Speaking & Workshops
A Speaker Who Has Lived What She Teaches
Trauma-informed keynotes and workshops for organizations ready to go beyond awareness — into genuine, lasting change.
8 Years
U.S. Navy Service
E-6
Petty Officer First Class
100%
Service-Connected PTSD
M.P.H.
Public Health Nutrition
5
Published Books
ProCoach
Masters™ Certified
Why Andrea
Her Credential Isn't a Certificate. It's Her Life.
Andrea spent 8 years in the U.S. Navy as a Petty Officer First Class. For her first couple of years, she was the only woman — and, for a stretch, the youngest person — in her unit. After her deployment to Kuwait and Iraq, she was one of only four women who drilled regularly alongside the men. When she came home, she spent 7 years fighting the VA to be recognized for the PTSD she earned in service. Three hospitalizations. A system that kept asking her to prove her pain was real enough.
She came out the other side not with a story of triumph over adversity — but with a deeply practical understanding of what it actually takes to rebuild a nervous system, an identity, and a life. That understanding is what she brings into every room she speaks in.
She doesn't teach theory. She teaches what worked when nothing else did.
“I don't speak from a textbook. I speak from eight years of service, seven years of fighting to be believed, and everything I've rebuilt since.”
What Every Booking Includes
Pre-event discovery call to customize content for your specific audience
Fully tailored talk — your industry, your people, your context
Trauma-informed facilitation throughout — no retraumatization, always safe
Printable attendee resource guide to take home
Optional post-event Q&A session (30 min)
Available in-person or virtually
Speaking Topics
Available Presentations
Rising After Trauma: Healing Through Nervous System Awareness
A gentle, trauma-informed keynote on regulation, boundaries, and rebuilding internal safety. Andrea draws directly from her own experience — 8 years of Navy service, 7 years fighting the VA, and everything she rebuilt after — to create a room where people feel safe enough to actually hear what's being said.
Attendees will leave with
Why willpower alone doesn't heal trauma — and what actually does
3 immediate nervous system regulation tools they can use that same day
A new framework for building safety from the inside out
Try in the room
Three Anchors
- 1.
Locate three anchors inside your body you can return to under stress
- 2.
Locate one anchor in the room around you
- 3.
Name the shortest path back to any one of them
“You don't regulate by trying harder. You regulate by coming back — again, and again, and again.”
Best for: Corporate wellness, veteran organizations, community health events
The Invisible Armor: Understanding Survival Mode in High-Achievers
High performers are often the most dysregulated people in the room — they've just learned to function through it. This talk explores how trauma shows up as perfectionism, people-pleasing, and emotional numbing, and how to begin removing the armor without losing what makes them effective.
Attendees will leave with
How to recognize trauma responses hiding inside high performance
Tools to begin softening the armor safely, without falling apart
Language to talk about their experience without shame or diagnosis
Try in the room
Armor Audit
- 1.
Name one piece of armor that helped you survive
- 2.
Name what it's costing you now
- 3.
Name one place this week you can take it off safely
“The armor isn't the enemy. Wearing it indoors is.”
Best for: Leadership conferences, corporate events, professional associations
From Surviving to Thriving: A Nervous System Regulation Workshop
An interactive, experiential workshop where attendees don't just learn about regulation — they practice it. Andrea guides the room through grounding techniques, nervous system mapping, and real tools they can take back to their teams, families, and daily lives.
Attendees will leave with
Hands-on grounding and co-regulation practices they can use immediately
A personalized nervous system map to reference after the event
Concrete tools to bring back to their teams, families, or clients
Try in the room
Two-Minute Regulation Map
- 1.
Map your three most common dysregulation signals
- 2.
Pair each with one 60-second return practice
- 3.
Commit to which one you'll use first this week
“Regulation isn't a feeling. It's a skill — and skills are built in repetition, not inspiration.”
Best for: Retreats, wellness days, intimate group settings (up to 50)
Self-Trust Under Pressure™
How professionals make better decisions, reduce burnout, and perform with confidence. When pressure is constant and the margin for error feels nonexistent, most high-achievers don't crumble — they override. They push harder, second-guess more, and trust themselves less. This training gives professionals a practical framework for rebuilding self-trust from the inside out, so they can make clear decisions without the spiral.
Attendees will leave with
Practical emotional regulation tools that cut through overthinking and mental fatigue
A replicable framework for confident, clear decision-making under pressure
Immediate strategies to rebuild self-trust and perform with confidence — same day
Try in the room
The 30-Second Decision Lab
- 1.
Bring one real stuck decision to the page
- 2.
Run it through a three-question clarity frame
- 3.
Commit a first move within 24 hours
“Self-trust isn't certainty. It's a track record of keeping your own word.”
Best for: Corporate teams, professional associations, leadership and management conferences
Workshop Series
From Survival Mode → Safe, Stable, and Thriving
A five-part arc for veteran and trauma-impacted audiences — each session 30–45 minutes, activity-based, self-contained or sequenced.
Creating Safety at Home (and in Your Body)
Safety is internal AND environmental. This workshop looks at how hypervigilance shows up inside the home — and how to design a space that lets the nervous system actually exhale. The goal Andrea teaches: open and calm inside, protected and secure outside.
Attendees will leave with
A clear read on what makes you feel safe vs. on edge in your own space
A personalized 'safe space' plan you walk out with
Practical upgrades for lighting, sound, sightlines, and decompression
Try in the room
My Safe Space Map
- 1.
Sketch your home — a rough outline is enough
- 2.
Mark the places you feel most relaxed and the places you feel on edge
- 3.
Name three upgrades you can make (lighting, locks, layout, sound, privacy)
“Safety is a design decision — in your house and in your nervous system.”
Best for: Veterans, real estate investors, homeowners
Navigating Entrepreneurship After Trauma
Most people aren't lazy. They're regulated against visibility. This workshop reframes 'stuck' as a trauma response, names the real blockers — anxiety, burnout, fear of being seen — and gives entrepreneurs one aligned next action they can take inside 24 hours.
Attendees will leave with
A reframe that separates nervous system response from self-worth
Clarity on which blocker is actually running the show (anxiety, burnout, visibility)
One aligned next action, sized small enough to actually happen
Try in the room
Stuck → Strategy Reset
- 1.
Name exactly where you feel stuck right now
- 2.
Name what you're avoiding underneath it
- 3.
Write the smallest possible next step — then commit it to a 24-hour window
“Momentum doesn't come from motivation. It comes from safe, repeatable action.”
Best for: Veterans, entrepreneurs, professionals
From Survival Mode to Stability
Behavioral Activation for people who have been running on fumes. Survival mode looks like exhaustion, isolation, and no motivation — and waiting to feel better doesn't work. This workshop teaches the order the nervous system actually follows: action, then momentum, then confidence.
Attendees will leave with
A simple structure for rebuilding momentum when nothing feels possible
A micro-action ladder scaled to where you actually are today
Permission to stop waiting to feel motivated before you move
Try in the room
Micro Action Ladder
- 1.
Write one goal (for example: 'get my life back on track')
- 2.
Break it into a 5-minute version, a 10-minute version, and a 20-minute version
- 3.
Pick the smallest one and do it today
“You don't need a new life plan. You need one small action repeated daily.”
Best for: Anyone overwhelmed, stagnant, or burned out
You Don't Have to Do It Alone
Asking for help can feel unsafe after trauma — especially for veterans, women, and anyone who built their identity around independence. This workshop names why, dismantles the myth, and gives attendees a concrete map of who they can actually reach for.
Attendees will leave with
A clear-eyed look at where independence is costing you
A three-tier support map: safe people, professionals, community
One ask you'll make this week — specific, to a specific person
Try in the room
Support Circle Exercise
- 1.
Draw three concentric circles
- 2.
Fill them in: inner (safe people), middle (professional support), outer (community and network)
- 3.
Identify one ask you will make this week — and who you'll make it to
“Connection isn't weakness. Isolation is the cost of old survival math.”
Best for: Veterans, women, entrepreneurs
Designing Safe Spaces on a Budget
You don't need a renovation budget to build a space that lets your nervous system settle. This workshop is tactical — lighting, sound, sightlines, privacy, decompression corners — and built for renters, first-time homeowners, and veterans in transition.
Attendees will leave with
A working list of low-cost, high-impact changes that actually regulate the body
A prioritized plan scoped to what you can do this month
The sensory checklist Andrea uses in her own home
Try in the room
$100 Safe Space Challenge
- 1.
If you had $100 to make your space feel safer, where does every dollar go?
- 2.
Sort your list: body (sleep, sound, light) vs. perimeter (locks, visibility)
- 3.
Pick the first $20 and spend it this week
“You don't need to renovate. You need to notice what your nervous system is telling you the room is missing.”
Best for: Real estate investors, renters, transitioning veterans
“I've booked speakers for this summit for seven years. Most deliver their material and leave. Andrea stayed two hours after talking with attendees one-on-one. People who hadn't opened up in years were talking. Three people signed up for follow-up services that same night. We're bringing her back.”
Renee T.
Program Director, Veterans Wellness Summit
Book Andrea
Speaking Inquiry
Tell us about your event and we'll be in touch within 48 hours to discuss availability, customization, and fit.