The study sought to evaluate how trauma-informed training influences leaders' awareness, emotional regulation, and relational capacity across three leadership levels—frontline service providers, advisory committee members, and trustees for Solar Renewable Energy Trust in South Africa.


Method:
A mixed-method design combining pre- and post-test surveys with qualitative reflections was used across three workshops held between July and September 2025. Forty-seven participants completed both pre- and post-assessments examining familiarity with trauma-informed leadership, emotional awareness, and leadership behaviour.


Results:
Pre-test data showed that 63-82% of participants were unfamiliar with trauma-informed leadership concepts. Post-test results revealed major shifts: 100% of frontline and trustee participants and 87.5% of advisory members demonstrated understanding and application of trauma-informed principles. Awareness of the difference between reactive (amygdala-driven) and reflective (cortex-driven) leadership increased from under 20% to over 90%. Participants began to describe themselves as "peace carriers" rather than "trauma carriers," showing deeper self-awareness and empathy. Over 95% recognised their organisations and communities as wounded contexts, identifying collective challenges such as gender-based violence, poverty, and loss of trust in institutions.



Conclusions:
The results confirm that trauma-informed leadership training enhances reflective governance, empathy, and resilience. Leaders who recognise and regulate their own trauma become catalysts for healing within organisations and communities, offering a scalable model for development in wounded contexts.