Sharing Trauma on Stage

Speaker Kat Polsinelli discusses how authors and thought leaders can share personal and potentially traumatic experiences on stage without becoming overwhelmed or overexposed. She emphasizes the importance of sharing stories in controlled layers, gradually building comfort with repetition before expanding depth. The conversation explores how to avoid “trauma dumping” by maintaining emotional grounding and self-awareness, as well as how to adapt messaging for different audiences such as universities, healthcare professionals, and law enforcement. She also highlights the importance of recognizing communication patterns, gathering audience feedback, and refining delivery based on real-time engagement. Finally, she explains why pacing, pauses, and intentional storytelling structure are essential when transitioning from written work to live speaking.