Ep. 7: Organizational Compassion Fatigue with Michelle Graff

Compassion fatigue doesn't just affect individuals—it can infiltrate entire teams, departments, and organizations. In this episode, I'm joined by the author of The Compassion Fatigued Organization to explore what happens when secondary trauma and chronic stress become embedded in the culture of animal care, welfare, and activism. We dive into what organizational compassion fatigue really means, how it shows up in workplace systems, and what leaders—as well as staff and volunteers—can do to shift from burnout to resilience. In this episode, we discuss: What organizational compassion fatigue is and how it can show up. Why cultivating a culture of compassion goes far beyond encouraging individual self-care. What it means to be a trauma-informed organization and how leadership can lead the way. How trauma reenactments and stress responses (fight, flight, freeze) ripple through teams and shape workplace culture. The current cultural "war on empathy" and how to protect and nurture empathy in your team. The evolving role of self-care: why it’s important not just for staff and volunteers, but for the organization as a whole Whether you’re a team lead, frontline worker, or volunteer, this episode will help you better understand the systemic nature of compassion fatigue and offer concrete tools to begin healing from the inside out. Resources mentioned: https://resiliencyonline.com/ The Compassion Fatigued Organization The Compassion Fatigue Workbook