A M A N D A W I L L E T T

About Amanda Willett

25+ Years of Experience

Transforming Workplaces. Empowering Leaders. Inspiring Change.

Meet Amanda Willett: Resilience and Leadership in Action

Amanda Willett's career embodies resilience, adaptability, and an unwavering dedication to fostering safety and well-being in diverse, high-pressure environments. For over two decades, she has navigated high-risk industries like manufacturing, automotive, engineering and nuclear, facing head-on the challenges of gender-based violence, toxic environments, and workplace harassment. These experiences, coupled with her own battle with PTSD, - fuel her passion for change.
With over 25 years of experience, she is a trauma-responsive leadership expert, speaker, author, and co-founder of the Trauma Wise Institute. Drawing on her education, lived experience as a survivor and her leadership in across multiple industries, Amanda empowers leaders to address workplace trauma, adopt trauma-responsive practices, and drive groundbreaking advancements in gender-based violence prevention strategies.

Career Timeline

Vertical Timeline

Foundation in Industrial Safety and Human Resources

Amanda's career began in the rolling steel industry, where she served as a training coordinator to the VP and health and safety advisor, working closely with engineers to ensure workplace safety and efficiency. This experience laid the groundwork for her expertise in creating safe, productive work environments.

Moving to the oil and gas sector as a branch secretary, Amanda honed her administrative skills before transitioning to the automotive and manufacturing industry. As an HR manager, she spearheaded the implementation of ISO 9001 standards, managed internal audits, and developed key policies and procedures. Her comprehensive approach to HR operations included financial management, full-cycle recruitment, and staff training initiatives.

Expanding Horizons: Global Recruitment and Nuclear Expertise

Amanda's career path then led her through roles in roofing administration and into a pivotal position as an HR coordinator at a recruitment agency. Here, she not only managed payroll and benefits for 850 contracted employees but also spearheaded international recruitment initiatives spanning the USA, Europe, Sweden, the UK, and South Africa. Her expertise in screening and hiring trades professionals from these diverse overseas markets showcased her ability to navigate complex global labor landscapes, ensuring top talent acquisition on an international scale. This experience honed Amanda's skills in cross-cultural communication, global labor regulations, and identifying specialized skills across different industrial sectors, further broadening her perspective on workforce management and diversity.

Nuclear Industry: Advancing Safety and Leadership

In the nuclear sector, Amanda's career reached new heights. Starting as a radiation technician providing critical safety oversight in the reactor for trades, she quickly progressed to become a stepped up First Line Manager Assistant and then a First Line Manager in Radiation Protection, particularly during critical outage periods. In this role, she led cross-functional teams, significantly improving operational efficiency and workforce productivity.

Navigating Challenging Work Environments

Throughout her career in male-dominated industries, Amanda gained firsthand experience with toxic workplace cultures, power dynamics, trauma, bullying, and sexual harassment. These experiences became a driving force behind her passion for creating safer, more inclusive work environments. Amanda's ability to navigate and address these issues has informed her approach to leadership and her commitment to fostering psychologically safe workplaces.

Non-Profit Leadership & Advocacy

Amanda Willett is a dedicated advocate committed to preventing gender-based violence, empowering survivors, and driving systemic change. During the pandemic, she founded Rituals for Recovery and Help Her Recover to address the urgent need for trauma-responsive care and support for survivors. Through her leadership, Amanda developed innovative programs, professional training, and community-based solutions that tackle gender-based violence and its systemic causes. Her work includes creating survivor-centered programs, equipping helpers and organizations with tools to foster safe, inclusive, and trauma-informed environments. Currently, she is developing Culturally Competent Care: A Manual for Trauma-Responsive Intervention and Prevention of GBV and IPV to advance workplace practices. Through her leadership, Amanda is reshaping how organizations and communities respond to trauma and promote safety and equity.

Foundation in Industrial Safety and Human Resources

Amanda's career began in the rolling steel industry, where she served as a training coordinator to the VP and health and safety advisor, working closely with engineers to ensure workplace safety and efficiency. This experience laid the groundwork for her expertise in creating safe, productive work environments.

Moving to the oil and gas sector as a branch secretary, Amanda honed her administrative skills before transitioning to the automotive and manufacturing industry. As an HR manager, she spearheaded the implementation of ISO 9001 standards, managed internal audits, and developed key policies and procedures. Her comprehensive approach to HR operations included financial management, full-cycle recruitment, and staff training initiatives.

Expanding Horizons: Global Recruitment and Nuclear Expertise

Amanda's career path then led her through roles in roofing administration and into a pivotal position as an HR coordinator at a recruitment agency. Here, she not only managed payroll and benefits for 850 contracted employees but also spearheaded international recruitment initiatives spanning the USA, Europe, Sweden, the UK, and South Africa. Her expertise in screening and hiring trades professionals from these diverse overseas markets showcased her ability to navigate complex global labor landscapes, ensuring top talent acquisition on an international scale. This experience honed Amanda's skills in cross-cultural communication, global labor regulations, and identifying specialized skills across different industrial sectors, further broadening her perspective on workforce management and diversity.

Nuclear Industry: Advancing Safety and Leadership

In the nuclear sector, Amanda's career reached new heights. Starting as a radiation technician providing critical safety oversight in the reactor for trades, she quickly progressed to become a stepped up First Line Manager Assistant and then a First Line Manager in Radiation Protection, particularly during critical outage periods. In this role, she led cross-functional teams, significantly improving operational efficiency and workforce productivity.

Navigating Challenging Work Environments

Throughout her career in male-dominated industries, Amanda gained firsthand experience with toxic workplace cultures, power dynamics, trauma, bullying, and sexual harassment. These experiences became a driving force behind her passion for creating safer, more inclusive work environments. Amanda's ability to navigate and address these issues has informed her approach to leadership and her commitment to fostering psychologically safe workplaces.

Non-Profit Leadership & Advocacy

Amanda Willett is a dedicated advocate committed to preventing gender-based violence, empowering survivors, and driving systemic change. During the pandemic, she founded Rituals for Recovery and Help Her Recover to address the urgent need for trauma-responsive care and support for survivors. Through her leadership, Amanda developed innovative programs, professional training, and community-based solutions that tackle gender-based violence and its systemic causes. Her work includes creating survivor-centered programs, equipping helpers and organizations with tools to foster safe, inclusive, and trauma-informed environments. Currently, she is developing Culturally Competent Care: A Manual for Trauma-Responsive Intervention and Prevention of GBV and IPV to advance workplace practices. Through her leadership, Amanda is reshaping how organizations and communities respond to trauma and promote safety and equity.

Innovative Training Programs at
Rituals for Recovery:

S.T.A.R. (Support, Trauma Advocacy, & Response):

Community-focused GBV/IPV training.

L.E.A.D. (Leadership, Empathy, Advocacy, and Development):

Initiative for workplace leaders to develop trauma-responsive leadership skills.

G.R.O.W. (Guidance, Resilience, Outreach, and Well-being)

Program focused on nurturing trauma-responsive learning spaces in educational settings.

Trauma-Responsive Organizational Leadership Program

RfR Trauma Care:

Resilience & Recovery Program for Helping Professionals

Trauma Responsive Mind Body Wellness Programming

Help Her Recover Project and Program:

Empowering Survivors Through Education, Support, and Leadership

Entrepreneurship and Visionary Leadership: Founder Trauma Wise Institute

Amanda's entrepreneurial spirit and visionary leadership are exemplified in her role as Co-Founder of the Trauma Wise Institute. Since 2003, she has been an entrepreneur, running multiple businesses focused on empowering women in business and life. Leveraging her diverse experience, entrepreneurial acumen, and deep understanding of workplace dynamics, she identified a critical gap in the market for trauma-informed practices in high-risk industries. This latest venture, Trauma Wise Institute, represents the culmination of her decades-long commitment to creating safer, more inclusive work environments.

Visit the Trauma wise institute

Memberships & Partnerships

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Awards and Recognitions:

  • Humanitarian Feminine Leadership Award – Marsh Engel Media | Amazing Women’s Day Toronto
  • Iconic Innovator Award – World Women’s Economic Forum, India
  • Recognized Brainz 500 Global Awards prestigious list of top entrepreneurs and influential leaders who are recognized for their entrepreneurial success, achievements, and dedication to helping others.
  • Nominated Changemaker of the Year - Women Changing the World
  • Nominated Non-Profit of the Year, Whitby Chamber Commerce
  • Published in Unified Brainz - World's 1st Gold Edition Coffee table book, Who's Who of the World, 2022
  • Published the Compilation Speak Out and Help Her Recover: Stories of Hope and Healing for Survivors of GBV
  • Non-Profit Founder and Board Director

Trauma Responsive HR Solutions

  • Trauma-Responsive Leadership Training
  • GBV Strategy & Implementation Support
  • Workplace Violence Prevention and Intervention Training
  • Tailored Survivor Support Advocacy Services
  • Workplace Safety and Well-being Solutions
  • HR Full Cycle Recruitment
  • Policy Development and Implementation
  • DEI Consulting
  • Executive Coaching
  • Employee Relations & Conflict Resolution

Amanda is revolutionizing how high-risk industries approach GBV prevention and trauma-responsive leadership. The institute's programs go beyond standard safety measures, focusing on creating trauma responsive and psychologically safe environments where all employees can thrive. By offering services such as leadership training, creating tailored GBV prevention strategies, survivor support, and crisis intervention, Trauma Wise Institute is helping organizations integrate these crucial elements into their core business practices, positioning them as industry leaders in safety, inclusivity, and innovation.

With a strong educational foundation, Amanda holds a 3-Year Diploma in Business Administration and Human Resources Management, along with a Mental Health First Aid Certificate and a Workplace Mental Health Leadership Certificate from Queen’s University. She is also a certified Trauma Recovery Coach, has completed over 500 hours of training in yoga and the healing arts, and has specialized training in gender-based violence prevention and trauma-responsive care.

Amanda's unique journey from industrial safety to global recruitment, nuclear, and non-profit management to trauma-informed leadership, exemplifies how diverse experiences can converge to create powerful, transformative approaches to workplace wellness and societal change. Her work continues to bridge the gap between traditional industrial practices and modern, empathetic leadership strategies, paving the way for safer, more inclusive work environments across all sectors.

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Contact us:

For speaking engagements, consulting, or to learn more about Amanda's transformative approach to leadership, contact:

905-244-8030
[email protected]