Today we’d like to introduce you to Terri Allred.
Hi Terri, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
My story has always been rooted in easing suffering and helping people feel safe, seen, and supported. I began my career in trauma work very young, supporting survivors of sexual violence, domestic violence, and community trauma. Those early years shaped my belief that people heal in relationship, through dignity, presence, and nervous-system safety.
Over time, my work expanded. I became a therapist, an advocate, a nonprofit leader, a coach, and a facilitator. I did not follow a straight line; I followed a calling. Each chapter deepened my understanding of resilience, power, human behavior, and how stress and trauma show up in our bodies and in our workplaces.
But the story is not just professional. Alongside the work, I raised a family, navigated chronic illness and multiple healing journeys of my own, and learned to build a life anchored in purpose, creativity, and rest instead of constant urgency. Pottery entered my life as a grounding practice, and it continues to remind me to be present, curious, and willing to be a beginner.
Today, I help leaders and organizations create psychologically safe, trauma-informed, compassionate workplaces. I get to combine four decades of trauma experience with leadership development, coaching, and nervous-system science to support people who want to lead with courage and humanity without burning out themselves.
It has not been a straight path, but it has been an aligned one. Every step has brought me closer to what I am here to do: help people heal, help systems evolve, and help leaders build environments where care and accountability can live side by side, and where humans can truly thrive.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
There have definitely been struggles along the way. Working in trauma and crisis spaces for so many years came with emotional and nervous-system wear and tear. There were seasons when I pushed too hard, carried too much, and believed that “strength” meant never slowing down. My own experiences with trauma, chronic anxiety, depression, and later chronic illness have also shaped my journey. Learning to honor my body, my limits, and my humanity has been one of my greatest teachers.
Another challenge has been self-doubt and the pressure to be everything to everyone. Like many women leaders, I had to unlearn perfectionism, over-responsibility, and the instinct to constantly prove my worth. There were times I had to rebuild, reinvent, and step into new chapters without a roadmap.
And of course, doing values-driven work in systems that are not always ready for deep change can be challenging. Helping organizations embrace trauma-informed leadership and wellbeing sometimes means gently disrupting long-held beliefs about power, productivity, and what leadership should look like. It has required patience, courage, and a lot of faith.
But every struggle has strengthened my mission. Each one has reinforced my belief in compassion, pacing, nervous-system awareness, and leading from authenticity rather than urgency. My challenges have not only shaped who I am, they have made my work more grounded, real, and deeply human.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
I help leaders and organizations create workplaces where people can truly thrive, not just push through stress and burnout. My work sits at the intersection of trauma-informed practice, nervous-system science, and leadership development. I support leaders in building psychological safety, communicating with clarity and compassion, navigating conflict, and leading in ways that protect wellbeing while strengthening performance.
I specialize in trauma-informed leadership coaching, organizational consulting, and training programs that translate complex neuroscience and trauma theory into practical, everyday leadership behaviors. I am known for helping people feel safe enough to deepen self-awareness, shift long-held patterns, and create real change without shame or overwhelm.
What sets my approach apart is that I bring more than forty years of trauma experience from roles as a therapist, crisis responder, nonprofit leader, and coach, and I blend that knowledge with a deeply human, relational way of working. My lens is holistic, intuitive, and grounded in research, but also warm, accessible, and real. I do not believe leadership has to be performative or exhausting. I believe it can be healing, generative, and rooted in dignity.
I am most proud of the spaces I create for leaders who care deeply. Many of them feel stretched thin, emotionally overloaded, or responsible for holding the weight of everyone around them. Watching them build nervous-system capacity, confidence, healthy boundaries, and sustainable leadership practices that transform both their lives and their organizations is incredibly meaningful.
And personally, I am proud that I now lead in the same way I teach: slowing down, honoring my body and nervous system, choosing presence over urgency, and building a life and business grounded in care, purpose, and integrity.
What was your favorite childhood memory?
One of my favorite childhood memories is dancing. I spent countless hours in studios and on stages, completely immersed in music and movement. Dance gave me a place to express myself fully before I had the words for big feelings or complicated truths. It was my first experience of showing up as my whole self, trusting my body, and discovering strength I did not yet know I had.
It also taught me to accept constructive feedback long before I understood its value. In dance, critique was not a punishment, it was a doorway to growth. I learned that someone could love you, believe in you, and still ask you to stretch further, refine, and try again. That shaped how I lead and coach today. I know that honest feedback, delivered with care, can be transformative. And I know that showing up authentically, even when it is vulnerable, is where confidence and power begin.
Dance taught me to take up space, to move through fear, and to trust that my body and spirit know the way. Those lessons still live in me.
Pricing:
- $165/hr nonprofit rate for leadership coaching; $250/hr business rate
- $500/hr nonprofit training; $750/hr business rate
- $497 for Trauma-Informed Leadership Certificate program
- $10/mo for subscription to my Substack Care Circle
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.allredconsulting.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/terriallredcoach/
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/terriallred/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@trauma-informedleadership
- Other: https://traumacoach.substack.com
