Becoming a Trauma-informed Restorative Educator with Marg Thorsborne & Joe Brummer

In this episode, I sit down with Marg Thorsborne and Joe Brummer, two incredible thought leaders in trauma-informed and restorative practices.

Together, they’ve written two books, Becoming a Trauma-Informed Restorative Educator and Becoming a Trauma-Informed Restorative School - Practical Skills to Change Culture and Behaviour.

It’s all about creating safer, more connected classrooms that focus on collaboration and wellbeing rather than compliance and punishment.

We talk about the critical shift from punitive approaches to relational ones, how trauma-informed and restorative practices work together, and why this is essential for creating meaningful change in education.

What you’ll learn in the episode:

• Why trauma-informed and restorative practices must go hand in hand
• Learn how these approaches are intertwined and why schools can’t truly adopt one without the other.
• The truth about punitive consequences and understanding the long-term costs of punishment on trust, mental health, and behaviour development.
• How co-regulation and relational neurobiology can transform classroom culture.
• Strategies and tools for educators for building trust, teaching skills, and holding boundaries without shame or compliance based tactics.
• How doing the work on ourselves as educators is the foundation for transforming our classrooms and communities.

The Books

• Building a Trauma-Informed Restorative School: Skills and Approaches for Improving Culture and Behaviour
• Building a Trauma-Informed Restorative Educator: Skills and Approaches for Improving Culture and Behaviour

Connect with Marg and Joe

• LinkedIn: Joe Brummer
• LinkedIn: Margaret Thorsborne

Resources for you

• Check out my Creating Conscious and Compassionate Classrooms bundle, which is a 10-part guide to behaviour support grounded in connection and empathy. It’s packed with resources to help you create a trauma-informed, neuro-affirming classroom that supports students holistically. Just $77 and full of actionable, real world strategies.

Connect with Em

• Website: emmagentle.com.au
• Instagram: @em_gentle
• LinkedIn Em Gentle