Dr. Danielle Taylor: Trauma-Informed Leadership, Innovation, and Growth at Spectrum360

How do you scale human-centered care without losing your soul? In this candid conversation, Dr. Danielle M. Taylor - Chief Operating Officer at Spectrum360 and Licensed Psychologist—shares how personal experience shaped her leadership, why feedback loops are a non-negotiable, and the practical ways her team uses trauma-informed practices, staff wellness, and data to drive outcomes.

You’ll hear about:

• Balancing growth with mission and lived experience
• Funding realities for nonprofits—and transparent decision-making
• Bringing somatics, mind–body work, and trauma-informed care into schools & adult programs
• Smart recruitment: total-compensation clarity, culture, and early fit checks
• Where tech & AI fit (and don’t) in behavioral health operations

Transcript

00:00 — Timothy A. Zercher
Thank you so much for joining us, Danielle... lots of roles, busy one.

00:07 — Dr. Danielle Taylor
Pleasure to be here—excited to join, I’ve listened to many episodes.

00:16 — Timothy
I find people in behavioral health often have a personal reason for joining the field. Would you share your story?

00:32 — Danielle
Open about developmental trauma/CPTSD and being neurodivergent... people gravitated to me early on... helping gave purpose to early challenges… “walk through fire, go back in to help others.”

01:31 — Timothy
Thank you for sharing.
What inspired the move from clinical roles into executive leadership?

01:41 — Danielle
Started at 19 as a mental health tech while in school… noticed process improvements; supportive supervisors invited proposals… always walked dual paths: direct service + systems work… leadership lets me scale person-centered perspective into structures, policies, and strategy.

03:24 — Timothy
How do you balance operational leadership with the mission-driven nature of mental health services?

03:31 — Danielle
At Spectrum360 we serve ~500 students/adults with ~500 staff—impacting ~1,000 people… Ground every decision in mission; student/client experience first, staff experience second… Budgets/policies reflect values… Maintain multiple feedback channels (anonymous, direct, small groups)… Constantly “zoom in” to fix micro issues while keeping macro alignment to mission.

06:02 — Timothy
Operations vs. how humans exist can clash—zooming in helps. What happens when people walk in the door?

06:23 — Danielle
Stakeholder feedback is critical… transparency about policies and ripple effects… growth mindset: pilot → expect issues → iterate.

07:26 — Timothy
What’s the biggest leadership challenge in a people-powered organization?

07:39 — Danielle
Funding and resource allocation… success = outcomes and lived experience quality, not profit… Requires reflection, feedback, transparency, honest dialogue—including when the answer is “we can’t do that.”

09:12 — Timothy
How are you integrating innovations in therapy/education—especially to improve efficiency?

09:14 — Danielle
I still practice (Sacred Journeys Therapy) specializing in trauma, neurodiversity, narcissistic abuse recovery… We adapt evidence-based practices with whole-person, trauma-informed care; integrate mind–body/somatics—especially for staff wellness and crisis work… Private special-ed setting allows agile pilots… Exploring technology, AI, and data analytics where appropriate.

11:38 — Timothy
Marketing question: How do you gain new clients, students, and partnerships?

11:53 — Danielle
PR and community connection… expand mission via professional development for community partners (hospitals, law enforcement, employers) and ongoing consulting—build bridges to meet real community needs.

13:53 — Timothy
Organic growth through existing organizations—makes sense.

14:05 — Timothy
Hardest part of growing the team as the org expands?

14:14 — Danielle
Staffing since COVID—our work is in-person… Annual compensation studies to stay competitive; strong staff-wellness program (grant-funded); committees & feedback mechanisms to support culture and retention.

16:33 — Timothy
It’s not easy work—requires a strong, supportive team.

16:38 — Danielle
Always iterating; stakeholder feedback again key.

16:48 — Timothy
In recruitment, is there one tactic you’re watching closely in your market?

16:59 — Danielle
Clarity on total compensation (benefits + salary) early; share realistic job previews (videos/materials) earlier so candidates self-select; respect everyone’s time.

18:20 — Timothy
Clearer picture = better long-term retention.

18:27 — Danielle
Especially for early-career candidates—front-load real-world expectations.

18:51 — Timothy
Thank you for joining and for your community work.

19:06 — Danielle
Thank you—pleasure to meet.

19:09 — Timothy
Absolutely.