Caroline Strawson, Leading the Future of Trauma Informed Leadership.
From Trauma to Transformation. A Human Story Behind a Global Mission
Caroline Strawson, CMgr CCMI, is not only a Chartered Manager and Companion of the Chartered Management Institute, she is a leader forged through lived experience.
Years ago, Caroline lived through domestic abuse, financial ruin, homelessness and complex trauma. She raised her children while navigating the hardest chapters of her life, rebuilding from a place where most people break.
Behind TIDAL is a woman who rebuilt her life from the ground up.
She knows firsthand what it feels like to freeze under pressure, to show up to work after a night of fear, shame or exhaustion and to mask emotional pain in environments that weren’t designed to hold it.
She also knows the opposite; that for some people, work is the only place they ever feel safe.
These experiences didn’t break her.
They shaped her mission.
Because Behind Every Leader & Manager Is a Human Being.
As Caroline grew her businesses into multi-million-pound organisations, she began building teams and something profound became clear:
- Leadership is not just strategy. Leadership is nervous system work.
- Behind every manager is a human being with a story, sometimes one they’ve never spoken out loud.
She saw dedicated employees struggling quietly, leaders making decisions from dysregulation rather than clarity, and organisations missing out on extraordinary potential simply because psychological safety wasn’t present.
This is why Caroline founded TIDAL: Trauma Informed Development & Learning to revolutionise how workplaces understand people, behaviour, communication, pressure and performance.
Caroline's Mission
Create workplaces where humans feel safe, valued and understood so they can perform, lead and thrive.
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A Rare Blend of Lived Experience, Science, Leadership & Impact.
Caroline brings together:
- Lived experience of domestic abuse, homelessness, debt and trauma
- A Postgraduate qualification in Applied Positive Psychology & Coaching Psychology
- 20+ trauma informed trainings
- CMI Chartered Manager & Companion status (CMgr CCMI)
- Creator of the world’s first CMI Level 7 Diploma in Strategic Management & Leadership with Trauma Informed Coaching & Leadership
- Multiple award-winning female leader and founder
- Founder of the fastest growing franchise in the UK
- A global social media community of over 500,000 people
- Podcast with over 6 million Downloads
The TIDAL Approach
A multidisciplinary approach grounded in people and performance.
Neuroscience-informed insight
Positive psychology in practice
Trauma Informed Leadership
Practical organisational development tools
Human-centred culture transformation
This combination with lived experience + science + leadership is unique, and it is what sets TIDAL apart.
A VOICE TRUSTED ACROSS THE WORLD
Caroline has been featured across major media outlets, including:
BBC Radio • ITV • ITV’s This Morning • Channel 4 • Newsweek • Psychologies • Daily Mail • Daily Express • OK! Magazine • Women Magazine • Thrive Global • Zoella • Mindvalley
She is also a Hay House author and host of a global podcast with over 6 million downloads.
A VOICE TRUSTED ACROSS THE WORLD
Caroline has been featured across major media outlets, including:
BBC Radio • ITV • ITV’s This Morning • Channel 4 • Newsweek • Psychologies • Daily Mail • Daily Express • OK! Magazine • Women Magazine • Thrive Global • Zoella • Mindvalley
She is also a Hay House author and host of a global podcast with over 6 million downloads.
Why Psychological Safety Is the Foundation of High Performance
Caroline’s core belief, now backed by research, leadership science and lived experience is simple:
Without psychological safety, high performance is impossible.
You cannot optimise a team that does not feel safe.
This is why TIDAL’s leadership philosophy is built on two essential pillars:
1. Trauma Informed Training (Stabilise)
- Understanding the nervous system
- Reducing reactivity
- Building emotional intelligence
- Creating psychological safety
- Leading under pressure
- Communicating without threat
2. Positive Psychology Training (Optimise)
- Strengths-based leadership
- Motivation and wellbeing
- Resilience and growth
- Purpose and performance
- Coaching-style leadership
- Innovation and creativity
Stabilise first → Optimise second.
This is how organisations stay competitive and human.
Caroline’s Vision for the Future of Work
Caroline is committed to reshaping the landscape of leadership and organisational development:
- She believes psychological safety is the new currency of performance.
- She believes trauma informed leadership is no longer optional; it is a strategic advantage.
- She believes workplaces must evolve or risk being left behind in a post-COVID, hybrid, emotionally complex world.
- And she believes every human deserves a workplace where they can feel safe, supported and able to thrive regardless of the story they carry.
Caroline’s Mission is Bold, Clear and Unwavering
To create a global movement of trauma informed leaders who understand humanity first and lead organisations where wellbeing and high performance thrive together to increase performance, productivity and profitability.
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Trading Address: West Tithe, Pury Hill Business Park, Northants, NN12 7LS.