Karen Gay
Educator & Trauma-Informed Relational Skills Trainer | Nervous System Regulation | Holistic Health & Corporate Training
I support individuals through private sessions, organizations through capacity-building training, and wellness programs through visiting residencies and custom programming.
Trauma-Informed Practitioner & Facilitator
I work with nervous systems—helping them regulate, settle, and build capacity.
For individuals, that looks like private, body-based sessions using gentle, trauma-informed modalities.
For organizations, that looks like training programs focused on nervous system literacy, relational skills, and the capacity to sustain performance without depleting people.
For wellness programs and retreats, that looks like visiting residencies and custom programming delivered with professional sophistication and cultural sensitivity.
All of it is client-led. All of it is trauma-informed. All of it is grounded in nearly 30 years of experience across education, somatic therapy, and organizational development.
Three Ways We Can Work Together
Individual Sessions
Organizations
Wellness Programs
Individual Sessions
You're dealing with overwhelm or feeling worn down. You need support that works with your body and doesn't require you to explain your story or talk about the past. Sessions are private, gentle, and focused on helping your nervous system settle.
Private sessions for nervous system regulation
If your body is running on fumes, and you need support that doesn't require explaining yourself—sessions are for you.
I use trauma informed somatic practices, Biodynamic Craniosacral Therapy, Holographic Memory Resolution®. These are gentle, body-based modalities that help your nervous system settle.
What sessions are:
Client-led (you're in control of pace and depth)
Body-based (not talk therapy or trauma processing)
Focused on regulation (helping your nervous system settle)
Private and confidential
What sessions are not:
About analyzing your story
About revisiting the past
Performance-based or outcome-driven
Prescriptive or forced
Organizations
Your people are skilled, but something is quietly wearing them down. You need training that addresses how stress affects the body and how teams relate under pressure—not surface-level wellness programs. I work with businesses, non-profits, healthcare, education, and community-based organizations.
Capacity-building training for teams and organizations
If your people are depleted, if relational friction is impacting performance, if stress and dysregulation are the real issues—not skills gaps—training is for you.
I design and deliver trauma-informed programs that help teams understand nervous system states and build the capacity to work with them—not around them.
What training focuses on:
Nervous system literacy (understanding activation, shutdown, regulation)
Relational capacity under pressure (feedback, conflict, psychological safety)
Practical regulation tools people can use in real time
Leadership that accounts for how nervous systems actually work
Who I work with:
Businesses and professional services
Healthcare and social services (compassion fatigue, vicarious trauma)
Educational institutions (teachers, administrators)
Non-profits and Indigenous organizations (intergenerational trauma, community capacity)
Government and municipal departments
What this isn't:
Wellness theatre or motivational speeches
Generic stress management advice
Programs that ignore the reality of systemic stress
Delivery formats:
Half-day or full-day workshops
Multi-session programs over weeks or months
Leadership development series
Train-the-trainer programs
Custom design based on your organization's needs
Delivery options:
In-person (Winnipeg-based, available for travel)
Virtual (designed for engagement, not Zoom fatigue)
Blended formats
Wellness Programs
You're creating experiences for discerning clients. You need a practitioner whose work is trauma-informed, culturally sensitive, and professionally delivered. I offer visiting residencies and custom programming for retreats, resorts, and private wellness events.
Visiting Residencies and Custom Programming
If you're creating transformative experiences for discerning clients, if you need trauma-informed programming delivered with professional sophistication, if your brand requires cultural sensitivity and discretion—partnerships are for you.
What I offer:
Visiting practitioner residencies (short-term or extended)
Private sessions for guests
Custom workshops and group programming
Signature wellness experiences designed for your brand
Why hospitality partners value this work:
Trauma-informed approach (gentle, client-led, culturally sensitive)
Professional sophistication (I understand luxury hospitality standards)
International experience (10 years working across continents)
Language capacity (fluent in French, basic Mandarin)
Discretion and privacy (experience with high-net-worth clientele)
Ideal partnerships:
International wellness-focused resorts
Boutique retreat centres
Private estates hosting wellness gatherings
Family offices curating experiences
Luxury hospitality brands differentiating through specialized programming
How residencies work: We design something tailored to your guests, your brand, and your standards. That might be a week-long residency with private sessions and group workshops. It might be a monthly visiting practitioner arrangement. It might be a custom intensive for a private group.
The format is flexible. The approach stays the same: trauma-informed, client-led, and delivered with the professionalism your brand requires.
Client-Led, Trauma-Informed, Evidence-Based
Whether I'm working with an individual, training a team, or designing programming for a wellness retreat, the approach is the same.
Client-led means:
You (or your team, or your guests) remain in control of pace and depth
There's no prescribed timeline or outcome
You decide what's too much, too fast, or not the right fit
Your responses are respected, not judged
Trauma-informed means:
Safety and choice come first, always
People aren't asked to revisit the past or explain themselves
Regulation is the focus, not processing or analysis
All experiences are valid—there's no "right" way to respond
Evidence-based means:
Grounded in nervous system science and somatic psychology
Not trendy wellness fads or unsubstantiated claims
Draws from polyvagal theory, trauma research, and body-based modalities
Practical and usable, not just theoretical
This approach works because it respects what nervous systems actually need: safety, choice, and space to settle.
My Career Growth
Education, somatic therapy, and organizational development
I will be your biggest cheerleader.
I started in education, teaching internationally, designing curricula, learning how to create spaces where people felt safe enough to learn and grow.
Studying and applying the concepts around Learning Styles, Differentiated Learning, and Cultural Sensitivities expanded my awareness of the complexities of learning. My explorations led me to body-based, trauma-informed work.
Training & certifications:
Biodynamic Craniosacral Therapy
Holographic Memory Resolution®
Master-Level Relational Skills Training
Integrative Health & Medicine
Education:
Master of Multidisciplinary Studies (Education), SUNY Buffalo
Bachelor of Recreation Studies, University of Manitoba
Professional experience:
15 years teaching internationally (Physical Education, French, Department Chair)
Nearly 30 years in health and wellness
5 years international wellness programming and luxury hospitality experience
What guides my work is the commitment to creating spaces where people's systems can feel safe enough to settle, so they can fully engage in all areas of their lives and for teams and organizations to build capacity, respecting individual uniqueness and and capabilities.
Let's talk about what would be helpful
Whether you're seeking individual support, exploring training for your organization, or considering a wellness partnership, we can start with a conversation about what you need.
Not ready for sessions or training?
Start with a self-guided practice
The Gentle Reset System is a self-guided collection of body-based practices for nervous system regulation.
It's designed for moments when overwhelm hits and you need something simple, gentle, and accessible—without scheduling sessions, explaining yourself, or committing to anything beyond what feels supportive in the moment.
What's included:
10 trauma-informed practices
Guided audio session
Printable reference cards and tracker
All the safety protocols and "when to stop" guidance
No therapy. No story. No pressure to do it "right."