Insights from the Webinar: The Embodied Workplace—Building Culture Through Agency and Choice

Workplace culture plays a critical role in shaping employee well-being, engagement, and sustainability. The webinar The Embodied Workplace: Building Culture Through Agency and Choice explored how trauma-informed, body-based practices can transform workplace environments by centering agency, shared power, and employee well-being. Speakers shared frameworks, lived experiences, and applied strategies for integrating embodiment into organizational culture—moving beyond individual “self-care” toward systemic change.

Watch the webinar recording

Highlights from Presentations:

• Jenn Turner (Center for Trauma and Embodiment) introduced the concept of embodiment in the workplace, emphasizing how reconnecting with the body can support healing, decision-making, and sustainable work practices. She discussed how traditional workplace cultures often ignore or override bodily signals, contributing to burnout and disconnection, and highlighted the importance of integrating trauma-informed principles—such as agency, choice, and non-coercion—into organizational structures.
• Dr. Tiffany D. Johnson (Georgia Tech; Pulse of Morning Work + Wellness, LLC) explored the intersection of workplace well-being, equity, and trauma. She examined how many workplace norms are rooted in historical systems of power and exclusion, and how these dynamics continue to shape modern organizational culture. Drawing on her research and teaching, she shared how embodied and trauma-informed approaches can foster more inclusive, humane, and effective workplaces.

Key Themes and What You’ll Learn:

1. What an “embodied workplace” means: Learn how integrating the body into workplace experiences can improve awareness, decision-making, and overall well-being.
2. The role of power in workplace culture: Understand how power dynamics—especially when unchecked—can create conditions for harm, and how shared power models can shift culture.
3. Why trauma-informed approaches matter at work: Explore how workplace norms can reinforce or mitigate trauma, and how organizations can intentionally create safer, more supportive environments.
4. The connection between well-being and equity: Examine how inclusion, belonging, and wellness are deeply intertwined, particularly for marginalized workers.
5. Practical entry points for change: Identify small, actionable ways (e.g., “1% shifts”) individuals and organizations can begin integrating embodiment and agency into daily work practices.

Key Takeaways:

• Workplace culture can unintentionally reinforce harmful norms, including overwork and disconnection
• Shared and accountable leadership practices can reduce risk of harm and improve organizational functioning
• Ignoring bodily signals contributes to burnout, while attending to them can support more sustainable work patterns
• Organizational change—not just individual coping—is needed to meaningfully improve worker well-being
• Individuals can still create meaningful shifts within their sphere of influence, even in constrained systems

Connect & Continue Learning with CFTE!

• The Center for Trauma and Embodiment is a global leader in body-first care.
• The Embodied Workplace training is launching in Fall 2026!