Emotional Triggers in the Workplace: A Pathway to Healing with Susan Winchester

I am joined by the amazing Susan Winchester, author of Healing at Work, with co-author Martha I. Finney. She opened up about a topic that's seldom addressed but so incredibly vital—how our past traumas and dysfunctional patterns can unconsciously shape our careers. The discussion was rich with insights and actionable strategies to help us all step off the Unconscious Wounded Career Path™ and onto the Conscious Healing Career Path™. Susan shared her deeply personal journey from being a high-achieving, perfectionist people pleaser driven by the need for external validation, to becoming someone who now practices and teaches others how to do the same in the workplace.   

We really delved into the concept of being an "Adult Survivor of a Damaged Past" (ASDP), a term Susan and her co-author coined to describe those of us who carry wounds from our childhood into our professional lives. Susan was so generous with her wisdom and practical strategies. I particularly loved her three-step method, called Rapid Power Reclaim® of "Create Choice, Elevate Action, Celebrate and Integrate," which offers a way to navigate those emotionally charged Bumper Car Moments® we all experience in our workplaces. These moments, as she beautifully put it, can be seen not as obstacles but as opportunities for personal growth and healing. And let's not forget the power of celebrating those small wins—it's a game changer for rewiring our brains and creating a more positive, resilient mindset.

If you’re like me, you probably had multiple "aha" moments throughout this episode. Susan's story is not just inspiring but also incredibly empowering, showing us that despite a damaged past, we have the power to redefine our futures. With her actionable insights, I hope you walked away feeling equipped to tackle your own Bumper Car Moments® and excited to cultivate a more conscious, healing career path. Remember, “Damaged is Not Doomed®” and The Rest of Your Life is Yours® to shape!

In this episode you will learn:

  • Teaching conscious career path; navigating workplace emotions.

  • How our environment shapes us; and how to be conscious of it. - 10:14

  • Why perfectionists struggle with celebrating. - 19:04

Susan Winchester Bio

Susan is the Founder/CEO of Healing At Work and former SVP, CHRO for Applied Materials, with 35 + years of HR experience, previously as CHRO for Rockwell Automation and prior to that in multiple leadership roles for the Kellogg Company, the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago and Managing Decisions, Inc. She is a National Academy of HR Fellow, the highest professional honor for HR leaders. She is a Board member for the HR Policy Association, member of the Executive Committee, Peer Roundtable for CHROs, Chair for the Leadership Advisory Board for the Dean of Engineering, University of Michigan & is a Forbes HR Council member.

She is author of the mental wellness book, Healing at Work: A Guide to Using Career Conflicts to Overcome Your Past and Build the Future You Deserve, with Martha I. Finney. 

Susan’s Social Media

o LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/susanschmittwinchester/

o Instagram https://www.instagram.com/healingatwork/

o Facebook https://www.facebook.com/HealingAtWork

Takeaways

  • Discover if you are an ASDP and understand its impact on your workplace experience.

  • Recognize signs of being on the Unconscious Wounded Career Path™ and learn actionable strategies to transform onto the Conscious Healing Career Path™.

SHOW NOTES: