how trauma responses show up in business

I don’t think we talk about this enough.

We talk about strategy. We talk about branding. We talk about visibility, growth, and scaling. But we don’t often talk about the ways our nervous system, our trauma history, and our subconscious patterns are quietly steering the ship behind the scenes. Especially in business.

But if you’ve ever felt stuck, overwhelmed, reactive, or even completely disconnected from your business… it might not be a mindset issue. It might be a trauma response.

And I want you to know, there is nothing wrong with you.

Because sometimes, what looks like procrastination is actually a freeze response. Sometimes, what looks like perfectionism is your nervous system trying to keep you safe. Sometimes, the fear of showing up online isn’t about confidence at all, it’s about visibility feeling unsafe in your body.

And until we name that… we keep thinking we’re the problem. We keep trying to force ourselves into new systems, new templates, new strategies, without ever tending to what’s actually underneath.

As a holistic counsellor and wellbeing coach in Australia, I work with so many people who come to me thinking they just need more discipline or better habits. But when we slow down and explore what’s really happening, we begin to see the patterns. We begin to uncover the parts of them that are still holding on to fear, to shame, to old wounds that never fully healed.

And often, those wounds are running the business.

Not intentionally. But quietly. Unconsciously.

So today, I want to gently explore how trauma responses can show up in our business, and how we can begin to hold those parts of ourselves with more understanding, softness, and support.

Let’s begin with freeze.

Freeze often shows up as procrastination. You sit down to work, but your body feels heavy. Your mind goes blank. You scroll, avoid, clean, snack, anything but the thing you need to do. And it’s not laziness. It’s your nervous system saying, “This feels like too much.”

Freeze is the body's way of protecting you when it believes fight or flight won’t work. It’s the shutdown. The numbness. The moment where your mind says, “I should be doing this,” but your body says, “No, I can’t.”

If you’ve ever frozen before hitting publish on a post… if you’ve ever delayed launching an offer for weeks… if you’ve ever told yourself you’d start tomorrow, over and over again, freeze might be showing up.

And I want you to know that this isn’t something to shame yourself for. It’s something to gently meet. With breath. With safety. With practices that invite you back into your body, slowly and with compassion.

Then there’s fawn.

Fawn is the trauma response that says, “If I can just be good enough, helpful enough, needed enough, then I’ll be safe.” It’s overdelivering. It’s undercharging. It’s saying yes when every part of you wants to say no. It’s changing your offer to meet someone else’s needs. It’s tolerating clients who cross your boundaries because confrontation feels terrifying.

Fawn shows up in business as people-pleasing, self-abandonment, and a chronic fear of not being liked. And while it might look like you’re thriving on the outside, being everything to everyone, inside, you’re exhausted. Disconnected. Running on empty.

Because somewhere along the way, you learned that love and safety came from being needed. From being good. From making yourself small to avoid conflict.

But your business isn’t meant to be a place where you shrink yourself. It’s meant to be a space where you come alive.

And then there’s fight.

The fight response isn’t always aggressive. In business, it often looks like control. Like needing everything to be perfect. Like constantly pushing. Like tying your worth to your productivity. Fight says, “If I just work hard enough, I can force my way through this.”

It’s the launch that never feels ready because it isn’t perfect. It’s the constant tinkering behind the scenes. The obsession with metrics, engagement, or comparison. It’s the fire that never rests. And while it might bring short bursts of success, it often leads to burnout.

Because beneath the fight response is fear. Fear of failure. Fear of rejection. Fear of not being enough unless everything is flawless.

But here's the thing... your worth was never meant to be measured by output. And your business isn’t meant to be built on fear. It’s meant to be built on love. On trust. On alignment.

Finally, there’s flight.

Flight in business looks like starting and never finishing. It looks like constantly pivoting, changing directions, jumping from one idea to the next. It’s the belief that maybe the next offer will feel better. Maybe the next niche will be the one. It’s always running, never arriving.

Flight is the nervous system trying to outrun discomfort. It’s the fear of failure, of commitment, of being seen. It’s staying busy to avoid stillness, because in the stillness, the old pain might catch up.

And it makes sense. Of course you ran. Of course you did what you needed to do to survive. But now? You don’t need to run anymore. You get to root. You get to stay. You get to create from a place of safety, not escape.

What’s important to understand is that these responses aren’t wrong. They’re not flaws. They are intelligent, protective adaptations from a time when your body didn’t feel safe. And sometimes, even long after the original trauma is over, those responses linger.

They linger in our relationships. In our parenting. And yes, in our businesses too.

This is why nervous system work matters. This is why trauma-informed support matters. Because strategy alone won’t hold the part of you that feels terrified to be seen. A social media plan won’t soothe the inner child who’s afraid of being rejected. A pricing guide won’t heal the part of you that believes you’re only worthy if you’re giving more than you receive.

Healing is the foundation. And when we tend to our nervous system, when we hold those old stories with love, when we begin to trust ourselves again, our business begins to change.

Not because we forced it. But because we became safer within ourselves.

When I work with business mentorship clients, this is what we explore. Not just content and offers and growth, but the parts of you that feel scared. The stories that are playing out beneath the surface. The moments when you freeze, fawn, fight, or flee, and how we can gently support your body, your heart, your energy to move differently.

Because your business is an extension of you. And when you heal, it heals too.

And I know it can be confronting. To see how trauma is still shaping the way you work. To realise that some of your business decisions have been made from fear, not alignment. But this awareness isn’t a reason for shame. It’s a doorway. A beginning. A homecoming.

Because once you see it, you can begin to choose differently.

You can begin to build a business that actually feels good. One that honours your capacity. One that’s rooted in your truth, not your trauma. One that holds space for your whole self, not just the curated version you think you need to be.

That might look like simplifying your offers. Or charging in a way that feels nourishing. Or taking a break when your body needs to rest. Or creating a schedule that allows you to be present with your kids. Or showing up online in a way that feels real, not performative.

It might look like learning to say no. Like unlearning the belief that you have to prove your worth. Like choosing slowness over urgency. Like building a business that supports your nervous system instead of overwhelming it.

This is the work. Not the flashy kind. But the kind that changes everything.

And if you’re reading this and realising that maybe, just maybe, trauma is showing up in your business, I want you to know how brave that is. To see it. To name it. To hold it with compassion.

You’re not broken. You’re healing.

And you get to build a business that reflects that healing. One that holds both your purpose and your softness. One that honours your story while not being defined by it. One that allows you to thrive, not just survive.

I’m here if you’re ready to explore that. Whether through holistic counselling or business mentorship, we can walk this path together. At your pace. With gentleness. With love.

Because the truth is, your business doesn’t need to look like anyone else’s. It just needs to feel like home.

And when it does… everything begins to shift.

If this resonates with you, and you’re realising just how much your business has been shaped by the parts of you still carrying old pain, I want you to know that you're not alone, and you don’t have to navigate this by yourself. I offer business mentoring in a trauma-informed, soul-aligned way. Together, we explore not just the strategy behind your work, but the deeper stories beneath it. The nervous system patterns, the beliefs, the emotional undercurrents that influence how you show up. This isn’t about pushing harder, it’s about softening into a business that truly reflects your healing. A business that honours your whole self. If your heart is calling for that kind of support, I’d be honoured to walk beside you. You can view more information here.

With love & support,

Shorina | Mindful Soul Collective

Holistic Counsellor, Wellbeing Coach & Business Mentor

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If this resonated, I’d love to support you further! You’ll find everything you need, from free resources to information on working with me, right here.