5 Signs Trauma Survivors Should Stop Playing Small | Your Trauma-Wise Career Guide Ep 14

Are you a trauma survivor who's built a solid career foundation but feels stuck between playing it safe and stepping into your power? This episode reveals the 5 readiness signals that most high achievers with trauma histories completely miss.

What You'll Learn:
✅ The 5 specific readiness signals that tell you when you're ready to stop playing small
✅ Why your nervous system might be keeping you small even when you're ready to go big
✅ A practical framework for taking strategic risks that honor your healing journey
✅ How to work WITH your nervous system instead of against it
The 5 Readiness Signals:

Energy Management: You're investing your energy strategically, not just surviving on it
Trauma Wisdom: Your emotional awareness has become professional intelligence
Relationship Building: You're creating authentic connections, not just professional contacts
Values-Based Decisions: You're choosing battles based on values, not fear
Purpose-Driven Success: You're ready for your success to serve something bigger

Key Timestamps:
0:00 - Introduction: The meeting room scenario
1:00 - Why trauma survivors play small at work
2:00 - The vibe check: Welcome to Your Trauma-Wise Career Guide
3:00 - The problem: Stuck between surviving and thriving
4:00 - Signal 1: Energy management
5:00 - Signal 2: Trauma wisdom as professional intelligence
6:00 - Working with your nervous system
7:00 - Call to action: Book your free discovery call
8:00 - TSL: You're qualified for leadership BECAUSE of your trauma history

When you're ready, here are 3 ways I can help you grow your career journey:

1. Free trauma-informed career development resources from my website! Visit https://www.cyndibennettconsulting.com for always up-to-date tips.
2. Ready to build a fulfilling career with trauma-informed support? Join The Resilient Career Academy Learning Community, where trauma survivors support each other, share resources, and develop career resilience in a safe, understanding environment
3. Ready for personalized trauma-informed career coaching? Explore my range of virtual coaching packages designed for different stages of your career journey. Visit my website to find the right support for where you are now. [Visit my website: https://www.cyndibennettconsulting.com/1-on-1-coaching]

DISCLOSURE: Some links I share might contain resources that you might find helpful. Whenever possible I use referral links, which means if you click any of the links in this video or description and make a purchase we may receive a small commission or other compensation at no cost to you.

Transcript

5 Signs Trauma Survivors Should Stop Playing Small | Your Trauma-Wise Career Guide Ep 14

Cyndi Bennett: [00:00:00] Picture this. You're sitting in a meeting and you have the perfect solution to the problem everyone's been wrestling with for weeks. Your heart starts racing, your palms get sweaty, and instead of speaking up, you stay silent. Later, someone else shares a similar idea and gets all the credit. Sound familiar?

If you're a trauma survivor who's built a solid career foundation, but feels stuck between playing it safe and stepping into your power, this episode is going to hit different. We're talking about that specific moment when you realize you're not just surviving anymore, you're ready to thrive strategically.

I am going to share the five readiness signals that most high achievers with trauma histories completely miss, and why your nervous system might be keeping you small even when you're ready to go big. Plus, I'll give you a practical framework [00:01:00] for taking strategic risks that honor your healing journey.

Here's what you need to know about me. I'm a trauma survivor who spent years playing small, even after I'd built the foundation for something bigger. I've walked this exact path, and now I help other trauma survivors navigate theirs. I've seen what happens when we mistake our survival strategies for permanent limitations.

And here's what happens if you don't learn to recognize these readiness signals. You'll stay stuck in a cycle of over-delivering and under-claiming, watching others get credit for ideas you could have shared, and wondering if this is as big as you're allowed to dream.

Did you know that trauma impacts how we navigate our careers, but most career advice ignores this reality? Imagine feeling confident and safe at work while honoring your healing journey. Welcome to Your Trauma-Wise Career Guide, the podcast [00:02:00] that reimagines, career development for trauma survivors. I'm your host, Cyndi Bennett, a trauma survivor, turned trauma informed career coach and founder of the Resilient Career Academy. If you're navigating your career. While honoring your healing journey, you are in the right place.

Let's start with the problem that brought you here. You've done the work, you've built the foundation, but somewhere between surviving and thriving, you find yourself wondering, is this it? Is this as big as I'm allowed to dream?

There's something uniquely challenging about this transition when you're a trauma survivor. Your nervous system got really good at keeping you safe, which meant getting really good at playing small. The strategies that once protected you, staying under the radar, not taking up too much space, proving your worth through overwork rather than [00:03:00] visibility, may now be the very things keeping you from your next level of impact.

You are probably the person others come to for advice, but you rarely speak up in meetings. You consistently deliver excellent work that somehow goes unnoticed. You have insights that could transform your workplace, but you keep them locked inside your head. Here's the solution, there are five specific readiness signals that tell you when you're ready to stop playing small.

Most high achievers with trauma histories completely miss these signals because they're looking for permission from the outside instead of recognition from the inside.

Signal One. You're managing your energy, not just surviving on it. You've moved from "how do I get through today?" To "how do I invest my energy?" strategically. You have boundaries that actually protect your [00:04:00] well-being, without isolating you from opportunities.

Signal Two. Your trauma wisdom has become a professional intelligence. You're starting to recognize that your heightened emotional awareness isn't a liability, it's a superpower. Your ability to read dynamics and understand human motivation comes from hard won experience.

Signal Three. You're building relationships, not just professional contacts. You've moved beyond transactional networking to authentic connection. You can disagree professionally without taking it personally.

Signal Four. You're choosing your battles based on values, not fear. You can distinguish between healthy caution and trauma-based avoidance. You're willing to take calculated risks when they align with your values.

Signal Five. You're ready for your success to serve something bigger, you are feeling the of [00:05:00] contribution beyond personal achievement. You want your work to create positive change and make a difference for others.

Now, here's the new problem this solution creates. Even when you recognize these readiness signals, your nervous system doesn't know the difference between psychological vulnerability and physical danger. Speaking up can feel as threatening as any trauma you've survived. Your brilliant survival system is still doing exactly what it was designed to do, keep you safe. But now you need to signal to your nervous system that it's time for a different kind of safety strategy.

The bridge between foundation builder and strategic visionary isn't built by abandoning your careful approach to work. It's built by expanding your definition of safety to include the risk of staying small. Working with your [00:06:00] nervous system means connecting with your support system before taking strategic risks, using grounding techniques during strategic moments, and celebrating your courage afterward, regardless of the outcome.

Let's recap what we just covered. You learned the five readiness signals that indicate you're ready to stop playing small, and you discovered that your nervous system's resistance isn't a sign you're not ready. It's a sign you need a trauma-informed approach to strategic risk taking.

Now, you might be thinking, okay, Cyndi, I can see these signals in myself, but what's my actual next move? Recognition is powerful, but it's just the starting point. You still need a systematic approach to act on these insights, a framework for how to step up strategically while honoring your healing journey.

If you're feeling [00:07:00] that pull towards something bigger. If you're tired of your excellent work going unnoticed while your insights stay locked inside your head, I want you to take action. Go to my website and book a free discovery call. I will include the link in the show notes.

In this call, we'll identify exactly where you are in your career journey, pinpoint what's keeping you playing small, and create a specific action plan for your next strategic move. You'll walk away with clarity about your readiness signals, and a concrete next step that feels aligned with your values and your healing.

And here's what happens if you don't take this step. You'll stay stuck in that space between surviving and thriving, watching other people get credit for ideas that you could have shared, wondering if this is as big as you're allowed to dream.

Before we wrap up, I want to leave you with something that might challenge everything you think about leadership and trauma. [00:08:00] Your trauma history doesn't disqualify you from leadership. It qualifies you for a particular kind of leadership that our workplaces desperately need.

The world needs leaders who understand resilience from the inside out, who can create psychological safety because they know what unsafety feels like, who can guide others through change, because they've navigated their own transformation.

You are allowed to want a career that matches your capacity. You are allowed to use your voice strategically and take up space. You are allowed to build something meaningful with your hard won wisdom. You are allowed to stop playing small.

The question isn't whether you're capable. You've already proven that by getting this far. The question is whether you're ready to trust that the same wisdom that got you through your healing, can guide you through [00:09:00] your leading. Your foundation is solid. Your wisdom is valuable. Your voice is needed. Now it's time to stop playing small and start playing strategically.

Thanks for listening to Your Trauma-Wise Career Guide.

I'm Cyndi Bennett, and I'll see you next time.

You're not walking this path alone. Every step you take toward a trauma-wise career is an act of courage, and I'm here cheering you on. If today's episode resonated with you, share it with another survivor who needs to hear this message. Together, we're rewriting the rules of career success. Keep rising, keep healing, keep building.