Jennifer P. Wisdom, PhD, MPH, ABPP, is a licensed clinical psychologist, board-certified organizational and business consulting psychologist, author, consultant, and speaker. She has worked in complex healthcare, government, and educational environments for 25 years, including serving in the U.S. military, working with nonprofit service delivery programs, and as faculty in higher education. She consults with nonprofit and government agencies, research institutions, and universities to address leadership development and organizational change. She is author of 14 volumes in the Millennials' Guides series, Leaving Revolution: How We Are Learning to Let Go and Move On, and more than 100 scientific articles. Nina A. Nabors, PhD, ABPP, LP, is a licensed clinical psychologist with more than 30 years of faculty and leadership experience in academia. She currently serves as Vice Provost for Healthcare Access and Quality at Walden University. She co-owns a group psychotherapy practice in Southeastern Michigan working primarily with clients from BIPOC, LGBTQAI , and other underserved communities. She is board certified in rehabilitation psychology from the American Board of Professional Psychology and past president of the Association for Women in Psychology. She has published five book chapters, 15 peer-reviewed scientific articles, and over 65 conference presentations.
Description
When Leading Hurts shines a light on a hidden truth: Leadership can inspire and transform, but it can also wound. This groundbreaking volume explores the emotional and psychological toll that leadership roles can take, revealing how trauma sometimes emerges in organizational contexts and why it is so often ignored. Drawing on interdisciplinary research and compelling case studies, experts in psychology, leadership development, and organizational behavior identify the forces that leave leaders feeling isolated, undermined, and sometimes deeply harmed. Topics include toxic cultures, identity-based harm, bullying, scapegoating, and gaslighting-issues leaders frequently endure but rarely discuss. Readers will find evidence-based strategies for prevention and healing, including clinical guidance for therapists, coaching models, and organizational interventions for systemic change. Designed for leaders at every level and the professionals who support them, When Leading Hurts provides insight, validation, and a roadmap toward resilience, recovery, and reform.
Chapter 1. Introduction to Trauma in Leadership: Sources, Mechanisms, and Impacts Jennifer P. Wisdom and Nina A. Nabors Part I. Sources and Impacts Chapter 2. Relational Sources of Workplace Trauma for Leaders Nina A. Nabors, Kelley Costner, and Qiana Wells-Haridat Chapter 3. Organizational Forces Contributing to Traumatic Experiences of Leadership Cynthia Drake Morrow and Jennifer P. Wisdom Chapter 4. The Impact of Childhood Adversity on Traumatic Experiences of Leadership Brenda Huber Chapter 5. Marginalized Identities and Institutional Trauma in Leadership Nina A. Nabors Chapter 6. Gender and Traumatic Experiences of Leadership Jennifer P. Wisdom and Candice G. Nelson Chapter 7. Intersectionality and Traumatic Experiences of Black Women Leaders in Higher Education Savitri Dixon-Saxon Chapter 8. The Impacts of Negative Leadership from a Motivational Perspective Christina M. Frederick and Mary Coussons-Read Chapter 9. Sources and Effects of Traumatic Experiences of Leadership Among Women Kristina Hallett Chapter 10. The Burden of Command: Navigating Psychological Stress and Institutional Betrayal in Law Enforcement Leadership Tamara S. Lyn Chapter 11. How Traumatic Experiences of Leadership Impact Religious and Spiritual Women in Academia Rochelle Gilbert Part II. Interventions Chapter 12. Coaching Approaches to Healing Traumatic Experiences of Leadership Shari Dade and Chamarlyn Fairley Chapter 13. Therapeutic Approaches to Healing Traumatic Experiences of Leadership Alina Perez Chapter 14. Trauma-Informed Organizations: Culture, Practices, and Leadership Catherine T. Kwantes and Perpetual Ankamah Chapter 15. Future Directions in Understanding, Preventing, and Healing Traumatic Experiences of Leadership Nina A. Nabors and Jennifer P. Wisdom