing tension early can change the entire direction of a meeting or organization.

Lauren also shares practical guidance on repair as a leadership strength. By naming impact, taking responsibility, and restoring clarity and predictability, leaders can rebuild trust without losing authority and create steadier, healthier teams even under pressure.

Sign up for the University of Pennsylvania Behavior Breakthrough Accredited Course

Learn about the Staff Sustainability System a proven system to reduce burnout at the root

Resources: 

Rising Strong by Brene Brown

Other related resources from Five Ives: 

Blog Post: 

• Why Traditional Employee Wellness Programs Fail (And What Works Instead)
• Survive Mode: Recognizing When Your Organization is in Crisis
• What are the Five Ives?

Podcast:

• Episode 2: Authority Without Fear
• Episode 1: What Stress Does to Decision Making
• The Pause Between Now and Next
• Leading From a Regulated Core
• Designing Rhythms that Regulate
• When Culture Dysregulates
• Growth & Feedback Without Fear
• Onboarding as Co-Regulation
• Policy as a Nervous System
• Why Women in Leadership Micromanage
• The Regulated Organization: What it Means to be a Regulated Organization
• Retain: Sustaining Staff, Culture, and Capacity
• Reset: Moving from Relief to Real Transformation

Our Online Programs: 

• Behavior Breakthrough
• Policing Under Pressure
• Board Governance Training
• University of Pennsylvania Behavior Breakthrough Accredited Course

Subscribe to our mailing list and find out more about Stress, Trauma, Behavior and the Brain!

• Check out our Facebook Group – Five Ives!
• Five Ives Website website
• The Behavior Hub blog

If you’re looking for support as you grow your organization’s capacity for caring for staff and the community, we would love to be part of that journey.
 Schedule a free discovery call and let us be your guide

As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.