I just finished reading Atomic Habits by James Clear. If you haven’t read it, I genuinely recommend it. It’s practical, insightful, and full of those “oh wow” moments that quietly stick with you.

As I moved through each chapter, I couldn’t stop thinking about how much it aligned with the conversations I have every day about trauma-informed leadership. Here’s why:

When we talk about trauma-informed leadership, we’re often navigating the big stuff—burnout, boundary violations, trust breaches, systemic harm. The challenges are real, complex, and often heavy.

But what if healing—and sustainable leadership—didn’t always start with sweeping change?

What if real transformation came from the smallest, most consistent actions we take each day?

That’s where Atomic Habits becomes an unexpected—but powerful—guide for those of us leading through trauma, systems, and uncertainty.

Trauma-Informed Leadership and the Power of Small Shifts

Trauma-informed leadership begins with a core belief: what happened to us matters. Our nervous systems carry memory, even when our minds move on. And for so many people, especially those from marginalized or historically excluded communities, the workplace can be another site of stress, reactivation, and survival.

So when we try to change how we lead—or how others lead—it’s no surprise we often bump up against resistance. Not because people are unwilling, but because they’re overwhelmed, exhausted, or bracing for harm.

James Clear writes, “You do not rise to the level of your goals. You fall to the level of your systems.”

That lands deeply for me. In trauma-informed leadership, if the systems within us or around us aren’t built for regulation, reflection, and relational safety, we’ll default to survival. Micromanaging, avoiding, overfunctioning, detaching, people-pleasing. To show up differently, we don’t just need big declarations. We need new systems. New habits. Small steps that are rooted not in pressure—but in presence.

And honestly? That realization feels like a relief. It takes the pressure off being “perfect” and instead invites us to be consistent, curious, and kind—with ourselves and others.

Identity-Based Habits: “I Am the Kind of Leader Who…”

One of Clear’s most powerful concepts is building identity-based habits instead of chasing outcomes.

• Outcome-based goal: “I want to be a more empathetic leader.”
• Identity-based habit: “I am the kind of leader who pauses before reacting.”

That shift might seem subtle, but it’s actually profound.

As someone who has wrestled with burnout, imposter syndrome, and the “I have to fix everything” trap, I know how easy it is to measure success by doing more. But trauma-informed leadership isn’t about doing more. It’s about being more grounded, more intentional, more aligned.

Reframing has helped me:

• “I want to stop burning out.” → “I am the kind of leader who rests before I’m exhausted.”
• “I need to stop micromanaging.” → “I am the kind of leader who trusts my team’s wisdom.”
• “I want to create a trauma-informed culture.” → “I am the kind of leader who creates safety in every meeting.”

These shifts allow us to build habits from the inside out. Each small behavior becomes a vote for who we are becoming—not who we’re trying to prove ourselves to be. And here’s the thing: when we lead from identity rather than insecurity, we stop shape-shifting to meet every demand. We start leading with integrity.

*Reflection Prompt: What is one identity you’re building as a leader right now? What’s a habit that supports that identity?

Habit Stacking: Embedding Safety into Your Leadership Day

Clear introduces a technique called habit stacking—anchoring a new habit to an existing one.
“After [current habit], I will [new habit].”

This is one of the most practical tools I’ve applied to my own leadership rhythm.

For trauma-informed leaders, this offers a low-effort way to bring regulation, relational safety, and reflection into your day.

Here are some habit stacks I’ve tried or seen others implement:

• After I open my email, I take three deep breaths before replying.
• After every meeting, I take two minutes to practice some mindful breathing to transition me to the next thing.
• Before saying “yes” to a new request, I take at least 5 minutes to pause and double-check my calendar, my energy, and my bandwidth.
• After assigning a task, I check in on both emotional and practical capacity.

Each stack is simple. But over time, they start to shift how we show up. Teams can do this collectively too:

• After each staff meeting, we name one team strength we saw.
• After receiving a task, we confirm mutual understanding and energy for it.

*Want to go deeper? Invite your team to co-create a few stacks that reflect your values. These rituals become anchors during stressful weeks.

Environment Design: Safety Is a System

One of Clear’s strongest insights is this: “Environment is the invisible hand that shapes behavior.”

In trauma-informed leadership, we often say, “Safety isn’t just felt—it’s built.” The environments we lead in are either reinforcing regulation… or unintentionally reinforcing harm. So, I’ve started auditing my leadership environment more intentionally:

• Do my meetings encourage voice, consent, and regulation?
• Is there clarity in our systems—or just urgency and chaos?
• Is my calendar shaped by my values—or my fear of disappointing people?
• Does our communication style build trust or confusion?

The truth? My best leadership intentions collapse under disorganized systems.

Clear says, “You don’t have to be the victim of your environment. You can also be the architect of it.” And I believe the same applies to trauma-informed leaders. We can build systems that protect energy, invite safety, and restore clarity.

Try this: Do a quick calendar audit. What’s one recurring meeting, check-in, or task that could be shifted (or eliminated) to better support trauma-informed values like pacing, preparation, or reflection?

*Bonus Tip: Look at your physical space, too. Is your desk a reflection of chaos or calm? Sometimes the smallest environmental tweaks—lighting, music, even how we position our camera—can help our nervous systems feel more grounded.

The Two-Minute Rule: Regulation Before Reformation

One of my favorite takeaways from Atomic Habits is the “Two-Minute Rule”: any new habit should be simple enough to do in under two minutes. Why does this matter? Because overwhelm is real. Especially for trauma survivors and stressed-out leaders. This rule has changed how I think about regulation:

• Step outside for two minutes after a hard conversation.
• Write a single sentence in a journal before logging off.
• Take one deep breath before replying to a tense email.
• Ask one grounding question in a meeting: “What would support you right now?”

Two minutes. That’s it. This approach makes habit-building more compassionate. It meets us where we are, not where we think we “should” be. And these tiny moments—these micro-regulations—can ripple outward. When leaders model slowing down, others feel permission to do the same.

Make It Obvious, Easy, and Satisfying

Clear outlines four laws for building good habits:

1. Make it obvious
2. Make it attractive
3. Make it easy
4. Make it satisfying

These aren’t just productivity hacks—they’re invitations to design for care.

Let’s apply these to trauma-informed leadership:

Make it obvious

• Post team agreements where they’re visible—not buried in a shared drive.
• Use calendar blockers that signal deep work, rest, or reflection.
• Build in visible rituals like gratitude walls, music transitions, or post-meeting check-ins.

Make it attractive

• Link habits to values. “This isn’t just a break—it’s how we protect each other’s energy.”
• Celebrate ease: “Notice how that boundary made space for better conversation?”

Make it easy

• Use templates for repair conversations or boundary-setting emails.
• Normalize checking in on both task and emotional readiness.

Make it satisfying

• Celebrate when someone models a trauma-informed value.
• Reflect monthly on habits that are helping—not just outcomes that are met.

*Don’t underestimate the power of celebration. Even pausing to say, “That felt good,” helps reinforce safety and trust.

Habit Disruption: Rewiring Leadership After Trauma

Let’s name the truth: many leadership habits are trauma responses in disguise. Overworking, avoiding, overcontrolling, overfunctioning, pleasing, performing. These aren’t just "bad habits." They’re nervous system strategies. If you’ve developed habits that were once about survival, it makes sense. Be gentle.

But also ask:

• What is this habit trying to protect me from?
• What unspoken fear or need is behind it?
• What habit could meet that need with more care, alignment, or safety?

You’re not broken for falling back into old patterns. You’re human. The work is to meet that humanness with curiosity and choose again. And if you lead others, remember this: your team’s habits are also shaped by what they’ve had to survive. Safety opens the door to change—but only if people feel seen in the process.

Final Thoughts: Systems Over Shame

If there’s one core lesson that Atomic Habits and trauma-informed leadership share, it’s this:

Change doesn’t happen through shame. It happens through systems.

Not through pushing harder, but through building structures that support regulation, reflection, and repair. You don’t have to be the perfect leader. Just a present one. A grounded one. A leader willing to build small habits that hold big values.

So I’ll leave you with this:

• What’s one leadership habit you want to build?
• What identity are you reinforcing through that habit?
• What’s a two-minute version you can start today?

Your habits shape your leadership.
Your leadership shapes your team.
And your team shapes the culture you’re trying to create.

Start small.
Stay steady.
And trust the ripple—it’s already beginning.