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The Trauma Stewardship Institute
When the world feels overwhelming, you need someone you can trust.
Laura van Dernoot Lipsky offers practical, compassionate guidance—grounded in ancient wisdom and modern research—to help you transform what’s hard in life.
The way you are feeling right now does not define you, nor what is possible for you in the future.
Laura van Dernoot Lipsky
Founder, The Trauma Stewardship Institute
Ways to Collaborate
So many options! Choose what’s best for you and yours.
Keynotes & Plenaries
Bring Laura to your in-person or virtual event. From global conferences to focused communities, she delivers insight, humor, and research that is proven to resonate across sectors.
Workshops & Retreats
Through authentic connection and deep engagement, Laura can skillfully guide your team, organization, or community toward reflection, interaction, and meaningful transformation.
Consulting
Whether your group is navigating burnout, overwhelm, decision fatigue, primary/secondary trauma, oppression, or systemic harm, Laura can offer guidance rooted in justice, care, and sustainability.
Disaster & Crisis Response
In the midst or aftermath of climate disasters, gun violence, or other tragedies you may be navigating, Laura can help you process overwhelm, grief, and loss—individually or collectively.
The Books
Laura is the author of two best-selling and award-winning books.
The Age of Overwhelm
Strategies for the Long Haul
The Age of Overwhelm offers concrete strategies that adults and young adults alike can use to ease the burden of overwhelm, restore perspective, and gather strength to navigate what’s yet to come.
Trauma Stewardship
An Everyday Guide to Caring for Self While Caring for Others
Trauma Stewardship surveys the toll taken on those working to make the world a better place and offers practical guidance for how to keep on keeping on by developing a quality of mindful presence.
A Place to Begin
You can now explore Trauma Stewardship Institute insights and guidance across a variety of channels and modalities.
Gatherings
The latest on Laura’s schedule and how to stay in the loop.
Future Tripping Podcast
Discussions with friends and experts, young and old, near and far.
Interviews & Articles
A collection of appearances by Laura on video, audio, and in the media.
Store
Books, handouts, care packages, and more to support you and your community.
Blog
Updates from Laura.
Who We Work With
Laura is highly sought after for her expertise. In nearly 40 years of her career, she’s worked with almost every field and industry imaginable. Her clients span the public, private, and nonprofit sectors—from education to criminal justice, climate science to tech, healthcare to the military, animal welfare to Hollywood, and more. Below are just a few.
More clients
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Praise
Transformative. Funny. Life Changing. Hear from those who’ve worked with Laura.
The impact of trauma stewardship at University of Washington Medical Center has been truly culture-shifting. We’ve gained a deeper understanding of where we stand as an organization and the steps needed to become a truly trauma-informed workplace. The tools and frameworks she has provided—both for individuals and the organization as a whole—have been invaluable, widely embraced, and instrumental in fostering lasting, meaningful change. We are so grateful for her continued partnership and support!
Marie Cockerham
Director, CARE4U Wellbeing & Support, UWMC
I first was introduced to the work of the Trauma Stewardship Institute about 20 years ago. To say Laura and the books have been transformational to my leadership journey would be an understatement. Of all the workshops, trainings, and conferences I’ve attended over the years—too many to count—the content of TSI’s work has become a regular touchpoint of reflection even through to today. When I came to my new job, the plane had barely landed before I was reaching out to re-engage with Laura again in person.
Vannessa L. Dorantes, LMSW
At the very least, Trauma Stewardship and The Age of Overwhelm are must reads for leaders in all facets of the helping professions. Laura presenting is a next level necessity.
Managing Director, Casey Family Programs
(former Commissioner for the State of Connecticut Department of Children and Families)
My wife works as the executive director of a storytelling organization and we talk constantly about the emotional burden and responsibility of bearing witness to other people’s stories. A few years ago, I gave her your book as a Christmas present to thank her for all that she does, and she has found the ideas within it so incredibly useful ever since. Liz and I have discussed the ideas within it a lot, and they’ve animated a lot of how I think about my work; it’s no small part of why I write about the mental health of public health professionals and others on the front lines of modern disasters. So when you say that you are moved by my reporting, what you’re seeing is some of your own work reflected back at you.
I hope that’s a light in these dark times.
Ed Yong
The Atlantic
We’d love to hear from you.
Work with Laura
Reach out here—and start to exhale.
Explore options for bringing Laura to your event, workplace, or community.