Creating a Culture of Courage: Anita Roach Of i.d.lumination On How Authenticity Benefits People and Profits in the Workplace
An Interview With Vanessa Ogle
Be Trustworthy! Be honest about issues, mistakes, and problematic norms. In addition to quickly discussing decisions like the layoffs I mentioned, building a culture where honesty prevails is paramount to psychological safety. When a leader, for example, admits that they screwed up or are facing a difficult challenge, it gives space for others in the organization to be human. This is especially challenging for people who struggle with the fawn response, as a culture where no one makes mistakes feeds their belief that perfection, people pleasing, and self-denial will keep them safe.
In today’s social media filled, fast-paced world, authenticity in the workplace and in our personal lives has become more difficult to come by. Business leaders must focus on the bottom line of profits and corporate success, but does that have to be at the expense of the authenticity of their employees? I believe it is quite the opposite. I know from my own experience that a culture of authenticity allows the hiring of a team that will bring their all to the workplace. That fosters innovation, creativity, and a level of success that few companies dream of. Yet, fostering an environment where individuals feel secure enough to express their true selves remains a challenge. The importance of authenticity cannot be overstated — it is the foundation of trust, innovation, and strong relationships. However, creating such a culture requires intention, understanding, and actionable strategies. As part of this series, we had the pleasure of interviewing Anita Roach.
Anita is the founder of i.d.lumination, a consulting firm focused on shining a light on the power of our humanness in the places we learn and earn, and Encapture Consulting, a marketing and strategic planning firm. In her 30 years of consulting for and working in professional services firms, Anita has found that hiding our humanness is the biggest detriment to success — individually and as an organization. With that knowledge, and her own experiences, she deeply believes there is a way to use the things hiding out in the dark to help create better cultures, better companies, better brands, better teams, better leaders, and a better you! Anita is currently working on a book that explores these themes and offers practical strategies for creating trauma-informed, psychologically safe workplaces, addressing issues often overlooked in traditional business environments.
Anita holds a Bachelor of Science in Psychology from Excelsior University and a Diploma in Global Leadership from The U.N.-Mandated University for Peace, Centre for Executive Education. She is a Certified Trauma-informed Coach, Certified Chief Well-being Officer, Certified Holistic Health Coach, Certified Strengths Practitioner, and Certified CultureTalk Partner.
Thank you so much for joining us in this interview series. Before we dive into our discussion our readers would love to “get to know you” a bit better. Can you share with us the backstory about what brought you to your specific career path?
There are three core things that led me to launch i.d.lumination and my specific work around trauma in the workplace. From a professional standpoint, my work over the past 25 years inevitably segued into solving internal challenges related to people and culture. Brand, marketing, strategy, and sales failures are often the external symptom of a bigger internal problem. During this same period, a couple of engagements as a direct employee led to significant burnout. This was the result of (at the time) undiagnosed Complex Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder and a constantly activated trauma response due to unhealthy cultures. The intersection of these elements led me to realize that the root cause of many issues in the places we learn and earn is a lack of trauma-awareness and trauma-informed policies and procedures.
Can you share the most interesting story that happened to you since you started your career?
I have so many, but since we are talking about authenticity and courage, I think the story of the first time I shared in a job interview that I had dropped out of high school and left home at 16 (this was prior to resuming my education and getting my degree) is really relevant. I held so much shame about that (trauma-impacted) decision and it always felt like a dirty little secret in my career. Several years ago, I was contacted by a recruiter. I wasn’t really looking for a job at the time as my consulting business was doing well but the opportunity, a Director of Marketing position, seemed interesting, so I figured I had nothing to lose by taking the meeting. It was an arduous months-long process and, since I didn’t “need” the job and I had been quite successful in the industry, I decided that I would be completely honest if the question of education came up. It was nerve-wracking to share my story and explain why as well as the value my experiences would bring above my education. I had nothing to lose and so much to gain in that moment of transparency. I give the company a lot of credit for seeing what I brought to the table above what a piece of paper might imply. That situation did a lot in healing that aspect of my life and showing me the value in who I am authentically and the power of my story even though it is not the “typical” one.
You are a successful individual. Which three character traits do you think were most instrumental to your success? Can you please share a story or example for each?
Thank you! Part of my work is breaking the stigma and shame around being trauma-impacted. I believe that our success and the strengths that help us achieve it are born out of the difficult things we face. I use strengths-based tools to facilitate that. This approach has helped me develop stronger self-understanding to help me heal and succeed and bring that same strength and focus to those I work with. I did not have the easiest childhood and early adult life. I lost my mom to cancer when I was eight after her 2-year battle. My dad quickly remarried, and it was not the healthiest situation for me, especially as the only female child in our blended family. Many horrible things happened, and even as a young girl, I was blamed for them, even when the things were happening to me. It’s a very long story…let’s just say my PTSD is well earned.
I would say the three most instrumental traits to my current success are:
Hope and Gratitude: Even when things were at their darkest, I always believed that everything would be okay in the end — well, sometimes it took a while to get there, but deep down, that glimmer of hope was always there. That belief allowed me to see setbacks as steppingstones. That sense of purpose to the challenges and something to come also allows me to persevere. I mean, I wouldn’t be where I am today, speaking to you about trauma-informed environments, if my life had not happened exactly as it did. I love where my life has led me and am grateful for every lesson and experience. I even have a “grateful” tattoo on my wrist even to remind me when a challenge may make it hard to remember.
Social Intelligence: Understanding and connecting with others on a deep level has been crucial in my work. My ability to read social cues, empathize with others, and build trust has been essential in both my personal healing journey and my professional success. I tend to be intuitively aware of how others feel and their motives even when they cannot express them. This allows me to see the best in people, function as a bridge of communication for better decision-making, and create a fair, equitable approach that balances success for everyone. These skills, developed out of survival, have become invaluable in my professional life.
Creativity: My creativity has been instrumental to my career and my well-being. I had to learn to be very adaptable, as I mentioned earlier, and being creative was foundational to adapting to whatever new circumstance was coming my way. This creativity, born from a need to cope and survive, has translated into my ability to think outside the box and approach challenges with fresh perspectives as well as spot patterns and trends that others don’t always see. Whether it is envisioning a new brand mark for a client, developing the framework for the trauma-sensitive workplace, or helping do root cause analysis and develop new strategies, the creator archetype is always front and center and inspires others to see new possibilities.
Ok, thank you for that. Let’s now jump to the primary focus of our interview. Can you share a pivotal moment in your career or personal life when being authentic made a significant impact on your success or well-being?
I recently spoke in front of 500 human resource professionals (the largest crowd I have spoken to) and shared details of my trauma story as part of my talk to help them understand how trauma may be showing up in their organizations. Obviously, our trauma stories are quite personal and often things that we have learned to keep hidden so that level of sharing can be uncomfortable. The response I received and the feedback about how much it helped people not only with understanding their role in creating trauma-informed cultures but also in their own healing made any discomfort well worth it.
How do you navigate the challenges that come with encouraging authenticity in a diverse workplace, where different backgrounds and perspectives may sometimes lead to conflict?
One of the most important things I teach is that we cannot check our humanity — our uniqueness, our emotions, our past trauma, and our involuntary trauma responses — at the office door. Nor should we want that to happen! Incredible innovation and ideas are born when we allow each person’s one-of-a-kind combination of inherent natal design, unique neural processing, and nurtured (sometimes not so nurturing) lived experiences to be expressed. That is why creating psychologically safe environments is so critical — when we feel safe enough to bring our whole selves to the table, everyone wins.
Another key is to remember that conflict in and of itself is not bad. It can actually be a sign that your efforts to create a psychologically safe environment are working because people feel comfortable taking the risk to voice their opinions. By allowing for our uniqueness, the diverse ways people approach conflict and communication, and creating an environment where dissent and disagreement is valued instead of shutdown helps to avoid some of the inherent challenges.
It’s not always easy, but a more innovative, engaged, and resilient team is well worth the effort.
Based on your experience and research, can you please share “5 Ways to Create a Culture Where People Feel Safe to be Authentic?” What strategies have you found most effective in fostering an environment where employees or team members feel safe to express their true selves, including their ideas, concerns, and aspirations?
My trauma-sensitive framework (below) outlines key strategies to create psychologically safe work environments that prove valuable in building the trust required to foster authenticity and for healthy conflict to take place. The strategies include:
Allow Humanness! Sharing our lived experiences, unique personalities, and diversities promotes belonging and peer support. I try to practice this every day, whether it is speaking to groups like I mentioned earlier, in small workshops I facilitate, or in 1:1 encounters I have…even with strangers! I find modeling what it means to break the silence and shine a light on the power of our humanness through storytelling helps to break down barriers, provides opportunities for connection and healing, and transforms lives…my own included!
Make it easy to share! Providing multiple avenues for communication, feedback, idea sharing, and challenging discussions creates opportunities for people to participate and connect based on who they are uniquely. Nothing is harder than for a person who is trauma-impacted, neurodiverse, or highly introverted to initiate a difficult conversation or point of feedback. Providing pathways where an employee can provide feedback anonymously in writing, for example, can help eliminate the stress and lack of safety more direct pathways might cause.
Be transparent! Quickly and openly discuss decisions and reasons for change. A great example of the need for this is the mass layoffs of late, which have been a great cause of stress, creating new trauma and triggering existing trauma. The combination of shock, separation, speed, and loss of security throws a person into a trauma response. By ethically addressing decisions, like a layoff, far in advance of the actual event, allows people time to address these issues from a calmer place, find new meaningful work, and create stability — emotionally, mentally, relationally, and financially — in advance.
Be Trustworthy! Be honest about issues, mistakes, and problematic norms. In addition to quickly discussing decisions like the layoffs I mentioned, building a culture where honesty prevails is paramount to psychological safety. When a leader, for example, admits that they screwed up or are facing a difficult challenge, it gives space for others in the organization to be human. This is especially challenging for people who struggle with the fawn response, as a culture where no one makes mistakes feeds their belief that perfection, people pleasing, and self-denial will keep them safe.
Hold people accountable! Make even minor exclusionary, offensive, aggressive, and problematic behaviors unacceptable. Having policies is only lip service if violations of those policies are not addressed in meaningful ways. Holding everyone to the same standards of respect and professionalism is crucial. Acting quickly and fairly when someone crosses the line or behaves in a way that is harmful, even if it seems minor, is extremely important. This shows that the organization is serious about maintaining a healthy, inclusive environment where authenticity is encouraged but not at the expense of others’ well-being. In this approach, everyone wins — the offending person has an opportunity to learn and grow, the offended person feels heard, seen, and cared for, and the leader gets to express authority and uphold their trauma-informed policies which in turn benefits the company as a whole.
In your opinion, how does authenticity within an organization influence its relationship with customers, clients, or the broader community?
When authenticity exists, a business’s internal and external brand are congruent, which I have found builds trust and loyalty with your customer or client base. Specifically, regarding building an authentic trauma-informed culture, the impact on customers, clients, and the broader community is exponential. Recent studies show that 70 percent of U.S. adults have experienced at least one traumatic event, almost 20 percent have 4 or more of the 10 adverse childhood experiences related to trauma, and 5 percent have diagnosed PTSD/C-PTSD. In short, most of us today are grappling with some level of trauma and work with someone with significant levels of trauma. With a trauma-informed approach and appropriate training for your teams, the customer/client experience also becomes trauma-informed, and they feel safer working with your employees. The trauma-informed approach also impacts recruiting and hiring practices, corporate social responsibility programs, increases empathy and compassion, which in turn increases company volunteerism, and more…all of which have an incredibly positive impact on your community and the world! Furthermore, when your staff feels safe, stress levels are significantly reduced and an overall sense of satisfaction and well-being increases and your employees bring this healthier outlook home to their families, friends, and into their broader communities. The ripple effect in this regard is quite powerful!
You are a person of great influence. If you could start a movement that would bring the most amount of good to the most amount of people, what would that be? You never know what your idea can trigger. :-)
I have just started the process of launching the Flashlight Foundation, a non-profit focused on helping young people, and trauma-impacted individuals embracing the power of their unique stories, strengths, and skills. Part of the work, of course, is helping institutions and organizations become trauma-informed to support these individuals and all people. Because psychologically safe, trauma-sensitive spaces are good for all people. Additionally, I would love to expand my reach with more workshops, training for facilitators of my process, additional tools like the i.d.lumination strengths deck, and more to help them build self-acceptance, self-esteem, and self-efficacy the way some key people in my life did for me at some of the most difficult times in my life when I thought my circumstances and struggles defined me. If I can help even one person find the same resilience, truth, self-belief, and hope in the darkest places of their life as I have found, all the pain and struggles will have been worth it.
I’m also in the process of writing a book on cultivating psychologically safety and trauma-informed practices in the workplace. If readers would take the survey (link found in the next question) and share the survey, it would help to make the data and stories so much more robust!
How can our readers further follow you online?
WEBSITE: www.idlumination.com
TAKE THE PSYCH SAFETY SURVEY: https://sprw.io/stt-VN1CF
SUBSTACK: https://idlumination.substack.com/
LINKEDIN: https://www.linkedin.com/in/anitaroach/
INSTAGRAM: @i.d.lumination/
RECENT TALK ON TRAUMA: https://vimeo.com/961663793
Thank you for the time you spent sharing these fantastic insights. We wish you only continued success in your great work!
About The Interviewer: Vanessa Ogle is a mom, entrepreneur, inventor, writer, and singer/songwriter. Vanessa’s talent in building world-class leadership teams focused on diversity, a culture of service, and innovation through inclusion allowed her to be one of the most acclaimed Latina CEO’s in the last 30 years. She collaborated with the world’s leading technology and content companies such as Netflix, Amazon, HBO, and Broadcom to bring innovative solutions to travelers and hotels around the world. Vanessa is the lead inventor on 120+ U.S. Patents. Accolades include: FAST 100, Entrepreneur 360 Best Companies, Inc. 500 and then another six times on the Inc. 5000. Vanessa was personally honored with Inc. 100 Female Founder’s Award, Ernst and Young’s Entrepreneur of the Year Award, and Enterprising Women of the Year, among others. Vanessa now spends her time sharing stories to inspire and give hope through articles, speaking engagements and music. In her spare time she writes and plays music in the Amazon best selling new band HigherHill, teaches surfing clinics, trains dogs, and cheers on her children.
Please connect with Vanessa here on linkedin and subscribe to her newsletter Unplugged as well as follow her on Substack, Instagram, Facebook, and X and of course on her website VanessaOgle.
